YMMV / The Secret of the Hunchback

• Anvilicious: Boys, remember: True Beauty Is on the Inside. Even The Bible points it out. Looks don't matter. What's truly important is what is inside. Disadvantaged people can be magical (or angels), so you must respect them.
• Ass Pull:
  • The Archdeacon's crucifix medallion being able to unlock his cell in the climax.
  • Quasimodo suddenly growing wings and flying away while he's falling towards the end of the film. Quasimodo's healing powers might have been Foreshadowing, but the film never really goes into that.
• Awesome Music: Esmeralda's "I Want" Song. It's beautiful, memorable, and well-sung, even if it is a bit cheesy.
• Base-Breaking Character: The gargoyle is either the worst part of the film due to his Anachronism Stew tendencies and completely irrelevant musical number, or one of the best parts due to these exact same reasons.
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: The gargoyles' song. It comes out of nowhere and doesn't advance the plot. The only time we see the gargoyle again is when it (somehow) sheds a tear while Quasimodo is flogged. The only reason the gargoyle comes to life in the first place is most likely due to the film ripping off the Disney version and their living gargoyles.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: The Archdeacon, due to his likable, caring personality and badass old man tendencies.
• Fan Nickname: Many people refer to Frollo's lackey, Traufumet, as "Le Faux", due to perceived similarities between him and Le Fou from Beauty and the Beast. The fact that Frollo bears a striking resemblance to Gaston from the same movie is another factor.
• Funny Moments: Frollo's response to who might be the monster roaming the streets.
  Traufumet: Don't you see? A monster, creating panic? Who does that make you think of?
  Frollo: My first wife?
• Ho Yay: Between the Archdeacon and Brother Lebas, since they are always together and are a homoparental family to Quasimodo.
• Love to Hate: Frollo, in part due to his voice actor having a ton of fun with the role and also because of his deadpan humor.
• Moral Event Horizon: Lord Frollo crosses it when he tries to kill Quasimodo with malice aforethought.
• Narm: When Quasimodo is flogged, the gargoyle who appeared earlier sheds a tear as he watches him, but the fact that he's in his non-sentient form makes the scene seem silly.
• Narm Charm: Esmeralda's "I Want" Song is kinda cheesy, but is so pleasant and well sung that it can be overlooked.
• Padding: Most of the songs don't add much to the film, especially the gargoyle's random blues song as at no point in the film do we see the gargoyle come to life before or after his song. The closest we get to that is when the gargoyle (in stone form) cries as Quasimodo is flogged.
• So Bad, It's Good: But better than the Golden Films production.
• Strangled by the Red String: Esmeralda and Pierre have only known each other for about a day, yet by the second night they're singing about how much they love each other.
• Strawman Has a Point: At the beginning of the film, Frollo is immediately made out to be a monster (one of the priests even calls him so). However while he is much more villainous later in the movie, Frollo's biggest crime in the beginning is telling the church staff that they would have to pay taxes to Frollo if they wanted to keep his protection. Yes, it's clear that Frollo's a rude asshole even from the start, but he's not entirely in the wrong for wanting the church staff to give money to the state, like everyone else. Not helping the good guys' case is that nowhere is it stated that they do give money to the state (in fact, quite the opposite is implied) and the priests don't even bother to fully pay attention to Frollo as he's talking to them.
• Tear Jerker: Quasimodo's flogging, which is probably the only scene in the whole film with genuine tension and depth. Esmerelda and the Archdeacon helplessly beg Frollo to release the boy, but the cruel sheriff refuses, and Pierre even has to be restrained when Quasimodo is being whipped. While the beating itself occurs off-screen, the camera focuses on the other characters and their devastated reactions (excluding Frollo and his minion), while the music only consists of a sad choir and organ. However, the scene of the gargoyle crying might kill the mood for some (see Narm above).
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • Were it not for the blatant Deus ex Machina, Quasimodo falling to his death after declaring his love for his friends and gaining the approval and respect of the Parisians could have given the film a genuinely heartbreaking Bittersweet Ending.
  • Quasimodo has Healing Hands, but never uses them for anything important. If more attention was given to his powers, it might have made the reveal that he's actually an angel less of an Ass Pull.
• Took the Bad Film Seriously: The voice actors put far more effort into their performances than the low-budget production and subpar script demanded.
  • Quasimodo's voice actor in particular captures the character's warmth and innocence in a surprisingly endearing portrayal.
  • The Archdeacon's VA is pretty good at transmitting his kindhearted, loving side.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: While Quasimodo is being flogged, Pierre escapes with Esmeralda, goes up to Quasimodo, says "they will avenge him", and leaves him behind, not even trying to help his friend. Even worse, it takes him a while to remember that he had left Quasimodo behind in the first place. Despite this, Pierre isn't portrayed in the wrong because of his selfish actions.

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