Lion King vs Hunchback of Notre Dame

[Alolan_Apples]

Of these two Disney animated musicals from the 1990s, which one of them was a better movie? You can also answer the following questions:

• Which one had a better overall plot?
• Which one had better songs?
• Which one had a better protagonist?
• Which one had a better villain?
• Which one had better sidekicks?
• In what ways is The Lion King better?
• In what ways is The Hunchback of Notre Dame better?

 

[Snek]

Which one had a better overall plot?

The Lion King. That is only because it feels similar to the Shakespearean classic Hamlet

Which one had better songs?

The Lion King. They are more memorable like The Circle of Life and Hakuna Matata

Which one had a better protagonist?

The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Quasimodo had faced more hardships than Simba.

Which one had a better villain?

The Lion King. Scar is more complicated as a villain. One could say Scar was in the right but no one can ever say that Frolo was.

Which one had better sidekicks?

The Lion King. Timon and Pumbaa are better. Much better.

In what ways is The Lion King better?

The music and visuals are very good. Especially for its time. Its timeless so its good for rewatching even in adulthood. I also love its sequel Lion King 2 and I dont usually say that about sequels. Their is some bias because the movie is very nostalgic for me compared to The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

In what ways is The Hunchback of Notre Dame better?

I know its subjective but I can't find any other than what I've already mentioned. The movie isn't as memorable for me than The Lion King.

 

[Alolan_Apples]

I tend to flip-flop on this since 2014, but right now, I would ring the bells of Notre Dame rather than follow the circle of life.

Going to each question…

Spoiler: Plot

I would say that the Hunchback of Notre Dame had a better plot than The Lion King. The Lion King was about a jealous brother who was knocked out of line of succession so he kills his older brother and take control of the Pridelands, and everyone suffers, while Simba lived in exile due to the guilt Scar placed the blame on. Hunchback however, the event that kicked the plot was Frollo’s fear of going to Hell. So he raised the baby he was trying to drown, but in a very cruel way. And the movie emphasized on three negative relationships he had with others. The Lion King may be a much better “villains take over” film than any other film that followed this trope, but Hunchback is about two oppressed characters facing challenges and an evil one who rejected redemption.

As for the songs, the pendulum swings both ways. Lion King has some great songs, but there are only fewer and they sound like they were recorded in a studio. Hunchback’s songs sound like they were recorded in a theater. It had a better intro song, a better villain song, and a better “I Want” song. The downside, it had one or two songs I would call “bad” (which Lion King didn’t have). In the end, I would go with Hunchback on this, not only because of the latin chanting used in some of the songs and the score, but also because they sound like more effort was put into them.

Spoiler: Characters

Between Simba (who became an outcast) and Quasimodo (who was treated like an outcast), they’re on par with each other, but I’ll probably side with Simba. After being deemed guilty for his father’s death, he left the Pridelands. But he faced a few characters that ultimately changed his mind and returned to the Pridelands. Simba was already going against Scar the moment he made his return, before he found out that Scar killed his father, while Quasimodo only started going against Frollo once he did something so bad it was hard to forgive.

To the villains, both Scar and Frollo make it to the top two in best Disney villains (and best main antagonists coming from any animated film) since they are the most evil Disney villains. But Frollo stands out more. Scar is just another generic villain who wants more power and degraded into a spoiled brat once he got control. But Frollo is not so generic. He’s not even the kind of villain who does evil things with a goal to build his evil reputation. He thinks whatever he’s doing is right, when he’s clearly wrong. I will say though, Scar is responsible for the saddest moment in a Disney movie.

If there’s anything we can all agree on, Timon, Pumbaa, and Zazu are better than the gargoyles, even if you had a positive view towards the gargoyles. Their one song is annoying, their role in the movie didn’t make sense, and they didn’t fit the genre of the movie. While the meerkat and warthog had more personality. Even the villain sidekicks in Lion King were better than Hunchback, which lacked memorable villain sidekicks.

Spoiler: Comparing the Movies

In general, Lion King would be the better movie because it appeals to wider audiences, has more memorable characters, and a more popular source material, but if you’re an adult who favors darker and more mature plots, or you’re more into how well the films were done, Hunchback would be the better movie.

Outside the above points, Lion King is better because it also works as a science education film due to portraying ecology with scientific facts, has better morals of the story, and values the importance of family and nation. Scar is also shown to be a liar, a traitor, an abuser, and a coward, with multiple scenes backing these points (and two scenes backing all four points at once, when he killed Mufasa, and when he pinned the blame on the hyenas near the end).

Other reasons why Hunchback is better: it used Latin chanting, using actual translations at appropriate times, while fitting the two themes the story follows (medieval and religion). As it used real religion instead of making up one to represent it, it also shows how Frollo is not a true Christian and how he abused religion to fulfill his goals of genocide. If you think about it more, he represents all seven deadly sins and has violated all ten commandments.

 

[-Blue-]

Both are good films. I don't know which I would pick over the other to be honest. I'd probably lean more to Hunchback just because it's the one least mentioned and I watched it in full about 8 years ago, but haven't watched Lion King in ages.

It's too bad most big corporations don't bother to make animated movies on this scale anymore. Or none that really stick out from what I remember or have watched. So many of them have such bad messages to or they keep making sequels or remakes instead of doing something different.

Like Raya the Last Dragon. Oh my god that message was horrible. For those of you who haven't watched, it promotes the idea of forgiving anyone. The movie was so bad I can't even remember the names, but the female antagonist wrongs the main character so badly that they pretty much kill their entire tribe for the betterment of their own people. She keeps on backstabbing everyone and at the end the main girl just goes 'yeah I forgive you please do the right thing.'

 

[xSuperMario64x]

The Hunchback of Notre Dame was one of my most favourite Disney movies as a kid, along with Aladdin and Hercules. one of those movies that my brother and I would watch over and over and over. I'm surprised we didn't wear out the video tape haha

I haven't watched it in a long time (tbf there are a lot of movies I haven't watched in forever), but I still quote it and I would still say it's one of my favourites. also, I know that Esmeralda isn't a Disney Princess, but when people ask that question she's always the one my mind jumps to first hehehe