Let’s get Superficial – The looks of Quasimodo from Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame

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In an effort to get the audience of Quasimodo’s side, Directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale gave Quasimodo a gentle disposition made compete with a kind look. He has big, friendly doe eyes, a full head of red hair and wears a green tunic. Two of the more uglier factors  are his  big stub nose and his  teeth  (large teeth in the front of his mouth). I mean for Disney he’s ugly but for Quasimodo he’s adorable. I think Disney was afraid of making Quasimodo too ugly and risk scaring people off of seeing the movie.

It’s also interesting to mention (and I’ll be mentioning this again) that for many characters in the movie there is not glint in the eyes. Many of the characters their eyes are just small black pupils, exception would be Esmeralda who has green irises, black pupils, and no glint. Quasimodo is one of the few who does has a sparkle in the eyes (other are Djali (though inconsistent) and the little girl who gave Quasimodo a hug, who doesn’t have it till the final even though you see her at the beginning.) Maybe this glint is indicative of innocence, an inconsistencies, or playing favorites? I dunno. I can understand why Quasimodo would have it but for Djali and little girl (only at the end) to have it and no one else, I sense a deeper reasoning here. I’m going with innocence.

So how does Disney Quasimodo compare with book Quasimodo?

Oh not at all. I said Quasimodo is adorable here. In the book he is not, not at all. Quasimodo is described by Victor Hugo as having a horse-shoe mouth, a small left eye with bushy red eyebrow, a right eye that’s completely hidden by a monstrous wart, uneven broken teeth with gaps that project out like tusks, callous lips, and forked chin. He was also described ” a giant who had been broken and badly put together again.  Disney’s Quasimodo looks like to extent but everything about is soft and round. His mouth is normal. His eyes are both visible despite the protrusion, His hair isn’t bushy in the slightest, it’s smooth and straight and he eyebrows are slightly think but not bushy.  His teeth are uneven but not like tucks. He doesn’t have callous lip  or a forked chin (he hardy has either).

Same character and yet no comparison.

In the concept art for Quasimodo ranges all other the place. Sometime he look scary (the way he should look) and sometimes  almost handsome ( he just needs a haircut, and eyebrow plucking). For More Concept Art of Hunchback

Quasimodo in the scope of things is just deformed, not ugly. There are ugly people in the crowds in the movie and they don’t have the crutch of deformties for an excuse.  I mean Frollo is no looker himself.

Next Character up – Frollo