Only seconds after The Hunchback of Notre Dame is turned on, the audience, whoever they may be, knows that it is the most moral building Disney movie of all time.  It wastes no expense and automatically introduces the watcher to a flick that has  golden lessons braided into the film roll. This thoroughly thought through story teaches the audience much more than the likes of Cinderella or The Aristocats  as it sweeps them into a Renascence Paris.  Although these classic stories do enrich our imaginations and teach us one or two lessons, they do not feed the moral and creed that is found starving in the world today.   This movie bears the purple fruits of greatness that nurtures the watcher as others fare far worse.

Firstly, let us ponder the subject of beauty. Most or rather all of the Disney movies besides The Hunchback Of Notre Dame portrays a beauteous elegant hero that awes the audience with grace and poise. Quasimodo, however, (the main character of the movie) has not been as lucky to have been graced with the divine gift of pleasing physiognomy. He has a disfigurement that causes his back to hunch and his face to twist into the likeness of a monster. Yet, being hideous is not a lost cause; putting aside his disfigurement he succeeds to be the kindest, most loyal character in the movie.

Next, we shall expound on the true honestly and realism that is bleed into the story.  To begin, Quasimodo's mother and father are killed by Claude Frollo (the minister of justice) due to his extreme prejudice against gypsies. Prejudice is a factor that is weaved in and out of our day frequently. If it be applied to people or ideas, it is ever present in all of us. Continuing the topic of truth, when Quasi sneaks out to explore the world that he was forbade to lay finger on, the people tease and torment him like barbaric, brutal ruffians to prove Frollo right; the world outside Quasimodos stone sanctuary is cruel. This is almost deja vu for the audience that indulges in this factual wonder. The world outside our humble abode is dangerous and mistrustful of late; carelessly, the outcasts of our world gets grimly terrorized as Quasimodo did.

Next and perhaps the most painful subject to expound on is, those you love break your heart and do it skillfully. The finest woman in Paris is what they called Esmeralda; the gypsy woman that our poor fellow becomes deeply enamored with. Although she befriends Quasi, she falls in love with a Captain by the name of Phoebus. What makes this sharp dagger all the more sharper is the fact that he is very handsome unlike Quasimodo. This gives him reason to believe that his looks is why her devotion is with Captain Phoebus and not with him, thus, bringing down whatever self confidence he has built up to an all time low. In the end, Quasimodo concedes and approves of Phoebus and Esmeraldas relationship.

Finally, lets explore the character complexity that warns us of layered personalities. Frollo is a perfect example of this; for, he acts as a somewhat “fatherly” figure as he puts on the mask of friendliness to shadow his true being. Frollo also believes that wiping out the Gypsy population is a good, holy thing to do that makes him superior in his faith.  He believes that God looks down on him with pride when in all honesty, what he is doing is cruel and monstrous. With this information, is he as evil as we think him to be? If he believes that what he is doing is for the best, should he be cast the look of pity? Also, when he professes his passion for Esmeralda, it leaves the audience perplexed due to the fact that he seemed disgusted and appalled by her earlier in the movie. Could he actually feel for her or is it just greed for her beauty?

Although other Disney flicks may lightly scrape the surface of these topics, they do not extend to the depth and potency of this marvelous fantasy. For example, they may have given Cinderella a sparkling personnel to match her beauty, but they willed the villains to be very unsightly; this makes it seem that only the villainous and wicked are grotesque.  Let us continue to use the film Cinderella for contrast when we yet again touch the subject of honesty and realism. Cinderella, of coarse, beats all odds in finding a prince, and wining his heart all in the coarse of two days. This gives a false impression of how the real world is and is misleading to the big eyed and bushy tailed that put their faith in everything that their crowned idols show and tell them. Again, becoming enamored in the midst of two or three hours is not realistic and sets a high standard for the watchers ideas of love.  Finally, what you see is what you get with many Disney characters; their personality is found quickly and suddenly, letting you know who the “bad guy”  is and who the “good guy” is in the film so that you can root them on throughout.

In conclusion, although it is beautiful to let yourself be immersed in an imaginary place of fables once in a while, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is the most moral building and realistic Disney movie of all. It teaches us how looks can be deceiving, as shown in Quasimodos unfortunate case.  It teaches us that the world is not as perfect as we believe, and that we all shall taste its sour sap in due time. It bitterly breaks the news that love can be the killer and the reviver. And finally, the  last lesson is that people are not all who they seem. Compared to other  fairy dusted Disney movies this one clearly wins out in being the most educational, purposeful film of the bunch.