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
Clopin Trouillefou by Michael Surrey. As well as narrating the whole film, Clopin introduces the film and begins the story with the song "The Bells of Notre Dame," where he introduces the audience to the story by explaining how Quasimodo, the bell ringer from Notre Dame, ended up there. He also sings "Topsy Turvy" about the traditional Parisian "Feast of Fools," also known as Twelfth Night held every year on January 6. Clopin wears two main costumes during the film: a jester suit (seen to the right), which he wears at the Festival of Fools; he also wears a similar costume in