Disney Needs to Remake “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” as an R-Rated Musical
When Disney animated films that ought to be remade come up, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” should be placed in that conversation.
If there’s one thing that I’m rooting for but am continuously disappointed by, it’s Disney’s slew of live-action remakes, sequels and reimaginings. So many of these films have let me down by either trying to fix what’s not broken or botching a truly golden opportunity. Who in their right mind thought that “Beauty and The Beast” or “The Lion King” needed an update? Why did films like “Mary Poppins Returns” and “Mulan” throw away so much potential? Out of all these films, which really became popular with 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland,” only two have really impressed me with their unique takes on classic films: “Pete’s Dragon” and “Cruella.”
Despite my cynicism, I still await the remake that proves me wrong. I am still very interested in seeing what “The Little Mermaid” looks like in three dimensions and “Peter Pan & Wendy” looks promising, especially since David Lowrey of “Pete’s Dragon,” “The Old Man & The Gun” and “The Green Knight” is directing. But I’m not holding my breath.
What I don’t understand is why Disney bothers to remake their classics with little differences to the point where 2019’s “The Lion King” felt like a soulless shot-for-shot remake. Instead, I would love for Disney to focus their efforts on reimagining films that either failed the first time around or are well-respected but still have flaws that could be cured with a remake. 1996’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” distinctly falls into the latter category.
Despite being well-received by critics and audience as well as making plenty at the box office, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” isn’t held in as high of esteem as previous films of Disney’s Renaissance period. However, upon reexamination, the film has held up extraordinarily well for being a wonderful story of compassion and a relatively darker film than what Disney was used to back then or even today.
Set in Paris during the fifteenth century, the animated film centers on Quasimodo (voiced by Tom Hulce), a deformed hunchback who lives in the towers of Notre Dame, ringing the bells for all of the city to hear. While he desperately would like to be a part of society, his master Judge Claude Frollo (voiced by Tony Jay) tells him that Quasimodo’s ugliness will make him an outcast of society and that the only friend he can rely on is Frollo. However, Frollo is a deeply monstrous individual who uses his power to scrounge out in the name of God those he deems evil, especially the gypsies. Things become complicated when Quasimodo is saved by a gypsy named Esmerelda (voiced by Demi Moore) and, in turn, Quasimodo decides to rise up against Frollo and save his new friend and her people.
Without writing a full review of the film, it has held up extraordinarily well upon rewatching it. The characters are so vivid, especially the hero and the villain while the music of composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz is some of the best ever made for a Disney film. In particular, the song “Hellfire” is the greatest tune ever composed for a villain. This is what songs like “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and “Be Prepared” were building up to. The film’s scale is so massive with incredible angles and a grand, operatic sense to it all.
Imagine imagery like this in live action. Just please get someone to sing the song who has a good vocal range.
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” was also a particularly risky film for Disney to make considering the original Victor Hugo novel, which the film is loosely based on, is incredibly dark. Despite being a G rated film meant for families, the film has a twisted side to it which gives it an adult edge.
However, the film does have its flaws, particular in regards to humor. When the film is trying to be a grand story of the beauty we see versus what’s inside of a person, it’s truly outstanding. When it’s trying to be funny with some gargoyles as comic relief, it does stagger.
Regardless, the film was good enough to warrant an adaptation in a different medium. During the Disney Renaissance, the studio not only sought to revitalize their hold on animation, but to also expand to the stage. After bringing “Beauty and The Beast” to Broadway, Disney took a big risk with Julie Taymor’s human/puppet hybrid adaptation of “The Lion King.” It paid off big time with the musical still running to this day (the third longest running Broadway show in history) and becoming the highest grossing Broadway production of all time.
Following these two hits, Disney commissioned a new stage show to be made in Berlin with hopes that it would eventually make its way to America. Despite a more limited budget compared to the previous Disney stage musicals, this gave more freedom to playwright James Lapine (who wrote the Berlin version of the show) and to Menken and Schwartz. While the Berlin version did rework the story, especially the ending, this musical was essentially a stage version of the film. It wasn’t until the stage show made its way to California in 2014 that a version that truly differentiated itself from the original film emerged. This is the version that needs to be remade by Disney.
Written by Peter Parnell, the American stage version of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” served as a bridge between the animated film and the original novel. Instead of being a judge, as depicted in the film, Frollo is a priest which touches upon the book’s theme of corruption within the church. While Frollo’s lust for Esmerelda is hinted at in the film, it’s explicit in the musical. His backstory is also delved into with the reason he raised Quasimodo being completely different from the film. While many plot points remain the same, the ending of the musical is wildly different and is much more faithful to the ending Victor Hugo wrote. What makes this adaptation of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” truly distinguished is how it thrives in the dark, gothic elements of the book.
By taking the dark story of the stage musical and bringing it to life in an epic film, a remake of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” could result in a fantastic film from Disney.
With Disney repurposing so many of their animated films, this is the perfect source material to use for a “Hunchback of Notre Dame” remake. While it is unlikely that Disney would ever make an R-rated film based on one of their animated classics, it would be a massive artistic risk that I think is worth taking. However, there are some concessions that must be granted to the storytellers that cannot be changed, especially by the studio.
First of all, Quasimodo has to be ugly. I mean, really hideous. While he’s not traditionally good-looking in the animated film, you can still look at him and instantly see a kind soul. In live-action, the makeup of Quasimodo needs to look more like Lon Chaney’s from the 1923 silent film. He needs to be tough to look at which makes the kindness he shows as well as the kindness Esmerelda gives him all the more meaningful.
Also, it has to be R-rated. This cannot be changed. To make an adaptation of the stage adaptation without this rating would be insulting. While Disney’s subsidiaries, like 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures, are comfortable with this, Walt Disney Studios has never made an R-rated film. This could be the first. And what a grand film it could be. Who knows, maybe it could be the first Disney film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
However, I understand that this is a big risk. After all, we’re talking about remaking a Disney classic by using a musical that never even made it to Broadway. There’s also a reason why Disney keeps making remakes that don’t bother to differentiate themselves from the original with the exception of animated lines. It’s because they make money. Remakes like “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” not only made a lot of money, but they’re some of the highest grossing films Disney has ever made. Why would Disney change this formula?
However, just this once, is it too much to ask for Disney to let a filmmaker take some big artistic risks and make a remake that actually tries to outdo the original while being a different animal altogether. I don’t think so but we’ll just have to see. In the meantime, if you have the opportunity to see the stage show, I’d highly recommend it. You can also listen to the 2015 cast album which has music that manages to outdo the grand choirs and incredible themes of the original, Oscar-nominated score. If you’re looking for a stage musical adaptation that manages to justify its own existence while taking some bold risks, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” is worth examining.
