An ad pops up on your phone and it is yet another sequel to a classic Disney movie that you once loved. You walk into the movie theater and hope it will bring you the same joy that it once did, and you leave disappointed. This is a scenario that has happened one too many times, and unfortunately, there seems to be no end.
Here are a few Disney sequels: “Frozen 2″ (2019), “Inside Out 2″ (2024) and “Moana 2″ (2024) — a testament to Disney’s ongoing pattern. All of these have one thing in common: they were all a fundamental part of peoples’ childhoods. The kids that watched the originals when they first came out are now teenagers or young adults. When they watched these movies, it was during a simpler time; no responsibilities, no worrying about the future, no bad people in the world. The biggest problem was what was for dinner.
Disney markets these sequels as a way for people to go back to the good old days. They are playing with feelings and consumers fall right into the trap. It’s a way for them to make profitable money, since movie-goers hope that this time might be different, that maybe this time it will be just as good as the first, or even better.
Sequels typically don’t live up to the expectation of the first movie, and their grasps at nostalgia isn’t the only disappointing factor; the soundtrack comes into play as well.
In “Frozen 2” there was no song that could beat “Let it Go” and “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” Both are popular songs that are now often played when thinking about Disney movies. More recently, with “Moana 2,” the soundtrack was a disgrace to its original songs like, “You’re Welcome” or “How Far I’ll Go.” After these sequels, people don’t have the music stuck in their head; in fact, they’re pretty unforgettable, which is unfortunate since that used to be the best part after leaving the movies.
While Disney’s sequels often rely on nostalgia, they have proven their ability to create new films with different plots, characters and even diversity. An example of this is “Encanto.”
After its release in Nov. 2021, great reviews came flooding in, receiving a 94% in Rotten Tomatoes. Great characters, coupled with a great plot and a soundtrack that gets stuck in your head, it’s an enjoyable movie not only for children but for teenagers and even adults.
Although it’s risky on Disney’s part to bring new worlds and movies into the film industry, it’s worth taking the risk. They have die-hard fans that will watch anything that they put out, and most people get intrigued by new fresh ideas. On top of that, now that there are more diverse characters, more people want to see themselves on the big screen, creating a larger audience.