Disney #10: The Problem with Sequels (even if I enjoy them!)

 Hey all,

This post about Disney sequels is in relation directly to theatrical releases such as Frozen 2, Wreck it Ralph 2, Toy Story 4 (even though it is Pixar) and other upcoming Pixar and Disney animated movies coming to theatres. It will not include straight to video releases such as "Hunchback 2", "Lion King 2", "Lion King 1 and 1/2", nor will it include sequels of live action Disney movies such as Alice Through The Looking Glass. I will cover these in a future blog post once I have watched all of the straight to video ones and rewatch ones I haven't seen in a dog's age.

While I do enjoy a lot of theatrical Disney animated movies and sequels, including Pixar animated movies and their sequels, some sequels are uncalled for. Toy Story 2 and 3 were somehow better than the original, and while I enjoyed Toy Story 4, it was unnecessary and actually was not as good as Toy Story 3. Toy Story 3 was the perfect ending to the series. I'm not sure what Toy Story 5 will entail, but hopefully it fixes the errors Toy Story 4 made, including butchering the characters (not literally!) and how they are portrayed. The tone was all wrong, especially the ending. I don't think we need a Toy Story 5 to be honest.

I really liked Frozen 2, but there were a lot of rewrites and I feel like they could delve into a lot more of the story and lore. There was so much they could have done, especially with the magic clan beyond Arendale. There will be a Frozen 3 so hopefully that is better than Frozen 2 and really builds upon the lore introduced in Frozen 2. I want to know more about the origins of the magic.

I liked Finding Dory. It isn't as good as Finding Nemo but I found it cute. It was a little gimmicky at times. That's the problem sometimes with sequels, especially Disney and Pixar sequels. They can't capture the magic the same way twice. Finding Nemo is a classic and while I like Finding Dory, it doesn't have the same charm as much.

I did like The Incredibles 2. The first Incredibles was such a great Pixar movie in that era and The Incredibles 2 is good as well, but suffers from losing the magic of the first one at times.

I haven't really delved too much into the Cars franchise. I saw the second one and liked it at the time when I saw it but I know people hate Cars 2. I will go back and watch the first one and the second and third Cars movies to form a better opinion. I will probably make a blog post about it when I do!

I loved the first Wreck It Ralph. I really enjoyed the second one but it kind of fell flat at the end. I don't like that Vanellope and Ralph went their separate ways. It kind of has that "why" moment that the ending of Toy Story 4 has because Andy leaves his friends and goes off with Bo Peep.

The other Pixar and Disney theatrical sequels, if I have missed any, have more or less the same issues that I have listed here.

curlyalicia