Seen by many as the spiritual successor to "Beauty and the Beast" (it was done by the same filmmaking team, was set in France, and even sees a cameo from Belle in an early musical number), it’s the kind of grandiose, serious-minded musical that could easily be translated to the big screen. (It was also successfully adapted for the stage, in a European production that was said to be a favorite of former Disney bigwig Michael Eisner.) What many saw as the film’s adult themes and more mature subject matter would be more easily digestible in live-action form. A lost, late-era masterpiece, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" deserves to be appreciated by a whole new audience.
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