MovieChat Forums > The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) Discussion > Esmeralda, the most overrated Disney her...

Esmeralda, the most overrated Disney heroine besides Belle/Ariel?


i wouldve liked her much more if she wasnt an exotic dancer. come on disney, that was so inappropriate. jasmine, her, then meg and maybe lottie and kida if you want to be technical.... there is nothing admirable, heroic, feminist, or sexy about acting "seductive" to get what you want instead of using your brain or dressing slutty at least belle had modesty. i dont get how she is "exotic" looking either, now that i think about it... she looks like a caucasian girl with classically attractive features and darker skin/hair. nothing wrong with that but it just isnt exotic, nor is jasmine.

anyway, though I do REALLY like that she prayed to God in that one part, it was very sad and her best moment where you can finally feel really sympathetic for her.

anyway, those who are i find overrated, i think Snow White, Jane, Aurora, Cinderella, and Audrey Ramirez are the most underrated, sadly... and Mulan as a girl too =P no one likes her as a girl, they only like her when she goes to war as a man.

Jayne Mansfield: A woman should be pink and cuddly for a man.

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I disagree. Esmeralda was my favorite Disney heroine growing up (I was about eight when this movie came out). She's so much stronger than the other Disney female characters who just sit around hoping that, coincidentally, Prince Charming will just happen to walk by. Yes, Esmeralda dressed provocatively and was a dancer, but that was her job. She grew up surrounded by performers like that, and it was the only decent way she knew how to make money. Would you rather her go out and prostitute herself? And, in the Disney film, it's even suggested that she doesn't necessarily like dancing. When she sees all the things Quasimodo has made up in the bell tower, she says, "If I could do this, you wouldn't find me dancing in the streets for coins". Quasimodo then compliments her--"You're a wonderful dancer!"--she answers with, "Well, it keeps bread on the table, anyway". And just because she dressed a certain way didn't make her "slutty". Again, it was her job and part of the costume.

Esmeralda was a really warm-hearted person, and could fend for herself. When she prays in Notre Dame, she doesn't even ask for anything for herself; she prays for others. She was the only one who went up to comfort Quasimodo after the crowd turned on him during the Feast of Fools, and she was the only one who had the guts to stand up to Frollo, not just after the Feast, but when he had her tied to a stake, ready to be burned alive unless she slept with him, how did she answer? She spit in his face! Now that's ballsy! In short, I think she's a great character.

It sounds like you would definitely prefer how Esmeralda is in the book. Personally, I can't stand her in the book. In the book, she's rescued by Phoebus after Frollo tries to get Quasimodo to kidnap her for him. Instantly, Esmeralda is in love with the captain who saved her and Phoebus, who's been around the block many a time, senses this and knows she'll hang on his every word. And I don't want to say anything else without spoiling things if you haven't read the book, but, for the rest of the novel, Esmeralda (who's 16 in the book, by the way) spends all her time wailing about how much she loves Phoebus.

Nevermore!

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I agree with you TheaterRaven. ^^ Except I happen to like all the Disney girls in their own way and don't really think its nessesary to compare.

Also, I want to point out that women in the 1400's really did not have many options when it came to making money, and Romas (Gypsies) are famously persecuted and have been for many many years. Its not likely she would have gotten as a school teacher or Governess. She was using what she had to survive and its not like she liked it all the time and it was clear she wouldn't just throw herself at any man (even if it meant her life).

I also think calling her the most over-rated besides Ariel and Belle is WAY exagertated claim to make. That appears to be your personal annoyance. ^^

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The only reason these 1990s Disney heroines acted as they did was just because it was a more "modern" time. Yeccch. (However, I have no problem with the SUPPRESSED or OPRESSED females acting like that, e.g."Brave"'s Merida.)

Sandra Bullock is America's Sweetheart and that's that.

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[deleted]

I totally disagree. It's also impossible to be considered as an overrated heroine when she never gets any attention! It's not like she's in the Disney princess collection and they sell tons of dolls and toys with her image. If anything, I firmly believe she's underrated. She's been my favorite Disney character since the movie came out in 1996 and I've never felt she got the admiration she deserved.

Esmeralda was a street dancer in the original book. Disney was true to the plot. She is actually more covered than Ariel and Jasmine. Also, she's technically not of Gypsy decent. She was kidnapped as a baby and raised by gypsies so she can have 'white' features with tan skin for being out in the sun all day.

Esmeralda is strong and brave. She speaks out against the injustices to her people. That's huge. The risk she took to challenge Frollo in public should not be dismissed. That is admirable in itself. She can hold her own against the soldiers. She tough and smart. She knows how to make a quick and clever escape. She thinks for herself, speaks her mind, lives her own life. I think there are many feminist qualities to like about her. So what if she happens to be sexy? Being beautiful doesn't negate her other great attributes. She is just a performer and is never using seduction to manipulate people to get things she wants. If she was the kind of slut that used her sexuality to get her way then she would have given in to Frollo to stay alive. She values herself more than that. She maintains her integrity the entire film.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam Tua Luce Dirige

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[deleted]

[deleted]

this post is a joke, right?

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The only problem I had with Esmeralda (in this version) is when she "flirts" with Frollo while dancing on stage, then is suddenly surprised that he wants to bang her! O_O

Maybe if she hadn't done that in the first place, Frollo probably wouldn't have gone on a murderous rampage for her affections... Just saying. :/


"Tina you fat lard, come get some dinner!" -Napoleon Dynamite

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Esmeralda may have 'flirted' with him, but Frollo alone is responsible for his reaction and behavior afterwards.

I won katana's debate

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Agreed, and Frollo clearly noticed her even before she "flirted". Watch the look on his face when she pops up onstage after Clopin disappears. He's clearly stunned by her. Plus, I never saw her action with the scarf as flirting. If anything, it seemed like she was mocking him. Later, when she frees Quasimodo, she comments, "You mistreat this poor boy the same way you mistreat my people," so obviously Frollo had a reputation as not being the nicest guy even before he intensified his cruelty because he wanted Esmeralda. I don't think you would flirt with someone who had that kind of reputation.

Nevermore!

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exactly this. it is only the perpetrators fault

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let's not go to camelot, it is a silly place

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why the *beep* are you replying me?? reply to the op!!

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The only problem I had with Esmeralda (in this version) is when she "flirts" with Frollo while dancing on stage, then is suddenly surprised that he wants to bang her! O_O

Maybe if she hadn't done that in the first place, Frollo probably wouldn't have gone on a murderous rampage for her affections... Just saying. :/


these are distasteful comments in my opinion. effectively you are blaming the victim of sexual harassment and attempted murder for the fact that her attacker is a sadist, a sexual predator and a murderer.

what "flirting" did she do anyway? she winked at him! smh.


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Woah, hold up! My original comment wasn't meant to be victim blaming! 

I'll have you know that I don't condone any kind of sexual harassment. Esmeralda is one of my favorite Disney heroines of all time! I was just confused as to why she just randomly kissed Frollo on the nose during her dance, that's all.



[Formerly CosmosX9]

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I was just confused as to why she just randomly kissed Frollo on the nose during her dance, that's all.


I actually kind of agree with you - Doesn't excuse his actions, but it also probably wasn't the most tasteful/sensible move on her part, since she apparently already knew what kind of guy he was (her speech a few minutes later indicated this); However, I think she was only doing it to trick him into getting close to her face so that she could embarrass him by pulling his hat down. I mean, I guess she could have done that without actually kissing his nose, but still. It seemed to have a purpose other than just, "I'm going to be sexy."

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perhaps you should have changed your tagline. it has nothing to do with your context.

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perhaps you should have changed your tagline. it has nothing to do with your context.

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Bless this post.

I think her fanbase overrates her bad just because she's sexual and aggressive. Mulan is pretty overrated as a heroine but not as a character/princess, that is how she's sadly misunderstood.

Belle and Ariel will always be overrated, especially the former. "OMG like, Belle reads books! OMG like, Ariel's a mermaid!"

We're collecting dust, but our love's enough.

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And since when is a woman being sexual a bad thing? It's a basic fact of life.

I won katana's debate

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