The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002)

According to this website, this is the worst of all the direct to video Disney sequels and although I haven't exactly seen too many, I can agree with them. I still own a VHS copy of the original "Hunchback Of Notre Dame". One great thing about nostalgia is looking back at all the films that hold up as an adult and that was certainly one of them. Looking back at the original, I'm taken away by the gorgeous animation and the mature themes expressed, which was quite unique for a Disney film. This film by contrast has horrible artwork with bad songs and no attempt to be brave at all.The original villain was Frollo, who was himself a commentary on religious fanaticism. The villain in this is unbearably shallow and has no personality other than that he's vain. The funny thing is that some people were disappointed Quasimodo didn't get the girl in the original movie. It's actually a massive step up from the original Victor Hugo novel where he's buried alive. Yeah, that really happens. The characters are all superfluous and I find the Zephyr in "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" to be much less annoying. The original isn't one of my favorite Disney films but it definitely holds up. I'm still glad my brother stopped calling me "Quasi". *1/2

My daughter and I watched this film for the first time today and it flew to the top of my Disney Favorites List. I usually steer clear of Disney sequels because that is dangerous, but this one was truly great.It is the first film I've seen at a children's level that is a believable love story of ordinary people. It is an articulate depiction of second chances, forgiveness, true beauty, courage, and love! It doesn't use the dashing prince 7ft tall with arrogant mannerisms or a girl with unrealistic proportions and a faultless track record "tra-la-laing" through the forest and talking in a soft voice to display her unmatchable grace and etiquette- the main girl is not royalty at all.The plot could've been developed a little more, and there could have been a few more songs to keep it running in your head after the credits roll, but this was far from a forgettable film. We will certainly be buying this one, and now I am curious of the other Disney sequels- although I certainly won't set the bar at the level of this one bc it was magnificent!

Now, Straight To Video Disney sequels are notorious for their lack of quality, and I was in the mood for something bad (Don't ask me why, I get these hot flushes you see, and...). A follow-up to The Hunchback Of Notre Dame is especially maligned as one of the worst, so I decided to put on my tin hat and have a look. I confess, I emerged from the experience somewhat... disappointed. Yes, the songs are awful, with a completely forgettable plot and cheap-as-chips animation, but it wasn't quite the crapfest I was lead to believe. Anyone with a functioning brain who's sat through The Pebble And The Penguin will testify to that.Somehow, they were able to get heavyweights from the original theatrical release like Demi Moore and Kevin Kline to revoice their characters, rather than do what's normal and find less expensive soundalikes to replace them. This is quite impressive, unlike their new appearances... which seem to have lost a lot of fluidity in motion. Oh well, it's still better than your average Saturday Morning cartoon (Actually, that term is now dead, they were all taken over by cookery shows, of course...).The film is just... there. It tells an unimaginative story, It assaults our ears with horrible tunes, it gives politically correct nods to deformed people and gypsies, it has a few mildly humorous lines from three bell-tower gargoyles, then it all ends in the most predictable anti-climax on record. Why was it made? I hardly think anyone was crying out for a sequel to the original. Perhaps it was done as some kind of dare? 4/10

I very rarely watch Disney sequels, because they usually pale in comparison to the original. However, I made the mistake of watching this movie. It was on Toon Disney, and I thought "Hey, maybe I'll like it." Boy was I wrong. The animation was poorly done, at times making Quasimodo look more like the village idiot than the ugly-yet-lovable hero from the first movie. I also think they played too much on Hugo's crush on Djali, even going so far as to have Djali like him back! I really and truly believe that this movie was only made in order to let fans of the original know that Quasi would find love away from Esmeralda, though it was unnecessary.