Claude Frollo

Judge Claude Frollo is the main antagonist of Disney's 1996 feature film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He killed Quasimodo's mother 20 years prior to the time of the film on the very steps of Notre Dame cathedral and prepared to drown Quasimodo. The Archdeacon stopped him, and, fearing repercussions from God and especially from Mary, the Virgin Mother of Jesus, Frollo, was tasked with raising him and named the baby Quasimodo in reference to his disfigurement. Frollo however, kept Quasimodo hidden from the world in the church's belltower, until he could be of use to him. He was voiced by the late Tony Jay in the film and Fantasmic!, and most recently by Corey Burton starting in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

Personality
Frollo is a deeply religious man who tries to convince the people of Paris that his evil deeds are justified because they are God's will, though he is in reality a prejudiced, spiteful and corrupt official who uses his place in power to meet his own selfish ends, going as far as to employ common thugs to enforce his will while posing as "soldiers". This makes him feared and reviled throughout the city. Frollo is especially set on eliminating the gypsies scattered throughout Paris as their indulgence in "witchcraft and sorcery" is infectious to those around them, according to him.

While most Disney villains know that what they do is wrong (and either do not care or take pride from this) Frollo actually believes he is a good person. He repeatedly refuses to find fault within himself and is quite self-righteous, declaring himself much purer than "the common vulgar, weak, licentious crowd" and above the biblical doctrine that all men are equally sinful. He believes that everything he does is in the name of God, even as he attacks the cathedral of Notre Dame for the sake of one gypsy.

He comes to lust for the beautiful Esmeralda, but even blames his own lust for her on witchcraft and the devil rather than accept that he himself is committing crimes and sins. His lust drives him murderously insane, which ultimately proves to be his downfall when he pushes Quasimodo too far by almost killing Esmeralda.

He is also very cruel to Quasimodo, by locking him away from the world, and allowing him to be humiliated in public without even bothering to help him, as punishment for disobeying him. He also shows no love or compassion towards Quasimodo, and only uses him as a tool for his personal gain. He also refuses to allow Quasimodo any happiness or freedom by keeping him locked up in Notre Dame.

Furthermore, Frollo appears to be a rather stoic man, always appearing cool and collected, and only shows fear when Quasimodo prepares to kill him and when he is about to fall to his death. He rarely exhibits humor, and whenever he does, it is dry and black.

Appearance
Frollo is an aging man defined by his wrinkled face and white hair. As the Minister of Justice and a high-ranking public official, Frollo is most frequently dressed in dark robes, a purple and black striped hat with a red ribbon attached, and shoulder pads with red stripes. He also wears rings on his fingers, two on the right and one on the left, with the jewels colored red, green, and blue.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame
At the film's beginning, Frollo ambushes a group of gypsies entering Paris illegally and chases one of them to Notre Dame where he kills her. However, he discovers that the gypsy's "stolen good" was actually her deformed baby son. Believing the child to be an unholy demon, Frollo prepares to drop the child in a nearby well, but for the intervention of the Archdeacon, who reprimands Frollo for killing an innocent woman and tells him that the only way to make up for his sin is to raise the boy as his own son, to which he begrudgingly agrees. Frollo names the boy "Quasimodo" (literally "Near-perfect mode" or "Half-formed"), and raises him in the Cathedral, hidden from the outside world, constantly teaching him that he would be considered an ugly and hideous monster by the cruel outside world.

Twenty years later, Frollo summons Captain Phoebus, since his last one was "a bit of a disappointment" to him. He hopes to clear the gypsies out of Paris with Phoebus' help and go to Heaven when he dies. While attending the annual Festival of Fools, Frollo discovers a Gypsy dancer named Esmeralda, who attracts him with her beauty. Shortly afterwards, he discovers that Quasimodo left the bell tower and joined the Festival and was crowned the King of Fools. Frollo refuses to help Quasimodo when he is being publicly humiliated by the crowd in order to teach him a lesson even he refuses Phoebus' permission to stop it, and is enraged when a defiant Esmeralda openly defies him for his cruelty, and in retaliation, Frollo orders her arrested. She escapes into the Cathedral, where he corners her and tells her that he will arrest her if she dares to leave. However, Quasimodo helps her escape. That evening, Frollo is disturbed by his attraction to Esmeralda which he believes is turning him to sin and pleas the Virgin Mary to protect him from her "spell" and to let Esmeralda taste the fires of Hell. Upon learning from one of his guards that Esmeralda has escaped the cathedral, Frollo is enraged and begins a ruthless manhunt to find her, burning down the houses of those that would shelter gypsies and interrogating the gypsies that were captured. He later attempts to execute an innocent family whom he suspects of collaborating with gypsies, but an appalled Phoebus intervenes and rescues them; Frollo declares Phoebus a traitor and attempts to execute him, but he is eventually rescued by Esmeralda after being left for dead.

Realizing Quasimodo assisted Esmeralda, Frollo convinces him that the Court of Miracles has been found and will eventually be attacked. A misled Quasimodo accompanies Phoebus to the Court, and Frollo and his army of thugs follow and arrest the gypsies. Frollo sees that Phoebus has survived and intends to "remedy it". He then sentences Esmeralda to execution. She refuses to become Frollo's mistress and is prepared to burn to death, but Quasimodo rescues her after she passes out and brings her to the cathedral. Frollo orders his soldiers to break down the door and some his soldiers attack the Citizens of Paris and the French army who are been lead by Phoebus, The king of France and his successor. Frollo gains entrance to the interior of the cathedral, directly defying the Archdeacon and flinging him down a flight of stairs. He then attempts to kill Quasimodo, resulting in a violent struggle in which Quasimodo throws Frollo to the floor and finally rejects all that Frollo had taught him. Quasimodo almost kills Frollo, but Esmeralda awakens, and Quasimodo rushes her to safety. Frollo chases them onto a balcony overlooking the city, slashing at them with his sword with Quasimodo unable to fight back due to protecting Esmeralda. In his rage, Frollo reveals that he killed Quasimodo's mother and will now kill Quasimodo himself as he "should have done" twenty years ago. Frollo subsequently uses his cape to knock Quasimodo off of the balcony, but Quasimodo manages to hold on and ends up pulling Frollo along with him (but is unwilling to let him fall). Frollo dangles momentarily for his life, but he is soon able to climb on a gargoyle in perfect position to kill Esmeralda, who is attempting to save Quasimodo. However, as he raises his sword, the gargoyle that he is standing on starts to break and he falls, clinging on for dear life and dropping his sword. In his last moments, the face of the gargoyle come to life and demonically roars, terrifying Frollo as the gargoyle breaks off completely from the balcony and sends him falling to his death into a vast lake of molten lead created by Quasimodo, clearly meant to symbolize that his soul is now trapped in eternal damnation in the satanic fires of hell for all eternity as punishment for his actions and ending his tyranny once and for all. His soldiers are defeated by the citizens of Paris and the French forces. Ironically, his final words in life were "And He shall smite the wicked and cast them down into the fiery pit!"

The Hunchback of Notre Dame II
Although Frollo makes no full appearance in the second film, he is alluded to by Sarousch when he asks Madellaine "and did I turn you over to the authorities?" which reveals that he was aware of Frollo's prejudice against gypsies.

Difference from the original
Frollo was very different in the original novel. He was far more compassionate, caring, and tragic, as well as significantly less villainous in the original novel. As the archdeacon of Notre Dame in the original novel, he took Quasimodo in willingly as his own son when his mother abandoned him in the book (instead of Frollo just killing her himself like in the Disney film) and named him after Quasimodo Sunday instead of his disfigurement. He even helped Quasimodo develop some sort of sign language after the latter became deaf from becoming the bellringer. He only becomes the villain when Esmerelda enters the picture. His lust drives him insane much like in the Disney version. The only difference at this point was that Frollo actually succeeded at killing Esmeralda just before Quasimodo throws him off of Notre Dame, killing him.

House of Mouse
Frollo makes a few cameos in the series. He appears in Mickey's House of Villains but not as one of the villains that takes over. In one episode he was seen sitting with Grumpy of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Grimsby of The Little Mermaid. In "Dining Goofy", he showed to be unamused with the fact that he was seated with Mad Hatter.

Kingdom Keepers
Frollo appears in the fourth book, Power Play. He is seen in Disney's Hollywood Studios where he attempts to drown Willa commanding the Green Army Men. His guards also pursue Willa through Epcot. In the fifth book, he is seen boarding the Disney Dream along with some other villains.

Side: Sora
When Sora first arrives in La Cité des Cloches, he comes face-to-face with Frollo in the town outside Notre Dame. The judge examines Sora, believing him to be a gypsy due to his "disgusting attire", but his interrogation of the young Keyblade wielder is interrupted by Captain Phoebus. Phoebus tells Frollo that "monsters" have appeared in the square, and he rushes off after Sora when the boy goes to defeat them. Once he is alone, Frollo begins to emanate darkness, and he makes his frustration regarding the gypsies and "monsters" known.

Soon afterwards, Frollo arrives in the square with Phoebus, where he is furious to see Sora standing before Quasimodo, who is riding a Zolephant. After the Nightmare Dream Eater throws Quasimodo to the ground, Sora demands that he get to safety. The severity of Frollo's anger only increases when he witnesses Quasimodo flee into the Notre Dame cathedral with help from the "gypsy witch" Esmeralda.

Some time later, Sora, Phoebus, and Quasimodo travel to the Court of Miracles to warn Esmeralda that Frollo is on his way and intends to capture her. After Phoebus orders Esmeralda to take what she can with her and leave, the judge appears and surrounds him and the other protagonists with Meow Wows and Wheeflowers. Frollo takes Esmeralda to the square for a "bonfire" despite Quasimodo's pleas, and he renders Sora unconscious using his darkness when the Keyblade wielder attempts to subdue him.

After Sora regains consciousness, he returns to the Square to find Frollo already in the process of burning Esmeralda at the stake. Suddenly, Quasimodo swings down from the balcony of Notre Dame and rescues the gypsy, carrying her to safety. Enraged, Frollo gives chase and runs towards Notre Dame. When Sora attempts to stop him, he is stopped in his tracks by the Wargoyle, a massive Nightmare Dream Eater that falls from the sky above. After Sora battles the creature, Frollo corners Quasimodo and Esmeralda on the balcony of Notre Dame. He reveals the truth about how Quasimodo's mother died trying to save him twenty years ago, and he raises a sword high above his head and attempts to kill him. Both Frollo and Quasimodo stumble off the balcony, but the wicked judge's fall comes to a halt when he grabs onto one of the gargoyles below him. As Esmeralda struggles to lift the unconscious Quasimodo back onto the balcony, Frollo stands up on the gargoyle and attempts to kill her with his sword. The stone begins crumble under Frollo's weight, and the judge loses his footing. He grabs the gargoyle by the neck, saving himself, but the creature comes to life and roars at him. At that moment, the gargoyle breaks off of Notre Dame, and the terrified Frollo plummets to his death in the flames below the cathedral.

Side: Riku
When Riku first arrives in La Cité des Cloches, he crosses paths with Esmeralda, who is being chased by both Phoebus and Frollo. Phoebus asks Riku if he has "seen a gypsy woman", but the Keyblade wielder tells him he has not. Phoebus reports this to Frollo, after which the judge questions his abilities.

Later, after escaping from the Wargoyle that attacked him on the bridge, Riku finds Phoebus pointing his sword at Frollo in front of an old windmill. Frollo summons the Wargoyle to his side as Riku arrives, and he claims the creature to be "righteous judgment". Intending to use the power of darkness to "smite the gypsies now and forever", the judge heads to Notre Dame cathedral along with the Wargoyle with Riku in pursuit.

When Riku returns to the square outside Notre Dame, he finds the area ablaze. He sees that Esmeralda has been rescued by Quasimodo, and he asks the bell ringer where the Wargoyle went. Riku sees the Dream Eater flying above Notre Dame's balcony, and when he gets there, he finds Frollo joyously overseeing the burning of Paris. The "sad old man with a dark heart" summons the Wargoyle to pass judgment on the Keyblade wielder, and he willingly falls to his death in the flames below the cathedral.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (musical)
Frollo was a priest in his youth and decided that Paris needed to be save so her became a became a Judge. He hates Gypsy and believes that they are sole the problem with Paris. He takes care of Quasimodo as a act of contrition for killing Quasimodo’s mother. He hopes Quasimodo will think like him and his emotional abuse is something that he is unaware of. Frollo becomes consumed with lust for Esmeralda which drives him insane. He thinks the cure is either to possess her or destroy her. He seems to have intensity than he has in movie.

Disney Parks
Frollo appears occasionally as a meetable character. He is more commonly found in Disneyland Paris. He has been replaced by Doctor Facilier in a few shows.

World of Color
Frollo makes a small cameo in the opening of the Colors of Fear segment.

Fantasmic!
In the Disney's Hollywood Studios' version of the show, Frollo is one of the leading villains who assist The Queen in her plan to do away with Mickey. He is killed in the end with the rest of the villains.

One Man's Dream II: The Magic Lives On!
In Tokyo Disneyland, Frollo is featured in the villains segment alongside Maleficent and The Queen. He is accompanied by the mysterious red hooded men seen during "Hellfire".

Disney Villains Mix and Mingle
Frollo joins other villains in the show to celebrate Halloween and joins the meet and greets and the end.

Starlight Dreams
Frollo alongside a legion of Disney Villains plots against Mickey and Friends. In the end they are foiled.

Trivia

 * The Nostalgia Critic listed Frollo as Number 4 on his "Top 11 Disney Villians" list. His song "Hellfire" was listed as Number 1 on his "Top 11 Villain Songs". His female counterpart, The Nostalgia Chick, listed Frollo as Number 2 on her "Top 10 Evil Nostalgia Characters" list. And, she also rated him number ten on her list of the Top Ten "Hottest" Animated Guys.
 * Despite being a "human", Frollo ranks as one of the most evil Disney villains due to his personality, xenophobic hate, immense political power and above-the-law status.
 * Frollo is placed 10th on the Ultimite Disney.com's Disney Villain countdown.
 * Frollo has many similarities to Mother Gothel from Tangled:
 * 1) Both do not have magic powers.
 * 2) Both have harbored their ward for their own personal reasons.
 * 3) Both have sung a song to describe why they shouldn't leave their "homes".
 * 4) Both have attempted to kill their wards' friend(s)
 * 5) Both have died of falling.
 * Frollo is also similar to Lady Tremaine from Cinderella, as both villains don't use any magic powers, and they also mistreat and abuse their stepchildren. They also obtain a high status in the wealthy class (Tremaine is a socialette, and Frollo is a judge). Another similarity between the two villains is how they pretended to care for their stepchildren: Frollo only cared for Quasimodo because of charge of conscience, While Tremaine does it both with Cinderella because she is forced to by law, and needs a housekeeper.
 * Frollo also shares some traits with Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, as both live in France, develop certain feelings for the female protagonists, reveal their true natures as violent and insane, fight the male protagonists in a high area, and fall to their deaths.
 * The way Frollo tells Quasimodo that he killed his mother is quite similar to how Scar reveals that he killed Mufasa to Simba at the end of The Lion King (1994), given how they do not reveal it until they believe they are about to kill their respective foes, only to arouse their foes' rage and lead to their own deaths.
 * The way that Frollo burns the miller's family house with them still inside is similar to how Nihilus from The Storykeepers burns Ben's bakery with Helena, Justin, Cyrus and Marcus still in it. However, there is one similarity and two differences: the similarity that the latter that would be burned alive were saved at the last minute. The first difference is that Frollo burned the miller's family's house at once while Nihilus gave Ben until sunset to come out into the open or his bakery would burn with Helena and the 3 boys still in it. The second difference is that Phoebus saved the miller's family by breaking them out of the house while Antonius's men mined their way into the bakery and saved Helena and the boys by pulling them into the catacombs of Rome before the fire and smoke could inflame their lungs.
 * Frollo was voiced by Tony Jay, who also voiced Shere Khan in TaleSpin and The Jungle Book 2, Monsieur D'Arque in Beauty and the Beast, and one of Dr. Benedict's scientists' in Recess: School's Out.
 * Frollo's behavior may suggest that he is a pyromaniac.
 * Frollo is also similar to Stromboli from Pinocchio, as both villains plan to keep the protagonists (Quasimodo and Pinocchio) locked away for their own purposes (Frollo: To find the Court of Miracles, and Stromboli: To make a lot of money from his puppet show with Pinnochio as his "starring attraction").The only difference is that Stromboli sought to keep Pinocchio away from his home, while Frollo provided Quasimodo with an agreed home.
 * Frollo represents the deadly sin of lust, as he lusted after Esmeralda.
 * Frollo is also similar to Governor Ratcliffe from Pocahontas, as both villains express hatred and prejudice against a certain race (Frollo: Gypsies, and Ratcliffe: Native Americans), seem to express some form of white supremecy, and they also obtain a high rank in authority and political influence.
 * Frollo is the seventh villain who has fallen to his death. The first being Witch (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), the second being Maleficent, the third being Bear, fourth Ratigan, fifth Percival C. McLeach, the sixth being Gaston, the eighth being Clayton, the ninth being Charles Muntz, and the tenth being Mother Gothel.
 * Unlike most other villains who have fallen to their deaths, Frollo is one of the few who was actually seen landing. The others were Clayton and Mother Gothel.
 * Frollo is the third villain to develop feelings for the female protagonist (Gaston being first and Jafar being second), although in this case, Frollo lusted for Esmeralda and it was not healthy like the other two.
 * In the novel, Frollo was nice and willingly took Quasimodo in when no one else would and turned evil when Esmeralda came into the story.