The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Factual error: During the song "A Guy Like You," one of the gargoyles trips the trapdoor on Quasimodo's miniature hangman's scaffold. Trapdoors weren't used on scaffolds until the 18th century.

Factual error: Towards the end of the song "Out There" Quasimodo climbs onto the large spire on the roof. That spire was added in the 19th century and thus didn't exist when the movie was set.

Factual error: When Quasimodo and Esmerelda are on the roof of the cathedral, a piece of the roof breaks off and slides with them standing on it. The material creates sparks as it slides. The material would be either copper or (more likely) lead, neither of which can be made to spark.

Factual error: The statues outside of Notre Dame Cathedral are shown as plain stone, as they appear in modern times, although in the story's period (the fifteenth century) they were polychromed.

Factual error: After Phoebus distracts the guards to stop them from chasing Esmeralda, we see the goat smoking a pipe to give the appearance of a beggar. Tobacco (and consequently, smoking pipe) wasn't introduced in Europe for at least another century, as it's a plant native to the Americas.

Friso94

Factual error: At one point, Quasimodo says, "At sunset, I ring the evening mass, and after that, I clean the cloisters, and then I ring the vespers, and..." In fact, evening masses were not permitted by the church until the twentieth century.

Factual error: During the song "A Guy Like You," one of the gargoyles trips the trapdoor on Quasimodo's miniature hangman's scaffold. Trapdoors weren't used on scaffolds until the 18th century.

More mistakes in The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Oafish Guard: All right, gypsy, where'd you get that money?
Esmeralda: For your information, I earned it.
Oafish Guard: Gypsies don't earn money.
Brutish Guard: They steal it.

More quotes from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre Dame trivia picture

Trivia: When Quasimodo is singing a few minutes into the film, he is standing above the town street where people are walking around, doing business. If you look closely to the lower right of the scene, you can see Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" reading a book in her blue dress, walking.

More trivia for The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Question: What war is Phoebus returning from?

Answer: That's a good question. France actually fought no wars between the Battle of Castillon in 1451, and the Italian Wars which began in 1494. Seeing as the movie takes place in 1482 it seems strange that Phoebus would have fought in any war, unless he is at least 45 years old.

More questions & answers from The Hunchback of Notre Dame

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