For many fans of animation, Disney+ provides an opportunity to watch films that have been locked away in the Disney vault for years. While this includes classics like Cinderella and Aladdin, the streaming service also hosts a collection of animated sequels, which were produced between the '90s and late '00s.

While Disney's recent sequels, like Frozen 2 and Ralph Breaks the Internet, have been big-screen outings, back in the old days, the Mouse House produced numerous direct-to-video sequels with varying levels of quality. Some of these were good enough. Others were not especially impressive. CBR has revisited these sequels. All of them. Some are far better than we remember. Others are horrendous.

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The Diamonds in the Rough

Aladdin-Disney

It is important to mention the best sequels first. Most notably, before Ralph Breaks the Internet, there were two sequels in the Walt Disney Animation canon that made it to theaters: The Rescuers Down Under and Fantasia 2000. Both are very good and worth watching. The Rescuers Down Under might be even better than the original, while Fantasia 2000 is a mixed bag (the Rhapsody in Blue and Firebird segments are highlights, while The Carnival of the Animals segment is a low-point).

Ultimately, it's the direct-to-video sequels that are more fun to talk about, and a few stand out from the rest immediately: Aladdin and the King of Thieves, The Lion King 2, The Lion King 1 1/2, and Cinderella III.

What makes Aladdin and the King of Thieves and Lion King 2 so good is that they both feel like satisfactory sequels. They both build upon the lore of what came before, exploring new and interesting stories with their characters. They manage to feel like an actual continuation of the original narrative.

However, while The Lion King 2 mostly focuses on the next generation of characters to the detriment of the old (you can count Timon and Pumba's lines on one hand and Nala has even less of a presence than she does in the original Lion King), Aladdin and the King of Thieves focuses on the familiar characters from the first film -- plus, it has Robin Williams voicing the Genie. That said, The Lion King 2 has better music. "He Lives in You" is such a good song that it was incorporated into the recent live-action Lion King film.

On the other hand, The Lion King 1 1/2 and Cinderella III are both satirical, silly looks back at their original films. These irreverent movies have fun with the potential offered by a direct-to-video sequel and tell entertaining, fun stories -- assuming, of course, you're up for ridiculous takes on classic Disney films.

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Better Than Expected

Lilo and sitich on a blue tricycle

There were also a few surprises among the list of sequels. One big one is An Extremely Goofy Movie, a sequel to the cult animated classic A Goofy Movie. While the film never reaches the heights of the original, it manages to be entertaining from start to finish. It's also proof that, of the classic Disney characters, Goofy and his son, Max, are the most fascinating and consistently entertaining among them. And their dynamic in this sequel is superb.

The theatrically released animated sequel to Peter Pan, Peter Pan: Return to Neverland, is by no means a great film, but it's a surprisingly heartfelt one with some surprisingly effective moments. Sure, replacing the crocodile with an octopus is pretty goofy, but there is enough here to recommend this little gem.

Likewise, Jungle Book 2 is a surprisingly good film, though it's a rehash of the original in many respects. It brings a few  of the original characters back to make a cameo or two.

Bambi II is a mostly pointless film. It doesn't really add much to the original story, but it is harmless enough. It contains some beautiful animation and some very heartfelt moments. It's not a masterpiece like the original, but it's a nice companion if you want to spend more time with the famous deer.

The biggest surprise of all was revisiting the sequels to Lilo & Stitch and realizing that all of them are fairly entertaining. Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch was particularly fun, but Stitch! The Movie and Leroy & Stitch are fairly good too. None of them surpass the original but they are all diverting enough entertainment.

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Underwhelming

Aladdin Return of Jafar

While Return of Jafar is often decried for being horrible, it isn't as bad as many remember it. Though, sandwiched between the masterful original and the entertaining third film, it's a noticeable downgrade. Also, it has Gilbert Gottfried singing. But credit where credit is due: at least it built off what came before in a way that advances the story. The same is true for Pocahontas II, which attempts to remedy some of the original's frankly awful historical deviations.

No matter what you think of Pocahontas II, at least it tried to innovate with its plot. The vast majority of Disney sequels are just rehashes of their original movies. The Little Mermaid II, Tarzan II, Kronk's New Groove, Lady and the Tramp II, Tarzan II -- all of these films feel like they're recycling plot points from the prior films. They're carbon copies that leave you wishing you'd just watched the originals.

Many sequels are compilations of episodes for a proposed animated series that went nowhere. Tarzan and Jane, Atlantis: Milo's Return, and Cinderella II all include multiple shorts that feel like they were made for a day-time children's series -- because they were. And none of them are particularly good, especially when you compare them to Disney animated spin-off series that actually made it to the small screen, like the Aladdin and Hercules series.

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The Actual Worst

However, the worst sequels are the ones that tarnish the original films. They add plot points or ideas that actively make the original movies worse by association. These include: Mulan II, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, and The Beauty and the Beast sequels.

Let's go over why these films are horrendous. Mulan II makes Mushu into a villain and Shang into an irrationally angry idiot, and for some reason Mulan puts up with all their nonsense. Ariel's Beginning features a strange story about how Ariel brings music back to Atlantica, after revealing that music serves as a traumatic trigger for King Triton. This feels contradictory to the original film's undersea world, which regularly holds concerts that Ariel ditches.

Hunchback II is heavy-handed nonsense that exists to give Quasimodo a girlfriend, again, running counter to the original film. In that movie, Quasimodo can't make Esmeralda fall in love with him but he can find happiness in society due to his own inner goodness.

Of these films, the absolute worst are The Beauty and the Beast sequels. On top of being poorly made and written, they present the relationship between Belle and the Beast as emotionally and physically abusive. Many have argued that the original film depicts a textbook case of Stockholm syndrome, which is an unfair criticism since Belle, more than once, leaves the Beast. She only starts to care about him when he changes for her.

In the sequels, however, Belle is a literal doormat who constantly tries to change the Beast. The Beast, meanwhile, does little more than scream at her, berate her, and isolate her from others. These films mishandle the source material egregiously.

If you want to watch a sequel to an animated classic on Disney+, check out Aladdin and the King of Thieves or The Lion King II. Leave Belle's Magical World in its dark corner of the Beast's cobweb ridden dungeon.

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