"Out There" is a song from the 1996 Disney animated film '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame''. Unofficially, it consists of the two songs "Stay In Here" and "Out There". In the stage musical version, Frollo's "Stay In Here" section was expanded into its own song entitled "Sanctuary".

Production

Alan Menken Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer, best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores and songs for ''The Little Mermaid'' (1989), ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1991), ''A ...

's demo of the song put more emphasis on the "Stay In Here" theme of Quasimodo's monstrous features and

Judge Claude Frollo Judge Claude Frollo is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Disney's 1996 animated film version of ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame''. He was based on Archdeacon Claude Frollo from Victor Hugo's 1831 novel. Frollo is ranked one of the gr ...

's manipulation to keep him inside the cathedral. In the stage musical version, the song is reprised at the very end, when he realizes that to a certain degree Frollo was right - that the world is cruel and wicked. But he also realizes that it is joyous and kind as well, and that it is the only world we've got so we must accept it, highs and lows included.

Synopsis

At this point in the film, Quasimodo wants to attend the Feast of Fools, but has never been allowed out of

Notre Dame Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, th ...

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

before. His master Frollo tells him the outside world will treat him like a monster and says for his own sake he must stay where he is. After Frollo leaves, Quasimodo laments about what it would be like out in the real world, and pictures a romanticised version.

Composition

The song actually consists of two separate sections, centering upon the themes of entrapment and escape. Frollo's "Stay In Here" and Quasimodo's "Out There" juxtapose each other, and express the motivations behind both characters and their relationship to each other.

Critical reception

'' Den of Geek!'' noted "We’re already talking about just how dark the song ' Hellfire' goes, but there’s also the earlier duet in 'Out There' between Frollo and Quasimodo...It’s hardly '' High School Musical'', is it?" Filmtracks.com wrote "The character song 'Out There' opens with a frighteningly sinister conversational interaction between Frollo and Quasimodo before the latter performs his compelling cry for identity with flourishing and redemptive orchestral accompaniment. Tom Hulce's voice, especially compared to Tony Jay, is appropriately light."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Out There (song) 1990s ballads Pop ballads Songs from The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film) 1996 songs Disney Renaissance songs Songs with music by Alan Menken Songs written by Stephen Schwartz (composer) Tony Jay songs Male vocal duets Song recordings produced by Alan Menken