8) The Hunchback of Notre Dame! I'm not gonna lie, this isn't one of them Disney films I grew up with. In fact, I had only really watched it in full when I was around 13 & I first caught a bit of it when my parents  were at their friends house & there was nothing else on TV. But now after rewatching it more times in the past few years, it has surprisingly blown me away more & more each time I watch it!

I know it's an adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel Notre Dame de Paris & this takes quite a lot of liberties compared to the source materials like taking away some of the dark themes (including an instance of rape in the book), the characters being much nicer & changing it into a story of acceptance for the main character Quasimodo. However, the one thing I think this movie does compared to a lot of Disney films is take huge risks & most of the time succeeds. I love how it deals with the themes including religion, prejudice, social acceptance, heartbreak & the most surprising of all, lust! Considering sex is normally a huge no-no for Disney, the risk they took to add it in a family film just surprises me & it surprisingly works due to the darker themes & the character of Frollo (even if it can get unsettling for the parents watching with their children). Even at that, the heartbreak aspect is also handled very well & it is very interesting to see a Disney film where the main character doesn't get the girl considering everyone will have experienced it at one point in their lives.

With the characters, I love how much more complex & human they are compared to others, especially Quasimodo, who just wants to be accepted by the world despite his deformities & the fact he doesn't get the girl in the end like other Disney heroes just makes him much more sympathetic. And Tom Hulce's performance is just amazing throughout, even during the musical numbers Out There & Heaven's Light. However, Esmeralda, voiced by Demi Moore, & Phoebus, voiced by Kevin Kline, didn't really interest me despite Esmeralda's kind heart towards Quasimodo while being a gypsy considering she was shown as a 'badass' girl managing to beat out a load of soldiers at the Feast of Fools, but then has to be saved at the end by Quasimodo. As for Frollo, there's no denying that he's one of the best Disney villains out there next to Maleficent & Cruella de Vil, being conflicted with his religious beliefs & his lust for Esmeralda despite believing what he's doing is for the greater good while causing a lot of harm. And Tony Jay's performance is just incredible throughout (actually I love all the voice actors despite some of the characters themselves)!

As for the songs, they are honestly some of Alan Menken's best work I've seen for the Disney Renaissance! They really make the movie that more epic thanks to the choir frequently used in the score & the songs themselves along with the orchestral score. My favourites have got to be Out There, Bells of Notre Dame & God Help The Outcasts, making them feel like huge events instead of just songs, which help carry the movie forward & give the characters much more development (except for A Guy Like You which I find stupid & obnoxious). But those are nothing compared to Hellfire, which has got to be my personal favourite Disney villain song ever, rather it be the imagery showing Frollo's conflict with his lust for Esmeralda, his hatred for the gypsies & his religious beliefs or Tony Jay's singing! Speaking of the animation, the backgrounds are absolutely incredible of the city of Paris & the cathedral itself, with so much attention to detail put in it actually surprises me! Even the character designs look more realistic & I love how they give Quasimodo the same looks as in the original book, except with the huge Disney style eyes.

If I did have a few complaints, it'd be the tonal shifts can be very jarring from scene to scene & the gargoyles are really out of place (along with A Guy Like You being useless compared to the rest of the songs)! I know it's to make the movie more light hearted for children, but they're so goofy & annoying they feel like something different altogether! It doesn't really help that they are not imaginary like in the original book considering they help Quasimodo save the day at the end. Oh yeah, and the romance between Esmeralda & Phoebus didn't really interest me despite some of their funny snarky one-liners!

Despite them, with gorgeous animation, amazing songs & taking so much surprising risks for a Disney film, this is a must-watch (at least if you don't compare it to the source material) for those who haven't seen it out there & is definitely an underrated movie out of the Disney Rennaisance! By the way, if you're wondering why this is pretty low despite all the praises I've given it, this list is based on my personal favourites & like I said, there are some which will surprise you with how much I love them & my taste is pretty different compared to other more popular reviewers!