Welcome to fine tuning with Dude Taylor, your one-stop shop when it comes to animation news and commentary.

I'm Drew's co-host, entertainer writer Jim Hill, and he and I are recording the show on Monday, June 21st,

the longest day of the year, and did you see this piece that day in the New York Times?

Yes, I did. I mean, it looked very familiar to me, Jim, because I did.

It did the same thing to me. It's one of these things where it's like,

didn't Drew tell the story of Hellfire, the issues with that?

And I was trying to chase down when you did that piece, so we could talk about it.

But in the meantime, I came across this story that you did for Collider in last year

about the early, early auditions for a hunchback, and well, let's start with Meatloaf.

Really? Yes. Well, it made me think, you know, we just lost Jim Steinman.

And I've always thought after hearing about Meatloaf, what it would have been like to have

a Meatloaf, Jim Steinman, Disney animated movie. I mean, can you imagine that, Jim?

Holy cow. But they did come to him without there, right?

Yes, they came to him. Gary Trosedale said that he read for it. He was almost cast,

but I guess talks broke down before they put them to paper.

But before we get the wonderful Tom Holtz, and he did such an amazing job with quasi-booking,

between Meatloaf and Tom Holtz, we had somebody else said, can you please talk about that?

Yes. So I guess this story is recounted in the New York Times. I have not had a chance to read

that one yet. There's a lot of hunchback material out there today. So apparently there was a

casting session in New York, and Mandy Patinkin came there, and it was Alan, Steven Schwartz,

and Kirk and Gary, the directors. And he had a piano, and he had his own accompanist,

and he rearranged the entire song. And this is with Alan Minkin and Steven Schwartz in the room.

...