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@cavenoreille
notredamedeparisfans:
Leonardo di Minno and Sabrina de Siena as Quasimodo and Esmeralda. (Italian production)
Taking Dance My Esmeralda to a whole new level.
FUN FACT: They dated. As if this wasn’t obvious.
It's "the marriage of Quasimodo", after all, in a very tragic but slightly more classic interpretation. "You may kiss the bride" etc.🩷
Quasimodo and a Christlike figure/Indiana Jones Reference?
So I noticed this a little while ago but I forgot about it until I watched the move again today. Notice that little wooden cup Quasi has?
This could be totally a coincidence but doesn't it look a lot like the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade?
The shape looks so uncanny. And the Holy Grail famously is made out of wood in the movie because Jesus was a carpenter. Indy figures this out and is able to save his father's life.
It could also just be a reference to the Cup of Christ Jesus had at the last supper. After all, Quasimodo is supposed to be a Christlike figure in the book.
There are more references to Quasimodo as a Christ figure in the film.
During the Festival of Fools scene, Quasi was crowned only for the crowd to turn on him, similar to how the crowds turned against Jesus when he is captured and taken to Pilate’s Court and is given a crown of thorns. The Latin choir in that scene sings Angus Dei (Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi) which is often sung at Catholic mass and references John 1:29 where John the Baptist sees Jesus and proclaims “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
When Esmeralda goes up and wipes Quasi’s face with her skirt, it could be a nod to Veronica wiping Jesus’s face with her veil.
At the beginning of God Help the Outcasts where Esmeralda says to the statues of Mary and Jesus “I see your face and wonder, were you once an outcast, too?” The scene dissolves from Jesus and Mary to Quasi sitting in the bell tower. It’s a fascinating scene transition because it links both Quasi and Esmeralda to Jesus in terms of being treated as outcasts.
This last one might be a coincidence, but Quasi carving wooden figurines parallels nicely to Jesus’s occupation as a carpenter.
Overall, I do think it’s interesting that both Quasi and Esmeralda share Christ-like aspects through the visuals, as they are both outcasts who embody the charitable and compassionate side of the church, while Frollo weaponizes religion for his own gain.
Yes, I'm so happy someone spotted the St Veronica reference, too!
At the end of the Disney-inspired stage musical when Quasimodo holds dying Esmeralda in his arms, it looks like a reference to the famous Pietà by Michelangelo. Soon afterwards, Quasi dies, too, in Esmeralda's grave, per Victor Hugo's epilogue.
Considering Esmeralda burns at the stake in Disney's HOND film and stage adaptations, I'd say she's more like Joan of Arc than like Christ.
Maybe both Quasimodo and Esmeralda are supposed to remind readers and viewers of saint martyrs who have died for their beliefs over the centuries?
I also can't help but notice some links between Quasimodo and Gabriel Oak from Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd. If you read that novel and Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman very carefully, you can definitely see some theme similarities between Hardy's and Hugo's writing. What if the stories of Bathsheba Everdene and Tess Durbeyfield are reinterpretations of Esmeralda's story and fate? My point is that as far as Christian themes are concerned, if Quasimodo is the bell ringer and self-proclaimed guardian of Notre Dame Cathedral and if he'd do anything to protect Esmeralda, Gabriel is a loyal shepherd who guards his sheep and loves Bathsheba despite everything. What is Jesus Christ often called? He's the Good Shepherd.
Some more talk about Disney's "Hunchback of Notre Dame"
I know I've probably discussed this topic to death, but I've been thinking about it again.
I just went onto Disney+ and rewatched all of Quasimodo and Esmeralda's interactions in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as well as scenes where Quasi talks about Esmeralda when she's not present. Having refreshed my memory, I can safely say this, one and for all:
To call Quasimodo's feelings for Esmeralda "toxic" is nonsense!
Their friendship is lovely. Quasimodo is never anything but polite, friendly, and helpful to Esmeralda, while she feels nothing but warmth and esteem for him. In no way does he ever make her uncomfortable. In no way is it his own fault that she doesn't love him romantically.
Yet the fans call his love "toxic." Ad nauseam and again ad nauseam, they claim that he objectifies and dehumanizes her by putting her on a pedestal as a perfect angel, "just like" Frollo demonizes her as a temptress and a witch, while only Phoebus sees her as the real woman she is. If you dare to discuss any aspect of the Quasimodo/Esmeralda/Phoebus love triangle, in any capacity, you can expect at least one person in the comments to chime in that Quasi "sees Esmeralda as a Madonna, while Frollo sees her as a Whore, and only Phoebus treats her like a human being." Quasi and Frollo are lumped together as "the bad choices" for Esmeralda, in contrast to Phoebus as "the good choice," when the movie's actual main contrast is between Quasi and Frollo, the "man" vs. the "monster," with Phoebus not even part of the equation. And again and again, people say that the reason why Esmeralda falls in love with Phoebus instead of Quasi is because she "doesn't like the way Quasi treats her," as if they all saw some alternate version of the movie where he makes her uncomfortable by worshiping her too much.
And why? Because just once, in the song "Heaven's Light," when Esmeralda isn't even present, he calls her "an angel."
My dad used to call me "my angel." Does that mean he was a toxic parent who didn't see me as a human being? And my mom used to call our dog "our little angel." Does that make her a toxic dog owner?
I don't disagree with the claim that Quasimodo idolizes Esmeralda just a little too much for an ideal romance, or that of the three men who have feelings for her, Phoebus is the only one who relates to her entirely as an equal. But I think there are other reasons why Quasi and Esmeralda might not work as a couple... more on her side than on his. She doesn't relate to him as an equal either, but pities him as a "poor creature" and "poor boy" ("boy," not "man") when they first meet, and though she obviously gains respect for him in the bell tower when she sees his artistic talent and gets to know him better, there's always a protective and nurturing motherly aspect in how she treats him. This is fine for a friendship, but for a romance? Not the ideal basis.
Besides, there are two much bigger reasons for Quasimodo not to "get the girl": (1) It lets him prove that he's the "man" to Frollo's "monster," since he accepts Esmeralda's choice and continues to be her friend, unlike Frollo who's willing to burn down all of Paris to possess her and burn her if she refuses. (2) It adds just a hint of bittersweetness to the ending, so the integrity of Victor Hugo's tragedy isn't entirely lost – just like the rewritten ending of The Little Mermaid still has bittersweetness to it, because even though Ariel survives and marries Eric, she still has to say goodbye to her family and friends in the sea. And (3) as the film's creative team has always pointed out, Quasi's dearest wish isn't romantic love, but to be "out there" among the people of Paris and accepted by them, which he gets in the end.
Yet even with all of this in mind, I have nothing against shipping Quasimodo with Esmeralda. Like I said, their friendship is beautiful, and I don't think they're inherently not a romantic match. And while I like Phoebus and Esmeralda as a couple, I understand feeling that they're a little rushed, or preferring Esmeralda and Quasi's mutual tenderness to her snarky banter with Phoebus. You want to ship them? Go ahead, just as long as you don't bash Esmeralda for not choosing Quasi in canon!
Like I said, I've probably rambled too much about this subject. But this movie's online fandom has taken one small kernel of truth – that in his private thoughts, Quasimodo idolizes Esmeralda instead of relating to her as an equal – and exaggerated it to insist that his feelings for her are toxic and just as bad as Frollo's obsession, and that Phoebus isn't just the one she connects with romantically, but the only one who deserves her. None of which is supported by the actual film!
I wonder if the prevalence and intensity of Phoebus-related fandom is also a result of the fact that the screenwriters of Disney’s HOND specifically wanted to change the character to make him more heroic and romantically desirable. That interpretation kind of seeps through the screen because the creators clearly wanted the audience to root for Phoebus more than for Quasimodo.
Did some people’s idea of Quasimodo’s supposed “toxicity” come with the Victor Hugo- and Disney-inspired stage musicals where Quasi has a very realistic reaction to his heartbreak in “Dieu que le monde est injuste” and “Made of Stone”? He doesn’t hide his feelings, but he lets them out.
As I wrote in a Reddit comment,
There’s [...] this double standard that many fans think Quasimodo is unfit for a romantic relationship because of his isolation and trauma, and I haven’t seen anyone send Phoebus to therapy despite the fact that the Disney-inspired stage musical makes it clear Phoebus has war trauma. Most fans go, “Oh, he’s so confident, hot and perfect for Esmeralda!” It grates me.
In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with stating the fact that the pairing of Phoebus and Esmeralda (and Esmeralda and Pierre Gringoire in some live-action HOND adaptations) is NOT exactly original. Getting attractive characters together is actually a very conventional and standard way of creating romance in mainstream media. Likewise, as far as banter is concerned, I really feel it’s overdone at this point. To me, Phoebus and Esmeralda’s relationship is incredibly rushed. Attraction is there, but I feel the characters look like they just perform for each other all the time, trying to outwit each other with bon mots. A romantic relationship shouldn’t be about rivalry.
On the other hand, Esmeralda and Quasimodo’s interactions are natural and real. Their words sound like they’re actually spoken from the heart. I’m sad that many people find themselves bored when potential romance begins more slowly and subtly, when tension is there, but it’s hidden in a whisper, not screaming.
Quasimodo’s unrequited love is also nothing new. Culturally, people who are disabled or just physically unattractive have always been told that they aren’t enough and that they can’t ever hope for love or acceptance. It’s so rare to find a piece of media that says, “It’s OK to be physically beautiful, and being physically ugly is equally OK.” It isn’t something to be punished, rejected or despised. It’s just appearance. It’s human. It’s part of life. And yes, such a person can also be loved and seen as attractive in someone’s eyes.
I don’t like it when people look at Disney!Esmeralda and Quasimodo and say, “Oh, they’re so much like siblings. Quasi’s like Esmeralda’s little brother!” Uh-uhm, see how Esmeralda looks here:
I even interpret that line (“I’ll come after sunset!”) and the dancer’s half-lidded gaze as a subtle hint that if things didn’t work out between Phoebus and Esmeralda, she’d be open to taking a chance on Quasimodo because she really likes him.
“I’ll come to see you,” Esmeralda says pointedly. I think her body language shows she’s genuinely flirting with Quasimodo. No, it isn’t some seductive pose on her part to be more persuasive.
To me, there’s nothing motherly or sisterly in Esmeralda’s interactions with Quasimodo. I don’t know where and when this odd trend of associating friendship with almost-incest started, but I hope it goes out of fashion soon. I also wish it would just stop being taboo for a woman to fall in love with a younger and shorter man.
I also have a theory about the gargoyles:
[W]hen it comes to the 1996 Disney version, gargoyle Hugo’s obvious interest in Esmeralda’s pet goat Djali is nothing more and nothing less than a metaphor of Quasimodo’s own physical attraction to Esmeralda herself. This theory is further supported by Hugo’s dressing up as Esmeralda in the “A Guy Like You” sequence. Considering the […] medieval symbolism of goats [that represented witchcraft, but also lust and sexuality], it made sense for Disney animators to make Hugo draw Djali as a way of avoiding a censorship strike which might have resulted from sketching a nude woman’s body. In general, as an adult, I believe that the sequence where the three gargoyles make Esmeralda-related drawings explicitly shows how Quasimodo perceives the woman: she’s (1) fun and playful, (2) beautiful and confident, and (3) incredibly sexy. This is because I believe Quasi would be able to see Esmeralda as a whole person, and I like the fandom theory that what Victor, Laverne and Hugo really represent is some aspects of the bell ringer’s own personality. - from my essay “The Song of the Bells and the Tambourine” (2024) (rated explicit, available to logged-in AO3 users)
I’m not convinced that I should just buy it that the moral of the first Disney’s HOND film is practically “You won’t be anyone’s (first) choice” or, as I wrote elsewhere, “You have to be the bigger person even when the odds are against you”. I’m allowed to not like that interpretation. I’m also disappointed by the sequel because its moral is essentially about Quasimodo having to lower his expectations for a romantic partner. He just wants a normal, loving and happy life and I don’t know why the creators interpreted “ordinary miracles” as pairing Quasimodo with a very average and shy woman. Madellaine breaks Quasi’s heart and once more the bell ringer is expected to just pretend that nothing happened, to trust Madellaine, and to show her that he is the bigger person. Why? That’s unbelievable, considering how briefly Madellaine and Quasimodo have known each other at the end of the sequel.
I don’t like Madellaine because she represents a very stereotypical ideal of femininity understood as being delicate, quiet, shy and repressing her opinions. She just doesn’t convince me in her double function of an alluring femme fatale and a jaded woman who regains her joy of life after meeting a kind man. You want a model example of such a character? Look at Megara from Disney’s Hercules. Meg is confident, fully embraces her beauty and openly speaks her mind. She even calls Herc Wonderboy.
I adore Quasimodo because his masculinity is unconventional. He’s strong, but he’s also gentle and unafraid of showing his emotions. He’s a grown-up man. True, Esmeralda calls him “poor creature” and “poor boy”, but that happens before Quasi awes her with his kindness, strength and agility. I’m sure Esmeralda would come to see him as her equal. I wish the film and the musical had actually shown that change of perception.
I wish people would focus more on discussing similarities between Quasimodo and Esmeralda. Both characters mirror each other well, both are a study of selflessness, and “God Help the Outcasts” is honestly about them. I’m frustrated by the fact that Quasimodo is constantly analysed with reference to Frollo.
@princesssarisa @itsallaboutthesymbolism @lunetheweird
been getting into elphaboq lately
I'm an absolute sucker for the "friends to lovers" trope, so yeah, I ship Elphaba with Boq so much. 💚🩷 I don't care that they don't get together in canon.
Let's bask in heaven's light
You know, I've always really wanted to see Esmeralda and Quasimodo get together and share a romantic kiss, so here's my take. I drew it with pencil, took a photo and then slightly edited the photo of the drawing in GIMP.
"An even better Disney movie about Queer Misery was a contemporary of The Normal Heart and Angels in America, an it shows: Disney's Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991, was helmed in part by Howard Ashman as lyricist and producer.
He would not live to see the finished product, for he died from complications of AIDS months before its release.
This has led many, myself included, to reflect on the queerness of the Disney movies that Ashman worked on.
But I didn't even need to know that first in order to see myself in Belle, the Perpetual Outsider in a Small Minded Community.
She's weird, and even though they all want her to conform, she refuses to.
I certainly related to that a lot, but in less proud moments, I also saw myself in the Beast, who is to be seen as a monster by everyone around him, to the point in which he too has begun to see himself as a monster.
Worst of all, the only way out is to learn to love another and earn their love in return.
The realization of self-sabotage, the certainty that solitude is forever, how does one learn how to love when no one showed you love in the first place?
It's hard to convey how much this meant to me.
The movie is dedicated:
"To our friend Howard, who gave a Mermaid her Voice and a Beast his Soul. We will forever be grateful."
If the Beast's Soul is meant to be Howard Ashman's, I too am incredibly grateful.
It wasn't until I delved back into these stories for this video that I realized there was a pattern in the stories that kept me company in the closet: they're all about figuring out what to do with the self-perpetrating misery that pervades our existence without ignoring it.
They are about acknowledging it so we can stop hurting ourselves and each other and instead grow together.
I love it when stories engage with pain, misery and heartbreak not as things to avoid, but as things that we grow from."
(José Maria Luna: In Defense of Queer Misery)
@the-blue-fairie @thealmightyemprex @themousefromfantasyland @princesssarisa @rayatii
i just saw Lindsay Ellis' video! As a 'Disney adult' i always knew about Howard, but Disney hid very well the details of how *much* he worked into the story of TLM and BATB. It's such a tragic story. I'm outgrowing Disney because the company and the fandom leave a lot to be desired, but Ashman's work I'm always gonna behold in high esteem.
Also, fun to consider, but according to Matt Baume, one of Ashman's favorite musicals was Lili, so, curious.
@ariel-seagull-wings It's all so interesting, considering that the original literary version of "The Little Mermaid" is often interpreted as a declaration of (unrequited) love from one man to another. Hans Christian Andersen supposedly wrote the fairy tale as a wedding gift for his friend Edvard Collin. However, in my opinion, TLM is also very much a story about how those who are disabled are perceived in society. Perhaps that's why I've always noticed many similarities between Quasimodo and the mermaid - the red-haired leading characters in the Disney films and their strong desire to belong in the general human world in some way.
@itsallaboutthesymbolism, you mentioned "outgrowing Disney", but I remember you once identified as a Quasimodo fan. (It was written in your Tumblr profile.) I honestly miss your HOND-related notes/commentary.
Two editing versions to highlight the lines of my (originally) very delicate pencil drawing of Esmeralda and Qusimodo...
The dark colour palette is intentional - for a more Gothic feel.
Edit 1
Edit 2
I'd like to share this cover design I made for my Quasi/Esme music fanmix.
By the way, you can download the fanmix in four formats (MP3, M4A, WAV and FLAC) under these new links:
part one
part two
full fanmix (over 1 hour long)
If We Had a Chance: Music Continues
or... another fanmix I made inspired by canon and (mostly) my headcanons and theories about Esmeralda and Quasimodo because... why not? I just love these two characters together so much! 💃🏾🔔🧑🏻🦰 My playlist is here if you want to listen to individual songs.
Length: 10 songs, 37 minutes 57 seconds
Tracklist:
Josh Groban - So She Dances **
Céline Dion - Tous les secrets
Nightwish - Beauty and the Beast
Garou - Passe ta route
Melanie C - Northern Star
Céline Dion - Let Your Heart Decide
Susan Egan et al. - I Won't Say (I'm in Love)
Bryan White & Andrea Corr - Looking Through Your Eyes
Alanis Morissette - Empathy
Vanessa Williams - Save the Best for Last
** Thank you, @thehunchcast, for the suggestion! 😊
My fanmix can also be downloaded. The link is here.
Happy listening! 🎶
EDIT 10/04/2026: You can check out part one of this compilation in this post.
If We Had a Chance: A Romantic Playlist
(or songs which remind me of Esmeralda/Quasimodo as a pairing)
I was inspired and decided to create a small compilation of songs. What could have been? You can listen to 🎶the playlist 🎶here.
Length: 10 songs, 36 minutes 30 seconds
Tracklist:
Tom Odell - True Colours
Phil Collins - Strangers Like Me
Tina Arena - Aimer jusqu’à l’impossible
Foreigner - I Want to Know What Love Is
Yoni Amar - Ensemble à jamais
Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin - Separate Lives
Eva Cassidy - I Know You by Heart
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
Tina Arena - I Want to Know What Love Is
Céline Dion - When the Wrong One Loves You Right
If you want to download my fanmix, click here.
Happy listening! 😊
EDIT 10/04/2026: Now there's also a part two!
The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the "Cinderella"-fication of Disney Romances
I admit I don't like the portrayals of the Esmeralda/Phoebus love story in either of the two Disney films or in the stage musical adaptation of the Disney version. In my opinion, the characters' relationship is just another re-imagining of classic "Cinderella", with the only difference that Esmeralda is a Romani woman whom society despises because of her heritage and Phoebus is a noble-born soldier. She dances. He notices her. They get married. How repetitive can these storylines be? It's a trope in many folk tales that commoners (both men and women) marry into royalty. "Cinderella" still gets official retellings, reinterpretations and remakes every few years. At its heart, it is a story about someone who escapes an abusive household in search for a better life and finds love along the way. However, Cinderella, a merchant's daughter, doesn't marry another merchant. She marries a prince. I simply wonder if the fairy tale is so popular because some people, despite their declared focus on mutual love, companionship and understanding in marriage (and in romantic relationships in general), still look at marriage through the prism of social and economic advancement.
Victor Hugo wrote about a dancer who naively imagined that a cruel and philandering but irresistibly handsome soldier was her knight in shining armour. Yet, many official HOND adaptations openly cater to fans of the Phoesme pairing by including "shippy moments" between the characters, and sometimes even by getting the two together. Hollywood filmmakers (including those at Disney) thought, "Let's make Esmeralda's fantasy a reality!"
In some other adaptations, Esmeralda faces an emotional and social choice between two good-looking men: Captain Phoebus and Esmeralda's husband, Pierre Gringoire (yes, the same statuesque poet who sings his siren song of "Le temps des cathédrales" in the French musical). The Disney film version conveniently fuses the male characters' arcs into one, as in Victor Hugo's novel, Esmeralda saves Pierre's life. However, in the same book, Pierre abandons Esmeralda in an hour of need and takes Djali with him. I don't like how Phoebus de Châteaupers or Pierre Gringoire is written in most official/canon versions because of how often those adaptations play up the knight in shining armour fantasy about Phoebus/Pierre while underestimating how much Quasimodo and Esmeralda have in common.
Are only physically beautiful couples allowed to cross and break social barriers for their love?
The thing is, Aladdin managed to win the heart of a princess, with the help of his "Fairy Godfather" Genie. I'm being intentionally vague here because this plot doesn't apply only to the Disney film and stage adaptations of the folk tale. It also includes tropes similar to those in "Cinderella". In this vein, I've always entertained this idea that in the Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Quasimodo could be a "Cinderella" to Esmeralda who in turn could be the princess of the Romani (I actually imagine that Esmeralda is Clopin's much younger sister, and Clopin's the leader of the Court of Miracles) and most certainly her people's most beautiful and famous dancer.
It gives one some food for thought that Disney decided to change the tragic fate of The Little Mermaid and made her dream of belonging in the human world (with a bonus in the form of a human prince eventually returning her love) come true. However, when there's a disfigured bell ringer with exactly the same two dreams, the outcome of the official Disney version of the story is this: "You'll be very lucky if the world outside accepts you. However, no one will ever love you as a partner unless... there's a totally random woman who can understand you share her exact trials in life."
I'm not sold on the romance between Quasimodo and Madellaine. I could sum up their relationship as "Cinderella meets Riquet with the Tuft", as the latter fairy tale is about a beautiful princess who feels inadequate and insecure because she's not as bright and eloquent as her twin sister. Everything changes when she meets hunched Prince Riquet whose wisdom and intelligence are known in the entire kingdom...
By the way, until I started writing this post, I had known only about Charles Perrault's version of "Riquet with the Tuft". As this post by @adarkrainbow shows, there's also an earlier, darker and more pessimistic version written by Catherine Bernard.
Madellaine is an original character created by Disney and she's practically the protagonist of The Hunchback of Notre Dame II. She's our new "Cinderella" or Quasimodo 2.0 (only genderswapped and prettier) because her story arc is exactly the same as the bell ringer's (to find self-worth and love while leaving one's life as an abuse victim behind). I said I'm not a fan of her relationship with Quasimodo because (1) this repetition of storylines bores me, and (2) I don't understand why Disney creatives previously went to great lengths to drastically change the characterisation of Esmeralda compared to the novel and presented her as someone Quasimodo was very clearly romantically interested in, only to then change their minds and practically decide that maybe it would be a better idea if Quasi fell in love with someone who resembled Hugoverse!Esmeralda or female!Jean Valjean more. This is, unfortunately, very inconsistent with the first Disney HOND film.
I admit Esmeralda's naivety and shallowness irritate me in Victor Hugo's novel. I don't find her likeable and compelling there. She's always afraid of Quasimodo, even after all the kindness he showed her. On the other hand, I sympathise with both characters because they end up as tragic victims of a cruel system created by people who would never accept anyone who was different.
I'm disappointed the Disney sequel creators went from a "dark-haired sultry and assertive beauty" character to a "shy and quirky blonde" type. For context, here's an excerpt from a comment I wrote on Reddit a few months ago.
[I]f we look at both Disney HOND films, they're another example of the Veronica-and-Bettyfication of (potential) love interests for the protagonist. (It's a reference to characters from Archie Comics.) In short, the HOND films by Disney are yet another take on the idea that a gentler, meeker and younger/less experienced female character (Madellaine in this case) should be seen as the preferable and safer option for a romantic partner over the female character who looks sultrier and who's more mature and more outspoken and popular (Esmeralda). There's this puritanical implication that the more visually appealing character might potentially destroy the male protagonist's innocence.
I really wanted to see Quasimodo rebel against Frollo's teachings about sexual desire and the position of women in religion and society. To me, Madellaine in the sequel film unfortunately does look like she's just come out of a possible sculpted or painted portrait of a modest saint.
Another thing is that in canon Madellaine has low self-esteem and Quasimodo is disabled. In my opinion, that's a very stereotypical but still popular pairing combo in love stories involving disabled characters. This is why I'm very glad this pairing is canon only in this one HOND sequel. Can't Quasi really be with someone both beautiful and bold?
Potentially, I like this idea of Madellaine passionately kissing Quasimodo, then grabbing him by the collar and taking him to one of the tents in the square for some incredible quality time... 😉 Both sexual innuendo and a nice shout-out to the time when Quasimodo landed in Esmeralda's tent during the Feast of Fools.
However, I think Madellaine and Captain Phoebus are much better as a romantic match. You know, opposites attract.
I have always preferred "Beauty and the Beast" over "Cinderella". I've recently read this LiveJournal essay by aikaterini in which the writer interprets the Beast's final transformation as a metaphor for the prince's own new-found love for himself and a new sense in his life. It made me wonder, "Why are the prince's self-love and true form still symbolised by conventional beauty? Does he really have to be a picture of perfection to be and feel accepted?" In reference to my own Tumblr post from July where I wrote about Esmeralda and Quasimodo as a type of BATB pairing, I can honestly say I support and believe in the "monster paramour" outcome. In truth, I like this idea that someone gorgeous feels genuine romantic love, desire and acceptance for someone who isn't physically attractive by general society's standards. What if the prince had physical deformities and disabilities and was haughty, cruel and bitter because he would initially feel inferior due to his appearance? As a form of punishment for his behaviour, the prince would be transformed into an actually monstrous Beast (like the one in the 1991 Disney film) by the Enchantress. I think in this case, the prince's true form would be that of a hunchback, but at the end of the story, when he becomes human again, he would finally be able to say, "I like myself as I am, with the body I have, flaws and all." He would feel more comfortable in his skin at last. In my opinion, he doesn't even have to be a prince, in the spirit of my desire for "Belle" and her "Beast" to be social equals.
As far as the Disney version goes, Quasimodo and Esmeralda
Image source: The Hunchblog (source)
have always reminded me of these two:
Yes, in my imagination, Quasimodo and Esmeralda also get married in the future.
Ok i need so much more of that final lair kiss gif you posted in the second part of your steam post pretty pleeeeease please please just look at that HAND
Ethan Freeman and Jill Washington, London (1995)
sorry it took me two months to get to this
*sniffles* 🥺 What a wonderful kiss!
This took me 24 hours to complete! My most complex drawing to date and I'm very proud of it :) Have some Quasimodo, the guy needs more love <3
This is incredible! 😄
Art by MarinaSparks (source)
I just wanted to share this wonderful piece of fanart I've recently found.
Disney's Esmeralda and Quasimodo: A Missed Opportunity for a Retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" in a Realistic Setting?
For as long as I remember, I've always been disappointed that Esmeralda and Quasimodo did not get together in the 2002 sequel to Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This is partly because the directors of the 1996 adaptation - Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise - also famously directed the 1991 animated version of Beauty and the Beast.
GIF by @rapunzely (source)
GIF by @lokihiddleston (source)
The 1991 film is also probably only the second - after the 1987-1990 TV series starring Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman - film adaptation of the French fairy tale, which deviates from the literary original by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and shows a gorgeous female character (whose name is Catherine in the TV series) who genuinely and passionately falls in love with a man who's seen as ugly and monstrous by other people. In the TV series the main male character Vincent is ostracised from the rest of society because of his lionesque face.
It's also interesting how much Disney's animated design for the character of Belle looks like Jo Anderson in the role of Diana Bennett from the same TV series. See e.g. the GIF below.
GIF by @princessdaily (source)
My disappointment with the fact that Esmeralda and Quasimodo are not an endgame canon pairing in the Disney version stems from my wish for finally seeing a subversion of this common fairy tale trope where there are two characters - one who is physically attractive and one who is not - and then at the end of the story the power of true love makes the second character magically transform and become a model of normative beauty. Other examples of this trope could be "Riquet with the Tuft" by Charles Perrault and "The Goose-Girl at the Well" by the Brothers Grimm.
It would be nice to have seen a realistic interpretation of the fairy tale in a world where there are (preferably) no elements of fantasy and no magic so that the unattractive character's appearance doesn't change for that character to be considered worthy of romantic love.
This also leads me to a moment of reflection that some people find it much easier to root for romance potentially developing between a visually unconventional couple when the said romance happens or could happen in the realm of fairy tales and fantasy. However, as soon as this idea is explored in the real world or - as is the case with The Hunchback of Notre Dame - in a fictional depiction of the real world, some people start to resist and believe that "These two are too different. They should never be together".
I'm aware that in the official Disney sequel Quasimodo finds someone to love, but one of my problems with Madellaine is that she is, unfortunately, incredibly insecure and timid compared to some of the female characters of the Disney Renaissance era, e.g. Esmeralda, Megara, Princess Kida, Belle, and Jane Porter. I've always wanted Quasimodo to find true romantic love in someone who's kind, gorgeous, spirited, intelligent and thirsty for knowledge.
I admit it's also about satisfaction from the idea that as far as love goes, my ideal female love interest for Quasimodo is so attractive that everyone wants her and yet when she really gets to know the bell ringer, her heart starts beating only for him.
If I were to take Gaston's question ("Don't I deserve the best?") and apply it to Quasimodo, I'd answer that yes, Quasi actually does deserve the best.
Plus, whenever I look at this set of GIFs, including the one below,
I think, The way Esmeralda is gazing at Quasi here is definitely not how you look at someone who's a friend and nothing more.
If you want to read a more detailed analysis of Esmeralda and Quasimodo as characters and of The Hunchback of Notre Dame's (potential) relationship with Beauty and the Beast, please check out my mini-essays "The Song of the Bells and the Tambourine", "Is It Truly a Miracle?" and "Beauty through Kindness, Love through Redemption", which are all parts of my ship manifesto/collection of essays titled "For the Song of the Bells and the Tambourine" (NSFW, restricted to AO3 users).
Yes, too many "Beauty and the Beast" type stories always feel disappointing to me, because eventually it doesn't turn into a true romance. Either the Beast figure turns handsome (the Beast), is an animal (King Kong), is evil (Erik), or is rejected by the love interest and he has to 'accept it' (Cyrano, Quasimodo). There are cases where he is loved, by a blind member of society (Beast from X-Men, Gwynplaine with Dea), but i always felt the cliche, overused, can be a little patronizing and ableist. it's less compassion for the monster and the girl and more "he's so disgusting only a blind person can love him".
So i like modern versions of BATB that keep the monster, well, monstrous, but he's still romantic, like in She-Ra or The Shape of Water.
@anithemonsterlover @luneemeritus
So for a narrative about the leading lady staying with a man with a real disability rather than fantastical deformity, essentially modernizing Beauty and the Beast, I reccomend the 1953 movie Lili, and its stage musical adaptation Carnival:
The story is set in a circus, where an orphan young woman who considers attempting suicide after finding difficulty in getting employed in a new town since her parents died, is helped by a former ballet dancer who has become lame in a leg after surviving War, and has come to work as a puppeteer: he uses the puppets to represent different aspects himself to comunicate with her, while also having the young woman join the circus in a successfull where she performs improvised dialogue with the puppets.
Since he hasn't properly processed his trauma of harming his leg in the War and not being able to dance like he used to anymore, he acts agressively thowards the people who come close, failing to clearly comunicate his feelings as himself, so the young woman at first sees him as a scary monster.
Slowly learning to show his tenderness, he has to apologize, embrace tenderness, and reveal that the words of the puppets are his, so he and the woman who grew more confident with time can finally be together.
Here is the original 1953 movie (english and br portuguese dub):
Traveling with little more than her naïveté, sunny teenager Lili (Leslie Caron) arrives in a new town and is befriended by a circus troupe.
Original cast album of the musical Carnival (1961):
And a 1990s production of the stage musical:
A piece of trivia: the singer/actor who originally played the puppeteer was Jerry Orbach, the voice of Lumière in 1991's Beauty and the Beast:
I'll give it a watch!
Also, while still talking about Disney, while Quest for Camelot is not the best movie, I applaud it for having a disabled love interest in a mainstream kids film and keeping him like that
@anithemonsterlover @ariel-seagull-wings
Speaking of Quest for Camelot, I've always thought that Kayley and Garrett as characters were inspired by the legendary figures of King Arthur's knights, Sir Kay and Sir Gareth. Then I found out the film was loosely based on Vera Chapman's fantasy novel, The King's Damosel (source).
Both Garrett from Quest for Camelot (which is a fantasy film after all, with magic and dragons) and Paul (as played by Mel Ferrer in Lili and by e.g. Jerry Orbach in Carnival) are still portrayed as handsome men. As a matter of fact, the animated Garrett has always reminded me of Prince Derek from The Swan Princess in some way.
Have you watched A Different Man in which Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson play the main male roles? As far as I know, the film had great reviews and it's an interesting study of a character with facial disfigurement caused by neurofibromatosis.
It can be very disappointing if some of the most popular options for the resolution of a romantic subplot that involves a character with visible disabilities (which definitely can have an impact on the character's appearance and/or behaviour) in fictional stories in media are as follows:
The character needs to make peace with being single for the rest of their life.
The character is expected to "stay in their lane" and find a romantic partner in their own group. From what I've seen, this line of thinking is often connected with the common criticism of differences in physical attractiveness in any variant of the so-called hot spouse/ugly spouse trope in fiction.
If the disabled character's love happens to be returned, the love interest is often presented as someone with serious self-esteem issues.
Yes, I really believe that Disney!Esmeralda is much more beautiful, charismatic and unabashedly confident in her femininity
than Madellaine from The Hunchback of Notre Dame II.
I mean, Madellaine is lovely in terms of visuals, but... why did Quasimodo - as a disabled man - get a love interest who is so much more like a 19th-century literary ingénue type of character - cute, sweet and almost angelic instead of tough and fierce?
I've always been a supporter of the idea that opposites attract in romance.
