Quasimodo

Quasimodo is the main protagonist of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He is a deformed hunchback, but he is nevertheless kind-hearted. He is voiced by Tom Hulce in his final theatrical performance before retiring.

Personality
Despite his appearance, Quasimodo is a kind and gentle person. He was also curious and trusting, enough so that he was naive to the true nature of his master, Judge Frollo until much later in his life. Even when Frollo taught Quasimodo that Gypsies such as Esmeralda were evil, Quasimodo was not particularly violent towards them. He also seems to have an attachment to Notre Dame, as he didn't leave even after he was accepted into society.

His devotion to his master almost proved to be his undoing, as it has almost caused him to abandon his friends and allies at one time. He can also show violence towards his enemies, particularly when they were threatening his friends and allies, especially Esmeralda.

On a side-note, Quasimodo is a talented artist, able to carve miniature figurines and toys and a scale wooden model of Paris and the Cathedral itself, and crafted a decoration of hung pieces/shards of stained glass. Quasimodo likely developed his skills in handicraft as a hobby or to make his life isolated in the belltower more bearable. Finally, Quasimodo, despite his appearance, is a very agile acrobat, able to quickly move across rooftops, scale buildings, rope-swing, and climb large structures with almost no difficulty. He likely made a habit of climbing and scaling the cathedral to better observe the world from which his master forbade him from ever entering, and to see the free people, envying them for being able to live as they do. Finally, Quasimodo is very strong, as he was able to rip himself free of chains meant to imprison him, carry a ful-grown woman while climbing the cathedral with little effort, and hold a full grown man off his feet seemingly effortlessly.

History
Quasimodo first appeared as a baby (whose face is not seen, but is described by Frollo to be a "monster") being carried by his mother. His mother and father were gypsies and they were secretly entering Paris through the waterways. Judge Claude Frollo, believing that they had stolen something, stood in their way and gave chase to Quasimodo's mother when she ran, and he delivered a kick on the steps of Notre Dame that killed her. When he discovered that the bundle she had been carrying was actually a baby, he planned to drown Quasimodo upon seeing that he was deformed. However, the Archdeacon of Notre Dame commanded him not to murder the baby. Frollo was then ordered to adopt Quasimodo as his own to make up for his sin of killing an innocent woman.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame
And so, Quasimodo was raised by Frollo in the bell tower of Notre Dame. However, he was trapped there, and was led to believe by Frollo that his mother abandoned him. He always longed to be free, despite making three friends in the form of Gargoyles, Hugo, Laverne and Victor. They persuade him to go against Frollo's strict orders never to leave the tower and Quasimodo attends the Festival of Fools. There he meets the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda. He instantly falls in love with her. She drags him up on the stage for a competition to see who can pull the ugliest face after removing their masks, presuming his deformed face to be a disguise. Once up on the stage Frollo sees him and realizes his disobedience. The crowd turn to tormenting Quasimodo and tie him down and throw rotten fruit at him.

Esmeralda stands up for him and calls for justice. Frollo is furious with his charge. Quasimodo befriends Esmerelda and helps her escape from Notre Dame where she sought escape from Frollo's guards.

Quasimodo offered sanctuary to an injured Phoebus and Esmeralda who saved him from drowning in the river. He watches as the two lovers kiss right in front of his eyes. He is heartbroken, but when he hears Frollo coming, he can do nothing but push thoughts of Esmeralda to the back of his mind. He hides Phoebus and quickly tries to hide what has happened from Frollo. Frollo however knows that he helped Esmeralda and announces that he will attack the Court of Miracles with 1,000 men.

Together with Phoebus, Quasimodo makes his way to the Court of Miracles to warn Esmeralda and the other gypsies of Frollo's intentions. However Frollo follows Quasimodo and captures Esmeralda, Phoebus and the gypsies. He chains Quasimodo up in Notre Dame looking down on the square below. He breaks free and swings down to save Esmeralda as she is being burned for witch craft. He saves her life and calls sanctuary!

Judge Frollo tries to kill Quasimodo, but in a final battle, Frollo falls from the top of Notre Dame to his death, but not before he reveals to Quasimodo that his mother died trying to save him. Quasimodo also falls, but is saved by Phoebus. Ultimately Quasimodo is free from Frollo's hold over him and he is free to live a normal happy life. In the end Quasimodo is hailed as a Hero for his heroic efforts and the crowd of people pick him up and take him away cheering for him.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame II


He is helping the town celebrate the festival and falls in love with Madellaine, a girl raised by a circus master, Sarousch, who is in fact a bandit hoping to steal the Notre Dame bell, La Fidele. Quasimodo and Madellaine realize their feelings for each other, even when Sarousch frames her for a crime she has never committed. In the end, when Sarousch is arrested, he kisses Madellaine on top of the bell tower.

House of Mouse
Quasimodo makes several cameos as a guest on House of Mouse. In the episode "Jiminy Cricket", Quasimodo was used as a reference for Jiminy's quote "Maybe you'll find love, maybe you won't".

Kingdom Hearts
Quasimodo appeared in the promotional comic The Sceptre and the Kingdom when Sora and Riku are transported to his world.

Quasimodo will make his debut in the games proper in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance in the world Le Cite des Cloches.

Disney Parks
Quasimodo appears in Disney Parks occasionally as a meetable character mostly at Disney's Hollywood Studios and he is also seen sometimes in the Disney Parades.

Differences from the original character
The original Quasimodo, created by Victor Hugo, was an even more tragic character in the original novel, because he was even more ugly and deformed than the Disney version, as well as being deaf and having unintelligible speech from being the bellringer of Notre Dame. However, the original version was also kind-hearted and caring as in the Disney version. The original was also considerably more violent towards his enemies, even going so far as killing them to protect Esmeralda. The main difference is that Quasimodo was not able to save Esmeralda from her death sentence (hanging in the original novel) and he kills Frollo himself. He then finds Esmeralda's body in a tomb for those who were sentenced to death and clutched her body even long after he himself met the same fate. Also in the ending of the book Quasimodo runs away from Notre Dame after the death of Esmeralda and about three years later some soldiers find Quasimodo's dead body which has rotted into a skeleton and before they can pull his dead body out it crumbles into dust.

Trivia

 * Quasimodo is very similar to Rapunzel in Tangled, as both are not allowed to leave their homes due to their guardians' wishes. They both later sneak out of their home without their guardian knowing.
 * Quasimodo is also similar to Cinderella from the film Cinderella, as both are mistreated and abused by their step-parents, and they both dream of something better for them.