Le Bossu de Notre-Dame. Le livre du film

by Stephen Rebello

Pour tous ceux qui aiment contempler les dessins préparatoires d'un dessin animé, ce livre est une vraie mine d'or. En version française, ce livre propose sur 200 pages une collection de croquis, recherches de couleurs, design de personnages, concept art sur l'un des Disney les plus beaux qui soit. On se replonge parfaitement dans l'ambiance sombre et gothique du Paris de Victor Hugo et on découvre quels visages auraient pu avoir les personnages. Le Bossu de Notre-Dame prend avec ce livre une nouvelle dimension.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Reference, Film, Coffee Table Books, Media Tie In

199 pages, Hardcover

First published June 21, 1996

About the author

Stephen Rebello is a screenwriter, journalist, and the author of such books as Reel Art: Great Posters from the Golden Age of the Silver Screen, which was honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1999. Based in Los Angeles, he has contributed feature stories to such magazines as Cosmopolitan, GQ, More, and The Advocate, and currently serves as a Playboy contributing editor. Stephen Rebello adapted for the screen Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho as the basis of Hitchcock, the Fox Searchlight dramatic feature motion picture starring Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, Toni Collette, James D’Arcy, Danny Huston, Ralph Macchio, and Michael Wincott.

Reviews

[Gretel Hernández · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una de las obras maestras de Disney; la película más oscura de todas las obras de la Casa del Ratón que llegaron a conocer el éxito; fue una maravilla ver su arte.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't expect to like it this much.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3.5**

Nice layout, lots of full color images, very good paper. Wasn’t a lot about the actual art though. It was more historical context and commentary on the story. Didn’t go into the evolution of the character designs at all. A good coffee table book.

[Leyendecker1874 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had this book for decades as an art reference and finally decided to read it. It has a lot of information and background on Hugo’s story and put the animated film in context. I really enjoyed it a lot more than I anticipated.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't even know how long I've waited to hold this beautiful collection of perfect pages in my hands. I decided that The Hunchback of Notre Dame is my favourite Disney movie sometime last year, but let's be real - I've known for a long time. That decision, however, really set a bunch of things in motion, such as me feverishly searching for a copy of this book online and my nearly ceaseless playing of both the movie soundtrack and Broadway show (much to my roommate's chagrin, I'm sure).

All that to say, I'm not surprised that I loved this book as much as I did. It's filled with gorgeous art and lots of great backstory nuggets you can sink your teeth into - something that's not always present in these "art of" books from Disney. The detail they went into around the story development and specific art choices was really insightful, and made me appreciate all of those details that you subconsciously notice when you watch a film of this scale.

Honestly I just want to go watch the movie again now, so maybe I'll do that and reread this book immediately after. I enjoyed it immensely and am so happy to have this in my collection.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The quality, as with The Art of Pocahontas, is incredible. Unlike it, it is heavily preoccupied with things not pertaining to the animation— the life of the novelist Victor Hugo, Gothic architecture, and French history. If any of these things are interesting to you, I am sure you’ll find it wonderful. Since none of them are to me, I’m giving it 4 stars. (I almost gave it 3, but decided that would be a tad unfair.)

I would have preferred much more content about the artistic choices: the themes lifted and in some cases greatly exaggerated from the novel and how they were portrayed, how the character designs were chosen among so many potential options, even the CGI used. Those items certainly were covered, but only briefly in order to make space for things I enjoyed much less and which are also not implied by the title, which is after all The Art of, not The History of, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

[Jordan B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the most underrated Disney musical and it's a shame because I think it's the absolutely the best. The art is seriously next level and it was so awesome to read this book.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

BEAUTIFUL PICTURES!! Thorough explanation of all the work- and there was a lot of work- that went into making this Disney movie. Definitely for any Disney fan.

[Emilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnifique livre
Les visuels sont somptueux et on rentre vraiment dans les coulisses de ce magnifique dessin animé.

[Shaunee Broadley · Rating 5 out of 5]

as someone who is a huge fan of hunchback, book and movie i loved seeing the art design and bts stuff

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

STUNNING

[Sneha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous!
Love this movie, Love this book, Love this art.

[el · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ts was peak so tuff 5/5

[Iarla Durkin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to this book - I Love Disney - and while this book is well produced the writing is poor (very L.A. film writing, a bit shallow) and there is no new information. Strictly for undemanding fans.

[Drew Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing with my read-through of my collection of oversized Disney art books, this treatment on The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Stephen Rebello is a nice addition to the line-up. This is a really nice big book on the making of this underappreciated film. I've leafed through it many times, but never sat down to read it until now.

Following the tradition of other "Art of" books based on Disney films, this is a nice big volume of artwork from the 1996 movie, from concept art and layout sketches to storyboards and rough and finished animation to production stills. The artists featured include James Baxter, Tony Fucile, Kathy Zielinski, Russ Edmonds, Lisa Keene and others, and the artwork ranging from full-page color illustrations to rough sketches that appear to leap right off the page are awesome. There was a nice bit of information on the development of each of the characters (including the cathedral) and some of the key cast and crew, including the voice talent, supervising animators, directors and the composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz. The only problem I had with this book is that it was a little heavy on the text. There was a lot of history and background to the story and Victor Hugo's original text, which I understand is relevant to the art of the film, but it seemed a little overlong. This isn't The Making of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, it's The Art of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and it doesn't seem like a brief history of gypsies and a not-so-brief history of Victor Hugo throughout are necessary. But I guess that might expand this book's appeal not only to fans of the movie or art books, but also to fans of the source material or Gothic architecture, or even some aspects of French history.

This is a great book for anyone who loved the Disney film, or even for those with a particular interest in Paris or the famous cathedral herself. The text was a little too abundant for me, but the artwork is fantastic.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walt Disney Animation Studios has me heart and soul, a lifelong devotion that isn’t limited to the films themselves, but perhaps even more so to Disney’s movie-making magic. I want to know about every piece of inspiration, every sketch, every storyboard, every scrapped idea and every characterization. “The Art of...” books were my ticket in.

That said, when I hunted for my own copy of this book, I was mostly interested in the artwork. Hunchback is an underrated Disney masterpiece, and I’ve loved it since I first saw it. The gravitas of the story (and music) moved me even as a young girl. But upon purchase, I didn’t plan on reading it. Rather, I planned on treating it like a picture book, shelved for occasional perusal and inspiration. I’m so glad that I didn’t shortchange myself by leaving it unread.

After rewatching the movie this year, I cracked my copy open to re-examine its pages, only to find myself flying through Rebello’s thorough summation of the film’s creation. What an absolute treat. Things that I instinctively loved about the film were explained and detailed. Comparisons were made to Hugo’s original masterpiece and his characterization of Notre Dame. I found myself awed by the intentional imagery and symbolism sunk into each frame of animation, and it only deepened my love for the film’s brilliance (and fueled me with fresh ammunition against any of its naysayers).

All that to say, I loved it. All that to say, this is a book well-worth reading (and if you can swing it, owning). It is perfect for anyone who loves Hunchback or Walt Disney Animation.

[Sylwia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would me an amazing gift for any fan of Disney Animation Studios or the Disney theatrical features. I had expected this to be a fun mash-up of some behind the scenes information about The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but this book delivered much more than that! While Rebello provided the much wanted behind the scenes look, he also analyzed the movie and the book that it was based on. He gave us additional information about Victor Hugo and about the Disney team as they adapted the original story to the Disney version. I loved how so many of the chapters in this little book provided a deeper view of the Disney film and its characters. While reading, I felt like I was speaking to an even bigger Disney fan than myself, and my eyes had stars in them as I revelled in the analytical and appreciative commentary. I adored every page of this and felt like my fandom thirst was quenched.

[τλιϓλ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I hate many things about the movie but the book it self was wonderful, liked so many things about it, some chapters are really nice, the paintings, sketches etc all r wonderful, I enjoyed it even though I didn't like the movie that much, one thing I liked about the movie is the happy ending instead of the real sad one. I believe those who liked the movie will enjoy the book ^_^

[(Jen) The Artist Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book before I watched the movie, which helped me appreciate the work that went into this film and consequently, enjoy the film more. While the adaptation of the classic "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is "Disneyfied" to a certain extent, I was intrigued by how "dark" points of the film became. A great look to an under-appreciated Disney film.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book as a Chirstmas gift.I'm not a big fan of the movie but I liked how the book brought you into the stages of them creating the movie.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok but It was not for me

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The text is high-minded to the point of tedium, like a Lit major with something to prove. The art is SO rich...there were times when I couldn't tell the concept art from the production stills.

[Kelly K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how this book went into so much detail about how they were trying to really create the imagery that Hugo had written. Absolutely loved it.

[John Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a lover of Disney animated films, I love reading about how they were made. This is another wonderful look behind the scenes, beautifully illustrated and well-written. Fun.

[Brianna (Breathe, hope, books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally figured out why the animation in the movie was so breathtakingly beautiful!

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous. This art is just breath taking. Loved it!