This movie is part of the 'Try-Hard Trio'
What do I mean by "Try Hard Trio?" Well, let me explain. Back when The Little Mermaid came out, Disney was out of the dark ages. Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King continued the success with Disney Animation. All 4 Disney films have become Disney classics.
However, Pocahontas came out things began to change. Pocahontas did not receive the same glowing reviews like the previous 4 films. Though it won Oscars and made money. It was a "Flop pretending to be a hit." Outside the "Colors of the WInd" section of the movie, there is literally nothing interesting or memorable about the movie. The only other good moment in the movie is "Just Around the River bend" because you can tell it is reminiscent of the classic Disney heroine musical moment. The animation is very good. But outside of that, the film is not memorable, the romance is predictable, the characters are not interesting, it is Dances with Wolves/Ferngully/Avatar/Brother Bear preachy story (which has been overdone), and tries too hard to be the next "Disney Classic." Out of all the DIsney Princesses, she is the least popular. Disney gives her an occasional experience in parks and merchandising but that's it. Girls go to Disney to see Belle, Rapunzel, Cinderella more than Pocahontas.
Next is The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I love the story of Hunchback, but it is certainly not an adaptable story for children. Same with Les Miserables. Now, you may say "Snow White, Pinocchio, Fantasia and others have scary moments for kids." Yes, but there is one thing that is different from those films compared to The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is an adult novel dealing with the moral decay and corruption that was going on in France at that time (Same with Les Miserables). Themes of lust, religious hypocrisy, and other stuff are not in other Disney films. Now, is it bad that Hunchback has those themes? No, that is what makes the book great. But for a Disney audience? If Disney made Les Miserables, Fantine would have to be a beggar woman instead of a prostitute. Doesn't work because it takes away the emotional impact of Fantine becoming a prostitute. Well with Disney's Hunchback, they "cleaned up" the story while trying to keep some adult stuff to make it work. Sorry but it doesn't. That makes the film totally and dramatically uneven. The moment with the Gargoyles are the biggest proof of that point. So that is the main problem with Hunchback. Parents and kids did not connect with the film. The reason it has a "cult" following is because the teenage and young adult demographic connect with the themes of this story and they like the daring edgy stuff in this film. While it is daring for Disney to touch on themes of lust, it comes across as "Oh look at us we can create an adult Disney movie and yet we have cute characters like the gargoyles." Eh NO. So I look at Hunchback as a NonDisney film. If the Gargoyles and Disney cliches were not present and this movie was made by Don Bluth or some other animation studio, then this movie would be a masterpiece for sure. But we are stuck with what we have. The film made less the previous Disney films which showed the decline with Disney.
Now, Hercules. Pocahontas was too preachy, The Hunchback of Notre Dame was too dark, now we have an Aladdin like film YAYYYYehhhh. This film REALLY tries too hard. The songs are not memorable at all, Gospel with Greek Mythology? Look the gospel music fit with The Princess and the Frog, but not this film. Hercules's characters and songs fall really flat. Aladdin was memorable because he was interesting a relatable. Hercules is not interesting at all. He lacks the depth of Aladdin and the chemistry between him and Meg is certainly not as strong as Aladdin and Jasmine. it feels forced. That is the problem with Hercules, everything feels forced and not original. The animation is not great. Yea, Aladdin has some cartoony moments but they worked. This one is really dumbed down. Now Hades is a good villain because of James Wood's voice work. Frollo same deal. But overall, nothing stands out with this film. They tried to promote Hercules so much with a TV series, kingdom Hearts and some park stuff but it was very short lived and the movie made even less that its predecessors.
The only Disney films after the Lion King and before the slump of the early 2000s (excluding Lilo & Stitch) that were able to be almost just as good as the early 90s classics are Mulan, Tarzan and even Fantasia 2000. Mulan and Tarzan made more money and connected with audiences. The thing I get disappointed is that they don't promote Mulan and Tarzan as much (though WAY more than Pocahontas, Hunchback and Hercules). 1998-early 2000 was small period of Disney magic returning. But anyway the reason I call Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules the "Try Hard Trio" is that Disney tried too hard to make these films the huge successes of the "fabulous four." Instead they lost their grip. These movies may have their followings but they do not a 'classic' status for sure. No diamond editions for these films. I'm feel that Mulan and Tarzan should receive diamond editions but I'll have to wait on that I guess.