Credit: DisneyA well-reputed acting center just announced its Disney theatre lineup for 2024. It includes what many consider to be an impossible live-action remake, especially in the age of “woke.”
Walt Disney Theatre Adaptations
The Walt Disney Company can license out any of its intellectual property, allowing places worldwide to put on a Disney theatrical performance. In some cases, the root story isn’t Walt Disney IP, so that anyone can proceed with an attempt from New York to Los Angeles (and anywhere in between).
Disney Quote: Hunchback of Notre Dame, Clopin | “We find you totally innocent, which is the worst crime of all! So you’re going to pay!”
When people buy tickets for these smaller performances, it propagates the reputation of Walt Disney and supports areas that might be further from Walt Disney World itself. In the case of the Nebraska theatre tackling the challenging remake, the focus is on opportunities for youth and adults.
Disney Quote: Hunchback of Notre Dame, Quasimodo | “If I picked a day to fly, this would be it!”
These projects make stage practice and musical theatre possible even in remote places. And since Walt Disney is so prevalent and popular, it becomes intertwined with musical theater itself.
If a theatre can successfully run a show, it can act as proof of concept for future endeavors. That’s especially true of seemingly impossible remakes, letting actors from everywhere make a Disney mark.
High-Quality Niche Theatre Performing a “Tough” Feat for Walt Disney
Theatre West just announced that its 35th season will include a prominent feature that many have counted as a “tough” Disney live-action adaptation that sits “in limbo.” Yet the Nebraska production facility plans to make the Disney Musical happen.
It might not be a Broadway show or something from a Walt Disney Concert Hall, but the outlay is promising. The first two include a mashup of Little Shop of Horrors, followed by The Play That Goes Wrong, a whodunnit mystery.
Disney Quote: Hunchback of Notre Dame, Esmeralda | “I ask for nothing, I can get by. But I know so many less lucky than I.”
But it’s the grand finale that brings Disney characters out of the woodwork and into the dystopic tale from Victor Hugo. It stands out as one of the most impossible-seeming pieces for Walt Disney World to adapt.
How can Walt Disney Studios stay “woke” while harkening to a darker time filled with discrimination (and keep the magic)?
Hunchback of Notre Dame “Tough” to Produce as Live-Action
Theatre West tackles the piece based on the “1996 Disney film” by staying true to canon, according to the description. It includes Quasimodo, the Feast of Fools, Esmerelda, and Frollo.
Disney Quote: Hunchback of Notre Dame, Esmeralda | “How could such a cruel man have raised someone like you?”
The description issued by the North American production company prompts viewers to question, “What makes a monster, and what makes a man?”
Though producers at Walt Disney have been open about the challenges faced with producing it, this group did not shy away. Despite a limited seating chart, it promises a breathtaking spectacle that will adapt a classic while remaining true to the story.
Disney fans can expect “a sweeping score and powerful story.” It proves that even in an era of high-contest issues in North America and the world, there are still those willing to buy tickets, support acting studies, and entertain in the true spirit of Disney musicals everywhere.
Whether the live-action will succeed is yet to be seen, as the show is booked for a 2024 premiere.
How do you think the live-action adaptation of Hunchback of Notre Dame will work in the United States? Make your mark in the comments below!