Other villains: know they are evil and love it and relish in it. Frollo: belived he was a pure righteous man. Other villain songs: end with the villain standing on top of the world and feeling powerful. Frollo's hellfire song: ends with Frollo collasping to the floor and feeling defeated by the powers of lust.
In the Hellfire song, Frollo had his chance to relinquish his lust for Esmeralda and know he will condemned himself to hell if he goes down that. The guard in the light symbolizes that fact. But Frollo refuses and his fate is sealed from that moment on.
@@a.jthomas6132 Yep, Jesus answered his prayer when he keeps singing about 'destroy esmerelda" etc... saying that she has gone, but frollo is too stuck in his sin to listen. When you sin all your life mortally, it's hard to repent on your own. You need Jesus' help, but frollo didn't seize the chance and now it's too late for him.
Considering the controversy they received because of it and the rise of social media...I doubt they could even if they wanted to. Now that they've made $1 billion films, they likely wouldn't want to (purposefully) make something devisive.
Thank you for this comment! I wish it was more well understood abroad that Gargoyles, while looking mean and nasty, were meant to ward off evil, not be an idol to it.
The chanting translates to 'I'm guilty' Judge frodo is effectively trying to convince himself that he's not- but the conciousness is telling him he is.
@pacattack2586 it is from a prayer of confession in the Catholic Church. Said by itself, it's an exclamation of apology or remorse that is used to mean "It was my fault" or "I apologize." mea maxima culpa means my huge fault or my biggest mistake or my gigantic mistake...
The phrase comes out of a prayer said during mass. Translated into English it is: "I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters that I have greatly sinned. Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I ask the Blessed Mary Ever-virgin, all the angels and saints, and you my brothers and sisters to pray for me to the Lord our God."
@@DashiellAnthonythe Confiteor. Haven't thought of those words in probably decades. In the vernacular we added "in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do." Reciting this every week was a key part of developing a fine conscience in young Catholics of my generation....
frollo is a unique disney villain because he’s someone that CAN be real. all the other disney villains, albeit fantastic in their own rights, are more fantastical. talking sea witches, an evil lion, etc. frollo is someone that mimics the behaviors of people in history; like how many self righteous figures of religious authority have we seen target minorities, because they don’t believe in the same values? far too many to count. that’s why judge claude frollo is the most terrifying villain of disney, because he’s too realistic.
Casual take, many Disney villains are realistic AF and reflect real world historical figures and tropes. Frollo just has that shock factor to teens/young adults that realizes what kind of sins he's committing.
12:01 Look at their cups in this scene. They went so far as to make their cups different heights, signifying the way Frollo thinks he's above Quasimodo.
Something else of note: the contrast between Heaven's Light and Hellfire. Quasimodo's feelings towards Esmeralda are so much more pure and innocent, something more akin to love (though they barely knew each other at that point). He admires Esmeralda for her kindness moreso than her beauty, actually respecting her as a person (shown when he doesn't turn on her when he sees her and Phoebus together). Meanwhile, Hellfire shows that Frollo's feelings are pure lust. He doesn't respect Esmeralda; he actively hates her. And yet, his own selfish desires keep him obsessed with her. Heavenly virtue against deadly sin, a kind, pure-hearted young man against a hateful religious official who has already secured his own damnation. The fact that they play consecutively, even bleeding into one another, really highlights the juxtaposition too.
Actually, Quasimodo doesn´t really see Esmeralda as a normal woman, he constantly idolizes her and see her as almost an angelical being, Frollo see her as a mere sexual object of desire and lust and finally Phoebus is the one who actually treats her as an equal, as a normal person, that´s why she fell for him, Quasi in the end learns that
@zoazede2098 yeah, you're right honestly. If anything, I think that highlights the difference even more (Quasi seeing her as an angel vs Frollo seeing her as an evil temptress). I didn't really bring up Phoebus because that wasn't the point I was trying to make, but all three of them foil each other in some way. But yes, I can certainly understand why Esmeralda didn't want to be with someone who idolizes her, that sounds exhausting
In disney Frollo was a judge not an church official. I like that change. It shows that you don't have priest or something like that to abuse religion and fall into self-holliness. People in power (no matter which kind) may start to see themselves as better. Frollo listened to priest in the begining, but as he went further into madness even religion representative couldn't get through his self-righteousness.
For me it's the opposite. I think Disney changing him to a mere judge ruined his characterization. He's lusting over Esmeralda and as a priest, he is supposed to be celibate and thus having any romantic or sexual relationship is forbidden. This gives his lust over Esmeralda more impact since he broke his vow to God to be celibate. Despite of this, he still view himself as a moral paragon and even say that he's proud of his virtue and that he is above the common folks. This false sense of righteousness makes more sense coming from a church official (archdeacon) than a judge. He delude himself that he is righteous even go as far as to blame God for making the devil stronger than a man which caused him to succumb to his lust. Although deep inside, he knows he's the one to blame for his sins hence, the background chanting "Mea Culpa" (Latin for "My Fault") during his villain song.
@@samjuan4899 Yeah, that is also interesting characterization, it was in original. I like both versions, both show hypocrisy. I like disney one more not just because it doesn't show Christianity as evil (it is hard to find one that doesn't). Some people can start think that centain faith is evil because of culture representation and action of small group of people. Nowdays we can also see people that claim to be some religion, do from questionable things to straight up evil and then use their religion as excuse or justification. That movie reminding me that monsters in human skin will use anything for their interest even if it was good. They don't have to be part of priest officials or actual faith to do that, this Frollo wasn't really any of that, he claimed to be before others and himself.
@@VikVie8788 I see your point. That is true. Evil is universal and manifest to everyone. It's just a matter of how we control ourselves. My take on this is that I just prefer Frollo as an archdeacon because it shows that despite his lofty position in the church, he still succumbed to his temptation just like the common folks that he deemed beneath him. It made his eventual downfall more satisfying in my opinion. It also further highlight his hypocrisy and the fact that he won't admit to it because in his mind, he is above the common man. And for me, being a priest makes his crime more impactful because it's done by a person whom society expects would be a moral paragon. It's like child abuse. That act in itself is horrific enough but for me, it's several times worse if the abuse was committed by the parents because there's the expectation that parents should love their children. In the same vein, Frollo being a high ranking member of the church comes with the expectation that he would uphold the words of God given that he preaches them and yet, he is willing to commit heinous acts just to satisfy his temptation. I don't see this as religion being bad but as a cautionary tale that anyone can succumb to temptation despite of your position in life. I also love the contrast between him and Quasimodo. Frollo being the supposed holy man who looks pious from the outside but rotten to the core. Then Quasimodo, who may look monstrous in appearance but is a good person deep within. But then again, it's just how I interpret the story. Not to say mine is better or anything. I agree with your take albeit in a different perspective.
@@samjuan4899 You are right, you gave there reasons why original is also good. I personally like disney version probably because this kind of people I see (they don't exactly try to hide that much). Or perhabs I just like happy endings.
Frollo is my favorite (male) Disney villain. That said, I do wish some of his positive qualities from the book (ie being a caring father figure to Quasimodo at times) was kept to show his complexity further.
@@OpticalSorcerer What the other user wanted to say, is that the movie is based on the stage version, not the book, so the differences with it comes mostly from there
"See there the inncoent blood you have spilt, on the steps of Notre Dame" "I am guiltless, she ran, I pursued" "Now you would add this child's blood to your guilt, on the steps of Notre Dame" "My conscience is clear" "You can lie to yourself and your minions. You can claim that you haven't a qualm. But you never can, run from nor hide what you've done from the eyes. The very eyes of Notre Dame" *And for one time in his life, of power and control, Frollo felt a twinge of fear for his immortal soul* Literally Frollo was denying he did anything he had done was bad till the arch decan literalpy said "you sure the church agrees?!"
The best part is that *everyone* else in the movie knows that Judge Frollo is the villain. From the priest, to the commoners, to the guards, *everyone.* Only he believes he is in the right, which he uses to justify how hated he is, claiming that everyone else is far too evil and sinful to judge him.
16:15 According to IMDB trivia originally Esmeralda was going to kill Judge Frollo. Esmeralda was going to kill Judge Frollo in order to save Quasimodo by kicking Frollo off the cathedral but had to scrap it to avoid getting a PG-13 rating. I love the ending we got but seeing Esmeralda kill Judge Frollo would have been bad ass and would’ve been pretty daring for a Disney movie.
So wait, Frollo actively lusting for Esmeralda, and singing a song about it, was a-okay G-rated to them, but Esmeralda knocking Frollo off the cathedral would push it to PG-13? What sense does that make, executives?
That would have still been enjoyable, but I'm glad they went with the death that they did. His own toxic traits leading to his own death are perfect poetry.
@SayShelo While I didn’t understand the darker themes, as a kid I still felt this overwhelming sense of “should I be watching this?? I don’t think I should be watching this.”
@JuanEnriqueFloresJr I never met him in fact the only celebrity I really interacted with was Alex Trebek. I don't know any other roles he has played. So by default Frollo lol.
I remember someone pointed out how Frollo asked God to help him with his temptation in getting the guy to tell Frollo she was gone giving Frollo the final chance to choose right and leave her alone but instead he sold his soul and went further into his delusion
@@breawycker I honestly don't love Encanto as much others do, i just think it's a good film, but not a great one. I'd love it more if the film had a proper villain.
@@WorldOfEntertainment33 yeah that's valid. I do miss Disney villains. Wish had so much potential with the behind the scenes early stuff we saw. I'm so mad
I really love that the movie doesn't give Frollo any kind of past trauma or even a specific _reason_ to hate the Romani people, and he never even tries to explain it, because from his perspective he doesn't _need_ to. He's just decided that they're vermin and deserve to die, and he wholeheartedly believes that this makes him a righteous soldier of God who's ridding the world of sin. When people hear the phrase "every villain is the hero of their own story", a lot of them assume it means a villain _has_ to have some legitimately tragic motive or backstory that makes them redeemable. But it just as easily applies to a villain who does unequivocally evil things while deluding themselves that they're completely in the right.
Tony Jay stated in the interview that Disney back then really tried to make three-dimensional character, and a tragic character rather then an out and out senseless villain. Everything Frollo did is understandable but not excusable as no body trusted him, including Captain Phoebus. In way, everything you summon up in this video said it all about Judge Frollo being the perfect Disney villain and a fully fleshed character.
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. The chorus is chanting, "My fault, my fault, my most grievous/maximal fault." Perfectly contrasting what Frollo's lines are saying.
Also unlike Frollo, when Quasi is repeatedly confronted with his own flaws he is willing to change and become a better person. When he is jealous of Phoebus he initially refuses to help him, but then realizes he’s being selfish. The two then work together to find the Court of Miracles.
Something else is that durning the Hellfire song he is seeking the intercession of Saint Mary, who among many other titles is known as the Mother of Mercy, to destroy an innocent woman. a woman who is taking sanctuary in a church dedicated to Mary herself.
R.I.P. Tony Jay (1933-2006) Voice Of Judge Frollo from Disney's The Hunchback Of Notre Dame an amazing and chilling performance singing Hellfire Judge Frollo He's Evil One of The best and most Darkest Disney Villains Ever Judge Frollo He's Really Special and Tony Jay's Voice Was a part of it. ❤️🖤💜🔥😢😢😭😭
Jesus said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” *Frollo throws the rock at himself* Is what should happen, but we all know he would be more than delighted to be chucking rocks at his enemies all day.
@@princesspikachu3915 Yes, from a Christian perspective he led himself to that end through his persistent belief in his own self-righteousness…he thought he was serving God in a greater caliber than most because of his strict adherence to the law and prosecutes those he *himself* deems unworthy of salvation from God, when in truth he was serving himself with pride as he equates his judgement equal to that of God. Because of his self-righteousness and pride, he could not be introspective and see himself sinful as any other man. Even in his final song when he supposedly “repented” of his sin of lust, he casts blame on Esmerelda as his ultimate cause of failure; before this point of no return, if his heart was truly seeking God, he would have genuinely admitted his faults to God in its entirety; warts and all, in humbleness and transparency before Him and that he would change his ways- not seeking out to destroy her as a means of repentance. Intending to murder another person in the name of God is not repentance, but for Frollo…he was just going to do what he has always done.
Even as a kid Frolo's hypocrisy had a striking realism to it I was able to pick up on. I only understood the hellfire song and scene later in life though, about how he wished for divine cleanliness, rather than prayed for it, but even with that, if he 'got his way' and had Esmerelda as his own, he was happy with his own sin.
i like to think that the talking gargoyles represent quasimodo's way of coping from insanity from being cooped up from everyone, and having basically no one but frollo to rely on to talk to.
I really loved how realistic Frollo is. Villains who can exist in real life intrigues me. I'm making horror movies, and some of my villains are ones who can exist in real life. Watching villains like Frollo gives me inspiration to write my villains better in a more realistic way. Great video.
1:40, actually, the movie is based on the theatre version, altered by Victor Hugo himself, in that version Frollo isn´t a part of the church anymore, and other subtle changes
I will die on the hill that Frollo is absolutely without a doubt the greatest animated villain Disney has ever put to screen. Possibly even the greatest villain, period. There are lots of Disney villains that are without a doubt top tier amazing; Scar probably being #2, but NONE of them hit the realism bar quite like Frollo does. Every other Disney villain has SOME aspect about them that is cartoonish and unrealistic, even if just the tiniest, TINIEST fraction. Frollo? Nah... you could 101% run into a fully fledged Frollo in the real world. And that makes him terrifying.
I remember at the start of the movie, the bells of notre dame stated "Who is the monster and who is the man?". Like as if telling you that frollo is a wolf in sheeps clothing
0:33 the only character that can get somewhat be close to comparison to Frollo would probably be Mother Gothel, but im only saying that because they did similar things: -Takes care of a child thats not biologically theirs -locks said child in a tower to "keep them safe"
She's only taking care of Rapunzel to stay young, so in a way, it can be a form of religious/spiritual manipulation and abuse, and realistic to an extent. So just like Claude Frollo, if we apply Mother Gothel to the real world, obviously, this society doesn't think witches are real, but they are, and some people who dabble themselves in witchcraft or the occult---people who truly believe in magic and destiny---may lead them to extreme beliefs and that doing XYZ will benefit them at the expense of others. Not to talk about the host of dark arts that people practice, there are a lot of them, especially in new age spirituality. For some people, the idea of free will or the value and worth of others doesn't matter if the game is all about the worship of oneself and their desires, which ties back into the real world and some people's beliefs. Mother Gothel is a good example if we imagine Rapunzel's hair carrying no special powers that grant youth because in that case, it would be child abuse.
As a Christian, this villain is a blindfolded dingus. If you see a christian saying something towards you like "you are sinner, you are going to hell" thats not christian beliefs, thats hypocritical beliefs. To christians who say things like that, stop thinking you are above other's sins.
True and it's mostly ppl like frollo that lead people away from Christ. Christianity is about showing love like God and Christ did and Frollo is doing the opposite
sadly, this is what christianity is infamous for. this is the history christianity has written with blood. its the beliefs of the powerful institutions of christianity. you can be a christian and not partake in this evil. but for many of us who are victims to the worst of christianity, it can be very difficult if not impossible to see any christian in a good light. and sadly, that then causes even more pain, as even the few good christians get treated poorly because of the rest
@@thefrostbee4182unfortunately, it's for a good reason - Christianity (and any other cult, really) creates a paradigm that is extremely toxic at its very foundation so even people with good intentions end up unwittingly contributing to the evil of the religion. As any other cult, Christianity teaches people to obey and follow rules without questioning them - it teaches unconditional belief. Secondly, religion gaslights people into feeling guilty while conveniently offering the "solutions" for this guilt. This together turns followers into blinded masochists who are extremely easy to take advantage of. And that, in turn, creates a perfect soil for all the worst kinds of scumbags like Frollo to step in. There's a very solid reason why crime rate among priests is so high. And why religious followers so easily turn hostile and volatile towards anyone else.
I remember being a kid and all the white suburban moms in my neighborhood clutching their pearls when this film came out. I was Esmeralda that year and one of them asked my mom why she was okay with me being a s**t for Halloween.
I'd love if you could do a "Funny Villain" next, Yzma and Hades would be great examples for this and I hope I'll see them analyzed by you! Death from Puss in Boots would be great to see as well Great work on all the villain videos, I'm learning so much from you, thank you!
Judge Claude Frollo is the most human and memorable character that the current Disney villains do not have: dehumanizing others so that you can feel superior, deceiving yourself in believing you’re a self righteous man to justify your actions believing you are doing God's work, you committed genocide on the Gypsy-Romanian people you think of them as nothing but sinners, you fell victim to lust like Esmeralda’s beauty that leads you one of the worst kind of sin: lust, and you finally become so corrupted by power that will make you commit horrific acts.
I would love to see a Video of Villains with Good Publicity! You know, the Villains that appear selfless and noble in the eyes of the public, but is secretly the bad guy to the Hero and the Audience. A perfect example of this archetype would be Gaston from Beauty & the Beast.
I think Frollo's death has really stuck with people because it can be interpreted in so many different ways. As a kid when I first watched this film, I missed the part where they pour down the lava, so at I first I thought he feel in the same fire pit he tried to burn Esmeralda in, and I found that interesting as a kid. Being older I know that would have been called poeitc justice and I guess that still works with him falling in the lava or molten ore 😎.
I love the fact that he wasn't included in the House of Mouse special "House of Villains". Perhaps Disney wants to distance its more child-oriented products from a villain such as Frollo, but I like to think it was out of respecting the character's perception of themselves. As you said, Frollo never sees himself as the villain.
Frollo is just like the Dragon Ball Super villain Zamasu: 1. Both believe they are in the right about their ideologies 2. Both want to kill everyone they see as evil 3. Both believe they are higher than everyone else. 4. Both have been defeated by divine intervention by the "most high Gods"
Shout out to the Arch Deacon. The only one brave enough to tell Frollo that he is NOT right with God, stands up to him when he challenges right to sanctuary, and physically stands in his way when he raids the church.
I was so fixated on this movie for like MONTHS last year and I loved how good of a villain frollo was, he’s genuinely well written, I love the hunchback of notre dame so much it needs more attention if im being so honest
Not enough comments talking about how helpful this video is while creating lawfully driven, self righteous villians. My current big bad for my D&D campaign feels so much more compelling after the notes I took using your video. Thank you!
How to create a rightous and realistic villain: 1. Give them strong convictions. 2. Show their hypocrisy. 3. Include internal conflicts. 4. Make them relatable. 5. Give them power. 6. Show their downfall. 7. Avoid exaggeration. 8. Use rationalization. 9. Give them opportunities for redemption. 10. Contrast them with virtuous characters.
One terrifying component about Disney’s Frollo that wasn’t mentioned was that in the book, Frollo didn’t commit systemic genocide against the Romani (at least not to my knowledge). In fact, the 1996 version was partially based off of Goethe from Schindler’s List, according to Don Hahn. Considering that the Romani were also targeted in the Holocaust, Disney definitely made Frollo an even more realistic and terrifying villain. Tony Jay did an amazing job portraying him (as he did with all of his characters), but as a Jewish man who was a child in WWII, he had a perspective that only Jewish and Roma people can really experience, which adds yet another layer of complexity to Frollo’s character.
When i looked back at my family geneology and found out we had a lot of Romani, i wondered why great grandmother hid it. This film showed me why Its one of the most upsetting kids movies ive ever seen
While I wholeheartedly agree with every point you've made in the "Redemption Villian" portion of your video, I feel that you've glossed over a veeeery important beat in his decent to madness: Frollo, on his way to confront Quasimodo for the final time, shoves the Archdecon aside on his way up the stairs. This small moment (to me) shows just how well the writers understood Frollo's character, as they managed to convey that he believed himself to be so holy, that he considered even a humble servant of God to be beneath him (which also, symbolically, conveyed his final departure from God's way perfectly).
The red queen in Alice in Wonderland HAD a justification, in that she’s very insecure because her sister, the white queen, got all the love and attention she craved, making her desire to hold onto power by any means necessary caused by a little child in need of a hug
In the book, Frollo is a lot more compassionate and a good guy, rather than how he is in the movie (though I'm not complaining, he's a great villain). Judge Frollo from the movie seems a lot like another one of Victor Hugo's villains, Inspector Javert from Les Misérables: a self-righteous man who believes without a shadow of a doubt that he is a righteous force of God, made to hunt down Valjean to bring him to justice as he (Valjean) was a sinner and himself, a perfect being. Unlike Frollo however, Javert does have an epiphany that he might not be as righteous as he seems and instead of being defeated by the good guys, commits suicide because he can't begin to comprehend living in a world where he is in the wrong. Javert, being one of the most fascinating villains of all time IMO
You should to Feathers Mcgraw from Wallace and Gromit the wrong trousers, and how hes a terrifying villain, not only does he not speak, but he takes control over the main aspect of the film, the wrong trousers and he's smart and ready to do whats necessary.
My wish has been granted , truly the best villain. Judge Claude Frollo is really something that is seen in society, which makes him so scary to encounter.
I have to agree that Frollo was a "good" villain. My first thought when I heard that Disney was making the Hunchback of Norte Dame was that the Victor Hugo novel was too dark for Disney's core audience. There was the savage brutality of wholesale murder and the all-consuming lust of Frollo (two characters in the novel, that became one in the Disney version) for Esmeralda would turn off mommies and daddies. CARTOONS ARE NOT JUST FOR TODDLERS! There, had to add that--modern animation can be CGI and photo-realistic. Most modern Disney movies feature CGI--so I can call all "cartoons" with some justice. Focusing on the villain for this video is informative. Who was the main character? Quasimodo was the title character, but wasn't Esmeralda the main hero?
I think Frollo being an actual real type of human villain is why many don’t like this portrayal and instead want to prefer the musical version. Because for them if they admit that Frollo is humanity at its worse then they would have to admit that’s just how humans are.
I'm kind of disappointed that you never mentioned Phobias. He was a night that fought in the crusades, AKA killing non-christians, only to see the error of his ways after coming home to Paris and witnessing firsthand how it affects individuals and families. If anything I think his position of morality is a bit more of a equal comparison to frollo then the other two.
Nice fanfiction, I rate 7/10 for lore and 1/10 for historicity. Jokes aside, no. The last crusade would have been two centuries before Hunchback took place. Phobias didn't fight in the Crusades, nowhere is that mentioned in the movie or book. It is an unnamed war but is certain to be the Burgundian Succession that took place around that time. This is why it's important to learn history, some people's critiques of the Crusades can be more cynical than intellectually honest because they are fueled by people's emotions, and that is how they come off as narrative-driven or cherry-picked. I'm not denying it happened, it did and is an embarrassment that was even a part of Chistendom's history (though not surprising because we are flawed creatures, and it's war), but let's not get ahead of ourselves and assume the Crusades were about eradicating non-Chrisitans. That's not why they were called and were the byproduct of religious zealotry and fanaticism, which I think we can all agree is wrong, especially if its motive was to forcibly convert or hurt others. Even if Phobias was a crusader, those who killed non-Christians don't represent the majority of the soldiers whose only order was to protect and defend the Holy Land and Christian Europe from invasion. So it's absurd to even think he was one of them.
I feel like Hunchback is a film that desperately needs a re-edit. The villain is superb, Quasi and Esmeralda were sympathetic and impressive, Phoebus had a good redemption arc. The biggest issues are the darn gargoyles. I get why they're in it, it's a children's movie. However, what I would have liked to see is that the gargoyles are figments of Quasi's imagination. This is left ambiguous through most of the film, but the siege of Notre Dame in particular confirms that the gargoyles are real. If this film could be re-edited by Disney to make it clear that the gargoyles are in Quasi's mind alone, that would really elevate it.
Speaking of realistc righteous villains with religious beliefs and backgrounds, what do you think of Enrico Pucci from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure? His philosophy of comitting whatever sins are needed to grant humanity his version of ''heaven'', as well as being the greatest kind of evil by not even realizing he is evil, is one i find very interesting.
If we are talking about him, then let us talk about his relationship with Dio? It feels like he is one of the few people Dio truly thought of as a friend.
@@quinnfletcher3906 Ahh yes, Ofc we can't criticise him because he gives to charity. And no man who donates to charity could be a terrible person and they are above critique!
@@SimsyHazel No one else was going to help those people. Even people whose literal job was to give them water didn't, not couldn't, didn't. Thanks to climate change summers are dangerously hot, a single glass of water could be the difference between life and death. Would you prefer all those people dying from dehydration?
5:21-5:45 Although I do agree that Quasimodo is the representation of goodness, at least from my analysis of the movie, he is definitely not pure In the corresponding songs of hellfire and heavens light, Quasimodo sings that Esmeralda is an Angel (“and suddenly an Angel has smiled at me and kissed my cheek without a trace of fright”) Which if you think about it, can be easily compared to Frollo’s less subtle lines of calling Esmeralda a demon. The way I see it, frollo and quasi are just on two different faces of the same lust card. This is also why I think Esmeralda ended up with Phoebus instead of Quasi, Phoebus was the only one that saw her as truly a human because that’s what she is.
This is a great video, but the little beeps in the music were very distracting. I thought it was something else and kept pausing to try to figure out how to turn it off
The reason i love self righteous villains ao much is because, rather than a villain who does horrible things (and is aware of it) purely because they are evil, a self righteous villain will always see themself as the good guy, which will push them to do horrible things "in the name of good" and this, in my opinion is so much scarier
He is the best villain in Disney history. Nothing more terrifying than a sinfull man with power, who actually thinks is righteous. Also, another scary thing about him: He is not a powerfull wizard or an otherworldly entity... he is just a man...
I would say that even Febo or Clopin can be used as a mirror image for Frollo: Febo is the captain of the guard, the second in command, his let's say... "right hand". He is suposed to be at his service, but as soon as he sees Esmeralda (and falls in love, (real and pure in his case) he starts doubting, and even defying some orders before abandoning him. He also becomes a friend of Quasi at the end of the movie, becoming one of his first real friends. Clopin is the "leader" of the gypsies, but even he is willing to work with outsiders who he sees at first as enemies (he traps Quasi and Febo) for a common good, specially Febo, the commander of his enemy.
Other villains: know they are evil and love it and relish in it.
Frollo: belived he was a pure righteous man.
Other villain songs: end with the villain standing on top of the world and feeling powerful.
Frollo's hellfire song: ends with Frollo collasping to the floor and feeling defeated by the powers of lust.
In the Hellfire song, Frollo had his chance to relinquish his lust for Esmeralda and know he will condemned himself to hell if he goes down that. The guard in the light symbolizes that fact. But Frollo refuses and his fate is sealed from that moment on.
He also colapses in an upside down cross
I think most villians know they are evil but don’t care about it and just want stuff their way
@@a.jthomas6132 Yep, Jesus answered his prayer when he keeps singing about 'destroy esmerelda" etc... saying that she has gone, but frollo is too stuck in his sin to listen. When you sin all your life mortally, it's hard to repent on your own. You need Jesus' help, but frollo didn't seize the chance and now it's too late for him.
@@catholicfemininity2126 Well yes - we were kind of designed that way.
Somewhat... poly-created, post Genesis 3, it seems.
I sincerely doubt Disney is ever going to make something this good again.
It's certainly looking that way.
What about Emperor Belos (or Philip Whittebane) he is basically the modern version of Frollo.
If they can figure out to bring back the realistic tone, I think it is possible.
Considering the controversy they received because of it and the rise of social media...I doubt they could even if they wanted to. Now that they've made $1 billion films, they likely wouldn't want to (purposefully) make something devisive.
IT'S SYKES!
Gargoyle statues were meant to scare demons
The gargoyle statue scared frollo
Nuff said
That's a really good detail.
You need more
Funny thing is that gargoyles are _technically_ demons.
I cannot emphasize the technically part enough.
Thank you for this comment! I wish it was more well understood abroad that Gargoyles, while looking mean and nasty, were meant to ward off evil, not be an idol to it.
The chanting translates to 'I'm guilty' Judge frodo is effectively trying to convince himself that he's not- but the conciousness is telling him he is.
Frodo 😂
Frodo
@pacattack2586 it is from a prayer of confession in the Catholic Church. Said by itself, it's an exclamation of apology or remorse that is used to mean "It was my fault" or "I apologize." mea maxima culpa means my huge fault or my biggest mistake or my gigantic mistake...
The phrase comes out of a prayer said during mass. Translated into English it is: "I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters that I have greatly sinned. Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I ask the Blessed Mary Ever-virgin, all the angels and saints, and you my brothers and sisters to pray for me to the Lord our God."
@@DashiellAnthonythe Confiteor. Haven't thought of those words in probably decades. In the vernacular we added "in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do." Reciting this every week was a key part of developing a fine conscience in young Catholics of my generation....
The death of frollo feels so symbolic to him literally falling into hell with a demon in the form a gargoyle head dragging him down there
With the kyrie eleison being said as he falls.
Which means lord have mercy
Maybe it was Chernabog himself giving Frollo a greeting before he took him down.
frollo is a unique disney villain because he’s someone that CAN be real. all the other disney villains, albeit fantastic in their own rights, are more fantastical. talking sea witches, an evil lion, etc. frollo is someone that mimics the behaviors of people in history; like how many self righteous figures of religious authority have we seen target minorities, because they don’t believe in the same values? far too many to count. that’s why judge claude frollo is the most terrifying villain of disney, because he’s too realistic.
All the other? Cinderella's evil stepmother would like to have a word... 😄
@@zalybrainlessgenius503and Mother Gothel, she was just a narcissist and manipulator, Rapunzel had the real power
@growingupwithdisney and Clayton, who was just a 19th century big-game hunter.
He's a lot of people on X/Twitter.
Casual take, many Disney villains are realistic AF and reflect real world historical figures and tropes. Frollo just has that shock factor to teens/young adults that realizes what kind of sins he's committing.
12:01 Look at their cups in this scene. They went so far as to make their cups different heights, signifying the way Frollo thinks he's above Quasimodo.
Attention to detail >
Something else of note: the contrast between Heaven's Light and Hellfire. Quasimodo's feelings towards Esmeralda are so much more pure and innocent, something more akin to love (though they barely knew each other at that point). He admires Esmeralda for her kindness moreso than her beauty, actually respecting her as a person (shown when he doesn't turn on her when he sees her and Phoebus together).
Meanwhile, Hellfire shows that Frollo's feelings are pure lust. He doesn't respect Esmeralda; he actively hates her. And yet, his own selfish desires keep him obsessed with her.
Heavenly virtue against deadly sin, a kind, pure-hearted young man against a hateful religious official who has already secured his own damnation.
The fact that they play consecutively, even bleeding into one another, really highlights the juxtaposition too.
Actually, Quasimodo doesn´t really see Esmeralda as a normal woman, he constantly idolizes her and see her as almost an angelical being, Frollo see her as a mere sexual object of desire and lust and finally Phoebus is the one who actually treats her as an equal, as a normal person, that´s why she fell for him, Quasi in the end learns that
@zoazede2098 yeah, you're right honestly. If anything, I think that highlights the difference even more (Quasi seeing her as an angel vs Frollo seeing her as an evil temptress). I didn't really bring up Phoebus because that wasn't the point I was trying to make, but all three of them foil each other in some way. But yes, I can certainly understand why Esmeralda didn't want to be with someone who idolizes her, that sounds exhausting
Esmeralda is also kind of a mirror for each of the three men, who see in her, and attribute to her, what is in themselves.
In disney Frollo was a judge not an church official. I like that change. It shows that you don't have priest or something like that to abuse religion and fall into self-holliness. People in power (no matter which kind) may start to see themselves as better. Frollo listened to priest in the begining, but as he went further into madness even religion representative couldn't get through his self-righteousness.
For me it's the opposite. I think Disney changing him to a mere judge ruined his characterization. He's lusting over Esmeralda and as a priest, he is supposed to be celibate and thus having any romantic or sexual relationship is forbidden. This gives his lust over Esmeralda more impact since he broke his vow to God to be celibate. Despite of this, he still view himself as a moral paragon and even say that he's proud of his virtue and that he is above the common folks. This false sense of righteousness makes more sense coming from a church official (archdeacon) than a judge. He delude himself that he is righteous even go as far as to blame God for making the devil stronger than a man which caused him to succumb to his lust. Although deep inside, he knows he's the one to blame for his sins hence, the background chanting "Mea Culpa" (Latin for "My Fault") during his villain song.
@@samjuan4899 Yeah, that is also interesting characterization, it was in original. I like both versions, both show hypocrisy. I like disney one more not just because it doesn't show Christianity as evil (it is hard to find one that doesn't). Some people can start think that centain faith is evil because of culture representation and action of small group of people.
Nowdays we can also see people that claim to be some religion, do from questionable things to straight up evil and then use their religion as excuse or justification. That movie reminding me that monsters in human skin will use anything for their interest even if it was good. They don't have to be part of priest officials or actual faith to do that, this Frollo wasn't really any of that, he claimed to be before others and himself.
@@VikVie8788 I see your point. That is true. Evil is universal and manifest to everyone. It's just a matter of how we control ourselves. My take on this is that I just prefer Frollo as an archdeacon because it shows that despite his lofty position in the church, he still succumbed to his temptation just like the common folks that he deemed beneath him. It made his eventual downfall more satisfying in my opinion. It also further highlight his hypocrisy and the fact that he won't admit to it because in his mind, he is above the common man. And for me, being a priest makes his crime more impactful because it's done by a person whom society expects would be a moral paragon. It's like child abuse. That act in itself is horrific enough but for me, it's several times worse if the abuse was committed by the parents because there's the expectation that parents should love their children. In the same vein, Frollo being a high ranking member of the church comes with the expectation that he would uphold the words of God given that he preaches them and yet, he is willing to commit heinous acts just to satisfy his temptation.
I don't see this as religion being bad but as a cautionary tale that anyone can succumb to temptation despite of your position in life. I also love the contrast between him and Quasimodo. Frollo being the supposed holy man who looks pious from the outside but rotten to the core. Then Quasimodo, who may look monstrous in appearance but is a good person deep within.
But then again, it's just how I interpret the story. Not to say mine is better or anything. I agree with your take albeit in a different perspective.
@@samjuan4899 You are right, you gave there reasons why original is also good. I personally like disney version probably because this kind of people I see (they don't exactly try to hide that much).
Or perhabs I just like happy endings.
He was a priest in the original book, but Hugo changed it in the stage play.
Frollo is my favorite (male) Disney villain. That said, I do wish some of his positive qualities from the book (ie being a caring father figure to Quasimodo at times) was kept to show his complexity further.
See musical
@@AshePBlack I'm assuming you mean the stage version. Aside from Esmeralda's death, I like it!
@@OpticalSorcerer What the other user wanted to say, is that the movie is based on the stage version, not the book, so the differences with it comes mostly from there
@@zoazede2098 Which stage version? I know of the book, the Disney movie, and the musical that was based on the movie that came out afterwards.
@OpticalSorcerer there is a theatre version, written by Victor Hugo himself* Disney took that version for the movie*
"See there the inncoent blood you have spilt, on the steps of Notre Dame"
"I am guiltless, she ran, I pursued"
"Now you would add this child's blood to your guilt, on the steps of Notre Dame"
"My conscience is clear"
"You can lie to yourself and your minions. You can claim that you haven't a qualm. But you never can, run from nor hide what you've done from the eyes. The very eyes of Notre Dame"
*And for one time in his life, of power and control, Frollo felt a twinge of fear for his immortal soul*
Literally Frollo was denying he did anything he had done was bad till the arch decan literalpy said "you sure the church agrees?!"
Been binging Frollo analysis for inspiration about my own story's antagonist.
Omg I would love to read ur story
Frollo is real is thing
It's cuz frollo acts like a normal believable human
@@AshePBlack believable? yes. normal? no.
The best part is that *everyone* else in the movie knows that Judge Frollo is the villain. From the priest, to the commoners, to the guards, *everyone.*
Only he believes he is in the right, which he uses to justify how hated he is, claiming that everyone else is far too evil and sinful to judge him.
16:15 According to IMDB trivia originally Esmeralda was going to kill Judge Frollo. Esmeralda was going to kill Judge Frollo in order to save Quasimodo by kicking Frollo off the cathedral but had to scrap it to avoid getting a PG-13 rating. I love the ending we got but seeing Esmeralda kill Judge Frollo would have been bad ass and would’ve been pretty daring for a Disney movie.
So wait, Frollo actively lusting for Esmeralda, and singing a song about it, was a-okay G-rated to them, but Esmeralda knocking Frollo off the cathedral would push it to PG-13? What sense does that make, executives?
@@RavenStarMedia That's the neat part. It doesn't make sense.
That would have still been enjoyable, but I'm glad they went with the death that they did. His own toxic traits leading to his own death are perfect poetry.
Hunchback of Notre Dame: a Disney movie that should have been rated R but was rated G.
Probably because some kids wouldn't understand the deeper meaning of the film at the time
@SayShelo true. They mainly focused on Quasimodo trying to be accepted into society despite his ugly looks. Kids see it as an Ugly Duckling story
@@JoshuaLowe-ci3wo Yeah, ratings are super weird in that regard. I doubt it'd have the same rating now. Probably PG-13
@SayShelo While I didn’t understand the darker themes, as a kid I still felt this overwhelming sense of “should I be watching this?? I don’t think I should be watching this.”
@@rubyy.7374me too, this was a movie I skipped, something about the vibes was too ominous
I will never skip a video about Hunchback of notre dame
Tony Jay played him so well! He really made Frollo feel like the arrogant villain he is. Hell fire is literally fire 🔥!
@JuanEnriqueFloresJr I know you did not talk to me but Frollo is my favourite Tony Jay role and i also like him as Lickbooth.
@JuanEnriqueFloresJr I never met him in fact the only celebrity I really interacted with was Alex Trebek. I don't know any other roles he has played. So by default Frollo lol.
I remember someone pointed out how Frollo asked God to help him with his temptation in getting the guy to tell Frollo she was gone giving Frollo the final chance to choose right and leave her alone but instead he sold his soul and went further into his delusion
I think it was a comment from the official track or music video itself
The chef from ratatouille was just a normal dude that did not want a rat in his kitchen.
What made you pick that pfp…? 😨
@SamForgorAgain Spite, I can't suffer alone
A bit deeper than that, but yeah, sure.
Disney: We're the GREATEST power house in the Film industry!!!
Yes. You were.
I mean Encanto and Inside Out 2 were good but yeah 😅
@@breawycker I honestly don't love Encanto as much others do, i just think it's a good film, but not a great one. I'd love it more if the film had a proper villain.
@@WorldOfEntertainment33 yeah that's valid. I do miss Disney villains. Wish had so much potential with the behind the scenes early stuff we saw. I'm so mad
I really love that the movie doesn't give Frollo any kind of past trauma or even a specific _reason_ to hate the Romani people, and he never even tries to explain it, because from his perspective he doesn't _need_ to. He's just decided that they're vermin and deserve to die, and he wholeheartedly believes that this makes him a righteous soldier of God who's ridding the world of sin.
When people hear the phrase "every villain is the hero of their own story", a lot of them assume it means a villain _has_ to have some legitimately tragic motive or backstory that makes them redeemable. But it just as easily applies to a villain who does unequivocally evil things while deluding themselves that they're completely in the right.
Tony Jay stated in the interview that Disney back then really tried to make three-dimensional character, and a tragic character rather then an out and out senseless villain. Everything Frollo did is understandable but not excusable as no body trusted him, including Captain Phoebus. In way, everything you summon up in this video said it all about Judge Frollo being the perfect Disney villain and a fully fleshed character.
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
The chorus is chanting, "My fault, my fault, my most grievous/maximal fault."
Perfectly contrasting what Frollo's lines are saying.
Also unlike Frollo, when Quasi is repeatedly confronted with his own flaws he is willing to change and become a better person. When he is jealous of Phoebus he initially refuses to help him, but then realizes he’s being selfish. The two then work together to find the Court of Miracles.
Something else is that durning the Hellfire song he is seeking the intercession of Saint Mary, who among many other titles is known as the Mother of Mercy, to destroy an innocent woman. a woman who is taking sanctuary in a church dedicated to Mary herself.
I still can't believe the sheer amount of horniness they managed to cram into Hellfire and still get a G rating.
I mean, he is still a XIII century judge and uses euphemisms and metaphores as expected from an highly educated (and repressed) man...
R.I.P. Tony Jay (1933-2006) Voice Of Judge Frollo from Disney's The Hunchback Of Notre Dame an amazing and chilling performance singing Hellfire Judge Frollo He's Evil One of The best and most Darkest Disney Villains Ever Judge Frollo He's Really Special and Tony Jay's Voice Was a part of it. ❤️🖤💜🔥😢😢😭😭
Jesus said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” *Frollo throws the rock at himself* Is what should happen, but we all know he would be more than delighted to be chucking rocks at his enemies all day.
He gets swallowed up in the “hellfire” he created himself at the end.
@@princesspikachu3915 Yes, from a Christian perspective he led himself to that end through his persistent belief in his own self-righteousness…he thought he was serving God in a greater caliber than most because of his strict adherence to the law and prosecutes those he *himself* deems unworthy of salvation from God, when in truth he was serving himself with pride as he equates his judgement equal to that of God. Because of his self-righteousness and pride, he could not be introspective and see himself sinful as any other man.
Even in his final song when he supposedly “repented” of his sin of lust, he casts blame on Esmerelda as his ultimate cause of failure; before this point of no return, if his heart was truly seeking God, he would have genuinely admitted his faults to God in its entirety; warts and all, in humbleness and transparency before Him and that he would change his ways- not seeking out to destroy her as a means of repentance. Intending to murder another person in the name of God is not repentance, but for Frollo…he was just going to do what he has always done.
Even as a kid Frolo's hypocrisy had a striking realism to it I was able to pick up on. I only understood the hellfire song and scene later in life though, about how he wished for divine cleanliness, rather than prayed for it, but even with that, if he 'got his way' and had Esmerelda as his own, he was happy with his own sin.
The closest Disney has allowed a character to exist like this, was Emperor Belos from the Owl House.
he was pure evil all bc his brother was happy
that man horrifies me
i like to think that the talking gargoyles represent quasimodo's way of coping from insanity from being cooped up from everyone, and having basically no one but frollo to rely on to talk to.
I really loved how realistic Frollo is. Villains who can exist in real life intrigues me. I'm making horror movies, and some of my villains are ones who can exist in real life. Watching villains like Frollo gives me inspiration to write my villains better in a more realistic way. Great video.
1:40, actually, the movie is based on the theatre version, altered by Victor Hugo himself, in that version Frollo isn´t a part of the church anymore, and other subtle changes
I will die on the hill that Frollo is absolutely without a doubt the greatest animated villain Disney has ever put to screen. Possibly even the greatest villain, period. There are lots of Disney villains that are without a doubt top tier amazing; Scar probably being #2, but NONE of them hit the realism bar quite like Frollo does. Every other Disney villain has SOME aspect about them that is cartoonish and unrealistic, even if just the tiniest, TINIEST fraction. Frollo? Nah... you could 101% run into a fully fledged Frollo in the real world. And that makes him terrifying.
the only Disney villain that still scares me bruh 💀 i grew out of fearing villains like Ursula, Horned King and Scar, but never Frollo 😭
Wait until you're an adult and in debt. Then you will fear Sykes.
@@Yellowguy0619 🤣🤣🤣
@@daneowusu-agyemang9963 I don't even know how that's funny, but okay
The only villains that still scares me are The Evil Queen and Malefincent.
@@daneowusu-agyemang9963bill Sykes is a literal loan shark (who ends up Taking a Hostage)
I remember at the start of the movie, the bells of notre dame stated "Who is the monster and who is the man?". Like as if telling you that frollo is a wolf in sheeps clothing
Frollo scared me the most cause he’s REAL. He’s not a character that person still exists today in REAL LIFE.
"You can write a villain just as convincingly righteous as Frollo."
SELF-righteous, my dude. Bro is full of iniquity and sin.
0:33 the only character that can get somewhat be close to comparison to Frollo would probably be Mother Gothel, but im only saying that because they did similar things:
-Takes care of a child thats not biologically theirs
-locks said child in a tower to "keep them safe"
She's only taking care of Rapunzel to stay young, so in a way, it can be a form of religious/spiritual manipulation and abuse, and realistic to an extent. So just like Claude Frollo, if we apply Mother Gothel to the real world, obviously, this society doesn't think witches are real, but they are, and some people who dabble themselves in witchcraft or the occult---people who truly believe in magic and destiny---may lead them to extreme beliefs and that doing XYZ will benefit them at the expense of others.
Not to talk about the host of dark arts that people practice, there are a lot of them, especially in new age spirituality. For some people, the idea of free will or the value and worth of others doesn't matter if the game is all about the worship of oneself and their desires, which ties back into the real world and some people's beliefs. Mother Gothel is a good example if we imagine Rapunzel's hair carrying no special powers that grant youth because in that case, it would be child abuse.
As a Christian, this villain is a blindfolded dingus.
If you see a christian saying something towards you like "you are sinner, you are going to hell" thats not christian beliefs, thats hypocritical beliefs. To christians who say things like that, stop thinking you are above other's sins.
True and it's mostly ppl like frollo that lead people away from Christ. Christianity is about showing love like God and Christ did and Frollo is doing the opposite
sadly, this is what christianity is infamous for. this is the history christianity has written with blood. its the beliefs of the powerful institutions of christianity.
you can be a christian and not partake in this evil. but for many of us who are victims to the worst of christianity, it can be very difficult if not impossible to see any christian in a good light. and sadly, that then causes even more pain, as even the few good christians get treated poorly because of the rest
@@thefrostbee4182unfortunately, it's for a good reason - Christianity (and any other cult, really) creates a paradigm that is extremely toxic at its very foundation so even people with good intentions end up unwittingly contributing to the evil of the religion.
As any other cult, Christianity teaches people to obey and follow rules without questioning them - it teaches unconditional belief.
Secondly, religion gaslights people into feeling guilty while conveniently offering the "solutions" for this guilt.
This together turns followers into blinded masochists who are extremely easy to take advantage of.
And that, in turn, creates a perfect soil for all the worst kinds of scumbags like Frollo to step in.
There's a very solid reason why crime rate among priests is so high. And why religious followers so easily turn hostile and volatile towards anyone else.
It's pretty tiring to hear the archetype ;-;
Our Church was written in blood when our religion was already inscribed on stone
I remember being a kid and all the white suburban moms in my neighborhood clutching their pearls when this film came out. I was Esmeralda that year and one of them asked my mom why she was okay with me being a s**t for Halloween.
I'd love if you could do a "Funny Villain" next, Yzma and Hades would be great examples for this and I hope I'll see them analyzed by you!
Death from Puss in Boots would be great to see as well
Great work on all the villain videos, I'm learning so much from you, thank you!
Judge Claude Frollo is the most human and memorable character that the current Disney villains do not have: dehumanizing others so that you can feel superior, deceiving yourself in believing you’re a self righteous man to justify your actions believing you are doing God's work, you committed genocide on the Gypsy-Romanian people you think of them as nothing but sinners, you fell victim to lust like Esmeralda’s beauty that leads you one of the worst kind of sin: lust, and you finally become so corrupted by power that will make you commit horrific acts.
"Here is a riddle to guess if you can. Who is the monster and who is the man." -Clopell the Jester
"I AM The Church!" - Frollo
I would love to see a Video of Villains with Good Publicity! You know, the Villains that appear selfless and noble in the eyes of the public, but is secretly the bad guy to the Hero and the Audience. A perfect example of this archetype would be Gaston from Beauty & the Beast.
How about Homelander from "The Boys".
@@quinnfletcher3906 A good example, but Gaston was the first thing that came to mind.
@@ryonhatcher4561 You mentioned that in the first comment. You don't have anyone else in mind?
@@quinnfletcher3906 There WAS King Magnifico, but I didn't think he was a good example.
I think Frollo's death has really stuck with people because it can be interpreted in so many different ways.
As a kid when I first watched this film, I missed the part where they pour down the lava, so at I first I thought he feel in the same fire pit he tried to burn Esmeralda in, and I found that interesting as a kid.
Being older I know that would have been called poeitc justice and I guess that still works with him falling in the lava or molten ore 😎.
I love the fact that he wasn't included in the House of Mouse special "House of Villains". Perhaps Disney wants to distance its more child-oriented products from a villain such as Frollo, but I like to think it was out of respecting the character's perception of themselves. As you said, Frollo never sees himself as the villain.
No the talking gargoyles show how isolated Quasimodo’s loneliness
Frollo is just like the Dragon Ball Super villain Zamasu:
1. Both believe they are in the right about their ideologies
2. Both want to kill everyone they see as evil
3. Both believe they are higher than everyone else.
4. Both have been defeated by divine intervention by the "most high Gods"
Shout out to the Arch Deacon. The only one brave enough to tell Frollo that he is NOT right with God, stands up to him when he challenges right to sanctuary, and physically stands in his way when he raids the church.
This movie is basically what you would walk in on your parents watching but pg
This movie is seriously underrated, it’s my favorite out of the Disney Renaissance. The music and the writing was 🤌
Yeah, Frollos is one of the darkest Disney villains to date! He's just so corrupt and rotten to the core😈
I was so fixated on this movie for like MONTHS last year and I loved how good of a villain frollo was, he’s genuinely well written, I love the hunchback of notre dame so much it needs more attention if im being so honest
Not enough comments talking about how helpful this video is while creating lawfully driven, self righteous villians. My current big bad for my D&D campaign feels so much more compelling after the notes I took using your video. Thank you!
How to create a rightous and realistic villain:
1. Give them strong convictions.
2. Show their hypocrisy.
3. Include internal conflicts.
4. Make them relatable.
5. Give them power.
6. Show their downfall.
7. Avoid exaggeration.
8. Use rationalization.
9. Give them opportunities for redemption.
10. Contrast them with virtuous characters.
The worst thing about Judge Frollo is that there are real people exactly like him, in real life.
One terrifying component about Disney’s Frollo that wasn’t mentioned was that in the book, Frollo didn’t commit systemic genocide against the Romani (at least not to my knowledge). In fact, the 1996 version was partially based off of Goethe from Schindler’s List, according to Don Hahn. Considering that the Romani were also targeted in the Holocaust, Disney definitely made Frollo an even more realistic and terrifying villain. Tony Jay did an amazing job portraying him (as he did with all of his characters), but as a Jewish man who was a child in WWII, he had a perspective that only Jewish and Roma people can really experience, which adds yet another layer of complexity to Frollo’s character.
When i looked back at my family geneology and found out we had a lot of Romani, i wondered why great grandmother hid it.
This film showed me why
Its one of the most upsetting kids movies ive ever seen
While I wholeheartedly agree with every point you've made in the "Redemption Villian" portion of your video, I feel that you've glossed over a veeeery important beat in his decent to madness: Frollo, on his way to confront Quasimodo for the final time, shoves the Archdecon aside on his way up the stairs.
This small moment (to me) shows just how well the writers understood Frollo's character, as they managed to convey that he believed himself to be so holy, that he considered even a humble servant of God to be beneath him (which also, symbolically, conveyed his final departure from God's way perfectly).
The red queen in Alice in Wonderland HAD a justification, in that she’s very insecure because her sister, the white queen, got all the love and attention she craved, making her desire to hold onto power by any means necessary caused by a little child in need of a hug
In the book, Frollo is a lot more compassionate and a good guy, rather than how he is in the movie (though I'm not complaining, he's a great villain). Judge Frollo from the movie seems a lot like another one of Victor Hugo's villains, Inspector Javert from Les Misérables: a self-righteous man who believes without a shadow of a doubt that he is a righteous force of God, made to hunt down Valjean to bring him to justice as he (Valjean) was a sinner and himself, a perfect being. Unlike Frollo however, Javert does have an epiphany that he might not be as righteous as he seems and instead of being defeated by the good guys, commits suicide because he can't begin to comprehend living in a world where he is in the wrong. Javert, being one of the most fascinating villains of all time IMO
You have to admit that Tony Jay did a pretty good voice acting job.
You should to Feathers Mcgraw from Wallace and Gromit the wrong trousers, and how hes a terrifying villain, not only does he not speak, but he takes control over the main aspect of the film, the wrong trousers and he's smart and ready to do whats necessary.
My wish has been granted , truly the best villain. Judge Claude Frollo is really something that is seen in society, which makes him so scary to encounter.
I have to agree that Frollo was a "good" villain. My first thought when I heard that Disney was making the Hunchback of Norte Dame was that the Victor Hugo novel was too dark for Disney's core audience. There was the savage brutality of wholesale murder and the all-consuming lust of Frollo (two characters in the novel, that became one in the Disney version) for Esmeralda would turn off mommies and daddies. CARTOONS ARE NOT JUST FOR TODDLERS! There, had to add that--modern animation can be CGI and photo-realistic. Most modern Disney movies feature CGI--so I can call all "cartoons" with some justice.
Focusing on the villain for this video is informative. Who was the main character? Quasimodo was the title character, but wasn't Esmeralda the main hero?
Disney's The Hunchback Of Notre Dame Memoriam
Jane Withers
Mary Wickes
Mary Kay Bergman
Charles Kimbrough
David Ogden Stiers and Tony Jay
😭😢😢😭😭😭
I think Frollo being an actual real type of human villain is why many don’t like this portrayal and instead want to prefer the musical version. Because for them if they admit that Frollo is humanity at its worse then they would have to admit that’s just how humans are.
I'm kind of disappointed that you never mentioned Phobias. He was a night that fought in the crusades, AKA killing non-christians, only to see the error of his ways after coming home to Paris and witnessing firsthand how it affects individuals and families. If anything I think his position of morality is a bit more of a equal comparison to frollo then the other two.
Nice fanfiction, I rate 7/10 for lore and 1/10 for historicity. Jokes aside, no. The last crusade would have been two centuries before Hunchback took place. Phobias didn't fight in the Crusades, nowhere is that mentioned in the movie or book. It is an unnamed war but is certain to be the Burgundian Succession that took place around that time. This is why it's important to learn history, some people's critiques of the Crusades can be more cynical than intellectually honest because they are fueled by people's emotions, and that is how they come off as narrative-driven or cherry-picked.
I'm not denying it happened, it did and is an embarrassment that was even a part of Chistendom's history (though not surprising because we are flawed creatures, and it's war), but let's not get ahead of ourselves and assume the Crusades were about eradicating non-Chrisitans. That's not why they were called and were the byproduct of religious zealotry and fanaticism, which I think we can all agree is wrong, especially if its motive was to forcibly convert or hurt others. Even if Phobias was a crusader, those who killed non-Christians don't represent the majority of the soldiers whose only order was to protect and defend the Holy Land and Christian Europe from invasion. So it's absurd to even think he was one of them.
I feel like Hunchback is a film that desperately needs a re-edit. The villain is superb, Quasi and Esmeralda were sympathetic and impressive, Phoebus had a good redemption arc. The biggest issues are the darn gargoyles. I get why they're in it, it's a children's movie. However, what I would have liked to see is that the gargoyles are figments of Quasi's imagination. This is left ambiguous through most of the film, but the siege of Notre Dame in particular confirms that the gargoyles are real. If this film could be re-edited by Disney to make it clear that the gargoyles are in Quasi's mind alone, that would really elevate it.
My biggest issue with this is that they covered Zuko's face with Frollo when his father was behind him.
Frollo, Scar, Hades, Dr Facilier and Jafar are my favorite Disney villains
I usually Watched Disney's The Hunchback Of Notre Dame 1 and 2 in 🇺🇲English and Spanish 🇲🇽
@JuanEnriqueFloresJrDisney's El Jorobado De Notre Dame es muy hermosa película De Disney pues de la canción De Luis Miguel Sueña 📽🎥🎞🔔🇲🇽
@JuanEnriqueFloresJrSi
16:13
In "real life" Quizimoto(?) or at least something was found dead up there, so what if he did walk out after one last manipulative flow of words.
Great breakdown!! i'm gonna use your points for a few villains in my victorian era London campaign!
Speaking of realistc righteous villains with religious beliefs and backgrounds, what do you think of Enrico Pucci from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure? His philosophy of comitting whatever sins are needed to grant humanity his version of ''heaven'', as well as being the greatest kind of evil by not even realizing he is evil, is one i find very interesting.
If we are talking about him, then let us talk about his relationship with Dio? It feels like he is one of the few people Dio truly thought of as a friend.
I always wondered why Quasimodo was so white. His parents were both shown to be Romani.
speaking of Thanos.. Can you make a video analysis about him??
Dark topics in songs❌
Dark topics in movies✅
A manipulative villain would be interesting, I mean we have a manipulative villain on UA-cam and his name is MrBeast.
Yes because giving water to impoverished people in Africa is the most evil thing imaginable.
@@quinnfletcher3906 it becomes it when you do it for your own image and not actually for them
@@quinnfletcher3906 he faked that.
@@quinnfletcher3906 Ahh yes, Ofc we can't criticise him because he gives to charity. And no man who donates to charity could be a terrible person and they are above critique!
@@SimsyHazel No one else was going to help those people. Even people whose literal job was to give them water didn't, not couldn't, didn't. Thanks to climate change summers are dangerously hot, a single glass of water could be the difference between life and death. Would you prefer all those people dying from dehydration?
lmfao when he put up the LDS/mormon church elders
3:00 why is Russel M Nelson on here? Explaination please!
As a kid, I was both in awe and scared of this film because of the musical score itself. The story only made it better.
Still the best Disney movie of all time, and my absolute favorite. Bring back these good old days of Disney.
As a Disney Heroes player, I can’t get over how you used the designs for Quasimodo and Esmarelda from the game 😂
5:21-5:45
Although I do agree that Quasimodo is the representation of goodness, at least from my analysis of the movie, he is definitely not pure
In the corresponding songs of hellfire and heavens light, Quasimodo sings that Esmeralda is an Angel (“and suddenly an Angel has smiled at me and kissed my cheek without a trace of fright”)
Which if you think about it, can be easily compared to Frollo’s less subtle lines of calling Esmeralda a demon.
The way I see it, frollo and quasi are just on two different faces of the same lust card.
This is also why I think Esmeralda ended up with Phoebus instead of Quasi, Phoebus was the only one that saw her as truly a human because that’s what she is.
Excellent video 👍 Thank you 💜
Crazy that so many people are basically embodying this guy to the max in their hearts.
This is a great video, but the little beeps in the music were very distracting. I thought it was something else and kept pausing to try to figure out how to turn it off
Love these videos! Thank you.
An only moment that Disney have a guts to gone edgy is with Hunchback of Notre Dame
The reason i love self righteous villains ao much is because, rather than a villain who does horrible things (and is aware of it) purely because they are evil, a self righteous villain will always see themself as the good guy, which will push them to do horrible things "in the name of good" and this, in my opinion is so much scarier
Hellfire is easily one, if not, the best Disney song to have ever been made.
Disney is like the hunchback of notre dame
Except everything is just that one gargoyle
In terms of virtuous figures Frollo can be contrasted with there's also Phoebus, another man of the law but one who values real justice
He is the best villain in Disney history.
Nothing more terrifying than a sinfull man with power, who actually thinks is righteous.
Also, another scary thing about him: He is not a powerfull wizard or an otherworldly entity... he is just a man...
Some of the scariest people are those who are righteous in their own eyes.
I would say that even Febo or Clopin can be used as a mirror image for Frollo:
Febo is the captain of the guard, the second in command, his let's say... "right hand". He is suposed to be at his service, but as soon as he sees Esmeralda (and falls in love, (real and pure in his case) he starts doubting, and even defying some orders before abandoning him. He also becomes a friend of Quasi at the end of the movie, becoming one of his first real friends.
Clopin is the "leader" of the gypsies, but even he is willing to work with outsiders who he sees at first as enemies (he traps Quasi and Febo) for a common good, specially Febo, the commander of his enemy.
New drinking game
Take a shot every time Toon says 'Frollo'