The Hunchback of Notre Dame

A deformed bell-ringer must assert his independence from a vicious government minister in order to help his friend, a gypsy dancer.

thumb|The eastern view of the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris, France. In 1482 Paris, Clopin, a gypsy puppeteer, narrates the story of a mysterious bell-ringer to a group of children (“The Bells of Notre Dame”). A group of Roma immigrating to Paris are ambushed by Judge Claude Frollo, Paris’ Minister of Justice, and his soldiers. One woman attempts to flee with her baby, reaching the doors of Notre Dame pleading for sanctuary. Frollo chases her down and kills her on the cathedral’s steps. Seeing her baby’s deformed appearance, Frollo tries to drown the child but is stopped by the archdeacon. Afraid for his soul, Frollo reluctantly agrees to raise the child as his own, naming him Quasimodo and hiding him away in the cathedral’s bell tower.

Twenty years later, Quasimodo has grown into a strong and agile yet isolated young man, his only company being a trio of living stone gargoyles. The gargoyles encourage him to attend the annual Festival of Fools, despite Frollo’s warnings that he would be shunned for his appearance (“Out There”). Quasimodo attends and is celebrated for his appearance (“Topsy Turvy”) but then, prompted by Frollo’s guards, is humiliated by the crowd. He is rescued by Esmeralda, a kind gypsy woman who stands up to Frollo for his tyranny. Frollo orders Esmeralda’s arrest, but she escapes. Quasimodo retreats back into the cathedral, followed by Esmeralda and Captain Phoebus of Frollo’s guard. Phoebus refuses to arrest her for witchcraft inside Notre Dame and instead tells Frollo that she has claimed asylum (“God Help the Outcasts”). Esmeralda finds and befriends Quasimodo, who helps her escape Notre Dame out of gratitude for defending him. She entrusts Quasimodo with a pendant containing a map to the gypsy hideout called the Court of Miracles. Frollo deve