Credit: Edited by Inside the Magic2023 was a rough year for the Walt Disney Company (and that’s being kind), but can a series of sequels and follow-ups truly be what the studio needs?
Sequels to popular movies are nothing new in the modern cinematic age; they’re practically expected. Walt Disney himself even lived by the maxim of “always leave them wanting more,” but Disney’s release calendar for 2024 is stacked with new entries in existing franchises such as The Lion King (2019) and Inside Out (2015).
Related: Disney Turns to Animated Sequels for Live-Action Remake Inspiration
Sequels, prequels, and so on are all well and good, but this writer can’t help but notice one overlooked factor in this recent news. Disney has been a little too quiet about future original content.
Are Disney Sequels the Answer?
A recent report from The Direct shared Disney’s biggest releases coming to theaters next year, and some big players are certainly coming from Disney, Marvel, 20th Century Fox, and so on. However, the House of Mouse still risks losing its identity again by relying on sequels instead of original content.
Currently, the biggest Disney-centric titles on the list are Inside Out 2 (2024), Mufasa: The Lion King (2024), and Deadpool 3 (2024) from Marvel. Pair those with the announcements regarding sequels to Frozen (2013), Zootopia (2016), and even a fifth Toy Story (1995) movie, and it seems like Disney might be falling into another hazardous pattern.
@gavillain Replying to @thekingoftrains #greenscreen Also, yes, obviously Disney has always taken artistic liberties with the properties they are adapting. But never to the extent that we have seen over the last 15 years, and that’s the kicker. #disney#disneyanimation#disneyanimationstudios#fairytales#cinderella#wish#rayaandthelastdragon#thelittlemermaid#aladdin#101dalmatians#classicdisney#mythologyandfolklore
A common criticism about the Walt Disney Company is that Disney is struggling to create new ideas, as pointed out by @gavillain in the TikTok above. The creation of more sequels and returning to existing series might be a smart strategy to keep viewers interested in projects they already like, but Disney loses a bit of itself in the process.
Disney isn’t running out of ideals (at least we hope not), but fans have seen just what kind of original magic the studio can work for a literal century. Sequels are great, even necessary on many occasions, but a year with barely any original stories or concepts feels like a trecherous move on the part of the studio.
Can Disney live by sequels alone? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!