Sequels and spinoffs are all the rage on the big screen these days, but the news that Disney is moving forward with a Frozen 2 still comes as something of a surprise considering the studio has been reticent to pump out theatrically-released follow-ups to its biggest hits - only The Three Caballeros, The Rescuers Down Under, Fantasia 2000 and Winnie the Pooh are part of the Disney Animated Canon.
However, throughout the '90s and '00s Disney had a lucrative side-business in direct-to-video sequels that were turned around quickly and cheaply and made the studio a fast buck. Many execs felt that these cheapened the originals and John Lasseter put the brakes on them, although the recent Tinker Bell films (branching out from Peter Pan) have their roots in this release model.
Digital Spy revisits 13 of Disney's most unnecessary straight-to-video sequels below:
Aladdin: The Return of Jafar (1994)
The very first DisneyToon Studios and Walt Disney Television Animation production, Return of Jafar looked to quickly capitalise on the success of Aladdin with the titular villain coming back for revenge. Most of the original cast returned, however Robin Williams stepped aside as the Genie and was replaced by Dan Castellaneta - the man behind Homer Simpson!
Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World (1998)
Presented in three different mini-stories, Belle's Magical World is actually the third in the Beauty and the Beast 'trilogy' if you take into account it's predecessor The Enchanted Christmas. Originally conceived as a TV series, it was deemed not good enough for broadcast but Disney still repackaged it into movie form anyway.
Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998)
After hearing rumours that John Smith has passed away, Pocahontas makes the journey to England in a bid to reunite with him. The first Pocahontas followed the title character's romance with John Smith, with this follow-up shifting the focus to new love interest John Rolfe (voiced by the super-smooth Billy Zane). Eat your heart out, Terence Malick!
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998)
Family feuds rumble on in The Lion King II, as Simba's daughter begins romancing a lion from Scar's pride. Though Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella all reprise their voice roles, there's obviously no room here for Jeremy Irons scenery-chewing and James Earl Jones' is largely sidelined as his son's spiritual guide.
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)
Jodi Benson reprises her role as Ariel in this sequel to one of the highlights from the Disney Renaissance. This time around Ariel must transform herself back into a mermaid and head back into the sea to find her daughter Melody. There's also the looming threat of Morgana, the power-mad sister of Ursula who wants control of the ocean for herself.
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (2001)
Lady and Tramp's offspring Scamp gets swept on a big adventure as he runs off with a pack of junkyard dogs when mum and dad's strict rules get too much. You can sense a theme building here... it feels like many of the early meetings for these direct-to-video offerings consisted of the pitch "What happens to the son/daughter of Disney character X?"
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002)
What happens after "happily ever after"? That's the hook for this Cinderella sequel which, like Belle's Magical World, is broken up into three separate chapters, none of which are a patch on the original. We can only hope that if the live-action Cinderella hits big and spawns a sequel, they're treated a bit better than this.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002)
The bells! The bells! It's under threat in Hunchback 2 when the villainous Sarousch forces Quasimodo's new love Madellaine (Jennifer Love Hewitt) into stealing the cathedral's signature feature. Demi Moore, Jason Alexander, Kevin Kline and Tom Hulce all reprise their voice roles, giving this follow-up a bit of star power at least.
101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2003)
Released more than 40 years after the original '60s 101 Dalmations, again we see what happens to the offspring of classic Disney characters. Here it's the turn of Patch, one of the many spotted pups who breaks out on his own in a bid to meet his canine TV hero and audition for a role in the Thunderbolt Adventure Hour.
Tarzan II (2005)
Despite being dubbed Tarzan II, this is actually a prequel that explores the eponymous vine-swinger's life as a young boy. This Tarzan spawned two new original tracks from Phil Collins and if that isn't a red flag then we don't know what is.
Bambi II (2006)
The heart-breaking death of Bambi's mother still traumatises many to this day, and this sequel begins where that moment ends as the baby deer seeks to win the approval of his father. Events take place within the original Bambi (is a "midquel" a thing?), with many of the original's background drawings scanned and re-used for to save time and money.
The Fox and the Hound 2 (2006)
Again more of a midquel than a flat-out sequel, this offering tests the bond between Copper and Todd when the former joins a pooch country music band (yes, really!). Still, at least it spawned a few ditties for voice cast members Reba McEntire and Patrick Swayze.
How many direct-to-video Disney sequels have you seen? Which is the best and which is the worst? Leave your comments below!
Movies Editor
Simon has worked as a journalist for more than a decade, writing on staff and freelance for Hearst, Dennis, Future and Autovia titles before joining Cision in 2022.