Here are some gowns from the 2018 Academy Award Red Carpet that are are vaguely reminiscent of the costumes of Esmeralda and Fleur de Lys. There was a dire of gowns that were like anything that Esmeralda or Fleur de Lys were in any version, so I had to kinda broaden the scope of similar elements.

Esmeralda

Salma Hayek in Gucci Oscars 2018 picture image

Salma Hayek in Gucci, Oscars 2018

Of course Salma Hayek has a advantage for being reminiscent of Esmeralda because she played Esmeralda in the 1997 version but that is not why this Gucci gown is here. First the color, the light purple is one point with Disney’s Esmeralda main costume but there is also the tier layers which also invokes the Disney costume.

 

Laura Dern in Calvin Klein Oscars 2018 picture image

Laura Dern in Calvin Klein, Oscars 2018

I suppose I’m predisposed to be reminded of Esmeralda’s prisoner costume for Notre Dame de Paris anytime I see a white sheath dress with flutter  sleeves and an emphasized neckline.  This gown by Calvin Klein worn by Laura Dern would fit in well on stage for a Notre Dame de Paris production.  The asymmetry of the sleeves also echoes the sleeves in Esmeralda’s green costume.

 

Leslie Mann Zac Posen Oscars 2018 picture image

Leslie Mann in Zac Posen, Oscars 2018

So now you have to broaden the scope a little. While this gown by Zac Posen worn by Leslie Mann doesn’t completely shout Esmeralda there is something about that harkens back to Disney’s Esmeralda’s red dress. Of course the color helps but it’s the overlay and the fluidity of the layers that make it similar to Esmeralda’s costume.

 

Zoey Deutch Elie Saab Oscars 2018 picture image

Zoey Deutch in Elie Saab, Oscars 2018

This gown by Elie Saab and worn by Zoey Deutch doesn’t really reflect any costume of Esmeralda’s but there is something to the tiers and the embellishments that makes it elegant and bohemian that you could see it applied to an Esmeralda costume.

 

Fleur de Lys

Viola Davis in Michael Kors Oscars 2018 picture image

Viola Davis in Michael Kors, Oscars 2018

This gown by Michael Kors and worn by Viola Davis just screams Fleur de Lys’ Notre Dame de Paris costume. It’s nearly on the money from the color to the silhouette  to the use of sequin, even though Fleur de Lys’ costume has beading sometimes. If this gown was used in a production it would fit in so well amongst the other versions of the costume, even without the odd hemline.

 

Mirai Nagasu in Tadashi Shoji Oscars 2018 picture image

Mirai Nagasu in Tadashi Shoji Oscars 2018

I guess I have the 1977 version of my mind so this gown worn by Mirai Nagasu by Tadashi Shoji has a lot of similarities to the costumes Fleur de Lys wears in that version. For starters the color, that soft light blue was in all of the 1977 Fleur’s costume aside from her wedding gown. The deep v-neckline and the long sleeves are reminders to Fleur’s costume aswell.

 

Emily Blunt in Schiaprelli Oscars 2018 picture image

Emily Blunt in Schiaprelli, Oscars 2018

Again broaden the scope. This gown by Schiaprelli worn by Emily Blunt doesn’t really communicate a Fleur de Lys costume. There is however something about  soft gray-blue color  with its soft and prim feeling with a hit of edge that echoes Fleur de Lys’ character.

This post has been like a roller coaster. At first I was going to write on a different idea which I still going to do on why Hollywood should make a new Hunchback movie but that idea lead to this question, If the Best Animated Movie Award was existed in 1996, would Hunchback to have been a contended?

Frollo and Quasimodo Hunchback of Notre Dame Disney picture image

Frollo and Qausimodo Hunchback of Notre Dame Disney

The Best Animated Movie Award for the Academy Awards was introduced in 2001 and that year the winner was Shrek. Since then you’d think a powerhouse like Disney would win a fair number of times and technically since they own Pixar they have but Pixar is the darling of the Oscars and not Disney so much. In fact Disney has won two times and been nominated for eight whereas Dreamworks has two wins but eleven nominations. Pixar has seven wins and nine nominations, Cars and and Monster’s INC didn’t get the award.

Getting back to the question would Disney’s Hunchback has won the award? Well before we can even answer that question we need to know what was the competition that year. In 1996 the animated movies that came out in the United States were All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 (I’m surprised this got a theatrical release), Space Jam, Beavis and But-head Do America, and James and the Giant Peach. I doubt All Dogs Go to Heaven, Space Jam and Beavis and Butt-head Do America would have won so that just leaves James and the Giant Peach.

James and the Giant Peach picture image

James and the Giant Peach

James and the Giant Peach has some weird live-action chunks and weird songs but the animation is imaginative and it met with critical praise when it was released. Hunchback was more mixed with critics. James and the Giant Peach also won Best Animated Featured Film at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Annecy is a French based Film Festival which Hunchback of Notre Dame was not nominated BUT no Disney movie has been nominated for an Annecy. Hunchback of Notre Dame did get a lot of Award nominations, including Best Music at the Academy and several Annies. It did win a few award including a Golden Globe for its music and Best casting at the Artois Awards and Best Motion Picture for the Satellite Awards. It was also nominated for a Razzie for Worst written Film grossing over $100 Million, talk about mixed bag.

But what really comes down to is the voters of the Academy, which is made up most of people in the Film business and mostly actors who for the most part don’t know anything about animation. In fact according to this http://www.cartoonbrew.com/award-season-focus/proof-that-oscar-voters-are-clueless-about-animation-109456.html the voters don’t even watch all the movies up for the award and two didn’t even watch any. I’m glad they take their prestigious jobs seriously.

Quaismodo Bells of Notre dame reprise Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Quaismodo Bells of Notre dame reprise Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Basically it doesn’t come down to a well crafted story as told with animation, it’s what ever movie a given person liked more, though some voters take in to account the entirely of the movie. I think that in 1996 the clout of Disney would have made Hunchback of Notre Dame won over James and Peach because name recognition means a lot. Even though James and the Giant Peach is under Disney, it’s not Disney’s James and the Giant Peach.

At first I though this would be an easy question to answer but them looking into the question I thought maybe it would be harder and then that voter website and it because easy again. Talk about a roller coaster.

What do you think? Do you think Hunchback could have won Best Animated Movie if the ward existed in 1996?

Disclaimer, I might hate the Academy Awards.