The Bells of Notre Dame facts for kids

"The Bells of Notre Dame" is a famous song from the 1996 Disney movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Alan Menken wrote the music, and Stephen Schwartz wrote the words. The song is sung at the very beginning of the film by a character named Clopin, who is a clown-like gypsy. It tells the important story of how the main character, Quasimodo, came to be. The song is also sung again at the end of the movie.

How the Song Was Made

This song was created because Disney changed the character of Claude Frollo from a church leader to a Minister of Justice. This change meant the movie needed a new way to explain why Frollo was taking care of Quasimodo.

The idea was that a church leader from Notre Dame Cathedral told Frollo to raise Quasimodo. This was meant to make up for Frollo accidentally causing the death of Quasimodo's mother. This important backstory needed to be shown in the movie's opening scene.

Originally, the movie's beginning was just a narrator talking. But this felt "lifeless," so "The Bells of Notre Dame" was written to make it more exciting. Alan Menken, the composer, said it might be the best opening song he ever wrote for any project.

What Happens in the Song

The song tells the story of Quasimodo's past. It also serves as the movie's opening credits.

During the song, Clopin tells a group of children about the mysterious bell-ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral. He calls it "a tale of a man, and a monster." The story begins twenty years earlier. A group of gypsies tried to enter Paris, heading for a secret place where gypsies lived. But they were stopped by Frollo and his soldiers.

One gypsy woman was carrying a baby. Frollo thought she had stolen goods and chased her through the streets. The chase ended on the steps of Notre Dame. Frollo grabbed the bundle from her, and in doing so, he accidentally caused her to fall. She was badly hurt and died right there.

Frollo then discovered the bundle was a baby boy who looked different. He thought the baby was evil and tried to drown him in a nearby well. But a church leader, the Archdeacon, stopped him. The Archdeacon told Frollo that he had done a terrible thing by causing an innocent woman's death on holy ground. To save his own soul, Frollo had to raise the child as his own.

Frollo reluctantly agreed, but only if the baby stayed hidden in the bell tower of Notre Dame. He gave the baby a cruel name: Quasimodo, which Clopin says means "half-formed." Clopin ends the song with a puzzle: "Who is the monster and who is the man?" After the song, the scene changes to show Quasimodo ringing the bells.

Important Lessons

Like many Disney movies from that time, The Hunchback of Notre Dame teaches important lessons. Stories often help children understand different attitudes and behaviors in the real world.

Through the song, Clopin tells the children that it's a story of "a man and a monster." At the end of the song, he gives them a riddle: "Who is the monster and who is the man?" This introduces the main idea of the whole movie.

The song helps us look past how people appear on the outside to find the real truth. In the beginning, Quasimodo might seem like the "monster" because of how he looks, while Frollo seems like the "man" because he looks normal. But by the end of the movie, the meaning changes.

When Clopin sings the song again at the end, he gives a new riddle: "What makes a monster and what makes a man?" He explains that Quasimodo is the true "man" because he is kind and brave. Frollo, however, is the "monster" because he is selfish, cruel, and unkind to others.