Disney is now embracing sequels and investing enough time and money in bringing continuations to some of its biggest hits to the big screen, but it wasn’t always like that. Disney sequels used to be straight-to-video or were released on Disney Channel, and the quality definitely wasn’t like the one of the original film. So, what changed that made Disney go for proper sequels?
Walt Disney Pictures is one of the most powerful studios in the entertainment industry and has built a reputation thanks to its family-friendly films, most of them animated. It all began in 1937 with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and it has since produced a number of animated films, live-action, and a mix of both. Walt Disney Studios is part of The Walt Disney Company, but it had two important divisions, of which only one remains now: Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disneytoon Studios. The latter produced various direct-to-video films as well as a couple of theatrical animated features, and was the one in charge of the sequels to some of Walt Disney’s biggest animated films.
However, in recent years Disney has gone for proper sequels released in theaters rather than direct-to-video and now produced by Walt Disney Studios – but what made the Mouse House change its mind about sequels?
Why Disney Doesn’t Make Straight-To-Video Sequels Anymore
Although Disneytoon Studios made some theatrical released films, most of its products were sequels that didn’t make it to the big screen. Its first film was DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp, which got a theatrical release in 1990. After that, Disneytoon made sequels to some Disney classics like Aladdin (The Return of Jafar, Aladdin and the King of Thieves), The Lion King (The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride), The Little Mermaid (The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea), and more. The quality of these sequels was significantly lower than the original films, and in most cases the voice actors were changed. This was because the budget for these productions was much lower and the stories had to be written fast. Still, many of these have become popular among Disney fans and turned out to be quite profitable.
With the arrival of Pixar and its animated films, Disney began to change its mind about sequels and their releases. The studio originally intended for Toy Story 2 to be a straight-to-video sequel, but the story reels were quite promising and was upgraded to a theatrical release. Even though Toy Story 2 was a big success, Disney needed more convincing to finally bring its sequels to the big screen. Universal Pictures proved that sequels can be a hit with audiences and critics if given enough time (and money) for their production, as was the case of the Shrek and Despicable Me franchises.
In addition to that, when John Lasseter arrived following the purchase of Pixar in 2006, he made it clear he disliked Disneytoon undercutting the value of the feature films with sequels and prequels, and as Chief Creative Officer, he called for the cancellation of all future films in production or development, among those sequels to Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, Pinocchio, and The Aristocats. Disneytoon Studios closed its doors in 2018, and since then, Disney has been embracing sequels and their theatrical releases.
First was Ralph Breaks the Internet in 2018 and recently Frozen II, both very well received by critics and audiences. As technology and animation evolve, it’s possible for studios to cut production time without sacrificing the quality of the product, and with the aforementioned examples from other studios and those recent sequels, Disney can now bet for theatrical released sequels without risking much.
