Der Glöckner von Notre Dame (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) is an animated film released in 1996 by Dingo Pictures. It is an adaptation of the famous novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.
One day in medieval Paris, France, a deformed baby is left on the doorstep of Notre Dame. The archdeacon of the church, Claude Frollo, adopts the baby and plans to raise him to see if he can be intelligent despite his deformities, naming him Quasimodo.
Somewhat interestingly, this take on the Hunchback story features a number of story elements from the original book often removed from other adaptations of the story. It's also one of Dingo's longest films, which is notable enough on its own. Like many other Dingo movies, it had a PlayStation release that included slide-puzzles and a color-fill paint feature.
"You is the trope of fools!"
- Adaptational Heroism: The unnamed guard captain who is clearly based off of Phoebus from the original novel did not act like a womanizer nor a jerk and acts more like a Reasonable Authority Figure.
- Anachronism Stew: The judge wears a red robe and a judicial wig centuries before they became standard for judges to wear.
- Angrish: Frollo, when Esmeralda manages to escape from him.
- Artistic License – Biology: Djali the goat has a black, spherical nose which resembles that of a cartoonish dog's.
- Artistic License – History: The Eiffel Tower can be seen in one aerial shot, despite the story taking place in medieval Paris. The Eiffel Tower wouldn't begin construction until 1887.
- Artistic License – Religion: Frollo gets promoted from Archdeacon (as he was in the original book) to Abbé, which is actually a demotion; Abbé being the term for a French lower-ranking clergyman.
- Downer Ending: Quasimodo is left to rot in prison after he kills Frollo, and Esmerelda and Pierre abandon him and leave Paris.
- Dude, Not Funny!: Frollo is not amused by Quasimodo being dressed as the Pope of Fools and Djali the goat's impression of the Bishop of Paris, which he sees as sacrilege.
- Everybody Do the Endless Loop: Esmeralda only has one dance loop.
- For Science!: Frollo's motivation for adopting Quasimodo is to see if he could still be intelligent despite his deformities.
- Jerkass
- The two nuns that find Quasimodo on the church's doorstep waste no time in loudly expressing their disgust at his appearance, and declaring that he should be thrown into a fire.
- One recurring extra is an old man who, on multiple occasions, feels the need to bring up the fact that Quasimodo is deaf for no reason other than to laugh at him for it.
- Larynx Dissonance: The judge is voiced by a woman and given a feminine voice, despite being male.
- Leave the Camera Running: The opening contains multiple extended scenes of characters walking.
- Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Pierre, but this is mostly because he's just Esmerelda with facial hair.
- Lookalike Lovers: Pierre looks like Esmeralda in drag, and the two of them end up getting together.
- The Mockbuster: This movie released in 1996, the same year as Disney's version of the Hunchback of Notre Dame story.
- Named by the Adaptation: Inverted by Clopin and Captain Phoebus, who both end up as nameless.
- Noodle Incident: A group of people briefly laugh about the previous years' Festival of Fools, but what they find funny is never explained.
- Oh, Crap!: When Frollo falls off Notre Dame, he has an entirely justified expression of absolute terror on his face.
- Only Six Faces:
- Esmeralda and Pierre look basically the same, only that Pierre has shorter hair and a mustache.
- One extra has the exact same face as one of the nuns.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Unlike the original book, Quasimodo and Esmeralda survive, although Quasimodo is imprisoned for killing Frollo while Esmeralda leaves Paris behind. Quasimodo is content with spending the rest of his life in jail knowing that Esmeralda is still alive.
- Trrrilling Rrrs: The female voice actress often rolls her Rs, possibly as an attempt at a French accent.
- What the Hell Is That Accent?: Esmeralda has a strange accent that sounds like a mixture between French and Italian.
