--- title: "The Hunchback of Notre Dame: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame" critics_score: 63 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996): what the critics said Critics' score 63 from 9 reviews: 5 positive, 2 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics lean warm, and the praise gathers in two places: the animation, which nearly every review singles out for its cathedral set-pieces and the climactic assault on Notre Dame, and the film’s willingness to go darker than Disney usually dares. Frollo is the most consistently admired element, a villain several reviews find properly frightening, and the themes of lust, prejudice and acceptance are credited as unusually adult for the studio. Roger Ebert calls it the best Disney animated feature since Beauty and the Beast. The reservations centre on what has been done to Hugo. Most reviews note that Quasimodo has been softened into a gentle everyman, and the joking gargoyles and cute sidekicks draw complaints for undercutting the tragedy. The New York Times and The New Yorker are the sharpest dissenters, finding the tone manic and the happy ending forced. The songs divide critics outright: Empire dismisses them, Radio Times finds them solid. The spread is wide, from raves to flat rejection. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 June 1996. The critic calls it the best Disney animated feature since Beauty and the Beast, praising its uplifting story, heart-touching message about acceptance, glorious animation, and energetic songs that blend substance with spectacle. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame-1996) ## Time Out — TJ Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 April 2014. The critic praises the film's dazzling technique, mature content and thematic sophistication as a Disney milestone that remakes the 1939 version while appealing especially to older children and adults. They highlight the strong visual set-pieces, chases and climactic assault on Notre Dame. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame) ## Radio Times — Tom Hutchinson Rating 4/5. This animated version is called one of the best 1990s Disney movies, darker and more adult than prior animations while still featuring mischievous gargoyles. Strong voice work from Tom Hulce, Demi Moore and Kevin Kline, plus solid songs and an Oscar-nominated score, are singled out. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-j3mt07/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame/) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The review finds the film a solid, enjoyable and beautifully animated Disney movie, though not quite in the top drawer, with a heart in the right place on themes of tolerance. It singles out the villain Frollo for strong praise as a complete bastard while criticising the songs as rubbish. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/hunchback-notre-dame-review/) ## Variety — Jeremy Gerard Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 June 1996. The review highlights the surprising darkness and visual achievements of the film despite its cuddly Disney makeover of the source material, commending the technical animation and risk-taking while noting simplifications to the story and a ludicrous ending. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame-4-1200446001/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 21 June 1996. The review praises the film's dark and adult elements, including a convincingly evil villain and themes of lust and prejudice, but criticizes the uneven mix with formulaic cute sidekicks and songs, noting Quasimodo has been softened into a sensitive everyman. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-21-ca-16987-story.html) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 July 1996. The critic notes that the film softens the source material into something cute and sentimental, faulting the directors for repeating tropes from Beauty and the Beast and turning Quasimodo into a less complex, more crowd-pleasing figure while highlighting the visual spectacle. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/07/08/lone-stars) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 21 June 1996. The review finds the film uncertain and tonally inconsistent, criticizing its manic mood swings, cloying hero, and forced happy ending that struggles to adapt Victor Hugo's dark story for children while mixing piety and conflict. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/21/movies/film-review-the-dancing-gargoyles-romp-and-wisecrack.html) ## Paste — Kenneth Lowe Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 20 September 2023. The critic finds the film a flawed but ambitious Disney Renaissance entry that pushes boundaries with its dark themes and strong score, but faults its sanitization of the source novel and the addition of comic relief elements that undercut its potential tragedy. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/disney/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame-victor-hugo-horny) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame.md