This year is the 20th anniversary of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," one of Disney's most intense and mature movies. Hell, ethnic cleansing, and damnation is a little advanced for Disney's typical audience but the film did quite well and is still enjoyed by fans today. From the lovable, deformed Quasimodo, to the sassy feminist Esmeralda with her equally sassy goat sidekick, to the evil Judge Claude Frollo, and the handsome Captain Phoebus, the Hunchback of Notre Dame is a classic that is full of great jokes and powerful songs. The trio of talking gargoyles and Phoebus' mischievous horse, Achilles add to the cast of characters that bring this intense story to life. How many lessons can you learn from this 20 year old classic?
1. Don’t let your life pass you by. As Laverne the statue says “Life's not a spectator sport. If watching is all you're gonna do, then you're gonna watch your life go by without you.”
2. Don’t judge people based on their appearance.
3. Doing the right thing sometimes means going against people who are higher in the totem pole.
4. Sometimes you have to help people you don’t really want to.
5. Who the monster is and who the man is depends on your point of view.
6. Those who do wrong and are hypocritical will pay the price in the end.
7. There is always someone who has it worse than you.
8. Nothing is ever completely hopeless.
9. It only takes one person to lead the way and start a trend of standing up against immoralities.
10. Be careful about which festivals you choose to attend.
11. Be the encouragement in other people’s lives.
12. Be happy for others even if you didn’t get what you wanted. Holding a grudge won’t change anything.
13. Learn about other people’s cultures.
14. Take an interest in other people’s interest or their art. You might learn something new.
