Even before the rise of the MCU, film studios searched for successful content for franchises. In the world of animation, this was done frequently in the 90s and 2000s, with the rise of direct-to-video releases. Some of these sequels would even see theatrical releases.
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Occasionally this resulted in an enjoyable film, likeLion King 2: Simba’s Pride,or even ones that surpassed the original likeShrek 2.More often than not, however, these sequels were pale imitations of the originals, or they missed what made the original so good.
‘An American Tail: Fievel Goes West’ (1991)
At the time of release,An American Tailwas the highest-grossing animated film. Directed byDon Bluthand produced bySteven Spielberg,the story told the captivating tale of a family of Jewish mice trying to immigrate to America and their son Fievel who gets separated during the crossing. After Bluth left the partnership, Spielberg opened his own animation company, Amblimation, and made Fievel their mascot.
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Amblimation’s first film was a sequel that saw Fievel and his family moving out west and fighting off evil cats. Unfortunately, it lacks the mature themes that Bluth put into the first film, relying more on slapstick comedy and western tropes. The film even has Fievel turn the hat he received from his father into a cowboy hat, which is the perfect representation of this film’s attitude towards the original.
‘Belle’s Magical World’ (1998)
Beauty and the Beastis the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture thanks to its beautiful songs, amazing animation, and wonderful characters. It’s no surprise then that Disney would try to milk it for everything it was worth, first by releasingThe Enchanted Christmas,and then by trying to make a television series, both set during Belle’s time at the castle. The television series didn’t manifest, but some episodes were combined into a film.
Everything good about the original is absent in this one. The animation is worse than some of Disney’s TV shows at the time and results in awful animation errors. While all the characters-writing suffer, the Beast has it worst, acting more childish and temperamental than ever despite the character growth he had by this time.
‘The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy To The Rescue’ (1998)
Bluth’s first film after departing Disney was a chance for him to prove the beauty of hand-drawn animation when Disney was slacking. While the film didn’t do well financially, it was beloved by audiences and critics. To this day,The Secret of NIMHis consideredone of Bluth’s best films, if not his best.
Bluth had no involvement with the sequel, which saw Mrs. Brisby’s son, Timmy, chosen as the hero of a prophecy awkwardly retconned into the first movie. It was rightfully panned for replacing the dark and mystical atmosphere of the first film with painful songs and unfunny comic relief. However, it does haveEric Idleas a crazy villain near the end: it’s not good, but it is memorable.
‘FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue’ (1998)
Among the environmentally friendly stories released in the 80s and 90s,FernGully: The Last Rainforestwas one of the most successful. Directed byBill Kroyer,it told an environmentally conscious message about the Australian rainforest with beautiful animation andRobin Williamsas a rapping bat. While Kroyer’s animation studiowould be shut down in 1994, 20tCentury Fox made a direct-to-video sequel.'
None of the original cast reprised their roles, and the animation and story took a massive hit. The art style looks closer to children’s sketches of the original characters, while the story shifts to animal capture instead of deforestation. This could have worked, but it’s diluted by sub-plots of the fairies getting distracted by the human world, a girl trying to be a clown, and befriending a dog.
‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2’ (2002)
One of Disney’s darkest films was their adaptation ofVictor Hugo’sclassic novel. While they toned down the story in some places to entertain general audiences, the film still kept many of the book’s mature themes and boasts some of Disney’s most impressive animation. It also made a bold decision by having Quasimodo not enter a relationship with Esmeralda, but still find acceptance in himself and society.
When the sequel announced it was giving Quasimodo a girlfriend, many saw that as cheapening the original message. The story beats you over the head with its simplified themes of inner beauty, down to including a bell in Notre Dame with an interior covered in jewels. The animation is awful, even among direct-to-DVD sequels, with the characters moving stiffly and looking slightly off-model.
‘Atlantis: Milo’s Return’ (2003)
Atlantis: The Lost Empirewas an ambitious attempt for Disney to break into the action-adventure genera after a decade of musicals. While it has since gathered a strong cult following, it was a financial disappointment at the time. This killed ideas for a new television series that would focus on Milo and the gang going around the world and solving mysteries tied to ancient legends.
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Three episodes had been created before the project was canceled, so Disney slapped them together. This results in a disjointed narrative, which sees Team Atlantis going on three unrelated adventures with a flimsy story holding it all together. At least they were able to get all the original voice actors back except forMichael J. Fox.
‘Shrek the Third’ (2007)
Shrekis a game-changing film that helped cement 3D animation as the successor to hand drawn. Its sequel was one of those rare ones considered better than the original. The third film, however, was a bit of a step back as it tried to juggle the story of King Harold dying, Shrek seeking the heir to the throne, Prince Charming taking over Far Far Away, and Shrek coming to terms with parenthood.
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While it was ambitious to tackle all these sup-plots and more, ultimately not enough time could be given to them. This results in a jumbled film that tries to juggle comedic and heartfelt moments, while still offering satire on classic fairytale tropes. Still, the cast is as good as ever and bolstered byJustin Timberlakeand Eric Idle.
‘Cars 2’ (2011)
While the firstCarsis not one of Pixar’s strongest films, it does its job of entertaining kids and ended with a strong ending about humility and compassion over personal glory. The sequel takes a very different approach, as Lightning McQueen joins a world grand Prix to promote a new eco-friendly fuel source. His best friend Mater, meanwhile, gets mistaken for an American spy and is picked up by two British agents to help stop a criminal mastermind.
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If it wasn’t for the fact that characters from the first film appear in this one, they don’t even feel like they take place in the same universe. The first film was a small story about the trappings of fame, while this one has environmental messages, commentary on big business,Get Smartparodies, and plenty of death and destruction. When the third film was released in 2017, they wisely ignored this one.
‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ (2018)
Wreck-It Ralphgave audiences one of Disney’s best messages about how you are not defined by your job or your social standing, but by your character. The sequel, meanwhile, sees Ralf and Vanelope go into the internet to save Sugar Rush from being unplugged. While there, they interact with Disney Princesses, become online celebrities, and learn about letting friends go sometimes.
The problem comes from the message, which stems from Vanelope wanting to ditch Sugar Rush to live in a grittier racing game called Slaughter Race. The first film hammered in the dangers of abandoning your game for another for both the person involved and the rest of the game’s inhabitants. Yet Vanelope gets to abandon her duties as a princess and Suger Rush’s most popular racer because she’s bored.
