The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film) June 21, 1996 to generally positive reviews and was a commercial success, grossing over $325 million worldwide and becoming the fifth highest-grossing release of 1996. The film received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Menken's musical score. A darker, more Gothic stage adaptation of the film, was rewritten and directed by James Lapine and produced by Walt Disney Theatrical in Berlin, Germany, as "Der Glöckner von Notre Dame", and ran from 1999 to 2002. A direct-to-video sequel, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame II", was released in 2002. In 1482 Paris, Clopin, a gypsy puppeteer, narrates the origin of
Captain Phoebus the gypsy hideout, before Frollo attacks but they are too late and all are captured. In the climactic battle, Phoebus rallies the French citizens to fight against Frollo's thugs and liberate their city. He pursues Frollo into the cathedral and witnesses both Frollo and Quasimodo fall from the balcony, catching Quasimodo in time to save his life. In the aftermath, Phoebus steps down to let Quasimodo have his turn with Esmeralda, but then Quasimodo finally accepts Phoebus as a good friend and blesses his romance with Esmeralda, to the couple's delight. In Disney's 2002 direct-to-video sequel, "The Hunchback of Notre