The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Dingo Pictures) & The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Burbank Films) [1986]
[Cross-posted on the Bad Movie Night Facebook page.]
Welcome to another entry into The Hunchbackening. It was just Kay, Adam, and Grandma again so it seemed fitting that we would delve deeper into this exploration that no one else wants.
The first animated Hunchback of Notre Dame film from Dingo Pictures was a real treat. This film is probably one of the ugliest and cheapest we've ever seen and it was amazing. I couldn't even find the date it was made or a cover for the film although Dingo Pictures, the company that made it, has a website that can be put in English or German. It kind of follows the Hunchback book plot but with Phoebus never even getting named or doing anything and with the addition of some nuns. Pierre speaks almost wholly in rhymes, Frollo is comically evil, and Clopin is super drunk, but every character is a delight because this is some of the worst dubbing we have ever seen. It was like every take was the first take and there is no attempt to match the lip flaps at all. The animation is also horrible. Quasi is by no means the ugliest character in the move and half the time characters emote by just shaking. There's also a random character in modern dress among all the semi-medieval clothes. The film ends with Frollo dying in the way he's supposed to (getting pushed off Notre Dame by Quasi) and Quasi going to jail but he's happy because Esmeralda managed to escape.
Spoon Rating: 8
The second Hunchback film by Burbank Films Australia was not bad. It followed the book plot even more accurately. Quasimodo was mostly absent for the first 35 minutes of the 52 minute movie. He acts more like an Igor type character than anything else. The first portion of the movie is more about Frollo's lust for Esmeralda (he's randomly an alchemist in this one), Pierre joining the gypsies and his marriage to Esmeralda (in this one he has a hopeless crush on Esmeralda), and the Phoebus getting stabbed at the tavern subplot. The story progresses as expected and it is surprisingly good at showing and not telling but it definitely overlooks some development in the name of keeping the run time short. Frollo dies in this one too in the usual way and Quasi gets declared innocent by Phoebus when he's just wandering by to prove he's not dead. It ends with some really cheesy affirmations from Esmeralda about how Quasi is good so it doesn't matter what he looks like. Honestly, aside from the Disney version, it's probably the best animated Hunchback adaption we've seen.
Spoon Rating: 2. But like 3/5 stars.
The second Hunchback film by Burbank Films Australia was not bad. It followed the book plot even more accurately. Quasimodo was mostly absent for the first 35 minutes of the 52 minute movie. He acts more like an Igor type character than anything else. The first portion of the movie is more about Frollo's lust for Esmeralda (he's randomly an alchemist in this one), Pierre joining the gypsies and his marriage to Esmeralda (in this one he has a hopeless crush on Esmeralda), and the Phoebus getting stabbed at the tavern subplot. The story progresses as expected and it is surprisingly good at showing and not telling but it definitely overlooks some development in the name of keeping the run time short. Frollo dies in this one too in the usual way and Quasi gets declared innocent by Phoebus when he's just wandering by to prove he's not dead. It ends with some really cheesy affirmations from Esmeralda about how Quasi is good so it doesn't matter what he looks like. Honestly, aside from the Disney version, it's probably the best animated Hunchback adaption we've seen.
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