For sure one of Disney's darker efforts (the hero's mother is murdered on screen in its opening moments), 'The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1996)' tells the tale of a deformed man forced to live among the bells of Notre Dame by a devout yet merciless judge who manipulates him into believing he is a monster who must remain locked away for his own good. Of course, our hero has a heart of gold and soon finds himself acquainted with a persecuted Roma woman who gives him his first taste of real kindness. The movie deals with difficult themes of disability, discrimination, persecution, racism and genocide. The film's baddie is a real dastardly piece of work; he's legitimately threatening and his actions are some of the most despicable of all of Disney's villains. His aim is to wipe out the entire Roma population of Paris, a desire which is deepened when he finds himself smitten by a dancer (the same woman I referred to earlier) and decides he must either 'have' her or burn her at the stake. The flick is generally more serious and somber than the stuff its studio is typically associated with. That isn't a bad thing, though. The movie is engaging, affecting and sometimes surprising. It's also entertaining right the way through. It isn't consistently downbeat, either. Though its songs aren't all that memorable, they work well enough in the moment and help maintain the narrative's dark atmosphere. It's worth mentioning that the picture does repeatedly - exclusively, even - refer to its Roma characters with a pejorative that I won't repeat here (it's, sadly, still in common use to this day). However, it doesn't feel malicious and the use of this slur is probably period accurate. I can still understand how someone would have an issue with it, though; racial slurs shouldn't be appearing in anything, let alone a Disney movie. Despite this issue, the affair is ultimately a compelling and well-achieved adaptation of its source novel. It's enjoyable and has real stakes to it. It also has a strong underlying message. 7/10
