5 Disney Sequels Worth Waiting Decades For & 5 We Choose to Forget

#5 Worst: The “Pirates of the Caribbean” Sequels

After stumbling upon a buried treasure of a franchise in 2003, Jack Sparrow quickly sailed this series into the choppy waters of bloated sequels. All the original’s wit and humor was soon crushed beneath mountains of characters, plotlines, and over-edited action scenes. And, what’s more, each successive movie only got worse! They tried having Jack steer the franchise alone, introducing new blood, and even teasing Will and Elizabeth’s return. But, none of it stuck, leaving “Pirates of the Caribbean” sinking in the ocean of public opinion. People waited years in between each installment, but across its 14-year franchise, these pirates still only found gold once.

#5 Best: “Return to Never Land” (2002)

Peter Pan never gets old, and neither does revisiting Neverland! Despite being away for almost fifty years, Hook’s archnemesis flew back onto screens like he hadn’t aged a day. There’s no need to fear, though, “Return to Never Land” is thankfully so much more than your average cash-grab. It’s based upon the sequel to the original “Peter Pan” play, and you can tell. For example, Peter’s relationship with Wendy’s daughter, Jane, is a brilliant evolution of the story’s themes about growing up. If this is the kind of thoughtful follow-up we can expect, we’ll take another order of pixie dust, pronto!

#4 Worst: “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (2023)

After some seriously diminishing returns in the quality department, all eyes fell on Disney to take this legendary adventurer out with a bang! And, well, they definitely spared no expense on the visual effects. The same cannot be said for the script, however. Despite the impressive de-aging of Harrison Ford, “Dial of Destiny” is too beholden to what came before to carve its own path. Add in lame action scenes, hammy dialogue, and a snooze-inducing two-and-a-half hour runtime, and you’re left with a very disappointing farewell tour. Considering the fifteen year gap between installments, you have to wonder if “Indiana Jones” should’ve just ended with “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

#4 Best: “Fantasia 2000” (1999)

Combining the very best that Disney’s music and animation has to offer, 1940’s “Fantasia” is an unshakeable high point in the studio’s filmmaking history. No one thought they could do it twice, but somehow, someway, the Mouse House brought back the very same magic almost sixty years later. Its name? “Fantasia 2000.” It’s every bit as spectacular as the original, but with a little extra oomph thanks to modern technology. You can practically feel the passion in every single note and frame. Disney clearly understood “Fantasia” was an important brand, and went all out to ensure this sequel lived up to its name.

#3 Worst: “Hocus Pocus 2” (2022)

Maybe it’s the cheesy costumes, maybe it’s the watered-down script, or maybe it’s just that the same jokes don’t work twice. Whatever the case may be, the Sanderson Sisters’ iconic witch’s brew went very sour somewhere along the way. Don’t get us wrong. Winifred, Sarah, and Mary are as lovably wackadoo as always, and the actresses are clearly having a blast. It’s just a shame their efforts are wasted on a movie that feels more cringey than kooky. It may not have stung so bad if “Hocus Pocus 2” had come out shortly after the original. But, having waited 29 years for a sequel, fans expected a whole lot more than this.

#3 Best: “Incredibles 2” (2018)

Fourteen long years passed before audiences got to see the Parr family again on the big screen. But, when the time finally came, it didn’t feel like a single day had gone by. And not just because “Incredibles 2” literally picks up where the first movie ended. By once again combining high-octane action with gripping family drama, the sequel miraculously captures the specific tone that makes these heroes, well, super. As a result, “Incredibles 2” brings you right back to how you felt when you saw the first one in 2004. That kind of storytelling feat is not just remarkable, it’s downright incredible.

#2 Worst: “Cinderella II: Dreams Come True” (2002)

Don’t let the name fool you. This straight-to-DVD continuation isn’t a dream. It’s a nightmare. While there’s some merit to the idea of exploring Cinderella’s life after the slipper debacle, “Dreams Come True” plays more like a rejected TV show than a true second chapter. The film is split into three, disconnected vignettes, and only one of them really focuses on Cinderella at all. So, unless you waited fifty years to see more of the talking mice and evil step-sisters, “Dreams Come True” is a major disappointment. There’s just no reason to check it out, especially since the other “Cinderella” sequels are better by leaps and bounds.

#2 Best: “Mary Poppins Returns” (2018)

Grab your spoonfuls of sugar, Mary Poppins is back, and just as whimsical as ever! Starring the always-charming Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, this legacy sequel is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. There’s a deep reverence for the original film in everything from the costumes, to the set design, to Blunt’s impeccable line delivery. And yet, there’s enough new material to still stand on its own two feet as a worthy expansion of the franchise. Especially when it comes to the music. We don’t care if it takes another fifty years, we’re ready for another spin on this umbrella!

#1 Worst: “Disenchanted” (2022)

Let’s be clear, here. Amy Adams and Maya Rudolph absolutely ate up this movie. Unfortunately, they’re quite literally the only redeeming part. “Disenchanted” is a misguided, scattered mess that indulges all the eyerolling tropes the original worked so hard to subvert. Disney dragged their feet on making this movie for fifteen years, and this is really the best they had to show for it? It’s almost like they got fed-up with the fan demand, and haphazardly threw something together to be done with it. Knowing what we got, we should’ve just left Giselle at “Happily Ever After.”

#1 Best: “Toy Story 3” (2010)

The phrase “good things come to those who wait” has never been more true than in the case of “Toy Story 3.” On paper, following up the first two films should have been nye-impossible. But, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, “Toy Story 3” might be the closest thing to a perfect movie Disney’s ever released. Yeah, it’s that good. By sending Andy to college, it felt like “Toy Story 3” was growing up with its audience. It used that to craft a compelling story that’s guaranteed to leave you smiling through the tears. No matter how long the next movie takes, we’ve always got a friend in these toys!

What’s a Disney classic you’re still waiting on a sequel for? Let us know in the comments below!