| Madeline and the Hunchback of Notre Dame | |
|---|---|
| Vital Statistics | |
| Season | 2 |
| Writer(s) | Saul Cooper Judy Rothman Rofé Shelley Bennett |
| Original Release | October 28, 1995 |
| Previous Episode | Madeline's Detective School |
| Next Episode | Madeline and the Big Cheese |
Madeline and the Hunchback of Notre Dame is the eighth episode of the second season of Madeline animated series.
Summary[]
Miss Clavel encourages her students to read books.
Plot[]
One night Madeline dreams of walking a tightrope high above the streets above Paris. She's blown from the rope by a gust of wind, but manages to land safely. She awakens from her dream after falling out of bed.
The next morning Madeline tells her friends about the strange dream. Ms. Clavel suggests she use her imagination to pursue a writing career. She suggests the Girls read more books for inspiration. The Old House has no shortage of literature so the Girls get started reading.
Next door Pepito is making a mud castle when his pet frog gets loose and heads into the Old House. Meanwhile Ms. Clavel has left the classroom and the Girls have gotten distracted from reading, opting instead to use books for building a castle. The frog knocks over the books, angering the Girls. They return it to Pepito, only for the frog to destroy his mud castle.
Later, Pepito sneaks into the House with a bucket of mud and engages the Girls in a mud fight in the classroom. Ms. Clavel comes in and is mad that they are causing a mess and damaging the books. The children apologize and set about cleaning the classroom.
To reset the Girls' interest in books, Ms. Clavel takes the Girls and Pepito on a tour of Paris' Left Bank where many artists have been inspired to write. They encounter their friend Ludwig who tells them he is working on a book for children. Ms. Clavel then takes them to a bookstore where she introduces them to The Three Musketeers, The Stranger and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ms. Clavel's favorite story.
The Girls and Pepito are taken with The Hunchback of Notre Dame and decide to put on a play adapting the story. Pepito wants to play the hero, Quasimodo, who Madeline describes as being very strong and brave. However, she goes on to describe that Quasimodo is deformed, dimming Pepito's aspirations.
The children begin to rehearse the play with Pepito's Parents and Ms. Clavel in the audience. Madeline is playing the Captain of the Guard, Danielle is playing the heroine, Esmeralda, but Pepito is nowhere to be found. The Girls search the house for him, finding him in the garden. He is very sullen to be playing a character who is ugly. Madeline offers to switch roles with him.
The next day Ms. Clavel takes the children to the Notre Dame Cathedral itself to be inspired for the play. She explains the history of the building, in the middle ages it served as an exotic marketplace, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France there in 1804, and how it's served as a sanctuary throughout its lifetime. The Girls are amazed by Notre Dame, but Pepito isn't impressed. He's confused as to how the Cathedral relates to the play. Ms. Clavel explains that Victor Hugo was inspired by Notre Dame to create the Hunchback.
The Group then heads up into the bell towers to see where Quasimodo lived. Near the top they encounter Notre Dame's iconic gargoyles. This frightens the other eleven girls and they run back downstairs to Ms. Clavel. She reassures them that the gargoyles are decorations meant to ward off evil spirits from the building. Meanwhile Madeline and Pepito, undeterred by the gargoyles have made it to the roof. They bypass a sign which warns visitors not to pass.
It's very windy on the roof which prompts Ms. Clavel to go after Madeline and Pepito and demand they return to the building. Suddenly a figure drops from a rope from the bell tower. It's Quasimodo himself! He cries out, "Sanctuary!" before grabbing Ms. Clavel and swinging up with her past the bell tower. Madeline and Pepito can only watch in awe and terror.
Fortunately 'Quasimodo' lands with Ms. Clavel unharmed among a group of actors and cameramen. 'Esmeralda' scolds him for not picking her up and botching the scene. It's revealed the group is really shooting the feature film of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. 'Quasimodo' is in fact Gerard Dippitydu, a famous French actor who the children greatly admire, especially Pepito. Gerard graciously apologizes to Ms. Clavel for his mistake and the Group invites him to attend their play adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
The play commences somewhat clunky as Danielle has trouble remembering her lines and Pepito's outfit is not properly fitted for his size. During an intermission Pepito asks Gerard if his acting is great, to which Gerard gives an unsatisfactory answer. Pepito storms off into the garden.
Gerard comes out to the garden to talk with Pepito. He reveals that he has an imperfect leg that requires a brace. He tells Pepito that he takes a lot of inspiration from Quasimodo for having to overcome a physical issue. He encourages Pepito to reclaim the role of Quasimodo which he gladly accepts.
The play resumes. Pepito gives a very moving performance as Quasimodo and receives a strong applause. The next day Ms. Clavel congratulates the children for their play. Gerard then stops by the school to gift the children his collection of books. The Girls spend the day and well into the night reading. Ms. Clavel promises to read them Ludwig's new book, which is about their very own adventures in Paris.
Song[]
Trivia[]
- The original Madeline book is directly referenced in this episode, written by the Girls' friend Ludwig.
- Ms. Clavel explains that Notre Dame Cathedral is "almost" eight hundred years old. Since construction on Notre Dame began in 1163, and the Stranger was published in 1942, this places the setting of the television series sometime between 1942 and 1963.
- Madeline jokingly comments that the Cathedral is still under construction, referencing Notre Dame's continuous restoration efforts in the modern era.
- Walt Disney Pictures released the well-known feature-length animated adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame less than one year after the airing of this episode.
- The Girls wonder upon starting The Hunchback of Notre Dame if the story has a happy ending. Unfortunately, Victor Hugo's ending to the story is quite sad.