Victor Hugo's story of Quasimodo is a true classic. Pity that I never read it, nor watched any of the many film adaptations.. until this one. So pardon me for not comparing - except with the data on Wikipedia, and I must say this animation seems to convey much of the original story (of course leaving out the heavy stuff of sex and killing). But the atmosphere (dramatic music, the Paris background, especially Notre Dame) appeared aptly rendered to me, and the persons, notably Esmeralda, drawn in a serious (non-cartoonish) style. The Dutch-distributed DVD I bought for 1 had German and French dubs, and of course I preferred the latter as more fitting, even though I did not understand every word.
Given that this is rated "age 0 and above" in Germany, I found it worth watching even at 52 years old :) Much more convincing than Jekyll & Hyde from the same Australian studio ("Burbank" - quite a nod to Disney!), which was made kid-directed by adding the frame of grandmother and child. At least for delivering "illustrated classics", Burbank seems to do good jobs, and I'll buy more of their works when I see them in the bargain bin.
Given that this is rated "age 0 and above" in Germany, I found it worth watching even at 52 years old :) Much more convincing than Jekyll & Hyde from the same Australian studio ("Burbank" - quite a nod to Disney!), which was made kid-directed by adding the frame of grandmother and child. At least for delivering "illustrated classics", Burbank seems to do good jobs, and I'll buy more of their works when I see them in the bargain bin.