3 Disney Movie Sequels That Were Doomed Since Very Beginning

Sequels have long held a power in Hollywood, proving that the original movie was worthy enough to let the story go on and on. The continuation, however, has not always turned out to be a great success, sometimes even becoming a major reason for the whole franchise’s fall into public disgrace and eventual cancellation.

Surprisingly, even Disney, with its myriad of critically and commercially successful movies, still can’t be forgiven for several audaciously bad sequels that stained the original film’s legacy.

Cars 2 (2011)

Pixar’s massive hit of the 2000s, Cars spawned two more sequels, with the first one of them bringing to the screens probably the worst idea Pixar and Disney ever had. The problem was that Cars 2 couldn’t even be called a sequel after all; the story now wasn’t a continuation of what was told before, but rather a spin-off with a focus on a specific character.

Additionally, Mater, who got to be the center of the sequel’s story, made the viewers feel like they’d been delusional about him all along: while in the first movie the character was a charming addition, every so often showing up on the screen and bringing unforgettable jokes, in Cars 2 he’s nothing more than just a pretty much predictable protagonist whose punchlines get more and more tedious throughout the film’s run.

Years after its release, Cars 2 remains one of Pixar’s most senseless movies and has nothing to offer to the original film’s fans — even despite its commercial success and $562 million in global box office.

Atlantis: Milo’s Return (2003)

A sequel’s path towards the success equal or superior to the one of the first movie becomes way harder once the latter is a fan-favorite hit, and Atlantis: Milo’s Return isn’t an exception. A follow-up to Atlantis: The Lost Empire, the movie turned out to be a complete disaster that wasn’t able to break even in theatres, as if the original film’s fans knew that things just weren’t right.

Naturally, they weren’t wrong either — Atlantis: Milo’s Return is just an overall failure that couldn’t give its characters satisfying arcs or at least decent dialogues. The movie follows its predecessor’s spectacular animation style though, but still doesn’t regain the trust of the first movie’s fans who felt like the sequel was trying to introduce multiple stories at a time without even interconnecting them.

It’s not even necessary to add that, just like many sequels to extremely successful films, Atlantis: Milo’s Return lacked the unmatched and heartwarming atmosphere which the first movie conquered the audiences with.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002)

Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, released back in 1996, was a true 4th wall breaker coming as a proof that not every story needs a romantic happy ending to become complete. In the first movie, Quasimodo’s storyline just couldn’t get any better, with the character finding happiness in the public’s acceptance of him, years after being mistreated.

The sequel, born out of the first film’s raving success, demolished everything built before by introducing Quasimodo’s love interest Madellaine. It’s still hard for many of The Hunchback of Notre Dame’s fans to believe in Quasimodo and Madellaine’s love story, which, alongside a truly horrible soundtrack and generally bad storyline, was quick to label the sequel as one of the most forgettable movies Disney has ever made.