Walt Disney Animation Studios has produced some of the world's most well-known animated features since its debut feature (and the first-ever full-length animated feature), Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1937. Disney's animation has shifted considerably throughout its eras, from its "Golden Age", overseen by Walt himself, to the "Disney Renaissance," arguably the most well-known and favored era and considered the pinnacle of artistry and storytelling, as well as for its box office successes.
Despite Disney's command over animation, it hasn't always excelled, particularly when it comes to sequels. The "renaissance" and "post-renaissance" eras, in particular, were riddled with Direct-to-DVD sequels which slashed budgets and storylines to capitalize on the success of their full-length features. Besides the sequels which are in desperate need of a makeover, several successful features haven't yet been awarded a sequel at all, but whose characters and animation deserve more screen time.
Deserves A Better Sequel: Mulan (1998)
Taking place one month after Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) saves China, General Li-Shang (BD Wong) asks for her hand in marriage and they set about planning a wedding. First, however, they are called upon by the emperor to once again save China, this time by escorting his three daughters to the Mongol empire to be wed. The film focuses more on the three princesses and their romances with Yao (Harvey Fierstein), Ling (Gedde Watanabe), and Chien-Po (Jerry Tondo), Mulan’s accomplices from the first film. While their characters are entertaining, Mulan’s character is reduced to stubborn and self-righteous, without her charming clumsiness or the ingenuity that initially saved China.
A weak conflict between her and Shang is masterminded by Mushu (Mark Moseley), which ultimately resolves superficially, as well as the princess’ arranged marriages that are eventually revealed to be unnecessary. This lack of compelling stakes and poorly-developed characters make for an underwhelming sequel. As a clever and resourceful woman who saved an entire country, Mulan deserves far more attention to her character, as well as a plot worthy of her skills.
Deserves A Sequel: The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Featuring 2D animation, The Princess and the Frog follows Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) on her quest to open her dream restaurant. A voodoo witch doctor upsets her plans when she’s accidentally turned into a frog alongside Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos). Together, they venture into the bayou, find Naveen a proper princess to kiss, fall in love with, and open Tiana’s Palace, the restaurant she’s always dreamed of. While no sequel has been planned, an animated TV series will arrive on Disney+ in 2022.
Still, Tiana is a character deserving of a full sequel. She is hard-working, resourceful, and ambitious. Now that her restaurant has opened, a sequel could introduce more of the interesting characters of New Orleans. Tiana’s friendship with Charlotte La Bouff (Jennifer Cody), a southern belle with dreams to marry royalty, is also entertaining, and they could be a strong duo to take on new threats from the spirit world or sugar barons. Tiana is also Disney’s first Black princess, a huge step forward for the slow to diversify franchise. Hopefully, the TV series will give her plenty of chances to explore her life as a princess and a successful restaurant owner, but a sequel wouldn’t be out of place.
Deserves A Better Sequel: Tarzan (1999)
A tepid frame story set as Tarzan (Michael T. Weiss) and Jane (Olivia D'Abo) are approaching their first year of married, jungle life, the sequel Tarzan & Jane tells three mini-stories to bolster a weak narrative of Jane searching for an anniversary present for her husband. Unfortunately, the animation is of diminished quality in comparison to the original, as well as the characters, who are one-dimensional and lack any compelling character arcs. It also lacks the charm of much of the original voice cast, who did not return for the sequels (there's also a midquel titled Tarzan II).
Jane’s friends visit West Africa, although according to Jane in the first movie this would be too expensive and dangerous a venture for the average Englishperson to take. Tarzan also fends off diamond prospectors and German spies. While the concept of Victorians adapting to jungle life is an entertaining premise, it’s wasted in this film, where Jane and Tarzan eventually celebrate their anniversary with a diamond and the typical English trappings, instead of exploring plotlines from the original book series or introducing some fresh characters that don't exist merely to serve flimsy storylines.
Deserves A Sequel: Treasure Planet (2002)
A forgotten treasure of Disney's post-renaissance era, Treasure Planet is based on the Robert Louis Stevenson novel Treasure Island but set in outer space. It follows a troubled teen, Jim Hawkins (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), onto the RLS Legacy to seek out the legendary planet where an infamous pirate, Nathaniel Flint (Peter Cullen), hoarded his treasure. The film is not only packed with narrow escapes from exploding supernovas and a mutinous crew but has a solid heart, as it explores the relationship between Jim and the cyborg chef Silver (Brian Murray), who begins to take on the role of a fatherly figure. The film ends with Jim turning his life around and graduating from the Royal Interstellar Academy, and while a sequel entered development, it was canceled in light of the film’s poor box office performance.
The sequel would have introduced a love interest, as well as reunited Silver and Jim Hawkins to face off against hijacking pirates. Despite its failure at the box office and its status as one of Disney’s lesser-known films, the story is strong, with animation blending 2D and CG elements, and an entire galaxy left to explore in future installments.
Deserves A Better Sequel: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
Atlantis: Milo’s Return follows Milo (James Arnold Taylor) and Kida (Cree Summer) as they return to the surface to solve mysteries related to Atlantean technology. The story is effectively cobbled together, as three episodes for a canceled TV series based on the film were fused into a poorly constructed narrative. The animation and storytelling are subpar, the latter failing to build on the original film's world and character development. It also lacks a strong villain, substituting a compelling menace for a few malignant monsters.
Although a proper sequel was considered, only the Direct-to-DVD Atlantis: Milo's Return resulted due to the film's failure at the box office. The most intriguing aspect of the film is its ending when Kida raises Atlantis to the surface, purportedly making the world a much better place from then on. This would have been a much more compelling storyline, with humans and Atlanteans competing over advanced technology and the introduction of Atlanteans to the human societies above-ground.
Deserves A Sequel: Tangled (2010)
One of Disney’s most beautiful CG animations to date, Tangled features a stunning soundtrack and heartwarming story. While there is a TV series and a short which expand on the history of the kingdom of Corona and the magic flower which gifts Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) with her powers, no film sequel has been announced. The TV series introduces some new characters, such as the misunderstood child inventor, Varian (Jeremy Jordan), and Rapunzel’s best friend and aspiring captain of the guard, Cassandra (Eden Espinosa).
These characters, as well as the exploration of the magical sundrop flower's history, lend depth to Rapunzel’s world and could certainly appear in a full-length feature. Additionally, Rapunzel and Eugene’s (Zachary Levi) cameo in Arendelle in the film Frozen leaves many questions unanswered. Rapunzel and Eugene are certainly one of Disney’s most adventurous couples, as evinced by their adventures in Tangled: The Series, and hopefully, a few of those adventures will eventually be adapted into a full-length sequel.
Deserves A Better Sequel: Peter Pan
With slightly better animation than most of Disney’s sequels due to its theatrical release, Peter Pan II: Return To Neverland still received a less than enthusiastic response. Its soundtrack is particularly criticized, as it falls far short of the original film’s music, and the story relies on shoddy slapstick humor and contrived characters to mask its poor execution. The premise is strong –Wendy’s (Kath Soucie) daughter, Jane (Harriet Owen), an adamant non-believer in Neverland, magic, and fairies is kidnapped by Peter Pan (Blayne Weaver) and helps him best the Neverland pirates and their ever-unimaginative machinations- but the film fails to execute on its potential.
Most of the characters are written one-dimensionally, with Peter especially lacking his charm from the first film. Perhaps drawing on some of J.M. Barrie’s original stories would create a stronger narrative, or reveal more elements of Neverland, since it should be unique to each child that visits. While the offensive Indigenous stereotypes are thankfully left out of this film, the island feels a bit barren with only the Lost Boys, the pirates, and their eternal and monotonous feud to sustain a full-length feature.
Deserves A Better Sequel: Hercules (1997)
Similar to the aforementioned disappointing direct-to-DVD Disney sequels, Hercules: Zero to Hero ties together three episodes from the TV series based on the film in a flimsy frame story. These episodes mainly follow a young Hercules (Tate Donovan) on his misadventures during his school years, introducing other characters from Greek mythology, such as his main antagonist, Adonis (Diedrich Bader). The stakes are significantly lower, now that Hercules is generally battling arrogant classmates rather than the god of the underworld.
Although the characters retain their charm from the original film, the storylines are underwhelming and forgettable. A much better sequel could have drawn more on tales from Greek mythology rather than muddling them together in a school setting, and sent Hercules on another epic quest. Hades (James Woods) is also far too entertaining of a villain to be sidelined by lesser antagonists, and his presence is sadly lackluster in the sequel.