Disney Animation has had numerous sequels to its basic films, however only some of them had been despatched into theaters. Walt Disney Studios launched its first animated film in 1937 with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It wasn’t till the Nineteen Nineties that Disney started releasing animated sequels, though most of them went straight to video.
That mentioned, all the best way again in 1990, Disney launched its first animated sequel into theaters, and it wasn’t a film that many would’ve guessed would get one. Since that point, the Mouse Home has been barely choosy about which films it deems deserving of theatrical follow-ups, however latest field workplace success virtually ensures Disney sequels at this level.
This record solely contains Disney animated movies and doesn’t embody these from Disney-owned studios like Pixar.
Return To By no means Land (2002)
Return to By no means Land was a 2002 Disney animated sequel, and the second to go to theaters after Disney started contemplating these vast releases in 1999. Nonetheless, it additionally ended up as one of many worst Disney theatrical films ever made, regardless of the movie it adopted being so beloved. This continued the story of Peter Pan.
Going down years after Peter Pan met Wendy and the 2 had their grand journey, Wendy is now an grownup and a mom of her personal youngsters. Little Jane has no time for make-believe, though her brother Danny desires to be a swashbuckler like his mom’s tales concerning the boy who by no means grew up.
The movie had some attention-grabbing concepts, together with Jane’s refusal to imagine, costing Tinker Bell her magic, and the eventual reunion of Pan, nonetheless a boy, and the now grown-up Wendy. Nonetheless, critics had been lukewarm, giving the movie largely unfavorable evaluations, calling the songs “forgettable” and the story “lackluster.” The magic of Peter Pan was lacking.
The Jungle Guide 2 (2003)
Launched in 2003, The Jungle Guide 2 arrived in theaters 4 many years after the unique film was launched in 1967. The movie picks up after Mowgli resides within the village together with his adopted household, however he realizes he misses his animal pals an excessive amount of. He then runs away and returns to Baloo to dwell once more within the jungle.
Nonetheless, Shere Khan continues to be round, and he desires revenge towards Mowgli for his or her final encounter. The largest downside with this Disney animated sequel is that it simply tells the identical story over again, with Mowgli making an attempt to outlive together with his animal pals because the vicious villain tries to hunt him down.
This may need labored for the straight-to-video sequels Disney had made up up to now, however a theatrical launch wanted extra, each within the high quality of the story and the animation, which was subpar for Disney at this level. This film ended Disney’s theatrical launch of sequels for nearly a decade.
Fantasia 2000 (1999)
Probably the most effective animated Disney sequel in its makes an attempt at bringing outdated films again for brand new followers, Fantasia 2000 had some massive issues going for it. The film adopted one among Disney’s scariest animated films, the unique Fantasia in 1940, and saved each the scares, the sensible summary animation, and the music intact.
This Disney animated sequel expanded on the unique film by introducing eight new animated sequences, and it additionally saved the tendency to make use of classical music because the template. Names like Beethoven, George Gershwin, and Stracinksy had music within the movie, and there have been even some visitor stars like Steve Martin, Bette Midler, and Quincy Jones.
The animation was beautiful and much surpassed the 2 Disney animated sequels that adopted it by leaps and bounds. If Disney had tried to do extra sequels like this, and saved the animation as nice because it was right here, they won’t have stopped after the subsequent two theatrical flops soured the Mouse Home on the thought of theatrical sequels.
The Rescuers Down Below (1990)
It is perhaps a shock to know that the primary animated Disney sequel to display screen in theaters arrived in 1990. Launched in 1990, The Rescuers Down Below was the sequel to the enjoyable 1977 animated movie, The Rescuers, one of many final nice Disney animated releases earlier than a collection of disappointments within the Eighties.
The Rescuers Down Below takes the heroic mice to Australia to assist discover a lacking boy, who was kidnapped by a villainous poacher. This was not solely Disney’s first animated sequel in theaters, however their first animated sequel in any respect, with a brand new administration workforce (together with Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg) deciding to provide it a strive.
The Rescuers Down Below was a unbelievable film, however it did not do nice on the field workplace, solely grossing $47.4 million worldwide. That mentioned, it has a excessive 85% contemporary Rotten Tomatoes rating, and it was a part of the brand new upward development for Disney animation because it entered the ’90s and ready for its revival.
Moana 2 (2024)
Moana 2 was a 2024 Disney animated sequel that continued the story of a younger girl who saved her island village within the final film and spent the final three years exploring different islands, searching for different folks to assist hook up with the ocean. In contrast to the earlier 4 movies, this was a sequel made based mostly solely on field workplace success.
The unique Moana got here out in 2016 and made $687 million on the field workplace, whereas incomes two Oscar nominations. The sequel, which introduced again the voice forged (Auliʻi Cravalho as Moana and Dwayne Johnson because the demigod Maui) and furthered the story from the primary movie. Nonetheless, whereas it was good, it wasn’t as much as the unique film.
Each Moana and Moana 2 had been unbelievable tales a couple of younger girl discovering herself and saving her folks once they want her. In that space, the sequel was successful. Nonetheless, the songs had been a transparent drop from the primary film, and the story simply did not fairly match as much as what got here earlier than, making it the worst of the latest Disney animated sequels.
Zootopia 2 (2025)
Zootopia 2 is the sequel to the smash 2016 Disney animated hit Zootopia. Of all of the latest Disney animated sequels, that is the one which had the longest wait time between films. What’s most stunning is that, whereas it took 9 years to get the sequel, only some weeks handed because the first film ended within the story.
The primary film noticed Judy Hopps turn out to be the primary bunny to make it into the Zootopia police power. She needed to face bigotry contained in the police power and the rampant racism of different animal species in her work as she hunted down kidnapped animals with a shifty fox named Nick Wilde. This time, Nick is Judy’s police officer accomplice.
The film retains the identical themes alive, as a snake exhibits up and individuals are as judgmental and hateful of it as they had been of foxes. Whereas it is a sensible sequel and higher than most authentic films popping out today, it nonetheless falls behind two different Disney animated sequels, however that does not low cost how nice Zootopia 2 is.
Ralph Breaks The Web (2018)
Disney tried one thing completely different when it made Wreck-It Ralph because it was essentially the most Pixar-like film that they had ever made. It had nothing to do with princesses and took the motion inside a online game, one thing that appeared very not like Disney on the time. What resulted was an enormous hit that followers beloved, and it warranted a sequel.
Wreck-It Ralph made $496 million and was nominated for an Oscar. After assembly Ralph, a online game villain who was truly a great man, and Vanellope, a younger girl who was beforehand a glitch in her personal sport, the sequel took their story in an interesting course. As an alternative of retelling the identical story, this was a story about friendship.
That is what all sequels ought to try to do. This confirmed a totally completely different story when Ralph had to determine what his friendship with Vanellope meant when she determined she needed to do one thing else along with her life. It was heartwarming and considerate, and one among Disney’s finest films.
Frozen II (2019)
Ralph Breaks the Web proved that Disney animated sequels might be profitable in theaters. Consequently, it wasn’t a shock that the subsequent film to take action was Disney’s most profitable animated sequel launch. In 2013, Frozen made $1.280 billion on the field workplace, and it was clear Disney had a large hit on its arms.
It took six years to get Frozen 2 made and into theaters as a result of Disney needed to make sure that the story would match as much as the primary, a shock for a significant studio that often makes these selections on a monetary foundation. Frozen II used extra advanced animation tech within the movie and tried to one-up the primary film visually.
This Disney animated sequel follows sisters Anna and Elsa and their pals into an enchanted forest to determine extra about Elsa’s magical powers. It surpassed the primary movie, making $1.453 billion on the field workplace, whereas incomes an Oscar nomination. It was so successful {that a} third film is coming to theaters in 2027.