So Hunchback is far and away my favorite movie from Disney’s
Renaissance, and it always makes me so happy that yes, people seem to
appreciate it, people seem to love it, but I’mma go into exactly WHY it’s my
favorite, and WHY I think it’s so crucial, and WHY I think it should be
required viewing for young boys specifically.
We all know that a huge bulk of the media we’ve grown up
with consistently has that one frustrating message: Being the hero means you’ll get the
girl. Many boys let this mentality bleed
into reality. We have “nice guys,” who
feel that their niceness entitles them to romance, when obviously that
discredits a female’s personal choice. We
all get this, we all know this, and a lot of us get that it’s a toxic message.
So check out our hero.
He’s an incredibly good person who isn’t conventionally attractive.
Check out our lady.
Super good person, conventionally attractive.
The movie so deliberately builds up Quasi’s hopes. There’s a whole fucking song about it.
But Esmeralda, who is her own person with her own
motivations and preferences, chooses another man, who is also good and also
attractive.
A lot of people criticize this aspect of the movie, the fact
that Quasi doesn’t get the girl BECAUSE of his appearance. But my argument? This is the best damn message a movie could
ever send.
Because when things get dicey, when Esmeralda’s life in in
danger, when Quasi would be putting his own life on the line, he knows that
romance is no longer within the realm of possibility. He knows he won’t be “getting the girl.” He knows this, and he allows himself a moment
of bitterness, he risks falling prey to the “nice guy” trope, and he almost
succumbs.
“She already has her knight in shining armor, and it’s not me.”
BUT THEN HE DOES THE RIGHT THING.
He has NO ulterior motive for saving her life. NO ulterior motive for opposing the man who
raised him. And he doesn’t know that he’ll
get any reward, he knows he could straight up get killed for his actions, and
yet he still acts.
And there’s no bitterness.
There’s still so, so much love between him and Esmeralda, pure awesome
platonic love, and love between him and Phoebus, and just fucking love all
around, it’s amazing.
I’ve heard so many people express distaste at Quasi not
ending up with Esmerelda. Like he was
cheated out of some kind of reward. But
have they watched the ending?
Does that look like a man cheated of his reward? Does he look like he “lost” to Phoebus? No dude, that’s a man who has everything he
ever wanted, and that’s also a man who didn’t “get the girl.”
If that’s not an essential message for young boys to hear, I
don’t know what is.
The writers described HoND as a “Rolling Stones” ending: Quasimodo doesn’t get what he wants (Esmeralda’s love) but he gets what he needs (freedom from his abusive guardian and acceptance by the city in general). And yes, that totally counts as a win for him.
An excellent opposite to this would be the plot to The Phantom Of The Opera (the book) He does not embrace her personal choice.
On a scale from Hunchback of Notre Dame to the Phantom of the Opera, how badly did you handle a lifetime of isolation based on deformity, and losing your crush to a guy who would absolutely place second to you in a singing competition
i accidentally stayed up all night engrossed in the original book of “Phantom of The Opera”, which was fascinating just from comparing it to the musical versions
but also in the way that i always forget how old timey books was so unashamed in males actually showing emotions!!!!
for example, Raoul cries. A lot. He is very sensitive young boy who is, in his own words, ‘new to love’, and he must be protected
also, it turns out Raoul had an older brother (!) And their relationship is just. adorable. at one point the whole Christine-affair has Raoul so distraught he returns home and crying falls into his twenty year older brothers arms which is just aw
aLSO there’s the character of ‘The Persian’, don’t even get me started, who has a very complicated relationship with Erik (oh yeah; that’s the Phantom. He’s hardly referred to anything other than Erik and he likes to speak in third person; it’s precious. ‘dON’T INSIGHT THE WRATH OF ERIK’ hahha sure erik)
anywho the persian, he has this cute companionship with Raoul AND I JUST NEED TO MENTION
There’s this one part when they’re gonna sneak into Erik’s lair (a house by an underground lake btw), and they’re gonna drop into a room from a hatch in the ceiling.
I present to you; the words of Raoul the man himself.
“I (the Persian) am going to hang by my hands from the edge of the stone and let myself drop INTO HIS HOUSE. You must do exactly the same. Do not be afraid. I will catch you in my arms.“
Raoul soon heard a dull sound, evidently produced by the fall of the Persian, and then dropped down.
Ok, so an idea just hit me earlier. Y’know how Erik writes notes throughout the musical for almost everyone? What if, instead of just doing a solo (“You alone can make my song take flight, it’s over now the music of the night.”), he leaves one last note for Christine along with his mask?
Thoughts, Phandom?
My thought is that this breaks my poor little heart xD
And instead of signing it “O.G.”, he signs it with his real name, which is something he never gives in the play at all.
So if we mix the book and the musical, imagine this:
She had to find him. She’d promised to bury him, after all. Carefully she and her new husband explored the dark, dank catacombs that held only painful memories for them both.
Their lanterns flickered against the walls as they found the house by the lake. Raoul whimpered slightly as he remembered that this horrible place is where his brother breathed his last. Christine took his hand to comfort him and they both steeled their courage, entering the dark, tragic home.
As they explored, Christine decided that she should go on alone. “Raoul.” She whispered. Once this home had been full of music, but now it seemed like the type of place where you had to whisper. “I must… I must do this alone. Please wait for me here.”
He hesitated, but then nodded and gave her a quick kiss before he stood guard against the menacing shadows around them.
Christine pressed on until she found it. There, on his grand chair, was his mask and a little paper lined in black. Tears began to fall as she picked up the mask, holding it reverently. Poor, unhappy man! Her teacher and her angel. The cause of their suffering, but also the inspiration behind her greatest gift. After a moment of mourning what was, she picked up the note.
There, clearly written is his beautiful script, were words that broke her heart. She fell to her knees as she began to sob, clutching the mask to her heart and reading the note over and over again:
“You alone can make my soul take flight It’s over now, the music of the night. -Erik”
I May or May Not be Steve Rogers 