These Amazing Disney Movie Sequels Might Be Better Than the Original

Over the past 100 years, Disney has released many great movies, some of which have become classics that we know and love today.

Many of the most popular movies Disney and Pixar have released have become so popular that they’ve been able to warrant sequels, and in some cases, prequels and show series.

Best Disney Movie Sequels

Some of these sequels have many years between them and the original films, meaning that the difference in the quality of the animation and sound can be extreme compared to the first films. Many of the sequels Disney and Pixar have released have a more in-depth story or continue some of our favorite stories in creative ways. We're going to break down the best Disney sequels that outshine the original masterpieces and may be even better!

Cars 2

During Cars 2, we get to follow our favorite sidekick, Mater, as he embarks on an espionage mission to foil an expansive Lemon car plot to make environmentally-friendly fuel illegitimate. During the off-season, Lightning McQueen is challenged by fellow racer Francesco Bernoulli to embark on the World Grand Prix circuit. The series of three races is promoting a new environmentally friendly fuel created by a former oil tycoon (Sir Miles Axelrod) who turns to electric power.

While McQueen races through the series, Mater is mistaken for a spy and must help to stop the Lemon cars as they plan to use an electromagnetic pulse generator to wreak havoc amongst the racers competing in the World Grand Prix. Mater is eventually able to foil the plan with his fellow spies and save Lightning and the other racers along the way.

This is one of my absolute favorite Disney movies because we really get to see Mater shine in an action-packed adventure while still staying true to the racing storyline, which makes this movie an engaging and memorable sequel!

Toy Story 3

11 years after Toy Story 2, we finally get another adventure with Woody and the gang. The animation is very advanced compared to the prior Toy Story movies, and so is the depth of the story.

When Andy is preparing to go to college, he accidentally donates his favorite toys, which end up at a daycare run by an evil stuffed bear named Lotso. Woody escapes through the backpack of a student (Bonnie) and the toys at her home tell him what is really happening at Sunnyside Daycare. Woody returns and eventually escapes with all of Andy’s toys through the trash chute but is followed by Lotso to an incinerator, where the toys prepare for the worst. That is, until the aliens rescue the toys and help them escape onto Sid’s garbage truck, returning to Andy’s room.

Andy closes out the movie in a tear-jerking fashion, donating all of his favorite toys to Bonnie and giving them a new purpose. It's heartwarming to see some of my favorite characters from my early childhood come back to life in a new story and see them get a renewed sense of belonging.

Ralph Breaks the Internet

In Wreck-It Ralph, we see that villains don't have to (and may not want to) always be bad. This doesn't change in Ralph Breaks the Internet but, we do get to see Ralph finally appreciated by the other characters in his game, and he keeps trying to be a good friend.

Sugar Rush and its citizens are threatened when the arcade video game breaks inside of the Litwak Arcade. Scared of losing his friend, Ralph uses the new wifi router to scour the internet for a solution to save his friend and her home. Ralph and Venellope find a steering wheel that will be able to save Sugar Rush and its citizens but only have 24 hours to come up with $27,001. Before the game is eventually repaired, we follow Ralph and Vanellope through an entertaining and comedic spoof of how we use the internet.

One of my favorite parts of this movie is getting to see characters we know and love from other Disney movies interacting with the pair throughout their adventures on the internet. I would have never thought I'd be able to see stormtroopers, princesses, and video game characters all together on the big screen, which makes this sequel stand out as extra memorable!

Mulan II

Mulan is a critically acclaimed, award-winning masterpiece. How can it get any better? Its sequel, Mulan II, continues Mulan's adventurous story with the same level of artistic glory.

In the second movie, Mulan and Shang agree to protect Princess Ting-Ting, Mei, and Su on their journey to their arranged marriages in an attempt to strengthen ties between China and Qui Gong. Mulan struggles with this and tells the Princesses that they have a duty to their hearts. We see a journey of the Princesses falling in love with common people while Mushu tries to sabotage Mulan and Shang's own relationship because he is afraid their marriage will make him lose his job.

The movie deeply explores the conflict between following your heart and doing what is expected of you, making for an impactful theme. In Mulan 2, we get the same cultural appreciation as the first movie, but we also see a storyline where Mulan doesn’t have to hide any part of herself with comedy from Mushu along the way. We also get one of my favorite childhood songs from this film, “Lesson Number One!”

Lion King 1 1/2

Similarly to Cars 2, Lion King 1 1/2 is a story where we really get to appreciate some of the sidekicks of the original movie, the meerkat Timon and the warthog Pumbaa. Viewers get to follow Timon and Pumbaa’s retelling of the events of The Lion King and see how the iconic pair met. Throughout Lion King 1 1/2, you see a glimpse of multiple events from The Lion King movie through Timon and Pumbaa’s eyes as their own storyline also unfolds.

Of course, this memorable sequel wouldn't be complete without song! I love this movie because there is a lot of comic relief from the pair and their telling of the story. It's also interesting getting to see another side of the Lion King story we know and love.

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time

In Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, the Fairy Godmother, along with Jaq and Gus, have a picnic for Cinderella and the Prince’s first wedding anniversary. The stepsisters are now overworked by Lady Tremaine, doing everything Cinderella once did. A distracted Anastasia walks past the picnic and sees that the Fairy Godmother’s magic is what helped Cinderella get the Prince. Anastasia steals the Fairy Godmother’s fallen wand and brings it back to Lady Tremaine, using its magic to change the Prince’s fate with Cinderella to a new fate with Anastasia.

Cinderella faces many trials throughout the movie but ultimately overcomes them all before marrying the Prince again. Anastasia has a redemption arc when she refuses to marry the Prince and becomes much less evil of a stepsister.

Throughout the film, the character development of Cinderella, the Prince, and Anastasia all vastly improve, making this sequel a compelling watch. 57 years separate the release of the original movie and A Twist in Time, so both the animation and the sound quality are much better than the original.

101 Dalmatians 2: Patch's London Adventure

In Patch's London Adventure, the chaos of having so many puppies in one place continues. Because of this, the Radcliffes are planning to move into a bigger home when Patch, who already feels alone and ignored, is left behind. Patch decides since he was left alone to try auditioning for his favorite show, but he doesn’t make the cut. Even though he didn’t get a part, Patch ends up helping his favorite character, Thunderbolt and his sidekick Lightning, while his family realizes he is missing.

Beloved villain Cruella de Vil enters the story—wanting a new coat, she begins hunting for the Dalmatians once again. She uses a picture of Patch seen in the newspaper to find the Radcliffes’ new home and steals the other Dalmatians from their new home so her designer Lars can begin the coat.

Patch's London Adventure was a movie that was always in the regular rotation at my house growing up. With 42 years between One Hundred and One Dalmatians and Patch's London Adventure, this is another sequel with drastically improved animation and sound. The story is compelling, as I love that Patch makes the best of getting left behind and ultimately shows that he, as a regular dog, is a hero just as much as his favorite superhero dog character.

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea

Although The Little Mermaid and The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea has the same gap as Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3, I find that the animation quality hasn't changed much. However, what put this movie on this list of the best Disney sequels for me is the plot where we get to see how cherished princess Ariel handles being a mother.

In The Little Mermaid II, we get to view Ariel’s new life with Prince Eric on land as they celebrate their daughter Melody being born. In an attempt to protect Melody from Ursula's sister, Ariel decides that her daughter will know nothing about her mermaid heritage and will not be allowed near the water. Much like her mother, Melody has an adventurous personality and sneaks away to the ocean repeatedly until she finds a locket with her name on it.

I love this sequel because of its engaging storyline—we get to see Ariel grow up and her reaction to her own daughter behaving in the same way she once did, longing for what she didn’t have. I can only believe that as an adult, Ariel has a much better appreciation for the way her father handled Ariel's similar situation growing up. Ariel was my favorite princess as a child, so seeing her grow up and return to the sea in this film only solidifies this.

Tarzan & Jane

While the original Tarzan movie was a masterpiece, along with its soundtrack comprised of an amazing, award-winning original song, I prefer the storyline of Tarzan & Jane.

Jane tries to plan the perfect first anniversary for her and Tarzan with Tantor and Terk while flashbacks of previous events leave her stumped on what to do. The idea of a party comes up, but we are brought back to a time when Jane and three of her friends had a picnic without Tarzan which was ambushed, leaving Tarzan to save the day. Jane thinks about giving him a more expensive gift but is reminded of when Tarzan tried to get Jane a diamond from a volcano, which erupted with the pair along with Professor Porter inside. Running out of options, Professor Porter suggested that Jane could dance. We are reminded of a time when Jane was kidnapped by a friend, only being narrowly saved by Tarzan himself. Jane is disappointed in not being able to find something to celebrate with, so she returns home where Tarzan is waiting with a surprise party for her.

Throughout this sequel, we really get to see how Jane and Tarzan’s lives collide and watch as Tarzan sacrifices some of his lifestyle to make Jane happy.

Monsters University

Technically a prequel to Monsters Inc., Monsters University was released 12 years after the original film. It doesn't have as drastic of a change in animation or visual quality, but it shows a story I didn't know I was longing for. Monsters University explores how Mike and Sulley meet and their journeys to become the best scarers Monstropolis has seen.

Mike Wazowski has dreamed of being a scarer since he was young and is prepared to work as hard as he can alongside his roommate Randall. He meets his match in James P. “Sulley” Sullivan, a student from a long line of famous scarers who notably slacks off due to his family’s success. Due to the pair's differences, they start a fierce rivalry taking place both in their classes and during their fraternity recruitment process.

The theme of this sequel stands out in particular. Through many trials and tribulations, the pair shows if you keep working hard and trying for what you want that it can become a possibility. I also appreciate that the film shows no matter your differences or past, there is always an opportunity for someone to turn into a friend.

Honorable Mention- Lilo and Stitch: The Series

Although this isn’t exactly a movie sequel, Lilo and Stitch: The Series was one of my favorite things to watch growing up. I loved the movies, but the series was so much more entertaining for me because of the variety of stories told. Throughout 65 entertaining episodes, Lilo and Stitch try to collect Jumba’s missing experiments and find each experiment somewhere where they can be good and belong. I see this as a sort of redemption arc for Stitch becoming more “good” as he gets to help all of his cousins find a new home!

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