History Sequelitis / Disney

* One of the conditions Creator/{{Pixar}} put when they joined with Disney was that they wouldn't be [[ExecutiveMeddling required]] to make sequels. In fact, because one of the parts of the merger was putting Pixar's people in charge of Disney's animation studio, one of the first things they did was halted production of Disney's own ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', shutting down the studio that was making it (Circle 7 Animation, which got labeled as "Pixaren't") and then they began working on the title in-house. Consequently, ''Toy Story 3'' has been lauded as a cinema classic instead of the subpar cashgrab it could have been. They did, however, make a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', already considered one of their weaker movies, resulting in what is widely considered their ''worst'' movie, ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'', [[DorkAge and shattered their nearly spotless artistic reputation]][[note]]the Cars series makes a ''lot'' more money than their other movies thanks to merchandising[[/note]]. The 2013 prequel to ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'', called ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'', [[ContestedSequel didn't help matters]], despite getting several good reviews. As of this writing, the only Pixar sequels outside of the ''Toy Story'' series to get a near-unanimously positive reception are ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory'' and ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2''[[note]]Which is the first non-''Toy Story'' Pixar sequel to receive an Academy Award nomination.[[/note]], both of which still tend to be seen as slightly lacking compared to [[ToughActToFollow their respective]] [[WesternAnimation/FindingNemo first]] [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles movies]].

* One of the conditions Creator/{{Pixar}} put when they joined with Disney was that they wouldn't be [[ExecutiveMeddling required]] to make sequels. In fact, because one of the parts of the merger was putting Pixar's people in charge of Disney's animation studio, one of the first things they did was halted production of Disney's own ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', shutting down the studio that was making it (Circle 7 Animation, which got labeled as "Pixaren't") and then they began working on the title in-house. Consequently, ''Toy Story 3'' has been lauded as a cinema classic instead of the subpar cashgrab it could have been. They did, however, make a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', already considered one of their weaker movies, resulting in what is widely considered their ''worst'' movie, ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'', [[DorkAge and shattered their nearly spotless artistic reputation]][[note]]the Cars series makes a ''lot'' more money than their other movies thanks to merchandising.[[/note]]. The 2013 prequel to ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'', called ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'', [[ContestedSequel didn't help matters]], despite getting several good reviews. As of this writing, the only Pixar sequels outside of the ''Toy Story'' series to get a near-unanimously positive reception are ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory'' and ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2''[[note]]Which is the first non-''Toy Story'' Pixar sequel to receive an Academy Award nomination.[[/note]], both of which still tend to be seen as slightly lacking compared to [[ToughActToFollow their respective]] [[WesternAnimation/FindingNemo first]] [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles movies]].

** ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaidIIReturnToTheSea'' is again, accused of [[SamePlotSequel reusing the first film's ideas, only telling the story in reverse]] (a human character wanting to become a mermaid) with a few new characters thrown in. [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaidIII A prequel to the first one]] was also created, and it was the last installment released.

* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' series, before the acquisition by Disney, this started with ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', which wasn't considered quite as good as the [[Film/ANewHope two]] [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack movies]] before it, but still a classic. Then came ''pre''quelitis, with ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' and ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' widely considered the two weakest films in the series. ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', however, was generally thought to be an improvement, but [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel that's not saying much given the competition]]. Fortunately, the next in the series, ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', is generally believed to be a return to form, and ''Film/RogueOne'' is widely regarded as being a worthy prequel to ''A New Hope''. Unfortunately the same can't be said about ''Film/TheLastJedi'', which received [[ContestedSequel mixed receptions]] that [[BrokenBase divided the fanbase]] once again despite [[CriticalDissonance solid critical praise]]. ''Film/{{Solo}}'' on the other hand was received a bit better by the latter though it received some flak for relying too much on past tropes and beats. Then along came ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'', which is neck and neck with ''The Last Jedi'' in regards to being seen as either a poor sequel or a well intended misfire due to its [[ChristmasRushed blatantly rushed script]] for what was meant to be the GrandFinale of the Skywalker Saga.

---> '''Online:''' "Nearly everybody died at the end of the book, and the movie didn't exactly leave loose ends itself. This leaves the writers to showcase how well they can write an original character, or a decent love story or a threatening villain without ripping it off from a classical story written 200 or so years ago - ie, they can't."
** ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook2'' is universally considered to be inferior to [[WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967 the original film]], due in part to its story being a [[SamePlotSequel blatant, watered down rehash of the first]] and for undoing Mowgli's CharacterDevelopment from the original. It was one of the few sequels to get a theatrical release, but was ultimately a BoxOfficeBomb and was savaged by critics.

* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' series, before the acquisition by Disney, this started with ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', which wasn't considered quite as good as the [[Film/ANewHope two]] [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack movies]] before it, but still a classic. Then came ''pre''quelitis, with ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' and ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' widely considered the two weakest films in the series. ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', however, was generally thought to be an improvement, but [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel that's not saying much given the competition]]. Fortunately, the next in the series, ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', is generally believed to be a return to form, and ''Film/RogueOne'' is widely regarded as being a worthy prequel to ''A New Hope''. Unfortunately the same can't be said about ''Film/TheLastJedi'', which received [[ContestedSequel mixed receptions]] that [[BrokenBase divided the fanbase]] once again despite [[CriticalDissonance solid critical praise]]. ''Film/{{Solo}}'' on the other hand was received a bit better by the latter though it received some flak for relying too much on past tropes and beats. Then along came ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'', which is neck and neck with The Last Jedi in regards to being seen as either a poor sequel or a well intended misfire due to its [[ChristmasRushed blatantly rushed script]] for what was meant to be the GrandFinale of the Skywalker Saga.

** The first of the sequels, ''[[WesternAnimation/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar The Return of Jafar]]'', was intended as the multi part pilot episode for ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'', but was [[PoorlyDisguisedPilot hastily converted into a direct-to-video feature]] late in its production. While it does have a fanbase, it's universally considered to be a blatantly inferior follow up to the original ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', mainly due to the ridiculously OffModel LimitedAnimation throughout it and the replacing of Creator/RobinWilliams with Creator/DanCastellaneta.

** In general, the "cheapquels" all suffer from this, simply by virtue of being lower-budget DirectToVideo sequels of polished, famous classics. Almost none are considered worthy followups, and even then, only in the cases where [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel the original film was considered poor to begin with.]] In general, the ones considered good watchable films in their own right (if not compared to the original) include the ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' [[WesternAnimation/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar sequ]][[WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves els]], the ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing Lion King]]'' [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride sequ]][[WesternAnimation/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf els]], ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTrampIIScampsAdventure'', ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatiansIIPatchsLondonAdventure'', and [[ContestedSequel maybe]] ''WesternAnimation/ReturnToNeverland'', ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeastTheEnchantedChristmas'', ''WesternAnimation/BambiII'', or ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear2''[[note]]The last DTV Disney sequel with a story set entirely after the original movie, save flashbacks[[/note]]. ''WesternAnimation/CinderellaIIIATwistInTime'' is likely the only one that many consider to be as good as, if not better than, the original movie.

** ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatiansIIPatchsLondonAdventure'', while surprisingly well made by the standards of the infamous sequels, is ultimately a rather bland and pointless follow up bordering on rehash of [[WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians the original film.]]

** In general, the "cheapquels" all suffer from this, simply by virtue of being lower-budget DirectToVideo sequels of polished, famous classics. Almost none are considered worthy followups, and even then, only in the cases where [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel the original film was considered poor to begin with.]] In general, the ones considered watchable films in their own right (if not compared to the original) include the ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' [[WesternAnimation/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar sequ]][[WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves els]], the ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing Lion King]]'' [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride sequ]][[WesternAnimation/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf els]], ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTrampIIScampsAdventure'', and [[ContestedSequel maybe]] ''WesternAnimation/ReturnToNeverland'', ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeastTheEnchantedChristmas'', ''WesternAnimation/BambiII'', or ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear2''[[note]]The last DTV Disney sequel with a story set entirely after the original movie, save flashbacks[[/note]]. ''WesternAnimation/CinderellaIIIATwistInTime'' is likely the only one that many consider to be as good as, if not better than, the original movie.

** ''WesternAnimation/LeroyAndStitch'', which does a decent job of giving ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'' a proper ending and watching [[Characters/LiloAndStitchExperiments the experiments]] use their powers and abilities to fight back against the Leroy clones is great. However, its ending is very predictable,[[note]]Hämsterviel is defeated, Gantu gets his old job back, 625 gets named and stops being lazy, and Jumba, Pleakley and Stitch [[IChooseToStay all decide to stay on Earth with Lilo]]; none of these are really surprising.[[/note]] Leroy is a {{flat|Character}} EvilDoppelganger of Stitch,[[note]]although this did not stop him from becoming an EnsembleDarkHorse[[/note]] the way he is defeated ([[spoiler:as a fail-safe, he is programmed to shut down if he hears "Aloha ʻOe"]]) is a rather lame DeusExMachina, and audiences still don't get to see what most of the other unseen experiments look like. (Some never-before-seen experiments do show up, and we see a list of experiment names in the credits, but that's really it.) This all makes it seem like Disney made this movie just to give the ''Franchise/LiloAndStitch'' franchise some sort of conclusion regardless of how well it would turn out. This is best summed up with what WebVideo/WatchMojo's said when they the film number 10 on their list of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEl6cXB_riA "Top 10 Worst Straight to DVD Disney Sequels".]]

** ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' manages to really break the mold in terms of Disney animated movies. Its sequel, ''Kronk's New Groove'', feels rather generic in comparison, playing out more like three episodes of a TV show strung together than an actual movie and is considered to be [[SoOkayItsAverage average at best]]. Fittingly enough, there actually was later a TV series called ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewSchool'', complete with a [[TheOtherDarrin new voice actor for Kuzco]] and apparently having all of the soul of the first movie surgically removed and replaced with more slapstick.

** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in regard to the ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'' movies. The franchise's unique nature lends itself quite well to the simpler storytelling of DirectToVideo projects[[note]]The franchise had in fact already had two long running TV series by that point[[/note]]. As such, these movies [[QuietlyPerformingSisterShow tend to be viewed separately from the rest of the sequels, and are thus exempt from the scorn thrown at the others]]. ''WesternAnimation/PoohsGrandAdventure'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheTiggerMovie'' in particular are seen as some of the finest works in Pooh's name. The later Pooh movies are usually considered to [[ToughActToFollow not have achieved the heights set by those movies]], and admittedly a lot of the direct-to-video ''Pooh'' films are simply just compilations of previous ''[[WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinniePooh New Adventures]]'' episodes with new animation to tie them all together. Still, even the weaker ''Pooh'' films are generally considered better than most Disney sequels (and considering how well-regarded ''New Adventures'' is, most don't mind that aspect).

* ''WesternAnimation/Fantasia2000'', while enjoying quite a good reception, is not as well regarded as the original ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}''; [[LighterAndSofter a lighter tone]] stemming from celebrity hosts and more cartoony pieces speaks of lower artistic ambition.
* One of the conditions Creator/{{Pixar}} put when they joined with Disney was that they wouldn't be [[ExecutiveMeddling required]] to make sequels. In fact, because one of the parts of the merger was putting Pixar's people in charge of Disney's animation studio, one of the first things they did was halted production of Disney's own ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', shutting down the studio that was making it (which got labeled as Pixaren't) and then they began working on the title in-house. Consequently, both ''Toy Story 3'' and the entire ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' series have been lauded as cinema classics. They did, however, make a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', already considered one of their weaker movies, resulting in what is widely considered their ''worst'' movie, ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'', [[DorkAge and shattered their nearly spotless artistic reputation]][[note]]the Cars series makes a ''lot'' more money than their other movies thanks to merchandising.[[/note]]. The 2013 prequel to ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'', called ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'', [[ContestedSequel didn't help matters]], despite several good reviews. As of this writing, the only Pixar sequels outside of the ''Toy Story'' series to get a near-unanimously positive reception are ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory'' and ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2''[[note]]Which is the first non-''Toy Story'' Pixar sequel to receive an Academy Award nomination.[[/note]], both of which still tend to be seen as slightly lacking compared to [[ToughActToFollow their respective]] [[WesternAnimation/FindingNemo first]] [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles movies]].
* The theatrical short/special WesternAnimation/OlafsFrozenAdventure, putting aside all of the controversy involving the special being shown ahead of ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'', is often accused of having inferior writing, songs, and dialogue to [[WesternAnimation/{{Frozen}} the original film]].

* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' series, before the acquisition by Disney, this started with ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', which wasn't considered quite as good as the [[Film/ANewHope two]] [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack movies]] before it, but still a classic. Then came ''pre''quelitis, with ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' and ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' widely considered the two weakest films in the series. ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', however, was generally thought to be an improvement, but [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel that's not saying much given the competition]]. Fortunately, the next in the series, ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', is generally believed to be a return to form, and ''Film/RogueOne'' is widely regarded as being a worthy prequel to ''A New Hope''. Unfortunately the same can't be said about ''Film/TheLastJedi'', which received [[ContestedSequel mixed receptions]] that [[BrokenBase divided the fanbase]] once again despite [[CriticalDissonance solid critical praise]]. ''Film/{{Solo}}'' on the other hand was received a bit better by the latter though it received some flack for relying too much on past tropes and beats. Then along came ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'', which is neck and neck with The Last Jedi in regards to being seen as either a poor sequel or a well intended misfire due to its [[ChristmasRushed blatantly rushed script]] for what was meant to be the GrandFinale of the Skywalker Saga.

** ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisMilosReturn'', the sequel to ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', is surprisingly engaging, but only if you watch it for what it is: the [[FailedPilotEpisode cobbled-together remains of the cancelled TV series]] ''Team Atlantis''. Everyone's in characters and the various [[TheOtherDarrin Other Darrins]] may be surprisingly good and the mysteries cool, but the narrative is [[RandomEventsPlot extremely disjointed]] due to it being three episodes held together by chewing gum and wire, and the TV level animation is a ''massive'' downgrade from the first film.

Creator/{{Disney}} has produced many classic films, both animated and live action, in their [[LongRunner 97 year long existence]]...but they've also produced a notoriously large number of [[{{Sequelitis}} underwhelming to just plain lousy follow-ups]] to their classics along the way.

Creator/{{Disney}} has produced many classic films, both animated and live action, in their [[LongRunner 96 year long existence]]...but they've also produced a notoriously large number of [[{{Sequelitis}} underwhelming to just plain lousy follow-ups]] to their classics along the way.

* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' series, this started with ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', which wasn't considered quite as good as the [[Film/ANewHope two]] [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack movies]] before it, but still a classic. Then came ''pre''quelitis, with ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' and ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' widely considered the two weakest films in the series. ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', however, was generally thought to be an improvement, but [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel that's not saying much given the competition]]. Fortunately, the next in the series, ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', is generally believed to be a return to form, and ''Film/RogueOne'' is widely regarded as being a worthy prequel to ''A New Hope''. Unfortunately the same can't be said about ''Film/TheLastJedi'', which received [[ContestedSequel mixed receptions]] that [[BrokenBase divided the fanbase]] once again despite [[CriticalDissonance solid critical praise]]. ''Film/{{Solo}}'' on the other hand was received a bit better by the latter though it received some flack for relying too much on past tropes and beats. Then along came ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'', which is neck and neck with The Last Jedi in regards to being seen as either a poor sequel or a well intended misfire due to its [[ChristmasRushed blatantly rushed script]] for what was meant to be [[GrandFinale the finale of the Skywalker Saga.]]
* ''Film/IronMan2'' is usually considered the weakest or one of the weakest films in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse thus far. That said, general consensus seems to be that the second movie is still an entertaining film, if not exactly as fresh as the first one. It may help if you think of it as the second in a trilogy.

* In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' series, this started with ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', which wasn't considered quite as good as the [[Film/ANewHope two]] [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack movies]] before it, but still a classic. Then came ''pre''quelitis, with ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' and ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' widely considered the two weakest films in the series. ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', however, was generally thought to be an improvement, but [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel that's not saying much given the competition]]. Fortunately, the next in the series, ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', is generally believed to be a return to form, and ''Film/RogueOne'' is widely regarded as being a worthy prequel to ''A New Hope''. Unfortunately the same can't be said about ''Film/TheLastJedi'', which received [[ContestedSequel mixed receptions]] that [[BrokenBase divided the fanbase]] once again despite [[CriticalDissonance solid critical praise]].''Film/{{Solo}}'' on the other hand was received a bit better by the latter though it received some flack for relying too much on past tropes and beats.

** ''WesternAnimation/{{Planes}}'', a spinoff of ''Cars'' made by Disneytoon Studios, managed to come off of as even more cliché and [[MerchandiseDriven toyetic]] than the franchise it was spun off of, having not much heart or purpose outside of being TheMerch to four-year-old boys.

* One of the conditions Creator/{{Pixar}} put when they joined with Disney was that they wouldn't be [[ExecutiveMeddling required]] to make sequels. In fact, because one of the parts of the merger was putting Pixar's people in charge of Disney's animation studio, one of the first things they did was halted production of Disney's own ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', shutting down the studio that was making it (which got labeled as Pixaren't) and then they began working on the title in-house. Consequently, both ''Toy Story 3'' and the entire ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' trilogy have been lauded as cinema classics. They did, however, make a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', already considered one of their weaker movies, resulting in what is widely considered their ''worst'' movie, ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'', and shattered their nearly spotless artistic reputation[[note]]the Cars series makes a ''lot'' more money than their other movies thanks to merchandising[[/note]]. The 2013 prequel to ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'', called ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'', didn't help matters, despite several good reviews. As of this writing, the only Pixar sequels outside of the ''Toy Story'' series to get a near-unanimously positive reception are ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory'' and ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2,'' both of which still tend to be seen as slightly lacking compared to [[ToughActToFollow their respective]] [[WesternAnimation/FindingNemo first]] [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles movies]].

** This is {{downplayed|trope}} in the case of ''WesternAnimation/LeroyAndStitch'', which does a decent job of giving ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'' a proper ending and watching [[Characters/LiloAndStitchExperiments the experiments]] use their powers and abilities to fight back against the Leroy clones is great. However, its ending is very predictable,[[note]]Hämsterviel is defeated, Gantu gets his old job back, 625 gets named and stops being lazy, and Jumba, Pleakley and Stitch [[IChooseToStay all decide to stay on Earth with Lilo]]; none of these are really surprising.[[/note]] Leroy is a {{flat|Character}} EvilDoppelganger of Stitch,[[note]]although this did not stop him from becoming an EnsembleDarkHorse[[/note]] the way he is defeated ([[spoiler:as a fail-safe, he is programmed to shut down if he hears "Aloha ʻOe"]]) is a rather lame DeusExMachina, and audiences still don't get to see what most of the other unseen experiments look like. (Some never-before-seen experiments do show up, and we see a list of experiment names in the credits, but that's really it.) This all makes it seem like Disney made this movie just to give the ''Franchise/LiloAndStitch'' franchise some sort of conclusion regardless of how well it would turn out. This is best summed up with what WebVideo/WatchMojo's said when they the film number 10 on their list of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEl6cXB_riA "Top 10 Worst Straight to DVD Disney Sequels".]]

** ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' manages to really break the mold in terms of Disney animated movies. Its sequel, ''Kronk's New Groove'', was [[DownplayedTrope by no means terrible]], but still feels rather generic in comparison, playing out more like three episodes of a TV show strung together than an actual movie and is considered to be [[SoOkayItsAverage average at best]]. Fittingly enough, there actually was later a TV series called ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewSchool'', complete with a [[TheOtherDarrin new voice actor for Kuzco]] and apparently having all of the soul of the first movie surgically removed and replaced with more slapstick.

* For a [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon canon example]], ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuersDownUnder'' is a [[DownplayedTrope more downplayed instance]]. The film got some good reception and is still considered a good film to this day, but it became the [[BoxOfficeBomb sole financial bust]] of the Disney Renaissance (and only one of two Disney Animation bombs during Jeffrey Katzenberg's Disney career, the other being ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron''). It also has a lower RT rating than the [[WesternAnimation/TheRescuers original Dark Age Disney classic]], though still in fresh territory. This is what actually resulted in the start of the company’s Direct-to-Video sequel trend.

* For a [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon canon example]], ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuersDownUnder'' is a [[DownplayedTrope more downplayed instance]]. The film got some good reception and is still considered a good film to this day, but it became the [[BoxOfficeBomb sole financial bust]] of the Disney Renaissance (and only one of two Disney Animation bombs during Jeffrey Katzenberg's Disney career, the other being ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron''). It also has a lower RT rating than the [[WesternAnimation/TheRescuers original Dark Age Disney classic]], though still in fresh territory.

** One of the conditions Creator/{{Pixar}} put when they joined with Disney was that they wouldn't be [[ExecutiveMeddling required]] to make sequels. In fact, because one of the parts of the merger was putting Pixar's people in charge of Disney's animation studio, one of the first things they did was halted production of Disney's own ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', shutting down the studio that was making it (which got labeled as Pixaren't) and then they began working on the title in-house. Consequently, both ''Toy Story 3'' and the entire ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' trilogy have been lauded as cinema classics. They did, however, make a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', already considered one of their weaker movies, resulting in what is widely considered their ''worst'' movie, ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'', and shattered their nearly spotless artistic reputation[[note]]the Cars series makes a ''lot'' more money than their other movies thanks to merchandising[[/note]]. The 2013 prequel to ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'', called ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'', didn't help matters, despite several good reviews. As of this writing, the only Pixar sequels outside of the ''Toy Story'' series to get a near-unanimously positive reception are ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory'' and ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2,'' both of which still tend to be seen as slightly lacking compared to [[ToughActToFollow their respective]] [[WesternAnimation/FindingNemo first]] [[WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles movies]].

** ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook2'' is universally considered to be inferior to [[WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook the original film]], due in part to its story being a [[SamePlotSequel blatant, watered down rehash of the first]] and for undoing Mowgli's CharacterDevelopment from the original. It was one of the few sequels to get a theatrical release, but was ultimately a BoxOfficeBomb and was savaged by critics.

** ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook2'' is universally considered to be inferior to [[WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967 the original film]], due in part to its story being a [[SamePlotSequel blatant, watered down rehash of the first]] and for undoing Mowgli's CharacterDevelopment from the original. It was one of the few sequels to get a theatrical release, but was ultimately a BoxOfficeBomb and was savaged by critics.

** ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook2'' is universally considered to be inferior to [[WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook the original film]], due in part to its story being a [[SamePlotSequel blatant, watered down rehash of the first]] and for undoing Mowgli's CharacterDevelopment from the original. It was one of the few sequels to get a theatrical release, but was ultimately a BoxOfficeBomb and was savaged by critics.

* The feature-length sequel, ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII '', also hasn’t been as warmly received as the first film [[note]] 78% to 90% on Website/RottenTomatoes [[/note]] by professional critics. Reviews have praised its ambition, willingness to tackle more mature themes, art, performances, and music. However it’s been criticized for being a bit [[DarkerAndEdgier needlessly dark]], having a convoluted plot, some questionable character decisions, and aping plot points from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender '' and its SequelSeries '' WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra ''. Essentially critics are appreciative of the creative team trying to do something bigger and different but feel like it’s just not as well executed. That being said, this is also CriticalDissonance as it's been better-received by general audiences and would fit more along the lines of a ContestedSequel with them.

* The feature-length sequel, ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2 '', also hasn’t been as warmly received as the first film [[note]] 78% to 90% on Website/RottenTomatoes [[/note]] by professional critics. Reviews have praised its ambition, willingness to tackle more mature themes, art, performances, and music. However it’s been criticized for being a bit [[DarkerAndEdgier needlessly dark]], having a convoluted plot, some questionable character decisions, and aping plot points from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender '' and its SequelSeries '' WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra ''. Essentially critics are appreciative of the creative team trying to do something bigger and different but feel like it’s just not as well executed. That being said, this is also CriticalDissonance as it's been better-received by general audiences and would fit more along the lines of a ContestedSequel with them.

* Franchise/{{Disney|AnimatedCanon}}'s run of DirectToVideo sequels produced by Creator/DisneytoonStudios (sometimes derisively termed as "cheapquels") from 1994 to 2008 are some of the most infamous examples of {{Sequelitis}} in not only animation, but in ''[[UpToEleven all of media]]'', and they are near-unanimously considered to be inferior follow ups to their predecessors for a variety of reasons, particularly for their generally poor animation and writing quality. After ''Disney/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar'' enjoyed reasonable success, it opened the floodgates. After Creator/JohnLasseter became Chief Creative Officer of the Walt Disney Animation Studios, he unplugged any future DTV Disney sequels and prequels that were still on the drawing board[[note]]including a ''Disney/{{Dumbo}}'' sequel that was announced on that film's 2001 DVD but had ended up in DevelopmentHell[[/note]], and only allowed films that were already in production (such as ''Cinderella III'' and ''The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning'', which became the last two of Disney's 14-year slate of DTV sequels) to continue. While not all of them were disasters, there were far more poor and mediocre sequels than you should expect from their franchises.
** The first of the sequels, ''[[Disney/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar The Return of Jafar]]'', was intended as the multi part pilot episode for ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'', but was [[PoorlyDisguisedPilot hastily converted into a direct-to-video feature]] late in its production. While it does have a fanbase, it's universally considered to be a blatantly inferior follow up to the original ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'', mainly due to the ridiculously OffModel LimitedAnimation throughout it and the replacing of Creator/RobinWilliams with Creator/DanCastellaneta.
** ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' has two sequels. The first one, ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeastTheEnchantedChristmas'', is considered slightly above average for the Disney sequels, but the plot has little to do with the fairytale, being more of a standard Christmas movie. The second one, ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeastBellesMagicalWorld'', is unanimously loathed by many and is often considered one of the worst, if not the absolute worst, of the sequels, being a series of disjointed episodes clearly written to try and kick off [[FailedPilotEpisode a TV series which did not happen]]. As of 2016, ''Belle's Magical World'' stands as the only ''Beauty and the Beast'' installment without a UsefulNotes/BluRay, or even behind-the-scenes DVD bonus features.
** ''Disney/TheLittleMermaidIIReturnToTheSea'' is again, accused of [[SamePlotSequel reusing the first film's ideas, only telling the story in reverse]] (a human character wanting to become a mermaid) with a few new characters thrown in. [[Disney/TheLittleMermaidIII A prequel to the first one]] was also created, and it was the last installment released.
** ''Disney/PocahontasIIJourneyToANewWorld'' brings the title character slightly closer to her historical, real-life counterpart (her romance with John Rolfe, visiting England), and also shows her making more mature decisions. However, the quality of the movie itself was met with more varied opinions. It is particularly disliked because Pocahontas has a relationship with a different man in the sequel, destroying her romance with John Smith (though granted, she did think Smith was dead for most of the movie). The original was far enough removed from historical accuracy as it was.
** ''Disney/{{Cinderella}}'' has the first sequel, ''[[Disney/CinderellaIIDreamsComeTrue Dreams Come True]]'', which was perceived as weak and rather episodic. This is because, like ''Atlantis 2'' and ''Belle's Magical World'', it's made up of episodes for a planned TV series that never got off the ground.
** ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDameII'' was criticized for inferior animation, generic songs, and how many of the characters were incompetent. It was also heavily panned for its villain, widely considered one of Disney's worst in a followup to the film that gave us Judge Claude Frollo, who is widely lauded as one of Disney's deepest villains. One of the complaints included that Victor Hugo's novel couldn't have had a sequel because close to none of the characters survived. It was largely created to [[ThrowTheDogABone give Quasimodo a girlfriend]], but Madellaine was not a popular character.

** ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook2'' is universally considered to be inferior to [[Disney/TheJungleBook the original film]], due in part to its story being a [[SamePlotSequel blatant, watered down rehash of the first]] and for undoing Mowgli's CharacterDevelopment from the original. It was one of the few sequels to get a theatrical release, but was ultimately a BoxOfficeBomb and was savaged by critics.
** ''[[Disney/ReturnToNeverLand Peter Pan 2: Return to Never Land]]'', while by no means one of the worst Disney sequels, absolutely pales in comparison to [[Disney/PeterPan the original film]] and has numerous flaws that drag it down, most notably its plot being a [[SamePlotSequel bland retread of the first.]] Like with the second ''Jungle Book'', this also got a theatrical release, but it was likewise a box office and critical flop.
** ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisMilosReturn'', the sequel to ''Disney/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', is surprisingly engaging, but only if you watch it for what it is: the [[FailedPilotEpisode cobbled-together remains of the cancelled TV series]] ''Team Atlantis''. Everyone's in characters and the various [[TheOtherDarrin Other Darrins]] may be surprisingly good and the mysteries cool, but the narrative is [[RandomEventsPlot extremely disjointed]] due to it being three episodes held together by chewing gum and wire, and the TV level animation is a ''massive'' downgrade from the first film.
** ''Disney/{{Tarzan}}'' had two sequels. One of them was ''Tarzan II'', a {{midquel}} featuring a young Tarzan. The other was ''Tarzan & Jane'', a straight sequel. ''Tarzan & Jane'' is considered at best mediocre, but ''Tarzan II'' is largely seen as even harder to sit through, due to basically being the first twenty minutes of the original film stretched to fit a 90-minute runtime. Its only remarkable feature is an ape played by Creator/GeorgeCarlin, who seems to spend the entire movie holding back a swear. Neither of them received a Blu-ray release.
** ''Disney/OneHundredAndOneDalmatiansIIPatchsLondonAdventure'', while surprisingly well made by the standards of the infamous sequels, is ultimately a rather bland and pointless follow up bordering on rehash of [[Disney/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians the original film.]]
** ''Disney/MulanII'' is decently animated, but is largely overlooked and ultimately criticized for the even greater liberties taken in its portrayal of Chinese culture, Mushu [[TookALevelInJerkass taking a level in jerkass]], and for leaving the plot in which Mulan must save China once more unresolved; specifically, it was Mulan's mission to escort the Emperor's three daughters to a powerful lord in order to marry his sons, which would secure a union that would safeguard China from an impending invasion by the Mongols. Instead, shocked at the very idea of an ArrangedMarriage, Mulan teaches the princesses to [[MarryForLove follow their own paths]]. This would be a meaningful lesson except for the fact that in doing so such a union apparently never took shape by the end of the film, which despite ending on an uplifting note with Mulan's wedding [[InferredHolocaust does not address the Mongol invasion that is now sure to happen]] due to these actions.

** ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' manages to really break the mold in terms of Disney animated movies. Its sequel, ''Kronk's New Groove'', was [[DownplayedTrope by no means terrible]], but still feels rather generic in comparison, playing out more like three episodes of a TV show strung together than an actual movie and is considered to be [[SoOkayItsAverage average at best]]. Fittingly enough, there actually was later a TV series called ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewSchool'', complete with a [[TheOtherDarrin new voice actor for Kuzco]] and apparently having all of the soul of the first movie surgically removed and replaced with more slapstick.
** ''Disney/{{Bambi}}'' has a direct-to-video midquel, ''Disney/BambiII'', which was released [[SequelGap just shy of the original's 65th anniversary]]. While it fares better with fans than most other Disney sequels, it is still usually regarded as [[SoOkayItsAverage average at best]]. The main complaints stem from that it either [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks adds too little new to the universe of the original]], or the changes it did make (i.e. playing up contemporary humor, humanizing the characters' personalities, and using contemporary folk songs mixed in with an orchestrated soundtrack) [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks were not for the better]]. It is generally praised for having good animation and visuals among the Disney sequels, however. Its high budget even garnered it a theatrical release in some regions.

** In general, the "cheapquels" all suffer from this, simply by virtue of being lower-budget DirectToVideo sequels of polished, famous classics. Almost none are considered worthy followups, and even then, only in the cases where [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel the original film was considered poor to begin with.]] In general, the ones considered watchable films in their own right (if not compared to the original) include the ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'' [[Disney/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar sequ]][[Disney/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves els]], the ''[[Disney/TheLionKing Lion King]]'' [[Disney/TheLionKingIISimbasPride sequ]][[Disney/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf els]], ''Disney/LadyAndTheTrampIIScampsAdventure'', and [[ContestedSequel maybe]] ''Disney/ReturnToNeverland'', ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeastTheEnchantedChristmas'', ''Disney/BambiII'', or ''Disney/BrotherBear2''[[note]]The last DTV Disney sequel with a story set entirely after the original movie, save flashbacks[[/note]]. ''Disney/CinderellaIIIATwistInTime'' is likely the only one that many consider to be as good as, if not better than, the original movie.

** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in regard to the ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'' movies. The franchise's unique nature lends itself quite well to the simpler storytelling of DirectToVideo projects[[note]]The franchise had in fact already had two long running TV series by that point[[/note]]. As such, these movies [[QuietlyPerformingSisterShow tend to be viewed separately from the rest of the sequels, and are thus exempt from the scorn thrown at the others]]. ''WesternAnimation/PoohsGrandAdventure'' and ''Disney/TheTiggerMovie'' in particular are seen as some of the finest works in Pooh's name. The later Pooh movies are usually considered to [[ToughActToFollow not have achieved the heights set by those movies]], and admittedly a lot of the direct-to-video ''Pooh'' films are simply just compilations of previous ''[[WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinniePooh New Adventures]]'' episodes with new animation to tie them all together. Still, even the weaker ''Pooh'' films are generally considered better than most Disney sequels (and considering how well-regarded ''New Adventures'' is, most don't mind that aspect).
* For a [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon canon example]], ''Disney/TheRescuersDownUnder'' is a [[DownplayedTrope more downplayed instance]]. The film got some good reception and is still considered a good film to this day, but it became the [[BoxOfficeBomb sole financial bust]] of the Disney Renaissance (and only one of two Disney Animation bombs during Jeffrey Katzenberg's Disney career, the other being ''Disney/TheBlackCauldron''). It also has a lower RT rating than the [[Disney/TheRescuers original Dark Age Disney classic]], though still in fresh territory.
* ''Disney/Fantasia2000'', while enjoying quite a good reception, is not as well regarded as the original ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}''; [[LighterAndSofter a lighter tone]] stemming from celebrity hosts and more cartoony pieces speaks of lower artistic ambition.
* The theatrical short/special Disney/OlafsFrozenAdventure, putting aside all of the controversy involving the special being shown ahead of ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'', is often accused of having inferior writing, songs, and dialogue to [[Disney/{{Frozen}} the original film]].
* The feature-length sequel, ''Disney/Frozen2 '', also hasn’t been as warmly received as the first film [[note]] 78% to 90% on Website/RottenTomatoes [[/note]] by professional critics. Reviews have praised its ambition, willingness to tackle more mature themes, art, performances, and music. However it’s been criticized for being a bit [[DarkerAndEdgier needlessly dark]], having a convoluted plot, some questionable character decisions, and aping plot points from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender '' and its SequelSeries '' WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra ''. Essentially critics are appreciative of the creative team trying to do something bigger and different but feel like it’s just not as well executed. That being said, this is also CriticalDissonance as it's been better-received by general audiences and would fit more along the lines of a ContestedSequel with them.

** ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'' has two sequels. The first one, ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeastTheEnchantedChristmas'', is considered slightly above average for the Disney sequels, but the plot has little to do with the fairytale, being more of a standard Christmas movie. The second one, ''Disney/BellesMagicalWorld'', is unanimously loathed by many and is often considered one of the worst, if not the absolute worst, of the sequels, being a series of disjointed episodes clearly written to try and kick off [[FailedPilotEpisode a TV series which did not happen]]. As of 2016, ''Belle's Magical World'' stands as the only ''Beauty and the Beast'' installment without a UsefulNotes/BluRay, or even behind-the-scenes DVD bonus features.

** ''Disney/TheJungleBook2'' is universally considered to be inferior to [[Disney/TheJungleBook the original film]], due in part to its story being a [[SamePlotSequel blatant, watered down rehash of the first]] and for undoing Mowgli's CharacterDevelopment from the original. It was one of the few sequels to get a theatrical release, but was ultimately a BoxOfficeBomb and was savaged by critics.

** ''Disney/AtlantisMilosReturn'', the sequel to ''Disney/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', is surprisingly engaging, but only if you watch it for what it is: the [[FailedPilotEpisode cobbled-together remains of the cancelled TV series]] ''Team Atlantis''. Everyone's in characters and the various [[TheOtherDarrin Other Darrins]] may be surprisingly good and the mysteries cool, but the narrative is [[RandomEventsPlot extremely disjointed]] due to it being three episodes held together by chewing gum and wire, and the TV level animation is a ''massive'' downgrade from the first film.