The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of the few Disney films of their Renaissance era of animation (along with The Rescuers Down Under, The Lion King, Hercules, and Tarzan) to not have a female protagonist featured in the Disney Princess franchise that was created in the early 2000s, due to its female protagonist Esmeralda not being classified as a princess. This has resulted in the franchise having to rely on films, video games, and other merchandise that includes its characters and story alone. York Vision argues the relatively less successful nature of this franchise is "perhaps owing to the lack of a definable 'Princess' character",[1] although some people classify her as a princess.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame II is a 2002 American animated romantic musical comedy-drama film and a direct-to-videosequel to the 1996 Disney animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It was produced by Walt Disney Animation Japan. Some years after the events of the first film, Quasimodo is pitted against a group of circus thieves led by the narcissistic Sarousch.
Live-action remake
A live-action remake of The Hunchback of Notre Dame was announced in January 2019. The script will be penned by David Henry Hwang with Menken and Schwartz returning to write the music. Josh Gad is set to produce and is possibly considered to play Quasimodo.[2]
In 2023, Menken suggested that development on the live-action remake was stalled owing to the original film's content and themes, commenting that "the Hunchback movie, Hunchback story involves a lot of real, real issues that are important issues and should be explored to be discussed. And there has to be an agreement about how we deal with those issues. You know, do we do a Hunchback without 'Hellfire'? I don't think so ... So it sits in this limbo right now".[3]
Stage musical
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Der Glöckner von Notre Dame)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a musical based on the 1996 Disney film of the same name, which in turn was inspired by the 1831 Victor Hugo novel of the same name. It has music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and book by James Lapine. The musical premiered in 1999 in Berlin, Germany as Der Glöckner von Notre Dame (literally translated in English, The Bellringer of Notre Dame). It was produced by Walt Disney Theatrical, the company's first musical to premiere outside the U.S. It ran for three years, becoming one of Berlin's longest-running musicals. A significantly revised version of the musical, with a new book by Peter Parnell, premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California in 2014. Both versions of the musical restore Victor Hugo's darker ending and are in general closer to the tone of the novel.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame studio cast recording
The Hunchback of Notre Dame: A New Musical is a 2016 studio cast recording of the 2015 Paper Mill Playhouse production of Hunchback. It was released by Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records.
Unprecedented for a non-Broadway cast recording, the album sold 10,000 copies, hitting No. 1 on the Cast Albums chart, No. 17 on Top Album Sales, and No. 47 on the Billboard 200 chart.[4]
Theme park attractions
Festival of Fools
Festival of Fools commenced in 1996 and held its last show on April 18, 1998. LaughingPlace cited a review of the final show that said: "In the pantheon of great Disneyland parades and shows, the Festival of Fools resides in the top echelon. It operated on so many levels (history, humor, and heart felt emotion to name a few), stirred a passion seldom seen among its most faithful (of which I am no doubt one), and brought 1239 fun filled energetic performances to the wondrous eyes of children young and old, that it's very difficult to sum up the run or my feelings toward it".[5]
In 1996, to tie in with the original theatrical release, The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Topsy Turvy Games was released by Disney Interactive for Windows and Game Boy, which is a collection of mini games based around the Festival of Fools that includes a variation of Balloon Fight.
Disney's Animated Storybook: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Disney's Animated Storybook: The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a point-and-click video game released by Disney Interactive for the PC. It retells the film's plot in an abridged animated storybook form.
Kingdom Hearts
A world based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame, La Cité des Cloches (The City of Bells), made its debut appearance in the Kingdom Hearts series in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. It was the first new Disney world confirmed for the game. Quasimodo, Esmeralda, Phoebus, Claude Frollo and the three gargoyles appear as characters in the world.
Disney Magic Kingdoms
The world builder video game Disney Magic Kingdoms, during a limited time Event based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame, introduced Quasimodo, Esmeralda, Phoebus, Claude Frollo and Djali as playable characters, as well as Bells of Notre Dame and Clopin's Puppet Wagon as attractions, in a storyline serving as a continuation after the events in the film.[6]
