History Trivia / TheHunchbackofNotreDame

* AdaptationalContextChange: Here, Quasimodo's pillory scene occurs during the Feast of Fools, a result of the fickle mob suddenly turning against him. In the original novel, this scene took place the next day, and it was Quasimodo's punishment for having attempted to kidnap Esmeralda on Frollo's orders.

** The fanatical Catholic Judge Frollo is voiced by Tony Jay, who is Jewish in real life.

** The US stage Frollo, Patrick Page, was actually an award-winning stage magician back in his teenage years.

!![[Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame The Disney film]]

** In the European Spanish dub, Creator/ConstantinoRomero (Frollo), Jesús Castejón (Clopin), Salvador Aldeguer (Hugo), Carmen Contreras and Creator/MiguelAngelJenner (The Archdeacon) did their own songs. This was one of Romero's few dubbing works where he shows his singing talents, Jesús Castejón was a stage veteran and he already performed singing for Disney as [[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas Oogie Boogie]]; and Jenner performed songs in [[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast previous]] [[Disney/TheLionKing Disney Renaissance]] [[Disney/{{Pocahontas}} films]].

** [[Sequelitis/{{Disney}} Sequelitis: Disney]] (along with [[Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDameII its sequel)]]

* TechnologyMarchesOn: When the film was being promoted, the CGI people were touted as a huge technological advancement. They were the logical next step after the CGI stampede scene from ''Disney/TheLionKing''. Instead of using CGI to reproduce the same model making the same movements over and over again, the crowds of ''Hunchback'' were randomized, with different elements such as clothing, body types, and behaviors being mixed and matched to create these gigantic ''Film/BenHur''-esque crowd scenes that would, otherwise, either be much too expensive to animate, or have to be static parts of the matte. It's more noticeable now (especially if you remember watching "Behind the Scenes" featurettes which showcased the various behaviors back on the '90s Disney Channel), but at the time, especially on a first-time viewing, they ''were'' pretty impressive and evocative towards the party atmosphere in "Topsy Turvy" especially.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: This was the final film role for Mary Wickes, Laverne's voice actress, as she died of cancer during production and had to be replaced by [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute sound-alike Jane Withers]], although only for a few lines. Withers was actually a good friend of Wickes in real life, and took over the role in ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame II'', the film's [[{{Sequelitis}} direct-to-video sequel]].

** Jane Withers recorded Laverne's remaining lines as Mary Wickes died of cancer during production. See AuthorExistenceFailure above.

** Jane Withers recorded Laverne's remaining lines as Mary Wickes died of cancer and returned to voice the character in the sequel.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: This was the final film role for Mary Wickes, Laverne's voice actress, as she died of cancer during production and had to be replaced by [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute sound-alike Jane Withers]], although only for a few lines. Withers was actually a good friend of Wickes in real life, and took over the role in ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame II'', the film's [[Sequelitis direct-to-video sequel]].

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Poor, poor Mary Wickes, Laverne's voice actress. This was her final film role as she died of cancer during production and had to be replaced by a stand in, although thankfully only for a few lines. Fortunately, [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute that stand-in]] is sound-alike Jane Withers, who took over the role in [[CanonDiscontinuity the much-maligned DTV sequel]].

* CelebrityVoiceActor: Creator/DemiMoore at the time became the highest paid voice actor in Hollywood, receiving $1 million for lending her voice to Esmeralda. Also Creator/KevinKline as Phoebus and Jason Alexander as Hugo. The sequel casts Jennifer Love Hewitt as Madellaine.

* NewbieBoom: The book became number 1 on Amazon after the real Notre Dame was nearly destroyed by a fire in April 2019.

* NewbieBoom: The film saw a large, renewed amount of interest when the real Notre Dame was nearly destroyed by fire in April 2019.

** Twenty-Six year old Pierre Gringoire has been played by thirty-six year old Raymond Hatton and thirty-five year old Edward Atterton.

** Instead of Victor, Hugo and Laverne the gargoyles would have been named Chaney, Laughton and Quinn as homage to actors Creator/LonChaney, Creator/CharlesLaughton and Creator/AnthonyQuinn who had played the title character in previous adaptations. This idea was brought back into the German musical only named Charles, Antoine, and [[GenderBlenderName Loni]].

* TechnologyMarchesOn: When the film was being promoted, the CGI people were touted as a huge technological advancement. They were the logical next step after the CGI stampede scene from ''Disney/TheLionKing''. Instead of using CGI to reproduce the same model making the same movements over and over again, the crowds of ''Hunchback'' were randomized, with different elements such as clothing, body types, and behaviors being mixed and matched to create these gigantic ''Film/BenHur'' crowd scenes that would, otherwise, either be much too expensive to animate, or have to be static parts of the matte. It's more noticeable now (especially if you remember watching "Behind the Scenes" featurettes which showcased the various behaviors back on the '90s Disney Channel), but at the time, especially on a first-time viewing, they ''were'' pretty impressive and evocative towards the party atmosphere in "Topsy Turvy" especially.

* DisownedAdaptation: The descendants of Creator/VictorHugo bashed Disney in an open letter to the Libération newspaper for their ancestor getting no mention on the advertisement posters for the film, and they harsly criticized the film itself as a vulgar commercialization and {{disneyfication}} of Hugo's story.

* NewbieBoom: The film saw a large amount of interest when the real Notre Dame was nearly destroyed by fire in April 2019.

** In the European Spanish dub, the teaser for the film had Ernesto Aura -- who had a fitting voice as Constantino Romero to voice the character -- voicing Frollo. The role went at the end to Creator/ConstantinoRomero.

** Creator/MandyPatinkin was originally cast as Quasimodo before [[Theatre/{{Amadeus}} Tom Hulce]] was hired, but dropped out of the project due to Main/CreativeDifferences with the producers over the portrayal of the character. Patinkin would eventually go on to portray Quasimodo in a Main/MadeForTVMovie released in 1997.
** Creator/PatrickStewart, Creator/IanMcKellen, and Creator/DerekJacobi were considered for the role of Frollo before the casting of Creator/TonyJay.

** The evangelical Catholic Judge Frollo is voiced by Tony Jay, who is Jewish in real life.

** Creator/MandyPatinkin was originally cast as Quasimodo before [[Theatre/{{Amadeus}} Tom Hulce]] was hired, but dropped out of the project due to Main/CreativeDifferences with the producers over the character portrayal. Patinkin would eventually go on to portray Quasimodo in a Main/MadeForTVMovie released in 1997.

** Instead of Victor, Hugo and Laverne the gargoyles would have been named Chaney, Laughton and Quinn as homage to actors Creator/LonChaney, Creator/CharlesLaughton and Creator/AnthonyQuinn who had played the title character in previous adaptations. This idea was brought back into the German musical only named Charles, Antoine, and [[GenderBlenderName Loni]].

** Creator/IanMckellen, Creator/PatrickStewart and Creator/DerekJacobi were considered for the role of Frollo. For Jacobi this would have been a RoleReprisal as he had played the character in a television film made in 1982.
** Creator/EricIdle was considered for Clopin.
** Creator/MandyPatinkin was originally cast as Quasimodo but left early into production because he felt the film was too different from the source material and he 'wanted to play Quasimodo for real.' He eventually did play the character in a 1997 adaptation with Creator/SalmaHayek as Esmeralda and Creator/RichardHarris as Frollo.

* TalkingToHimself: During the flashback in the opening number, Creator/JimCummings voices about three or four characters in quick succession (one or two of the gypsy men, the boatman, and Frollo's guard). While Cummings does have an impressive vocal range, he unfortunately uses the same voice for all of these characters, making it very noticeable.

** Incidentally, the Disney film was released in France with the title ''Le Bossu de Notre-Dame'' ("The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" in French) rather than Hugo's original title. The [[Film/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame1939 1939 version]] was released in France with the title ''Quasimodo''. The 1956 film (a French and Italian production) was released in France with the title ''Notre-Dame de Paris'' and in the English-speaking world with the title ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame''.

* FakeNationality: In the 1939 version, the French characters are played by British and American actors. In the 1956 version, most actors are French, but Esmeralda is played by the Italian Creator/GinaLollobrigida and Quasimodo by the Mexican American Anthony Quinn.

** Tony Jay, who was Jewish in real life, voices the evangelical Catholic Judge Frollo.

** Incidentally, the Disney film was released in France with the title ''Le Bossu de Notre-Dame'' ("The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" in French) rather than Hugo's original title. The 1939 version was released in France with the title ''Quasimodo''. The 1956 film (a French and Italian production) was released in France with the title ''Notre-Dame de Paris'' and in the English-speaking world with the title ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame''.

* AFIS100Years100Passions: #98

** Fifty-nine year old Louis XI was played by the seventy-three year old Harry Davenport in the 1939 film.

* RealitySubtext: The 1939 version introduced a very humanist, sympathetic take on the plight of the Romani not found in previous adaptations of the story. Considering it was made by a director who had fled Nazi Germany years before during a time when [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porajmos the Nazi death machine was in the process of systematically slaughtering the Romani]], it's safe to say it's not a coincidence. It's also worth noting it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, which originated in opposition to the fascist presence in the Venice Film Festival (it was the only film shown that year before [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Germany invaded Poland]] ''the same day'').

* DisownedAdaptation: The descendants of Creator/VictorHugo bashed Disney in an open letter to the Libération newspaper for their ancestor getting no mention on the advertisement posters for the film, and they harsly criticized the film itself as a vulgar commercialization of Victor Hugo's story.

* TheCastShowoff: In the Swedish dub Mikael Grahn sings the last note of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyGYjVb_p1U Bells of Notre Dame]]" using his chest voice and is the only actor playing Clopin to do so.
** In the Spanish dub, Creator/ConstantinoRomero (Frollo), Jesús Castejón (Clopin), Salvador Aldeguer (Hugo), Carmen Contreras and Creator/MiguelAngelJenner (The Archdeacon) did their own songs. This was one of Romero's few dubbing works where he shows his singing talents, Jesús Castejón was a stage veteran and he already performed singing for Disney as [[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas Oogie Boogie]]; and Jenner performed songs in [[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast previous]] [[Disney/TheLionKing Disney Renaissance]] [[Disney/{{Pocahontas}} films]].

* TheOtherDarrin: Jane Withers recorded Laverne's remaining lines as Mary Wickes died of cancer and returned to voice the character in the sequel.
** In the Spanish dub, the teaser for the film had Ernesto Aura -- who had a fitting voice as Constantino Romero to voice the character -- voicing Frollo. The role went at the end to Creator/ConstantinoRomero.