5 Disney Sequels That Were As Good As the Original & 5 That Missed the Mark

5 Disney Sequels That Were As Good as the Original & 5 That Missed the Mark

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks of the best and worst animated sequels from Disney and Pixar. Watch out for spoilers!

#5: Missed the Mark: “Cinderella II: Dreams Come True” (2002)

Anthology movies can be hit or miss and this “Cinderella” sequel is definitely the latter. The film is comprised of three short stories - light, comic and mostly pointless. The Jaq-led anecdote, “Tall Tail” is especially bland. It’s not all bad though. It’s fun to see Cinderella finding her feet around the palace and Anastasia’s budding romance with the baker is actually adorable. The red-headed step-sister gets some interesting character growth and an even bigger role in the next movie. “Cinderella III: A Twist in Time” is a bizarre but entertaining time travel caper and a vast improvement on the second film.

#5: Just as Good: “Incredibles 2” (2018)

There may have been a size-able time gap between “Incredibles” one and two, but when it comes to quality, that didn’t affect it. Fast-paced storytelling, engaging characters and fantastic animation leave us with few complaints about this action-packed sequel. With Elastigirl bringing home the bacon, Bob Parr has been recast as a stay-at-home dad, dealing with the problems of his superpowered off-spring. This now includes baby Jack-Jack, whose newfound skills provide some of the movie’s funniest moments. There’s a lot of slapstick in this one and it’s a real treat. However, as in the original, there’s also warmth, wit and plenty for the adults to enjoy as well as the kids.

#4: Missed the Mark: “Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World” (1998)

On the surface, “Journey to a New World” is decent as Disney sequels go. It takes the characters in new and interesting directions and some of the songs are great. However, both “Pocahontas” and its ill-advised sequel become extremely problematic when you dig into the real life of the heroine, whose tale was ultimately a tragic one. The original movie was criticized for its historical inaccuracies as well as for creating a fictionalized romance with John Smith. This one takes things a step further by romanticizing Pocahontas’s relationship with John Rolfe, who was the real-life Pocahontas’ husband. Disney’s Rolfe is set up as a foil to the adventuring, ignorant Smith. He’s depicted as a nice guy who learns to respect Pocahontas’s culture and her independent spirit. Sadly, this was reportedly far from the truth.

#4: Just as Good: “The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea” (2000)

Okay, maybe it’s not as good. But it would be a shame to exclude “The Little Mermaid II” from this list, as it’s one of the most ambitious Disney sequels, and it mostly works. Kids love a child protagonist, and the success of the later “Descendants” franchise has proven that Disney fans can’t resist a next generation story. This was the first sequel to turn a Disney princess into a parent and it’s fun to see how Ariel’s daughter turned out. Is Melody just a little bit annoying? Yes. But her dreams of becoming a mermaid were far more relatable back in the day than Ariel’s desire to be human. After all, why would you want legs when you could be a mermaid princess?

#3: Missed the Mark: “Mulan II” (2004)

Disney sequels love to show us what happened after the happily-ever-after, but couldn’t “Mulan II” have focused on something other than the heroine’s relationship problems? The movie’s thin plot follows a newly coupled-up Mulan and Li Shang, who are tasked with taking the Emperor’s three daughters across the country to meet their future husbands. Mulan is conflicted because she doesn’t approve of arranged marriages. Shang thinks they should just get on with the job. This mostly involves keeping the girls away from mission escorts Yao, Ling and Chien-Po, because clearly they’re irresistible. Meanwhile Mushu - no longer voiced by Eddie Murphy - is trying to break up Shang and Mulan for convoluted plot reasons. It’s awful, but there are a couple of fun songs.

#3: Just as Good: “Inside Out 2” (2024)

The best sequels let their characters grow and change and “Inside Out 2” is a perfect example of this. In the first movie, we’re inside the mind of eleven year old Riley. In the sequel, our heroine hits her teenage years. The anthropomorphised emotions that we’ve grown to know and love - Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger - are joined by some new friends, and they really change the game. Ennui, Envy, Embarrassment and Anxiety are on a mission to befriend the popular kids and keep Riley afloat at camp, but will she lose herself along the way? It’s a moving and clever exploration of being a teenager that will appeal to the little ones too.

#2: Missed the Mark: “The Return of Jafar” (1994)

Take the first five episodes of a planned Saturday-morning style kids show, remove Robin Williams as the Genie and add more of the comedy parrot. Then stitch it all together and release it as Disney’s first direct-to-video sequel. No wonder “The Return of Jafar” was a dud. Following fallout between Robin Williams and the studios for his “Aladdin” contract, Homer Simpson actor Dan Castellanata stepped into the breach as Genie. He does his best, but the script doesn’t help matters. It’s not serving anybody, in fact, except Iago, who is difficult to build a whole movie around. Williams did return for the third film “King of Thieves,” which explores Aladdin’s relationship with his estranged father and is much more entertaining.

#2: Just as Good: “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride” (1998)

It’s a bold statement to suggest that any Disney sequel could measure up to “The Lion King,” but this is definitely one of the best of the bunch. It’s a tale of star-crossed lovers that follows Simba’s daughter Kiara and Scar’s adopted son Kovu. The story tackles prejudice, over-protective parents and love across social divides, but it’s the songs that set it apart from its competitors. It’s not often a Disney sequel has more than one decent tune, but “The Lion King II” has plenty. “He Lives in You”, “One of Us”, “We Are One”, “Upendi” “Love Will Find a Way” and “My Lullaby” are all genuine earworms that we can still hum to over twenty-five years later.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Just as Good (or Better!): “The Rescuers Down Under” (1990)
The First Film Is Cute, But The Sequel Is Glorious

Missed the Mark: “Cars 2” (2011)
Was This Pixar’s First Real Disappointment?

Just as Good: “Ralph Breaks the Internet” (2018)
This One Was Worth It For the Princesses Scene Alone

Missed the Mark: “Kronk’s New Groove” (2005)
Yes, We All Love Kronk - But Did He Really Need His Own Movie?

Just as Good: “Frozen II” (2019)
The Animation Is Still Gorgeous & There Are Some Fantastic New Songs

#1: Missed the Mark: “Beauty and the Beast: Belle’s Magical World” (1998)

From “Bambi II” to “The Lion King 1 and ½,” Disney loves a Midquel (or interquel, if you prefer). These strange little movies slot in chronologically somewhere between the original film’s beginning and end, preserving the characters at their most recognisable stage. Bambi stays a fawn, Timon and Pumbaa are still hanging out in the jungle, and the Beast remains a Beast. “The Enchanted Christmas” bottom of that slope. One problem with the midquel is that any character development from the original movie has been speedily reversed - therefore Beast spends most of “Magical World” as a raging tyrant. It’s also an anthology film and the animation is quite poor compared to the original.

#1: Just as Good: “Toy Story 2” (1999) & “Toy Story 3” (2010)

The first “Toy Story” really changed the game when it came to 3D animation, setting Pixar off on a winning streak. The script was smart, funny and original, elevated further by a fantastic voice cast. A second movie was a risky move, but “Toy Story 2” became one of very few sequels in existence - whether live-action or animated - to genuinely compete with the original. Whether it’s better or not can be debated, but we can all agree it’s great, right? Eleven years later, the much anticipated “Toy Story 3” became another success story, providing the perfect finale to what was intended to be a trilogy. “Toy Story 4” may have seemed unnecessary, but we’ll give it a pass since it still had its upsides. Only time will tell how “Toy Story 5” will fare.

Which Disney animated sequels do you love - or love to hate? Share your childhood favorites in the comments!