Warning, Kind-Rant-y

My Crack Team of Young, Impression and Insecure, teenage girls a.k.a Disney Princesses picture image

Disney Princesses

In liking  some more nerdy media, like Game of Thrones or Star Wars, you find yourself looking into Fan-Theory. Personally, I enjoy fan-theories and speculating but sometimes they can be a bit of stretch especially all the ones for Star Wars,#Reysfatherislonestar (let me know if you get this.)  The fan-theories that are really the most annoying to read or hear about are the ones about Disney movies.

The Lamp Seller Aladdin picture image

The Lamp Seller Aladdin

The Disney Fan-theory just take whatever Easter Eggs or aspects of the production and just try and give it a deeper meaning that are often beyond ridiculous. The only one I really do subscribe to was the Genie being the Lamp seller and I don’t really want to pat myself on the pat but that was my thought when I first saw the movie in theatres as young child and I was by no means a smart child. But while we’re on the subject of Aladdin the one that annoys me is because of the mere fact that Robin Williams ad-libs and did impression in the movie led some people to think Aladdin took place in a post-apocalyptic world. Not that this REALLY debunks it but I had this mini Aladdin hardcover book  that was a summary of the movie, and I swear it had a year given in it for when it took place. I can’t recall exactly but it was around 900 A.D. Again doesn’t debunk the theory but the point is  Williams ad-lib and they took it as a cue for a deeper meaning.

Tarzan Parents picture image

Tarzan Parents

All the Disney theories are just so far-reaching. I won’t say that Game of Thrones or Star Wars aren’t but they are not bad as the Disney ones.  My least favorite has to be Tarzan’s parents are Anna and Elsa’s parents but Tarzan takes place sometime during the Victorian era but Frozen doesn’t seem to and Rapunzel is in Frozen and that is certain not Victorian. Your eyes will go cross if you think about it for too long.  Also they look nothing like Elsa and Anna’s parents in fact they look more like Anastasia and Dmitri but darn, not a Disney movie, plus again wrong time period. 

Belle, Carpet, Pumbaa Disney Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King

Belle, Carpet, and Pumbaa

Also speaking of Tarzan, another theory is Belle is an ancestor of Jane BECAUSE Jane has a teapot and cup that looks like Mrs. Potts and chip. It’s not an easter egg it’s a clue. But then how do people explain how Hercules got Scar’s pelt? Did the Lion King take place at the same time as ancient Greece? Wouldn’t have the Hyenas torn up Scar’s skin when they ripped him apart? And then with all this logic is Little Mermaid a contemporary of Aladdin since Sebastien was in Aladdin? Is The Little Mermaid post-apocalyptic? Are Mermaid’s mutant?   But isn’t The Little Mermaid in Neverland since people think Ariel’s mom is one of those Mermaids in Peter Pan because one of the mermaid looks like Ariel even though Ariel was going to originally have Blond hair  till Splash happen. Oh but Belle, Carpet from Aladdin and Pumbaa are in Hunchback! Where is the theory to explain those?  I’m confusing myself now.

Belle and the Provincial Town, Beauty and the Beast picture image

Belle and the Provincial Town, Beauty and the Beast

Well since Hunchback doesn’t  have any popular theory here one that doesn’t make sense but doesn’t not make  either. In Beauty and the Beast, Belle acts like she is rather above the village. She calls it poor and provincial and she fully admits she doesn’t fit in with the townspeople. So WHAT if Belle and her father were originally from Paris. They had to  move to the quiet provincial town to escape  Frollo’s genocide of the Gypsy as their house had gotten burned down in the fired Frollo created. The farm the live in the move belonged to Belle’s mother. This theory also ties into the adsenty royal family as Frollo doesn’t have to deal with a King and why one cares or knew about a Prince seemingly vanishing.  Despite the fact that Hunchback is clearly medieval and Beauty and Beast has a somewhat 18th style especially since Cogsworth mentioned the Baroque era which was from 1600-1750 seems unlikely and Beauty and the Beast have a bonus that they take place in the some country at the very least.  I guess I need to figure out Pumbaa and Carpet since theories have Carpet in a post-apocalyptic world and Pumbaa lived sometime during 5th century. Also why does Hercules have Gospel music with an  Ancient Greece setting? Off Subject,   

Djali Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Djali Esmeralda Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The point is these theories have no sense of the movie’s setting and tone and rely on Easter Eggs and other production decisions  to connect dots that aren’t really there.

The Lion King 1 1/2

The Lion King 1 1/2

The Lion King 1 1/2 is a weird movie, as it’s part prequel, part midquel and part sequel. It tells the story that runs along side The Lion King, the story of Timon and Pumbaa.

Many people like this movie but this movie comes at the expense of the original. Nicely put, this movie is basically goofy cliff notes to the original but really it is a parody of the original made to get money without much effort on the writing front.

 Timon and Pumbaa stare at Pride Rock The Lion King 1 1/2  picture image

Timon and Pumbaa stare at Pride Rock

Story goes, Timon, in his Meeket colony, is a dreamer and a bit of an outcast. He doesn’t enjoy digging and hiding so he leaves. He meets Rafiki who tells him to look beyond what he sees. Timon not being one for metaphors decides to head to Pride Rock. He meets Pumbaa and decides to pair up with him since other animals leave him alone.

From that point the movie follows the original, they fart indued the bow, I can’t wait to be king wakes them up, the stampede is nothing really ect ect. Timon and Pumbaa find the jungle place and Simba joins them and Timon gets mad when Simba goes back. Then Timon learns that friends are awesome and helps wins the day with help of his mother and uncle.

Timon in drag with his mother and Uncle Max The Lion King 1 1/2  picture image

Timon in drag with his mother and Uncle Max

The movie is funny and delightfully meta but it’s just reference after reference. The parts that are the best are the prequel and sequel parts. Those parts are the plot, you have Timon’s dilemma and his resolution. The midquel parts which make up the most the movie just poops on The Lion King.

 

Timon and Pumbaa and the Stampede The Lion King 1 1/2  picture image

Timon and Pumbaa and the Stampede

The bow part and the stampede are particularity guilty of ruining the original. This movie indicates that bow for Simba was started by Pumbaa farting and animals passing out. One Zebra misconstrues it as a bow. Oh isn’t that gas (pun in intended), that glorious opening is ruined.

But the stampede part is by far worst. Timon and Pumbaa get caught up in it and dismiss it as nothing. This mocks Mufasa dying and makes it a farce.

Timon and his Mother The Lion King 1 1/2  picture image

Timon and his Mother

When they movie is doing it own thing, it’s great and enjoyable but every time a Lion King scene is lifted from the first movie, it’s annoying and desperate.

I wish the story was more Timon and Pumbaa’s tale of friendship and not Timon and Pumbaa were really in every single scene of the original just off frame.

The Finale of The Lion King 1 1/2  picture image

The Finale of The Lion King 1 1/2

The Lion King 1 1/2 would have been much better if it didn’t have the first movie shoehorned in the narrative. I get that they were trying to be cute and poking fun at the sequels with the 1 and 1/2 but it really ruined many beautiful and dramatic aspects of the original.

But then again Dumbo does have a cameo in the theatre at the end and Dumbo is the greatest, so I take it all back. Clearly, if Dumbo is in it, it must be a magnum opus of genius.

http://youtu.be/7DCALg2levk

Frollo and Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Frollo and Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Frollo and Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Frollo and Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

 

 

 

 

 

Out There is for all intended purposes is a solo but its prelude is duet between Frollo and Quasimodo. Frollo sings about how awful the world is as a means for controlling Quasimodo. When Frollo departs the scene, the mood of the song changes into  Quasimodo singing about a yearning to venture beyond the tower and go flocking with the normal people.

 

Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Ariel Disney The Little Mermaid picture image

Ariel Disney The Little Mermaid

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is no good way to say it, Out There is a knock off of “Part of your World” from the Little Mermaid.  Lots of Disney characters sing this “wanting more” type of song but Out There and Part of that World express the some thought. And it’s interesting that they both point to a direction; up for Ariel and down for Quasimodo and they both mention a desire for the sun and to be with “the people”. They also kind of look alike, red hair and they both wear green.

 

 

Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

So how is the song on a music level? Got say, the song it’s self is pretty typical Disney fare. It’s one of the typical songs you’ll hear in a Disney movie, the dreamer’s song. It’s usually the main character singing about wanting something more. This song is just Quasimodo singing about even if just one day he wants to apart of the people. The music is fine, it’s nice and symphomatic. The lyrics are very repetitive: he wants to be to live a day with the regular people, I get. Quasimodo does come off naive to think that just because people live “out there” this qualifies them as normal and he also insinuates that it’s a gift for them to be normal despite the whole issue with gypsies who have to live in catacombs to avoid Frollo’s genocide tendencies.

 

Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The singing is where this song fails for me. Hulce’s vibrato  has too much of a wobble for me. I think this fast vibrato is meant to give Quasimodo an innocence and naivety but it too much wobble. The wobbly vibrato ruins Hulce’s performance for me and do think he a decent enough singer otherwise.

 

 

 

 

Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Quasimodo singing "Out There" Hunchback of Notre Dame Disney picture image

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best part of the song in the movie is the visuals. I remember the first time I saw it, the part where Quasimodo slid down the buttress was my favorite visual, I thought it looked fun, of course as a kid I thought it was a water slide and not a support structure.  I really enjoy Quasimodo interacting with the Notre Dame, he may be dreaming on being on terra firma but Notre Dame is like his private playground.

 

Belle, Carpet, Pumbaa Disney Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King

Belle, Carpet, and Pumbaa

Frollo in the Square during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Frollo in the Square during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Satellite Dish during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Satellite Dish during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are a few things that appear in the song that many viewers don’t seem to notice. The first are cameos, which people do notice. The Cameos are Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Pumba (The Lion King) and Carpet (Aladdin). Two other things, is Frollo can be seen in the square as Quasimodo is looking down and a satillite dish can be seen on a house in the bird’s view of Paris or La Cite in this case.

 

Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

So the song is by no means in the top tier of the songs in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, it by no means is it the worst. It’s just a VERY typical formulaic Disney song.

 

Next Time –Topsy Turvy

Clopin during the Feast of Fools Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Clopin during the Feast of Fools Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

A Memorable Character who has no affect on the plot is The Old Heretic (voiced by Gary Trousdale one of directors who as did non-baas for Djali). The guy who yells “I’m Free’ after getting out of some form of confinement but then immediately gets into a new one and then proclaim “Dang it” because they can’t use the word Damn.

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame  picture image

The Old Heretic is free Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame  picture image

The Old Heretic falling Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame  picture image

The Old Heretic railing against the cruel hand of fate Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So why I’m I bothering with this character. Well, he’s funny, he’s a running gag done well. You see him twice, it the same joke but it’s funny. And though the film goes out of it’s way to do this joke, it feel natural and not forced. Mainly because of control freak Frollo it’s believable that an old guy would be locked away in a cage for X number of years. But odd that a stock would left open during a festival.

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame  picture image

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame  picture image

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Old Heretic looks likes Jafar from Aladdin in his disguise (this make four cameos by other Disney characters, others are  Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Carpet (Aladdin), Pumbaa (The Lion King) and the Baker (Beauty and the Beast) . Maybe the Jafar Disguise is the default  look for Disney’s prisoners. If Disney made  a version of the Count of Monet Cristo, Abbe Faria  would probably look like Jafar/Old Heretic too.

Jafar Disguise Disney Aladdin picture image

Jafar in Disguise Disney Aladdin

Belle, Carpet, Pumbaa Disney Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King picture image

Belle, Carpet, and Pumbaa

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baker Figurine Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Baker Figurine Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Baker Disney Beauty and the Beast picture image

The Baker Disney Beauty and the Beast

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little is known about the Old Heretic. We have no idea why he is a heretic or even how old he is. You don’t even learn that he is supposed to be a heretic. One thing that we do know is this; he has a Confinement Destiny*.  He just a gag no more no less. But in the scope of  a running gag it’s enjoyable.

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame  picture image

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

The Old Heretic Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

 

 

 

 

 

*This is a lame joke relating to Ananke (very simply it means Death Destiny). Ananke plays a big part in the novel and I’m making up another type of destiny, it’s a lame joke, I have a Lame Joke Destiny ^_~.

Next Time – It’s a surprise ^_^

Quaismodo and Hugo Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Quaismodo and Hugo Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame