Anyone who wasn't expecting Disney to completely shred to pieces Victor Hugo's incredible novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, stripping it of its richness and texture, was incredibly naive. Having already taken The Little Mermaid and tacked on a happy ending, the same "poetic license" was to be expected here. Deformed bell ringer of the Notre Dame cathedral Quasimodo has a hard time trying to be accepted by society. His twisted form repulses everyone and it's only when he meets kind-hearted Esmerelda, a hot blooded but compassionate Gypsy, that he finally feels that someone might accept him for who he is beneath the surface. It's typical Disney fare which fits their movie making model to a tee - Quasimodo inevitably overcomes to villains and becomes hailed as a hero by everyone, presumably living happily ever after into the bargain. It's probably fair to say that most of the younger members of the audience were more than happy with this ending - but anyone familiar with Hugo's original novel would have let out a huge groan at this conclusion. After all, in the novel, both Esmerelda and Quasimodo end up dead, a far cry from animated wedding bells and hero worship Disney opted for. Admittedly a more faithful ending would've resulted in thousands of kids leaving the cinema in tears, but maybe once in a while that might not be such a bad thing.
