Alan Menken | The Hunchblog of Notre Dame

12May 2023

Brief Update on Disney Live-Action of Hunchback

by jess

Disclaimer- I know nothing outside of what is being reported.

Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image — Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

With the upcoming Little Mermaid Live Action version coming out this moth, Alan Menken drop a little update on the Hunchback Live Action version which can be read here; https://comicbook.com/movies/news/alan-menken-shares-update-live-action-hunchback-of-notre-dame-movie-hercules-broadway-exclusive-interview/

In a nutshell, the project is in limbo. Menken mentions the seriousness of the issues that Hunchback deals with and them brings up Hellfire. So it sounds like there COULD be a debate over this the version should be a musical as Menken say they can’t do the version without “Hellfire.”

Of course I could be completely wrong and the question of about it being a musical is not the reason but it does give credence to what Josh Gad said on instagram back in March “and hopefully the powers that be will see this love and let us make the live action adaptation the original animated film deserves.” (source)

Disney’s live action remakes do seems to flirt with making them musical or not. They are very half in half out. Mulan no but Beauty and the Beast yes. Cinderella has some diegetic singing but Little Mermaid will be a musical and then there is Lion King speaking “Be Prepare” but the studio wanted to cut it.

So the Hunchback is in limbo. Perhaps the studio feels like it could be taken more “seriously” without the songs and they can get their precious industry accolades if make it gritter and real which a musical would hindered. But the creatives want the music and the fans seem to want the songs.

Meanwhile Disney let a subsidiary (Searchlight) make a farce version that is Hunchback in name only so who knows what Disney is doing these days.

So TLDR – Hunchback version in Limbo

17Jan 2019

Disney is Remaking Hunchback

by jess

This is the exact reason I still have Google Alerts.

Disney announced today that Hunchback is the next film in their roaster to get a live-action remake. I have been waiting for this day for a long time.

Here is what is know so far. Josh Gad is produce the film. Just a quick note back in late 2015 I did a post which discussed a fan casting that appeared in my google alerts and Josh Gad was their pick for Quasimodo
you can read it here

Josh Gad for Quasimodo picture image — Josh Gad

Now I couldn’t see this casting pick at the time but Gad is an actor so if he DOES follow suit like so many men who have played or have aspired to play Quasimodo to showcase their acting prowess and have a hand in the production, he might be fine in the role.
Just a note, he may not play Quasimodo but there is a trend that men spearheading Hunchback versions do so to play the role, Gad may just want to produce, we will have to wait and see.

Another piece of information we have is they Tony- winning Playwright David Henry Hwang is writing the screenplay and the film will simply be called Hunchback. Like the 1997 version.

Hwang’s work include Chinglish, Yellow Face, Kung Fu, Golden Child, The Dance of the Railroad. He also has worked on Aida, Flower Drum Song, Disney’s Tarzan and M. Butterfly.

It would seem that the remake will take its cue from the 1996 movie and the book and not the stage production.

Also this version will be a musical with Menken and Schwartz heading the music. So that is good.

What do you think? Are you over the Disney live-action remake trend? Are you excited? Are you afraid Disney is going to ruin it?
Thoughts and feelings welcome.

Source – https://www.cnet.com/news/hunchback-of-notre-dame-next-to-get-disney-remake-treatment/
Source – https://deadline.com/2019/01/hunchback-movie-disney-live-action-david-henry-hwang-josh-gad-alan-menken-stephen-schwartz-1202536031/

16Oct 2017

The Hunchback of Notre Dame: The Stage Musical

by jess

The Hunchback of Notre Dame: The Stage Musical

Releasing at the end of the month on October 30th is the The Hunchback of Notre Dame: The Stage Musical. It has arrangements of 17 songs from the stage musical adapted from stage musical and the Disney movie. This collection includes vocal line arrangements with piano accompaniment. Pre-order it here

01Aug 2017

Disney Live-action Hunchback movie! Maybe

by jess

Quaismodo Bells of Notre dame reprise Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

I get a Google-Alert for Hunchback of Notre Dame. However it sucks. Mostly it just tells me about another regional production of Hunchback, which is great or something on Criaglist. To be honest I mostly ignore the alerts. Last Saturday though I got it in my head to just look on Google News for Hunchback when I saw this;

http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame/266641/the-hunchback-of-notre-dame-live-action-remake-considered-by-disney

OR a similar news outlet making this report. Also I think my Google Alert alerted me to this on Monday.

So about the news. It’s not yet happening so to speak but Alan Meken said

“I can’t say anything yet,” Menken said, “but I think Hunchback would make an amazing live action musical.”

Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

So it MIGHT happen. After watching the Beauty and the Beast remake, I think Hunchback is the way for Disney. It really did seemed with the new Beauty and beast movie they were trying to captizle on a movie that studios already thought was near flawless which is why they only changed minor things and did a fairly straight shot for shot remake. What was the point of remaking it other than making money? They could have just re-released the 1991 movie to theater if there weren’t going to adapt the story for the medium more. Say what you want about the 2015 Cinderella movie, at least it was different from the cartoon. Which bring us back to Hunchback.

Disney never liked Hunchback that much. It didn’t make much money ergo it wasn’t successful for Disney. Also the darker tone was turn off for a lot of people. A live-action version could fix a lot of issues and people might be more forgiving of a dark tone. It would be interesting to see what is done with the story. Do they make it more of blend of the musical and the cartoon. Or do they follow the book more? Do we get a more innocent Esmeralda and angry Quasimodo? Do we get a priest/alchemist Frollo? Do we get a Gringoire?

If this movie does get made it brings the total number of Hunchback movie adaptions in production up. Very technically speaking there are three in the works. There is the Max Ryan version (could be in filming hell), there was the version from Esmeralda’s perspective (haven’t heard any new on that one in a long time) and the Universal Monster version (hope The Mummy didn’t kill this being made.) Pretty sure the jazzy Brolin version is dead.

Anyway well we’ll just have to wait and see but I’m up for a new Hunchback version good to bad.

16Mar 2016

Hunchback of Notre Dame Medley Richard Sherman & Alan Menken D23 Expo Disney Songbook

by jess

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mquti8yi-Zo

I love that he liked getting a Razzie for worst song of the year for Newies.

07Feb 2013

Menken still wants the Hunchback Musical to happen

by jess

Alan Menken

Last week I wrote about how with the announcement of the Aladdin Broadway show we shouldn’t except the Hunchback musical anytime soon. However while that is true don’t loss hope that it will never happen. According to an article on Broadway.com there is a line that Alan Menken is “also eyeing bringing and The Hunchback of Notre Dame to Broadway.” This line is at the very end of the article but it shows that Menken is still on board with making the Hunchback musical happen, so maybe it will the show after Aladdin closes.

There is also another article on Broadway.com, that says that Journalist Michael Riedel reports The Hunchback Musical “could be back moving forward as well. ” So we’ll see

But in the mean time you can see a play version of the Hunchback at the Actors Youth Theatre in Glibert Arizona in May.

You can read more here;

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/166837/aladdin-composer-alan-menken-working-on-two-new-musical-projects/

http://broadwayworld.com/article/POLL-Which-Animated-Movie-Musical-Should-Disney-Bring-to-Broadway-Next-20130111#

http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/20130103actors-youth-theatre-moving-gilbert.html?nclick_check=1

20Dec 2011

Der Glöckner von Notre Dame Intro

by jess

Der Glöckner von Notre Dame

Der Glöckner von Notre Dame is a German musical based on the Disney version. It premiered in Berlin in 1999 and it’s music and lyrics were written by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz respectfully. This was the first musical Disney produced that premiered in another country and it was one of Germany’s longest running musicals, it ran for 3 years.

What makes the musical great is that it does a great job of mitigating between the Disney version and the original book. The characters are more fleshed out and the childish tone is taken away even with the gargoyles (yup they’re in the musical too).

Both Menken and Schwartz have confirmed that there will be Broadway version of Der Glöckner von Notre Dame and it will be called The Hunchback of Notre Dame even though Der Glöckner von Notre Dame doesn’t mean “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” it means “The Bell-ringer of Notre Dame” but whatever, I’m sure it’s a marketing thing. This talk of an American version has been in the works since 2008, so don’t get excited till some casting has been announced. Other question is how much are they going to revamp for the American version. I hope they don’t change the ending.

Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast

Broadway version of The Little Mermaid

Broadway version of The Lion King

With American version on Broadway it will follow in the other Disney musicals like; Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Aladdin; Mary Poppins and the upcoming The Jungle Book and Dumbo.

Disclaimer- I just wanted to say that for this review keep a few things in mind, #1 I don’t speak German (I can read translations but translation are not always great) and #2 since there is no official performance recording (at least that I know of), pictures will be minimal. I’ll try to find some but can’t promises lots of pictures in every post I do on Der Glöckner von Notre Dame.

Next Time- Plot

Frollo and Quasimodo Der Glöckner von Notre Dame

28Sep 2011

Hunchback of Notre Dame Score

by jess

Frollo singing Hellfire Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Let’s us now concluded the musical portion of Hunchback with probably the strongest aspect of it; Alan Menken’s Score. The Hunchback of Notre Dame has one of the best score that Disney has ever produced. Menken was inspired by Mozart’s Requiem Mass and there a lot of dark tonalities to the Music which in conclude Latin chanting which add to the gothic nature of tone to the movie. When I say Gothic I referring to the building of Notre Dame and not the genre of the Victor Hugo’s book. The score also has a lot of Leitmotifs (referring to a recurring theme associated with a particular person, place, or idea.)

Quasimodo during Out There Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Frollo singing Hellfire Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Esmeralda singing God Help the Outcast Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

Quasimodo = Out There, Frollo =Hellfire, Phoebus has this march that is heard a lot when ever he appears on the screen, and Esmeralda = God Help The Outcasts. Clopin doesn’t seem to get one because he is always singing. You can hear the song tune throughout the movie. Track 4 Humiliation has the tunes of Out There and God help the Outcast.

: Quasimodo declares Sanctuary for Esmeralda

So while the songs are pretty hit and miss, the score is strong. My Favorite track is defiantly Sanctuary!, it over the top and dramatic. Plus I’m a fan of Latin choir, it maybe a cliche but they really do make everything sound much more epic

Next time a slight Rant and Plea to Disney

22Sep 2011