#phoebus

1787

And of course Tony Jay, the voice of Frollo, was a Shakespearean actor too - I don’t know all his roles, but I know that he played Shylock in The Merchant of Venice and the Merchant in Timon of Athens - so all three of Esmeralda’s “suitors” have Shakespearean backgrounds!

Another funny thing is that Hunchback already fits the mold of a Disney Princess film… but the “Princess” character isn’t Esmeralda, it’s Quasimodo! He’s the one with the classic Disney Princess character arc of starting out in an oppressive situation, longing for a different life, and ultimately finding the courage and faith in himself to attain it. That’s the type of character arc shared by so many Disney heroines, yet it’s actually very atypical of Disney’s male heroes, who more often have character arcs of “striving for a goal, then making a foolish or selfish mistake that almost costs them that goal, but finally learning a moral lesson that lets them overcome the odds.” But of course Disney Princess fans don’t typically want to use Quasimodo as their self-insert.

Apollo-Phoebus has his head silhouetted against the sun and directs his fiery arrows downwards with his bow, at the point where the sun's rays are most direct at midday. His appearance is quite reminiscent of the "Apollo Belvedere," from the cloak fastened by a brooch to the sandals and even the characteristic topknot in his hairstyle.