Claude Frollo (Disney character)

Judge Claude Frollo is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Disney's 34th animated film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). He was based on Archdeacon Claude Frollo from Victor Hugo's 1831 novel.

Personality
Frollo is portrayed in the Disney film as the ruthless, self-righteous, self-centered, narcissistic, hypocritical, short-tempered, manipulative and fanatically religious French Minister of Justice. He views the world and everyone in it (except for himself) as corrupt and sinful, and reserves particular hatred for Paris's Romani population, whom he longs to exterminate. Like his original character in Hugo's novel, Frollo adopts Quasimodo as his son and lusts after the Romani girl Esmeralda to the point of obsession and resolves that she will belong to him or he will execute her. Frollo believes everything he does is under God's will, despite his hypocrisy in lusting after Esmeralda and treating her people and Quasimodo with cruelty.

Unlike his original novel counterpart, Frollo in the Disney film has been stripped of any redeeming qualities; He was responsible for the murder of Quasimodo's mother on the stairs of Notre-Dame, and almost contemplated killing Quasimodo as an infant, until he was convinced by the Archdeacon to adopt the child to repent on his sin. Frollo also was an incompetent mentor, as Quasimodo was still learning the alphabet at age 20, despite lacking any apparent learning disabilities. Frollo also emotionally abused and gaslighted Quasimodo, and when Quasimodo finally rebelled, Frollo attempted to kill him. Director Gary Trousdale described the film's Frollo as "a horrible, horrible person", while Tony Jay, who voiced him, compared him to Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame
In the film, Frollo and his soldiers capture a group of Romani people attempting to immigrate to Paris on a boat. A Roma woman in the group attempts to flee with her deformed baby, but Frollo kills her outside Notre Dame Cathedral, where the former sought sanctuary to escape from the latter. Fearing the baby's deformity, Frollo tries to kill it by throwing it into a nearby well to drown, but the cathedral's Archdeacon intervenes and accuses Frollo of murdering an innocent woman in front of the cathedral. Fearing divine retribution, Frollo reluctantly agrees to raise the deformed child in Notre Dame as his son, to atone for his sin and in the hope that the hunchback will someday be "useful" to him. He cruelly names the child "Quasimodo" (meaning "half-formed"), and teaches him that the world outside the cathedral is a sinful place full of people who would hate and shun him for his deformity, even lying that his mother had cruelly tried to drown him and that Frollo saved him from this fate.

Twenty years later, in the Palace of Justice, Frollo appoints a new Captain of the Guard, Phoebus, stating his intent to eradicate the city's Romani population by discovering their sanctuary, the "Court of Miracles". While attending the annual Festival of Fools, Frollo discovers a Romani dancer, Esmeralda, who dances in front of him and kisses him on the nose. He finds that Quasimodo has left the bell tower and joined the Festival. Even after being crowned King of the Fools for his deformity, Quasimodo is humiliated by the crowd after two of Frollo's guards start a riot. To teach him a lesson for disobeying him, Frollo postpones helping Quasimodo, going so far as to refuse Phoebus' request to stop the cruelty, until Esmeralda defiantly frees Quasimodo. Esmeralda berates Frollo for refusing to help Quasimodo, as well as his cruel treatment of travellers and other outcasts, and uses a magic trick to evade arrest. Phoebus refuses to arrest her for witchcraft inside Notre Dame and instead tells Frollo that she has claimed sanctuary inside the cathedral; the Archdeacon orders Frollo and his men out, reminding him of his promise of never again assaulting the cathedral.

In the fireplace chamber of the Palace of Justice, Frollo lusts after Esmeralda and, through song, begs the Virgin Mary to save him from her "spell"; he then resolves that she will be his, or she will die, asking God to have mercy on both of them. When Frollo learns that Esmeralda has escaped Notre Dame, he instigates a citywide manhunt for her, capturing and bribing Romani and burning countless houses in his way. Phoebus is appalled by Frollo's actions and openly defies him, and Frollo furiously orders him executed as punishment for his defiance. While fleeing, Phoebus is struck by an arrow and falls into the River Seine, but Esmeralda rescues him and takes him to Notre Dame for refuge.

Realizing that Quasimodo helped Esmeralda escape, Frollo furiously returns to Notre Dame, telling Quasimodo that the city burns because of him. Frollo lies and says that he knows where the Court of Miracles is and will attack it at dawn. Previously, Esmeralda gave Quasimodo a pendant to help him and Phoebus find the Court of Miracles, and they warn the Roma about the attack. Frollo follows them and his men capture all present, cruelly thanking Quasimodo for helping him, declaring that he knew that he could be "useful" one day. Later, Frollo prepares to have Esmeralda burned at the stake in front of Notre Dame, but offers to spare her life if she submits to his desires. A disgusted Esmeralda rejects his advances, and Frollo prepares to execute her. A chained Quasimodo, tired of Frollo's cruelty, frees himself and rescues an unconscious Esmeralda, bringing her to the cathedral.

An enraged Frollo orders his soldiers to seize the cathedral, ignoring his promise and the Archdeacon's pleas for him to stop. Phoebus releases the captured Roma, rallying the citizens of Paris against Frollo and his men, and Quasimodo pours molten lead around the cathedral to protect it. Abandoning his chance to repent, Frollo pursues Quasimodo and Esmeralda to the cathedral balcony to kill them with a sword, where he indirectly reveals to a shocked Quasimodo that he killed his mother. As Quasimodo, by mercy, saved him from falling into the molten lead, an unmoved Frollo climbs onto a gargoyle and raises his sword to strike at Esmeralda and Quasimodo, but the gargoyle crumbles underneath him, causing him to lose his balance. At this moment, a terrified Frollo sees the gargoyle's demonic face come to life and snarl at him. The gargoyle then breaks off entirely, sending Frollo falling to his death into the molten lead (symbolizing Hell).

Other appearances
Frollo has recurring cameo appearances in the animated television series House of Mouse, as one of the guests in the titular club. He also appears in a cameo in the series' direct-to-video film Mickey's House of Villains.

Frollo is one of the Disney villains with a main focus in the anthology film Once Upon a Halloween, where the scene of his song "Hellfire" is shown as one of the film's clips.

In the Kingdom Hearts series, Frollo appears in the video game Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, serving as the main antagonist in the La Cité des Cloches world, having the same role as in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Claude Frollo appears in the video game Disney Magic Kingdoms as a playable character to unlock for a limited time.

In the game Twisted Wonderland, there is a "twisted" version of Frollo named Rollo Flamme, a young man who first appears in the Glorious Masquerade: Let the Bell of Solace Ring story.

Development
Frollo was voiced by Tony Jay, whom directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale chose for the role based on his brief appearance as Monsieur D'Arque in their previous film, Beauty and the Beast (1991), and animated by Kathy Zielinski. Features of the character were inspired by the actor Stewart Granger and Hans Conried, especially the latter's appearance in the 1953 film The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. The film's producer, Don Hahn, stated that the character of Frollo was inspired by Ralph Fiennes' performance in Schindler's List as Amon Göth, a Nazi who hates and murders Jews, yet desires his Jewish maid. Screenwriter Tab Murphy made Frollo Paris's justice minister rather than an archdeacon, thus avoiding religious sensibilities in the finished film.