Creativity Quote by David Friedman

There is a particular kind of bravado that only makes sense when you remember Disney animation was once treated like a prestige studio system with cartoon faces. David Friedman’s line is funny because it’s so nakedly transactional: not “we’re making art,” but “we’re Disney,” as if the brand itself is a battering ram that opens doors, budgets, and throats. The punch comes from the escalation - high D’s, 18 seconds, 60 times - the absurd math of excellence. It turns human vocal cords into infrastructure.

The intent is practical (get the sound), but the subtext is cultural: The Hunchback of Notre Dame wasn’t aiming for cute; it was aiming for cathedral. That “live, gigantic choir” signals a mid-’90s moment when Disney wanted to borrow the legitimacy of European sacred music and Broadway technique to sell gravitas to a family audience. Going to London is part of that flex: the city stands in for tradition, training, a talent pool that can deliver a quasi-religious sonic spectacle on command.

Friedman’s phrasing also reveals the pressure cooker behind “effortless” movie magic. The audience hears a swell of voices and feels destiny; the creators are counting seconds and repetitions, demanding athletic consistency like it’s an Olympic event. Under the joke is an ethos: if you’re going to stage salvation and doom in a multiplex, you need singers who can sound like judgment day, take after take.