The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of the best movies from Disney’s Renaissance Era, and it is rumored to be Disney’s next live-action remake. The movie is a musical-animated epic released on June 21, 1996, directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise. Tom Hulce, Tony Jay, Kevin Kline, and Demi Moore all expertly lend their voice talents to the film, and it includes extremely catchy and memorable songs written by musical legends Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a marvel of its time; it is beautifully animated and has had a lasting impact on generations of viewers. However, even at a time when everything seems to be getting a reboot, Quasimodo the Hunchback has seemingly been left behind.
Disney seems less interested in moving forward with this project and instead continues to pursue other ideas. A live-action portrayal of Lilo & Stitch is coming in May, along with a live-action Moana sequel starring the returning Dwayne «The Rock» Johnson the following year. Talks of a live-action reboot of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame go back as far as 2019, with famous Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang attached to pen the script. The story will reportedly take the darker elements of the original Victor Hugo novel and splice them with lighthearted Disney fun. However, the future of this Disney live-action remake is uncertain.
Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on April 10, 2025: After the disappointing box office and massive controversy surrounding Disney’s live-action Snow White, all of the studio’s upcoming live-action remakes have uncertain futures. With rumors of certain films getting canceled and others remaining curiously underproduced, the fate of Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame remake isn’t clear. This article is updated to include the latest information about this potential remake and reflect CBR’s current formatting standards.
What is The Hunchback of Notre Dame About?
Quasimodo is One of Disney's Sweetest Characters
Thematically, The Hunchback of Notre Dame doesn’t seem too different from other well-known Disney stories. It is a classic underdog story about the oppressed uniting forces to take down a tyrannical villain. However, the animated movie effectively translates the source material’s passion for France’s gothic architecture onto the big screen, as well as rescues dark elements of Hugo’s story. Set in 1482, The Hunchback of Notre Dame follows Quasimodo, a lonely bell-ringer confined in Notre Dame against his wishes. His uttermost desire is to explore the world outside and find acceptance among strangers, but his cruel foster father, Claude Frollo, won’t let him.
It’s no secret that Disney fans have voiced their opinions on the lack of original stories in this new era. For over a decade, Disney has elected to return to their wishing well and create nostalgic live-action reboots of beloved properties. This practice, more often than not, draws criticism from fans. However, that doesn’t seem to affect the box office at all, as the reboots of The Lion King, Aladdin, and Alice in Wonderland have all earned over a billion dollars. And as of recently, with original movies like Strange New World and Wish failing to meet box office standards — and sequels like Moana 2 breaking records and topping over a billion dollars, Disney seems to be sticking to what has already worked in the past.
What Could The Hunchback of Notre Dame's Live-Action Reboot Look Like?
The Film is Currently in "Hollywood Purgatory"
Disney’s live-action reboots are not often well-received critically. The “live-action reboot” moniker has become notorious among audiences as a sign of classic movies being re-done without creativity. Of course, that in no way means that the live-action treatment is impossible. Movies like Christopher Robin and The Jungle Book have shown audiences that this way of rebooting familiar stories can work. It’s usually an extremely smart financial decision, and some classic stories would be perfect for the treatment. One of which, of course, is The Hunchback of Notre Dame. As per the original announcement, in the live-action version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, David Henry Hwang would be joined by the original Oscar-winning team behind the music and composition of the 1996 version, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. Menken was involved in dozens of entertainment classics, such as Disney masterpieces like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Newsies, Tangled, and Hercules. Menken is also known for creating music for the 1986 gem Little Shop of Horrors.
Stephen Schwartz is mostly known for his endeavors on the stage, writing music and lyrics for the world-class musicals Godspell, Pippin, and Wicked. Both musicians have worked together before to create masterful works like The Hunchback of Notre Dame and another Disney Renaissance film, Pocahontas. At first, this announcement created a lot of positive buzz for a project that otherwise could have been seen as, “just another Disney reboot.” The ideas surrounding The Hunchback of Notre Dame reboot consist of a darker tone more fitting to the original novel. Even Disney’s 1996 adaptation was more grim than some families were expecting. It dealt with themes of religion, abuse, love, and what makes someone a human or a monster. However, the Disney magic softened some of the darker elements of the original story (the 1831 gothic novel written by Victor Hugo).
Today’s Disney film standards may be even stricter. There’s a chance that a live-action remake could put less emphasis on complex and intense topics that children might not understand, opting instead for silly moments and removing the gargoyles altogether. However, if Disney were to take more of a risk and trust their audience, leaning into darker themes while still keeping the film appropriate for children, The Hunchback of Notre Dame’s live-action remake could have a greater chance of success.
Is the Hunchback of Notre Dame Reboot Canceled?
After Five Years of Little to No News, a Producer Gives an Uncertain Update
One of the first to speak about how The Hunchback of Notre Dame live-action movie may never materialize was its composer, Alan Menken. Interviewed by Comicbook.com, Menken provided an unfortunate take on the current state of things. He said:
I have no idea. It’s a tough one, because 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.
Similar unfortunate updates came from Roy Conli, a producer on the animated version of the story. Recently, he voiced his thoughts on the remake after a noticeable lack of updates since the initial announcement in 2019. Like fans, Conli also wasn’t sure whether the film is still in development. “I too have heard rumors of that. I don’t have any solid information on that,” he said. “But I do think it’s interesting. I would love to. I think that could be a stunning one. I think that’s Alan Menken’s most beautiful score. I absolutely adore that score.”
The only solid idea of what the film’s status may be comes from the production company Mandeville Films and Disney voice legend Josh Gad. Mandeville co-owner David Hoberman has largely pushed the idea of The Hunchback of Notre Dame live-action reboot alongside fellow producer Josh Gad, both of whom worked on The Beauty and the Beast live-action remake in 2017, in which Josh Gad also starred. On Instagram, Gad said, «The script is one of the best I have read and hopefully the powers that be will see this love and let us make the live-action adaptation the original animated film deserves.» However, for now, it seems that The Hunchback of Notre Dame will not be ringing any bells in theaters anytime soon. Hopefully, that will change one day, as many Disney fans still have their hearts set on the movie.
Disney's Latest Live-Action Reboot Could Dictate the Future
Snow White Has the Potential to End Disney's Live-Action Trend
After Disney’s latest live-action reboot, The Hunchback of Notre Dame may be in deeper trouble than before. Snow White has been subject to intense controversy, ranging from the casting of Rachel Zegler to its decision to replace the seven dwarves with CGI-rendered replicants. The film quickly became one of the most infamous releases in Disney’s live-action library, sparking fierce debate online long before it even hit theaters. Snow White’s mixed reviews didn’t help its case, leading to a lukewarm debut at the box office. Analysts worry the film could lose Disney upward of $100 million, putting all future live-action reboots in serious jeopardy.
It’s unclear which of Disney’s upcoming live-action remakes are in trouble. Imminent releases like Lilo & Stitch are safe, given they are completed and ready for release. Moana is also in good standing, with production already completed on the project. However, there have already been rumblings about the fates of other projects that were further out on Disney’s release slate. The first of these projects to feel the wrath of Bob Iger is Tangled, which the studio reportedly canceled following Snow White’s disappointing box office numbers. This cancellation doesn’t bode well for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which was already in trouble long before Snow White came out. However, Snow White’s failure doesn’t necessarily doom all future live-action reboots.
If Lilo & Stitch and Moana perform well, there is still a chance that Disney will continue to deliver remakes of their classic animated films. Hercules is also officially still in pre-production, with the Russo Brothers heavily involved in bringing the story to life. While Snow White certainly struck a blow to fans hoping to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame in live-action, the battle isn’t over yet. The movie has not been outright canceled, but the silence on production updates has been concerning. Hopefully, one day, fans will be able to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame ring the bells of the cathedral once more.
