The Hunchback of Notre Dame II is a 2002 American animated musical film directed by Bradley Raymond. The direct-to-video sequel to the 1996 Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the film was produced by Walt Disney Animation (Japan), Inc., Walt Disney Television International Japan and Walt Disney Television Animation. Critical reception was mostly negative. Plot Some years after the events of the original film, Captain Phoebus serves as Paris' Captain of the Guard under the new Minister of Justice, while he and Esmeralda are now married and have a son named Zephyr. Quasimodo is now an accepted member of Parisian society, though he still lives in Notre-Dame de Paris with his gargoyle friends Victor, Hugo, and Laverne as the cathedral's bell-ringer. A circus troupe led by Sarousch enters town as part of "Le Jour d'Amour" ("The Day of Love"), a day dedicated to the celebration of strong and pure romantic love. Sarousch is secretly a master criminal who plans to steal Notre Dame's most beloved bell, La Fidèle, the inside of which is decorated with beige-gold and enormous jewels. He sends Madellaine, an aspiring trapeze girl in his troupe, to go to Quasimodo and pretend to love him in order to discover the whereabouts of La Fidèle. Madellaine encounters Quasimodo without seeing his face, and the two of them initially get along quite well. Once Madellaine actually sees his face, she is shocked at his deformed appearance and runs away from him. The gargoyles convince Quasimodo to go to the circus to see her again. At the circus, Sarousch captures the audience's attention by making an elephant disappear, while his associates steal from the audience. He pressures Madellaine to follow Quasimodo and obtain the information he needs for his plans. When Madellaine disagrees with this mission, Sarousch reminds her of her past and of the loyalty she owes him: when she was six years old, Madellaine was an orphaned thief who was caught trying to steal coins from Sarousch. He could have turned her over to the authorities or even Frollo; instead, Sarousch took her under his wing and decided to employ her in his circus. Madellaine reluctantly takes the mission to win Quasimodo's trust. After observing Quasimodo fondly playing with Zephyr around town and letting the boy sleep in his arms, Madellaine realizes the hunchback's true nature and ceases to be frightened by his appearance. Quasimodo takes her