Thoughts on Direct-to-Video Disney Sequels

[NAveryW]

I can't believe I didn't find out until just now that, back in 2007, John Lasseter and Ed Catmull got high positions in Walt Disney Animation Studios when Disney acquired Pixar. After getting this new power, they did what they had wanted to do for quite some time: cancel the production of D2V sequels.

At first, that seemed quite commendable, and Lasseter gained even more respect from me than he had had before (if that were even possible). Then, however, I read this.

Now, I don't actually agree with everything the article says. Just earlier today I was remembering when the Disney Channel showed, back to back, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Hunchback of Notre Dame II. The first one had quite progressive animation for its time, and clearly had a very lofty budget. I gave up on watching the second one a couple of minutes in, however, because the poor animation quality annoyed me so much. It pained me to watch Atlantis II for the same reason.

However, the animation quality is not always so cheap. The Lion King 1½, for example, had pretty much theatrical animation quality. I haven't seen Bambi II or Tarzan II, but they looked like they had rather nice animation from the trailers as well.

However, good animation quality can't make up for a bad story. The article I linked to praises Cinderella III, but seemed to skip over the god-awful Cinderella II: Dreams Come True to make its point. Stitch! The Movie (and everything I've seen that's Lilo & Stitch-related aside from the first film) makes one forget how charming and funderful the first film was.

Hooowweeeeverrrr, the stories weren't all bad for D2V Disney films either. I remember really liking The Lion King II: Simba's Pride when I was younger, though I liked some pretty crappy stuff and I'm not sure if I'd still like it. The Lion King 1½, however, I can say that I liked, if only for its subversively irreverent treatment of the original (the same reason I liked the Timon & Pumbaa series as a child: it pretty much ruins The Lion King if you consider it to be in the same canon). I also have rather fond memories of Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin, which came out when I was in 2nd grade. I had a lot of fun with that movie, and from what I can remember I think I'd still find it rather good. Mulan II isn't that bad, either, though it's not all that great.

Here I ask: are there any D2V Disney films that people here like, or at least consider competent? Was Lasseter making the right decision when he put an end to one of Disney's most lucrative, but critically derided concepts, and fired the person in charge?

[UrsusArctos]

Good move, definitely. The Lion King sequel wasn't as shabby as they could have made it (If you can call that redeeming), although the storyline descriptions of others like the Atlantis sequel were enough to put me off them without even watching them. It didn't help that Atlantis was weird in the first place.

I watched the Jungle Book sequel...it sucked, although it was a theatrical release and not DTV. None of the beauty of the original.

DTV or theatrical, animated or live-action, all sequels barring the likes of Godfather II and maybe one or two LA movies in that category are pathetic. (TT and RotK don't qualify as sequels since LotR was made as a trilogy from the very start.)

[Zkh]

direct to video sequels are probably too indie for all of you guys.I can can assure you that these movies are all beautiful in their own ways, and they are up for interpretation. My favorite is the sequel to Lady and the Tramp, a timeless classic beaten by its sequel. Not all of them are good, but I'm sad they stopped making them.

[Sharaz Destler]

Well, I thought Inspector Gadget 2 was pretty good, but then I only bought that because I'm something of a Gadget fan.

Well, when I say pretty good, I mean the plot and writing sucked, but the designs were good.

[Defectron]

DTV or theatrical, animated or live-action, all sequels barring the likes of Godfather II and maybe one or two LA movies in that category are pathetic. (TT and RotK don't qualify as sequels since LotR was made as a trilogy from the very start.)

I wouldnt go as far as to say all sequals suck, though more often then not the first movie does seem to be the better one. For example I really liked the second ghost in the shell movie, and I thought the third heisei Gamera film was far superior to the two previous films that came before it. Wrath of Kahn was also better then the first Star Trek movie IMO I also liked spiderman 2 better then the first movie (lets not mention the 3rd though), theres plenty of other good sequals out there, those are just the ones I thought of off the top of my head.

Anyway, that being said all the CTV disney sequals I've seen have been pathetically sorry. They had the right idea stopping these, as Misato would say a half assed attempt is worse then not doing anything at all. And thats exactly what these were, half assed attempts at sequals that were just riding on the coattails of the originals success.

[Sailor Star Dust]

To be honest, the only Disney sequels I've watched is the whole Aladdin trilogy (including episodes of the TV series if it counts for anything) growing up. And that's only because it's one of my favorite Disney series.

With any other Disney sequel, I've simply avoided those out of lack of interest/fear that it would suck, but I know not all sequels are bad and sometimes they can be better than the original. (Though part of it stems from the fact that Walt Disney didn't want there to be any sequels of things and the company ended up ignoring that rule just for profit...)

[UrsusArctos]

Most sequels, sadly, lack that kind of impact. I suppose that the feel of a sequel is rather different to fans. Casual viewers would find a sequel as taking too much for granted rather than expanding upon a previous work, I think.

As a matter of fact, the second Godfather movie was so good because it kept the feel of the first movie while expanding into new areas of both Godfathers' lives.

[V]

actually, even Disney has finally admitted that sequels to established titles are bad and have declared that they'll stop doing them; new management came in that finally saw the writing on the wall and realized that "this dilutes the quality of our brand name; everyone makes fun of it; lets put the shame behind us"

[BrikHaus]

actually, even Disney has finally admitted that sequels to established titles are bad and have declared that they'll stop doing them

They're going to enact this after Toy Story 3, then? [url]http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435761/[/url]

[NAveryW]

Toy Story 3 was apparently going to be direct-to-video, but Lasseter upgraded it to theatrical.

[THE Hal E. Burton 9000]

D2V Disney sequels have never been enthusiastically recieved by me, even the very few that were "decent" IMO like The Lion King II, though this is mainly to my anti-Disney views

[BrikHaus]

Toy Story 3 was apparently going to be direct-to-video, but Lasseter upgraded it to theatrical.

I thought that was Toy Story 2. Or maybe it was both?

my anti-Disney views

They are evil and must be stopped at all costs!

[Formless One]

First we must hire all their animators.

Seriously, Disney's animation looks good, better than some anime. They just don't have the guts to break out of the animation ghetto, let alone make anything original anymore.

Plus, they were always Corporate Evil On A Stick.

[THE Hal E. Burton 9000]

Toy Story 3 was apparently going to be direct-to-video, but Lasseter upgraded it to theatrical.

I thought that was Toy Story 2. Or maybe it was both?

no, just Toy Story 3, they weren't even going to have Lassiter and the original Pixar staff or most of the original voice actors (only Tim Allen was confirmed to continue if Pixar was out of the picture) and there was what would be considered now a politically incorrect storyline (and killer of moichendizing sales); but, Disney bought controlling interest in Pixar and that potential train wreck never happened

my anti-Disney views

They are evil and must be stopped at all costs!

well, my problem is not simply what Disney has become, it's what it was and may possibly have been had Walt Disney's vision of things like EPCOT had ever got close to what was hoped for

I doubt Disney himself would be enthralled with how commercialized and "licensed" the company he founded and everything in entertainment has gotten, nor how much many people no longer give a flip about the family as a force for good in America and the world other than a profit center

yeah, something like EPCOT seems to even the most optimistic as a relic of the "Father Knows Best"/1950's "flying car future that never was", but it's that kind of sense of diversity in ways and even direction though not destination, of unity and comprability that's sorely missing today not just in entertainment but in greater popular culture and socio-politics too, rather than the greedy interpretation of nihilism, "I'm different just because blah blah blah", raging and vengeful entitlement, and the master/slave morality that finds its way into every generation

[UrsusArctos]

Toy Story 3 was apparently going to be direct-to-video, but Lasseter upgraded it to theatrical.

Good call. If he handles it as well as he handled Toy Story 2, he has a definite hit.

Reminds me of a certain sequel to a certain movie...

[pat457]

I rather liked Lion King 1½ (much more than the original ), though generally I'm not a fan of D2V sequels in general, as a good lot of them seem to just cash in on the success of the original (theatrical) films.

I doubt Disney himself would be enthralled with how commercialized and "licensed" the company he founded and everything in entertainment has gotten, nor how much many people no longer give a flip about the family as a force for good in America and the world other than a profit center

I agree. I think it's a pity that Disney doesn't make much high-caliber stuff anymore these days like they did back then (Fantasia, anyone?).

By the way, your comment somehow reminded me of Skinner from Ratatouille (one of the few very best films that Disney managed to churn out in the present day, IMHO) and how he tried to exploit the late top chef Auguste Gusteau's reputation and image to market low-quality frozen foods in the film.

They are evil and must be stopped at all costs!

Shinji: "Wait. Since when does DI$NEY care about humanity?"
Kaji: "They don't. DI$NEY only wishes to control the world."

...sorry, couldn't resist.

[The Bastard King]

I also have rather fond memories of Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin, which came out when I was in 2nd grade. I had a lot of fun with that movie, and from what I can remember I think I'd still find it rather good.

I FUCKING LOVED THAT MOVIE.

Anyone looking for any more contributive talk to this subject from me can go ahead and look somewhere else right now. My opinion on the Disney Sequels remains largely like everyone else's.

[NAveryW]

By the way, your comment somehow reminded me of Skinner from Ratatouille (one of the few very best films that Disney managed to churn out in the present day, IMHO) and how he tried to exploit the late top chef Auguste Gusteau's reputation and image to market low-quality frozen foods in the film.

You know, come to think of it, that might have been a direct allegory for what Disney was doing.

[Iron Rooster]

I never understood the direct to video thing. Sending a movie directly to video really makes it seem like an attempt to just make money with minimum effort. I do admit, occasionally, one of them turns out to be decent or better, but still. Good call on the top guys, I say.

[ThroneofDravaris]

Now they just need to ditch Kingdom Hearts and all will be right with the world.