iRideChallenges

I loved The Hunchback of Notre Dame, precisely because of its darker tone and more controversial villain. Follo is remorseless in his treatment of Quasimodo, considering him an abomination, and uses his priestly influence to justify his sins and atrocities committed against Esmeralda. The emotional connection the audience feels to Quasimodo for his diversity against societal norms and the feeling that Esmeralda may be the only person to accept Quasimodo for who he is inside, regardless of his appearance, only makes Frollo’s ultimate evil ambition and the gothic, creepy overtures all the more chilling.

I believe Disney has struggled to find an ideal balance between light-hearted fantasy and gritty adventures. The Secret of Nimh (Don Bluth’s masterpiece before the disgusting travesty that was its sequel) worked so well as a darker cartoon theme because the entire world was designed to present itself as threatening, enticing and surreal. Disney needs to take cues from Don, and craft perhaps a Hunchback sequel, or another movie dealing with darker themes. Sometimes, a break in the traditional light-hearted fare is refreshing and brings innovation to an otherwise stale formula of scriptwriting and character dynamics.

I never got the impression that Disney princesses were typical damsels in distress. If anything, they displayed remarkably self-empowered attitudes towards their situations. However, I will admit the tired cliche of Princess meets prince and lives happily ever after is stale and worn out already. We need more Disney female characters who don’t always get a happy ending, as real life remained often filled with these tragedies, and a more realistic portrayal might become a breath of fresh air. Simba doesn’t get his father Mufasa back despite the connection he makes with his father’s constellation. It shows his growth which he can experience an ultimate tragedy, yet return stronger, fiercer, wiser, and more tenacious as the main lead.

I believe that fear psychology plays an essential role in captivating audiences. Blood and gore themselves are not scary without context. If the public just views a bunch of random people dying with no conceptualization, they cannot connect to the motivations of the monsters or murderers. Fear and horror novels that play on the human psychological trait of avoidance tend to become more engaging, not to mention horrifying!