Mostly Bits Newsletter - Issue #81
Tony's Pick
Matt Levine's aforelinked Money Stuff has had some good writing on the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried recently, but Elizabeth Lopatto's coverage at The Verge is worth a read too...at least, if like me, you're relishing on the schadenfreude. If you want read just one, do this one about his testimony.
Kyle's Pick
I am on the record as putting Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame as among their top animated films (and soundtracks) with one notable exception — the stupid gargoyles. I enjoyed this piece arguing the merits of both sides.
A couple of things I did not know or had not considered:
- Quasimodo spends a lot of time alone in that movie and needs someone to talk to
- (from the comments) There is a Broadway musical version that uses the best songs from the Disney version, but preserves some of the darker elements of the original story and the gargoyles are imagined in Quasimodo's head
In summary, the gargoyles are terrible and you should watch this fan edit that removes every gargoyle scene and tonally inappropriate gag (including detailed timestamps of exactly what was cut).
