Disney

It happens all the time – a successful movie just can’t get enough of the attention, so they make a sequel. All film companies do it, but did you know that Disney was one of the first to make sequels a normal thing? With their direct-to-movie sequels, there are many that you may not even know existed. We list the best and the worst Disney sequels below!

1. THE LITTLE MERMAID II: RETURN TO THE SEA (2000)

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 The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea tells the tale of Ariel and Eric’s daughter Melody and her path to find herself. Ironically, Ariel shelters her daughter from the sea, just as her father King Triton sheltered Ariel from the land, which of course causes the same familial difficulties as it does in the first film. While The Little Mermaid II isn’t a classic like the original, it certainly is worth your time!

2. RETURN TO NEVERLAND (2002)

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Peter Pan: Return to Neverland was the sequel that we didn’t ask for (and kind of wish didn’t exist). The original Peter Pan is a classic tale that lives in the hearts of people everywhere, and certainly a favourite Disney classic, but the sequel – not so much. Despite our deeply mixed feelings about Return to Neverland, it was a financial success earning $110 million worldwide at the box office – go figure.

3. CINDERELLA II: DREAMS DO COME TRUE (2002)

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Cinderella is one of the most beloved Disney films of all time and ends with the classic “Happily Ever After” – but apparently not. In 2002, Disney felt the need to release Cinderella’s sequel, Dreams Do Come True. The story follows on from the first, telling the tale of Cinderella’s new life adjusting to royalty, and while it was certainly not necessary, it isn’t all bad. We see Cinderella’s evil stepsister Anastasia in a whole new light, and our favourite witch comes back with a “bibidy bobidy boo!”

4. CINDERELLA III: A TWIST IN TIME

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But wait! Disney didn’t stop there! Despite Cinderella II’s lack of success, Disney decided to try one last time with Cinderella III: A Twist in Time and it was surprisingly a success! Released in 2007 as a direct-to-video sequel, it accumulated approximately $92 million in video sales and holds a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This is often chalked up to the fact that Disney added depth to the characters of Cinderella and moved away from the one dimensional and stereotypical characters we have previously come to know.

5. THE LION KING II: SIMBA’S PRIDE

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The Lion King is one of the most successful and well-known Disney films of all time. It was so loved by all that it became the highest grossing animated film of all time. The direct-to-video sequel has a large amount of the same voice actors, which worked in its favour, and followed the tale of two packs torn apart by their ideologies, only to come together in true Romeo and Juliet style by two young lovers. While The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride has nothing on the original, it is still a great film!

6. ALADDIN: THE RETURN OF JAFAR

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The Return of Jafar was the first Disney film to be made into a sequel in 1994 following the massive success of Aladdin in 1992, which grossed over $500 million worldwide. In the sequel, Jafar returns in order to seek revenge on Aladdin and his friends with the help of a foolish thief in an attempt to make his way back into a powerful position. Lacking creativity, the film only scored 33% on Rotten Tomatoes, but this did not concern Disney, who made a third film, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, released in 1996. While neither of the sequels is entirely awful, they also did not need to exist. Often predictable and one-dimensional, they probably aren’t worth your time.

7. TOY STORY II

Okay, here me out on this one – I’m just going to say – Toy Story II was better than the original – THERE I SAID IT! While this may be an unpopular opinion, the Disney/Pixar sequel (the first of many in the franchise) holds a perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes – maybe it’s not such an unpopular opinion after all! Toy Story II introduces a range of new characters that we come to love throughout the franchise and captivates the hearts of all with its beautiful stories of friendship and love.

So, how many of these have you seen? Did you love or hate them? What did we miss?