Credit: DisneyEveryone has their favorite . Just recently one of our writers reflected on why A Bug’s Life is his favorite Pixar .
For me though, there is only one that ranks as the best, or rather, my favorite; 1996’s The of Notre Dame.
Why The of Notre Dame is the best
– It has the best villain ever put to in . is perhaps the most evil villain we’ve ever seen and he’s actually less sympathetic than the in !
– It features a powerful message about prejudice and the often problematic nature of justice, told beautifully through the ‘Someday’.
– It is visually sensational. Every screenshot of this is like a beautiful renaissance era painting. The climax of the in particular pushed teams of the time to the absolute limit.
– Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz are putting the WORK in with soundtrack. Seriously, Out There? Hellfire? The Bells of Notre Dame? Some of ‘s absolute best songs. There’s a reason this score was nominated for an .
– Its female protagonist is a strong who fights for herself and stands up to without fear. She’s not a but Esmerelda is an inspirational nonetheless.
– It’s based on a grim , as opposed to much of the which are based on children’s fairy tales. Bottom line is, gets away with being pretty darn dark!
– Though problematic in places, it features a physically disabled person as its protagonist; which is pretty groundbreaking for 90s . At the time, the mouse was far more focused on traditional films so, this added layer of diversity helps to stand out.
‘ is the best
Whenever I talk to a fan, their opinion of The of Notre Dame ranges from apathetic to actively hostile, and that makes me sad.
It often gets lumped in with other underrated classics like while being overshadowed by more popular renaissance era movies like . I guess a lot of didn’t resonate with the whiplash-inducing tone and poor characters, but if you focus on what’s good, it’s some of the best ever put to .
The were firing off all cylinders when they made this powerful adaptation though it perhaps didn’t get as much recognition for its amazing in part due to another taking the edge off of 2D only one year earlier. Thanks for that .
It’s not a well-known like The or , but ‘s adaptation of is an often breathtaking and for me, a true .
When it inevitably gets a with Josh Gad or whoever else, I just hope remember how excellent the original really was.
Which is your favorite? Are you more a , , or person? Let us know in the comments below.