10 Dark Moments In Disney Animated Films
3. "Hellfire" - The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1996)
This film was certainly a bizarre choice for Disney to adapt.
The big baddie of the film is Judge Claude Frollo, and he is out to purge the world of vice, without looking at himself in the slightest.
There are plenty of dark moments in this film. Quasimodo being ridiculed, Frollo being willing to kill a child, and even the scene where he creepily sniffs Esmerelda's hair.
However, what really stands out is his song "Hellfire", easily the most disturbing song to come from a Disney film. He sings about how he has visions of eternal torture as he lusts after the Romani protagonist Esmerelda, whilst also harbouring a hatred for the Romani people themselves. The vocal performance of Tony Jay is absolutely incredible, as you can really sense the torment (and the evil) in his voice.
He pictures the flames of Hell as he stares into a fireplace, seeing the shape of a dancing woman in the flames, and is only made angrier by the red figures who appear like a jury. He pleads for his God to condemn her to Hell for his temptation - which is the kind of hypocrisy that makes him such an easy to hate villain.