The Hunchback Of Notre Dame Disney / Tropes H to N

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney) Trope Examples
A - C | D - G | H - N | O - Z

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H

• Hand Gagging: Victor does this to prevent Hugo from spitting on a mime.
• Handicapped Badass: For a guy with a spine like a boomerang, Quasimodo is surprisingly nimble and strong. Not only can he lift a grown woman over his head, he broke solid iron chains with his bare hands. All this from years of ringing big, heavy bells and leaping around the cathedral (see Le Parkour below).
• Happy Harlequin Hat: The points of the King of Fools crown droop and have bells on the end like the flaps of a jester's cap.
• Heal It with Booze: When hiding the wounded Phoebus in the belltower, Esmeralda washes out his wound with alcohol.
  Phoebus: Esmeralda?
  Esmeralda: Shh. Shh. Shh. You'll hide here until you're strong enough to move.
  [Esmeralda pulls out a flask]
  Phoebus: Great. I could use a drink.
  [Esmeralda pours it on his wound, and Phoebus cries out in pain]
  Phoebus: Yessssss! Mmmm. Feels like a 1470 Burgundy. Not a good year.
• Heel–Face Turn: After moments of increasing conflict with Frollo over his tactics, Phoebus finally snaps and defies Frollo when he orders an innocent family to be burned alive in their home for not giving him information over Esmeralda's whereabouts.
• Heroes' Frontier Step: Quasimodo didn't take a step when he saved Esmeralda. No. His HFS is when he holds Frollo by the cape and doesn't let him go. He wouldn't let the man who mistreated him for years, killed many Roma, including his mother, fall to his death. This short moment definitely solves the riddle: "who is the monster and who is the man".
• Heroic Bystander:
  • Technically, the Archdeacon doesn't have the legal authority to keep Frollo in check. He does, however, have the righteous authority, stopping him from drowning Quasimodo as a baby and calling him out for killing the mother in cold blood. All the while, he gives the man a Death Glare and inspires the fear of God in him. Later, when he sees Esmeralda in the church and Phoebus claims that she claimed sanctuary, the Archdeacon steps in and backs up Phoebus' story. He also says that Frollo has no right to drag out an innocent who has the church's protection and should have learned that years ago.
  • All of the Parisian citizens mutiny against the soldiers when Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda from the stake and Frollo "declares war on Notre Dame herself," as Phoebus shouts. They break rank, free the Roma, and start fighting the armed men.
• Heroic Fire Rescue: When Frollo locks the miller and his family in their home and burns it down when Phoebus refuses to do it, Phoebus breaks into the glass window to save everyone. He grabs the baby, busts down the door, and leads the family outside, where they run from the guards. It's so awesome that Esmeralda cites this when telling Clopin that Phoebus defected to save innocents.
• Heroic Seductress: Downplayed with Esmeralda, who only dances seductively to entertain rather than manipulate. In fact, she tells Quasimodo that she would rather know how to carve like he does, since it would mean she wouldn't have to dance. Outside of her sexy dances, she's an All-Loving Hero who is defined by her kindness and compassion.
• Hero vs. Villain Duet: "Out There" begins as this, with Judge Frollo singing to his surrogate son Quasimodo about how his ugliness is a sin and that he will never be accepted. Quasimodo sings along, agreeing with Frollo's words and seemingly accepting them until Frollo leaves and Quasimodo opens up about his desires to be loved and accepted, going against his surrogate father's teachings and revealing that he's not as obedient as he seems.
• He Who Fights Monsters: Clopin was perfectly willing to execute Phoebus and Quasimodo because he thought they were spies of Frollo. That kind of "justice" is similar to the kind of thing Frollo does, though he might have let them get a word or two in before gagging them.
• Hoist by His Own Petard:
  • The Battering Ram used by the Elite Mooks to break down Notre Dame's doors was originally a beam tossed down by Quasimodo onto Frollo's carriage.
  • Twice in the climax. First, Frollo uses his cape to entangle Quasimodo and cause him to fall off the cathedral, but Quasimodo reflexively grabs the cape, causing Frollo to fall and forcing him to find another handhold to keep himself from falling. Then, Frollo using a sword to cut at Quasimodo and Esmeralda causes him to cut one of the gargoyles. Moments later, Frollo uses that gargoyle to stand on while he tries to slash at Esmeralda; the gargoyle crumbles under his weight and breaks off from the cathedral, with Frollo plummeting into a pit of molten metal below.
• Holy Pipe Organ: For this film, which largely takes place in/around a cathedral and has more religious themes than your standard Disney fare, Alan Menken makes extensive use of pipe organ in his score.
• Homeschooled Kids: Poor Quasimodo—Frollo royally sucks as a teacher, seeing that Quasimodo is still learning the alphabet at age 20. Then again, this is set at a time when most people were completely illiterate, so he's still ahead of the curve. It's possible that he's purposefully not teaching Quasimodo everything so he could keep him as uneducated as possible. He doesn't want Quasi to get any ideas... (after all, "damnation" is listed twice with the second as "eternal damnation").
• Hope Spot: In-Universe example. Quasimodo had always believed that no woman would ever fall in love with him looking the way he does. Then he meets Esmeralda, who stands up for him to his cruel foster father and the townspeople hurting him. She befriends him, and Quasimodo starts to hope that she could have fallen for him… only to see her kiss Phoebus after begging Quasi to give him shelter. Quasi rips up the card with the heart that she gave him, symbolizing his broken heart and dashed hopes. Fortunately, he becomes more supportive of their relationship, and eventually gives them both his blessing outright.
• The Horseshoe Effect: Frollo pursues an insanely harsh and fundamentalist interpretation of Christianity. Despite his self-proclaimed virtue, he is incredibly guilty of numerous sins while trying to "God's work", including pride. By the end of the movie he goes so far as burn the very cathedral he claimed to defend, becoming the Satanic being he claimed to oppose.
• Horsing Around: Phoebus' horse Achilles when he was told to "sit". His face seemed well smug. Self-satisfied maybe?
• Hot Gypsy Woman: Esmeralda's status as such informs the plot; Frollo wants to both kill her and possess her.
• Humiliation Conga: Ironically after Frollo's guards incite a riot and torture Quasimodo they suffer one themselves by falling down after getting hit in the family jewels and beaten into unconsciousness. It happens again in the later battle.
• Hypocrite: Every one of Frollo's many attempts to assert his moral superiority fall flat given he's by far the most wicked person in the entire film. He is a Holier Than Thou Bible-thumping Sinister Minister who is utterly convinced of his moral righteousness while committing sin after sin in God's name, and blaming all of his moral failings and moments of weakness on others, even on God himself via Psychological Projection.
  • He tries to tell Quasimodo that the Romani gypsies are Always Chaotic Evil, but he's actively planning a Final Solution against the gypsies, he murdered Quasimodo's mother in cold blood and he came close to murdering Quasi himself as a baby (until he was scared out of it by the Archdeacon).
  • As Esmeralda underlines in her "The Reason You Suck" Speech to him at the Festival, "he speaks of justice, yet he is cruel to those most in need of his help." Frollo takes sadistic pleasure in the suffering of others, hires thuggish soldiers to carry out his orders, and encourages a policy of persecution against the Parisian gypsies that begins at public harassment and drummed-up criminal charges and comes scarily close to genocide as his all-consuming lust and mania for Esmeralda drives him over to madness. He even orders a family to be burned alive in their home for dubiously withholding information from him (of course, the family may well have genuinely known nothing as they claimed).
  • He tells Esmeralda that her kind "twist the truth to cloud the mind with unholy thoughts". That's a bit rich, given that Frollo has been Gaslighting poor Quasimodo his entire life about his origins to be able to more easily manipulate him. He even told Quasi that it was his mother was the one who almost drowned him as a baby!
  • Frollo claims to be a man of the cloth and does all his work in God's name, but nothing he does demonstrates any of the Seven Heavenly Virtues. In fact, he's practically the embodiment of the sins of Wrath, Lust and Pride. He also ransacks the cathedral by ordering soldiers to smash down the doors with a ram, assaults the elderly Archdeacon by throwing him down the stairs when the old man protests, and even blasphemes against God by claiming that He made the Devil.
  • He is even a hypocrite with his chasteness. He calls Esmeralda's risque dance a "disgusting display" but he's actually deep down enthralled with lust for her. He becomes completely enraged when he learns that Quasimodo has fallen in love (that is, genuine and harmless romantic love) with Esmeralda, even though he himself would burn down all Paris, kill anyone and even lay siege to one of God's houses for the chance to possess her body for his desires.

I

• Ignored Epiphany:
  • The Archdeacon calls out Frollo for committing murder of an innocent woman and going after her baby. He says no matter what Frollo does, the eyes of Notre Dame are watching him, and tells him to atone for his mistake by raising the baby as his own. It seems to work at first, as Frollo gains an Oh, Crap! look... then he says the baby should be raised in the bell-tower, and perhaps the baby will be of use to him.
  • In the "Hellfire" sequence, Frollo realizes that his lust for Esmeralda is driving him to sinful acts. Rather than using this moment of self-awareness to tone down his cruelty, he instead blames Esmeralda for being sexy and God for allowing temptation to exist, and then, free of actually being at fault for any of his wrongdoing, resolves to burn down all of Paris to find her.
• Improbable Falling Save: At the climax, an unconscious Quasimodo falls from the cathedral and is saved by Phoebus, who manages to overcome the forces of momentum and catch a fully grown man while hanging halfway out a window without both of them tumbling to the ground below.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: Frollo tells his soldiers to not hit his horse when stopping Phoebus. To their credit they DON'T hit the horse!
• Impromptu Fortress: The Catholic priests barricade the doors to the cathedral to prevent Judge Frollo's mooks from violating the sanctity of the church. Quasimodo, Phoebus and Esmeralda have taken sanctuary in its belltowers, and can see the hostile forces attempt to batter through the main doors. Gargoyle adornments that can "vomit" hot oil, plus Parisians upset that the "heart" of Paris is besieged contribute to keeping the mooks out, though Frollo himself manages to find a way inside.
• Incredibly Long Note:
  • "The Bells of Notre Dame" (and its reprise) ends with a 16-second long tenor D5 at full volume. "Out There", and "Hellfire" are also notable.
  • Clopin holds the A of Esmeralda's name for an incredibly long time in "Topsy Turvy" too. This echoes the motif in "The Bells of Notre Dame", when both the Archdeacon and Clopin sing "Notre Dame".
  • "Out There" ends with a rather majestic one by Quasimodo.
• In Name Only: This film uses very little of the novel's plot, even if you ignore the considerable bowdlerisation of the more mature themes from the book. Also, the characters' personalities have all been drastically reworked. While there are scenes that echo events from the book, even these appear in mixed-up order or are performed by different characters, changing their context. Disney's Hunchback is probably better considered as an update of the 1939 film, with which it has many similarities.
• In the Hood: Esmeralda uses a cloak to disguise herself and evade the guards. Quasi also wears a hood when he's going around outside Notre Dame, to hide his face.
• Infernal Background: The song "Hellfire," where Frollo sings about his Villainous Crush on Esmeralda, is sung in front of a fireplace. Later, it's backed by...you guessed it, hellfire.
• Ironic Echo: When Frollo visits Quasimodo near the start, he reminds him of his subservience by telling him, "Remember, Quasimodo, this is your sanctuary." Eventually, during the climax, Quasimodo does indeed claim Notre Dame as his sanctuary, but as an act of rebellion against Frollo.
• Ironic Last Words: During Frollo's Villainous Breakdown, he's about to slash Quasimodo and Esmeralda with his sword, declaring, "And He shall smite the wicked, and plunge them into the fiery pit!" He then falls to his death into the flames below. Considering all he had done to that point, God definitely plunged him into a fiery pit.
• Ironic Name:
  • According to the DVD commentary, Frollo apparently named his big scary black horse "Snowball".
  • Inverted with Quasimodo and Phoebus, whose names have been de-ironized. In the book, Quasimodo is called such because Frollo finds him on Quasimodo Sunday, with its meaning of "half-formed" an ironic coincidence; in this film, Frollo gives Quasimodo the name because he's a Jerkass. Also, Phoebus' name, meaning "sun god", is meant to contrast with his cowardice and dickishness in the novel; in this film, though, Phoebus is legitimately heroic.
• Irony: At the start of the movie, Frollo mocks Quasimodo for talking to the gargoyles. At the end of the movie, what's the last thing Frollo sees before his death? A gargoyle roaring in his face.
  Frollo: Can stone talk?
  Quasimodo: No, it can't.
  Frollo: That's right. You're a smart lad.
• I Reject Your Reality: Don't waste your breath trying to convince Frollo that he is in the wrong, he'll try to defend his actions.
• I Resemble That Remark!:
  Laverne: We always said you were the cute one.
  Hugo: [eating crackers and cheese] I thought *I* was the cute one!
  Laverne: No, you're the fat, stupid one with the big mouth!
  Hugo: Whatcha sayin', exactly?
• I Should Have Done This Years Ago: During the climax, Frollo admits that Quasimodo's mother gave her life trying to save him, rather than abandoning him like Frollo had claimed. While Quasi is still reeling from this revelation, Frollo says that he's going to do what he should have done "TWENTY YEARS AGO!" and tries to kill him.
• It's Quiet… Too Quiet:
  [While searching for the Court of Miracles]
  Phoebus: Speaking of trouble, we should have run into some by now.
  Quasimodo: What do you mean?
  Phoebus: You know, a guard, a booby trap...
  [His torch goes out, leaving them in complete darkness]
  Phoebus: ... Or an ambush.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Quasimodo does what he can to make Esmeralda happy, including blessing her relationship with Phoebus at the end.
• "I Want" Song:
  • Played straight with "Out There", in which Quasimodo sings about wanting a day of freedom.
  • Inverted with "God Help the Outcasts" as Esmeralda specifically does not want anything for herself, but asks God to help others who are worse off than she is.
    "I ask for nothing/I can get by/But I know so many, less lucky than I."
  • Played for drama with "Hellfire", a mix between an Obsession Song, a Sanity Slippage Song, a Villain Song, and a Villain Love Song that ultimately conveys that wanting something can turn you into even more of a depraved person than you already are.

J

• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • Phoebus calls the Roma "criminals and dangerous". He's not entirely wrong; the Court of Miracles is a hang-out for "scoundrels". But then again they still have to make a living and Frollo's discriminatory authority probably makes it impossible for them to earn money through honest work anyway - just another example of Frollo's Never My Fault attitude in action.
  • Also, Frollo warns Quasimodo that people will be cruel to him if he goes out of Notre Dame, and boy, is he right, though he did rub in the fact to make it feel worse for him.
  • Frollo points out God made the devil far stronger than man.
• Joker Jury: Quasimodo's and Phoebus' trial in the Court of Miracles. It is a mockery of Frollo's corruption of justice where the Roma are concerned, but ends up coming dangerously close to what it is mocking. This is reinforced when, while pronouncing sentence on Phoebus and Quasimodo ("I am the lawyers and judge all in one!"), one of Clopin's split-second costume changes is into a reasonable facsimile of Frollo's, though since he believes them to be Frollo's spies, he probably did it deliberately for the irony.
• Judicial Wig: Clopin wears one briefly in the "Court of Miracles" number.
• Just Between You and Me: Just before Frollo tries to make good on his attempt to kill Quasimodo in the film's climax, he tells the poor lad the truth of what really happened to his mother on that fateful night twenty years ago.
• Just Following Orders: Invoked by Frollo when he reminds Phoebus that he was trained to follow orders after the latter refuses to burn down a windmill with an innocent family locked inside. This just causes Phoebus to extinguish his torch in a water-butt and do a Heel–Face Turn (not that he was much of an antagonist anyway).

K

• Kick the Dog: Frollo does this a lot in the movie. Especially shoving the Archdeacon down a flight of stairs. It's far from being the worst thing he does, but it's still considered one of those things that you're not supposed to do, and gets bonus points for showing his contempt for religious authorities who get in the way in a way that contrasts with his role as The Fundamentalist at the same time.
• Kid-Appeal Character: The gargoyles, who provide the lions share of levity and comic relief in an otherwise dark movie. Djali the goat also fits this trope and even starred in a few book tie-ins.
• Kill the Parent, Raise the Child: Frollo raises Quasimodo after killing his mother. Frollo only raised Quasimodo out of fear of being eternally damned by God for having murdered Quasi's mother. He was verbally and emotionally abusive toward Quasimodo.
• Knight in Shining Armor: Phoebus. Not only does he look the part with his armor and horse but he acts the part in protecting Esmeralda and saving the family trapped in a burning house.
• Knuckle Cracking: Clopin briefly cracks his knuckles during the “Court of Miracles” song as he prepares to hang Quasimodo and Phoebus.
• Kubrick Stare:
  • When Quasimodo finally decides that he's taken enough crap from Frollo, and that violin starts softly playing in the background...
  • Esmeralda gives one to Frollo just after spitting in his face while tied to the stake. Later in that same scene, Frollo manages a chilling stare himself. From Esmeralda's point-of-view, she sees Frollo through the distorted air above the flames grinning maniacally through the smoke.

L

• Lady in Red: Esmeralda wears an alluring red dress during her performance at the Feast of Fools.
• Large Ham: Clopin. "Court of Miracles" has him dancing and costume changing and arguing with his puppet while singing.
• Least Is First: At the end of the film, Esmerelda leads Quasimodo out of the church before the waiting citizenry. After a hushed pause, the first to embrace/accept Quasi is a small child.
• Leitmotif: The opening fanfare is reintroduced at the end of "Heaven's Light", makes up the melody during the chorus of "Hellfire", and plays in the instrumental "Sanctuary!" Also, along with "kyrie eleison", "dies irae" is also thrown in at times. "Dies irae" translates into "Day of Wrath".
• Lighter and Softer: It's definitely lighter in tone than the book. Many of the elements and themes presented in the novel—like Quasimodo's hate and contempt for most people or Phoebus being a jerk trying to take advantage of an innocent young girl—were either changed or taken out completely. This is even more the case with the sequel in comparison to the original movie.
• Lightning Bruiser: For such a stocky, barrel-chested guy Quasi is remarkably agile and fast.
• Listing the Forms of Degenerates: Frollo's description of the feast of fools...
  "Thieves, cutpurses, the dregs of humankind, all meshed together in a shallow drunken stupor..."
• Loophole Abuse: Frollo tries to pull this when Esmeralda indirectly claims sanctuary via Phoebus; since they can't arrest her inside the cathedral, he orders Phoebus to drag her outside. Fortunately, the Archdeacon comes along and tells Frollo off.
• Lost in Imitation: The film is based quite strongly on the 1939 film version (which was itself based on the 1923 version with Lon Chaney), which is also one of the furthest from the book, with the overall story and plot structure being changed completely.
  • The visual designs of Quasimodo, Frollo, Phoebus, the Archdeacon, and Frollo's guards strongly resemble their 1939 counterparts, as do their personalities. For example, Frollo is a judge rather than the archdeacon, and Phoebus is a genuinely heroic character rather than the jerkass he is in the novel. With that said, Esmeralda and Clopin have been completely reworked in both looks and temperament.
  • The film also borrows some imagery from the 1939 film. The climax, in which Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda and then defends the cathedral from Frollo's guards, plays out very similarly to how it did in 1939; even specific shots are recreated, such as Quasimodo holding up Esmeralda and shouting "Sanctuary!"
• Love at First Sight: Poor Esmeralda must have had some Love Potion No. 9 before the Feast of Fools because everyone wants her immediately. Inverted with Esmeralda personally; though she falls in love with Phoebus at first sight in the book, in this adaptation she's both distrusting but fascinated by Phoebus and doesn't necessarily fall for him until she witnesses him saving an innocent family from a burning house after refusing Frollo's order to burn it himself.
• Love Hurts: When Quasimodo witnesses Esmeralda's and Phoebus' kiss and realizes that they are in love with each other.
• Lovely Assistant: Esmeralda is this to Clopin; after he gives the introduction he calls her out and she dances for the crowd.
• Loves the Sound of Screaming: Frollo, if his reaction to overhearing a prisoner's torture is anything to go by.
• Love Triangle: Quasimodo falls in love with Esmeralda, who in turn falls for Phoebus. Frollo's lust for Esmeralda forces it into a tetrahedron.
• Loving a Shadow: "Heaven's Light" and "Hellfire" show Quasimodo and Frollo fall in love with Esmeralda, but having warped opinions of her (see Madonna-Whore Complex below). To further the point, Quasimodo builds a figure of her while Frollo lusts after an illusion of her in the fireplace's flames, both resembling Esmeralda but not quite perfectly her.

M

• Madonna-Whore Complex: Deconstructed. Frollo considers Esmeralda as a Whore because she performs suggestive dances. He lusts after her but knows he can't have her because she is a Whore (plus he's bigoted against gypsies) so he decides to burn her if she refuses him. Meanwhile, Quasimodo is well-intentioned but only sees Esmeralda as a pure Madonna, heavily idealizing her since she saved him from humiliation and possible death—which does not mix well with the fact that Quasi has an extremely naive view of human relationships due to him living all of his life locked away from the world. Phoebus gets the best look at what she's like as a person, warts and all, and in the end, is the one she ends up with.
• Magical Romani: Played With. Esmeralda using a puff of smoke to disappear, among other crazy tricks, seemingly suggests that she has some sort of magical powers, but it's all for show since she's doing it in front of a live audience and she never once uses these fake magic tricks again throughout the rest of the film, let alone to perform in front of other people. Nevertheless, Frollo thinks that this trope is in effect and accuses Esmeralda of seducing him with actual witchcraft, even going as far as to try having her burned at the stake.
• Make an Example of Them: Frollo attempts to burn down a miller's house with an innocent family in it because he found a Romani talisman in their yard. He provides the page quote for this trope with that scene.
• Mama Bear: Quasimodo's mother ran in a snow-filled Paris in order to protect her son from being killed by Frollo.
• Map All Along: Quasimodo studies the talisman which Esmeralda has given him and realizes that it's a map of Paris. He recognizes the pattern of streets and buildings as seen from above (which is the only way he's ever seen them), and understands that the talisman shows the way through the city to the Court of Miracles.
• Matchstick Weapon: Quasimodo waves a torch at Phoebus when he thinks the captain of the guards has come to arrest Esmeralda.
• Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane:
  • The film for the most part remains ambiguous as to whether Quasimodo's gargoyle friends are really magical stone creatures or just his imaginary friends. While no one else interacts with them (except for that one kiss gag with the goat), during the siege on the cathedral several of Frollo's men are actively taken out by them.
    Frollo: Can stone... talk?
    Quasimodo: No, it can't.

    The sequel however confirms that the gargoyles are real magical creatures and not Quasi's imagination; At the end, the Gargoyles are sad to lose Quasimodo and hope that Madellaine will take care of him. Then Madellaine winks at the Gargoyles and tells them she'll take good care of Quasi, causing the shocked gargoyles to do a literal Jaw Drop.

  • Much like with Quasimodo, the gargoyle Frollo sees before he dies is either real or a hallucination brought on by his increasing madness.
  • Also, during "Hellfire", a guard suddenly intrudes to tell Frollo that Esmeralda has escaped Notre Dame. Read metaphorically, though, Frollo's prayers for God to protect him are actually answered in this scene. When the guard opens the door, he is framed by a soft and peaceful light, symbolizing Heaven while the fireplace behind Frollo symbolizes Hell. The guard informs him that Esmeralda is gone, giving Frollo the last chance to redeem himself by letting Esmeralda go and embrace the light. Frollo, however, turns away from the light and gives into his obsession, a decision that prevents his entry into Heaven while cementing his damnation.
• Meaningful Echo: "Nobody wants to stay cooped up here forever." First said by Quasimodo to a little baby bird that he is encouraging to fly, later said by Laverne to Quasi when she, Victor, and Hugo encourage him to go to the Feast of Fools.
  • Frollo says that he is sending baby Quasimodo "back to Hell, where [he] belongs." When attempting to execute Esmeralda, he proclaims that he is "send[ing] this unholy demon back where she belongs."
  • "So here is a riddle to guess if you can sing of the Bells of Notre Dame: What makes a monster and what makes a man?"
• Meaningful Name:
  • Quasimodo means "half formed", Esmeralda means "emerald", and Phoebus means "bright" (and a common epithet of Apollo, who was the patron god of many things, including truth and healing).
  • Claude Frollo's name comes from Claudius, which means "lame, crippled." His brother Jehan's name is a form of John, which means "God is gracious."
• Melancholy Musical Number: Esmeralda has sought sanctuary in the cathedral of Notre Dame from Judge Frollo and his minions. While they dare not violate the sanctity of the Church, she is effectively a prisoner there. Since her plight mirrors the prejudice and oppression of the Roma people in Paris, she sings God Help the Outcasts as a prayer for divine relief of the Roma living in the margins of French society.
• Midword Rhyme:
  • In "The Bells of Notre Dame":
    Dark was the night when our tale was begun
    On the docks near Notre Dame.
    Four frightened gypsies slid silently un-
    -der the docks near Notre Dame.
  • And "Out There" has no fewer than three:
    And these are crimes for which the world has little pity
    You do not comprehend.
    You are my one defend-
    -er.
    Out there they'll revile you as a monster.
    Out there they will hate and scorn and jeer.
    Why invite their calumny and conster-
    -nation? Stay in here.
    (etc...)
    Out there, sitting in the sun,
    Give me one day
    Out there; all I ask is one,
    To hold forever
    Out there, where they all live un-
    -aware
    What I'd give, what I'd dare
    Just to live one day out there.
  • And in the reprise of "The Bells of Notre Dame":
    Whatever their pitch, you
    Can feel them bewitch you,
    The rich and the ritu-
    -al knells
    Of the bells of Notre Dame.
• Mildly Military: Frollo's authority is vaguely defined and appears to have no limits, as it seems as far as the movie's concerned he is the Knight Templar dictator of Paris. He commands a sizable garrison in the city, and can slaughter suspects and burn property at will. The movie makes mention of the King and that there is a war that Phoebus was called back from. It's possible that the King is off leading the war effort and Frollo is in charge in his absence.
• A Minor Kidroduction: An interesting example — the film does start with a baby Quasimodo being snuck into Paris with his parents, but his face isn't seen at the time.
• Mondegreen Gag: Laverne mishears "Frollo's wrong about both of us" as "Frollo's nose is long and he wears a truss."
• Mood Whiplash:
  • The gargoyles' goofy jokes often seem out of place, especially when Frollo's running around trying to slaughter the Roma:
    Hugo: Paris, the City of Lovers, is glowing this evening.
    True, that's because it's on fire, but still, there's l'amour.
  • Used intentionally in the "Heaven's Light/Hellfire" sequence: High among the clouds, Quasimodo sings a heartbreakingly beautiful song of love and hope, having finally found some acceptance and affection from Esmeralda, which segues immediately into Frollo all but masturbating over Esmeralda's scarf and fantasizing about burning her at the stake.
  • Done in the Feast of Fools sequence. It starts out with a light-hearted, fun musical number, with a dance interlude from Esmeralda but once the song's over and Quasimodo has been crowned the King of Fools, some Jerkass in the crowd tosses a rotten vegetable at him to see if he can make Quasimodo any uglier. Clopin and the other cheerful characters abruptly disappear, replaced by a cruel mob that ties Quasimodo to a pillory and continues to verbally and physically abuse him until Esmeralda puts a stop to it and rescues him.
  • In the beginning of the movie, the gargoyles successfully persuade Quasimodo to sneak out of the bell tower and enjoy himself at the Feast of Fools. Happy and confident, he talks about how he's going to get cleaned up, head right down those stairs, march right out that door — and then he runs smack dab into Frollo. In an instant, he's cowering and his stutter is very prominent.
• Mooks: Frollo has several soldiers and guards under his command, and with the exception of Phoebus we never learn their names and they obey Frollo's orders without question.
• Mook Horror Show: During the climax, as Frollo's guards attack the cathedral, we get their terrified perspective of some of Quasi and the gargoyles' defenses, such as the attacking birds and the raining molten copper.
• Morality Chain: There is only one thing keeping Frollo in check for a good 50% of the movie: the Archdeacon. He constantly reminds Frollo of his mortality, and also that even though he can deny his atrocities, he can never hide his crimes against the Almighty. He's constantly reminding Frollo of his place, but Frollo doesn't like it one bit. By the end of the film, not even the Archdeacon can hold him back.
• Morality Kitchen Sink: Quasimodo and the Archdeacon are the only truly good characters in the movie (and even the former has several Let's Get Dangerous! moments). Esmeralda is a Knight in Sour Armor. Clopin and the gypsies in general are Unscrupulous Heroes. Phoebus is a Pragmatic Hero in sour armor who later has a Heel–Face Turn. The crowd of Parisian citizens start off as a bunch of bullies that mock Quasimodo, but end up siding with the heroes when Frollo goes too far and accept Quasimodo at the end. Even Judge Frollo, for all his nastiness, sociopathy and monstrosity, is given a vulnerable, relatable moment in his Villain Song "Hellfire."
• Ms. Fanservice: Esmeralda, so much that all three of the other main characters want her. Sick of drawing petite princesses like Ariel and Belle, Disney decided what they really needed was a heroine who looked like a Victoria's Secret model who pole dances.
• Mundane Solution: When Quasimodo and Phoebus search for the entrance to the Court of Miracles. They come across a gravestone marker serving as the secret entrance. Phoebus notices some writing on it and deduces they have to translate it in order to open the path. Quasimodo simply shoves aside the stone lid covering the hidden staircase.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Two of the gargoyles are named Victor and Hugo.
  • During the Topsy-Turvy sequence, Clopin sings about the Festival of Fools as "A day we mock the prig, and shock the priest!" As this lyric is sung, Quasimodo encounters a puppet show with a hand puppet that looks remarkably like Frollo. This is a subtle reference to Frollo's status as a priest in the book.
  • While in Notre-Dame, Frollo taunts Esmeralda by saying that he's "imagining a rope around that beautiful neck". Esmeralda was sentenced to hang in the book, whereas in the movie she is to be burned at the stake.

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• Narrator: Clopin is an All-Knowing Singing Narrator, because unlike most narrators, he's a significant part of the story, though he enjoys himself far too much considering what's going on.
• Near-Miss Groin Attack: Phoebus and Esmeralda are fighting, he with his sword, she with a candlestick. At one point she tries to hit him in the crotch with the candlestick, but Phoebus successfully blocks it with his sword, only for Esmeralda to then hit him in the face with the other end.
  Phoebus: That's hitting a little below the belt, don't you think?
  Esmeralda: No, this is!
• Never Say "Die": Averted in the Swedish dub of "Hellfire".
  (English) Frollo: But she will be mine or she will BUUUURN!
  (Swedish) Frollo: If she won't be mine then she'll DIIIIE!
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Frollo's Batman Gambit might have failed had Quasi not had his epiphany and led Frollo directly to the Court of Miracles.
• Nightmare Face: Frollo's face at the climax on the bell's tower looks like a demonic version of The Joker with fiery red eyes. Even his teeth glow yellow.
• Nobody Here but Us Statues: When Quasimodo helps Esmeralda and Djali escape, they briefly pose as statues when a distracted guard comes into the path.
• Non-Human Sidekick: Believe it or not, Djali, Esmeralda's adorable and intelligent goat, is not a Disney creation.
• Noodle Incident: It's never explained what Frollo's previous captain of the guard did to disappoint him.
• Not Allowed to Grow Old: Averted. Both Frollo and the Archdeacon have visibly aged between Quasimodo's adoption and the events of the main movie.
• Not a Mask: Happens to Quasimodo during the festival. That horrendous visage is HIS FACE!
• "Not So Different" Remark: Discussed in the first verse of "God Help the Outcasts", where Esmeralda wonders if the Virgin Mary was just as much an outcast as she is.

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