Top 10 Animated Sequels that are Better Than the Original

Incredibles 2 comes out very soon. I don’t think it will be as good as the first one, but I’m still looking forward to it. With that being said, there is a good amount of animated sequels that have actually managed to be better than their predecessors. So let’s discuss them.
The Top Ten
1 Toy Story 3

I like Toy Story 3 the most, but I believe that the original Toy Story is the best in my opinion. I hope that makes sense. There's a difference between the movies you subjectively prefer and the movies you think are objectively superior.

I'm probably the only person that likes the first best, well know a lot think that but most people I know think the sequels are better, whatever, they are both awesome, who knows, maybe I could rewatch the trilogy

Toy Story 4 is unnecessary! Especially with the ending of this movie feeling like a proper ending. Toy Story 3 was the first Toy Story Movie I watched in a theater. It was literally one of the best movie experiences of my life. Especially with the added bonus at the theater after the movie was over. A lot of people grew up with the Toy Story franchise. So it must have been sad to see Andy give his toys away. I didn’t cry, but it definitely was emotional. Lotso is the best villain in the entire trilogy. He’s also the only one who actually has an actual motivation. You can’t tell me that Sid and Pete had motivations. They didn’t. They were both just jerks. Do I think Lotso was overreacting? Yes. But at least he has a reason for doing what he’s doing. His backstory was even kinda emotional. I felt bad for him. Only problem I have with this movie is that it kind of feels a little too similar to Toy Story 2. Other than that, this is a great film.

2 How to Train Your Dragon 2

How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a great film and one of the greatest animated films ever in my opinion, but I still prefer the first one. I can't even explain why. Something about the tone, the character interactions, and the growing relationships between Hiccup and Toothless, Hiccup and Stoick, and Hiccup and Astrid. The sequel is amazing and one of the best instances of making a proper sequel to a fantastic movie, but the original How to Train Your Dragon holds a special place in my heart and makes me feel emotions that I don't quite comprehend.

Am I the only one who thinks this movie is overrated, I thought it was just decent, and I saw the movie twice trying to understand it but I just didn't find this one that enjoyable, but I'm maybe just nostalgia blinded by the first one, but I think this one is overrated

UPDATE: Now I watched it a third time, and now I find it better than the original

3 Toy Story 2

A sequel to the first ever CGI animated film. And it was great. They actually introduced us to new characters and they raised the stakes. Which is exactly what a sequel should do. There are a lot of sequels out there that tend to rehash their predecessors. Finding Dory, the Force Awakens, Home Alone 2, the Little Mermaid 2, Jurassic World, and every Indiana Jones sequel. There’s a lot more, but these are the only ones that I can think of at the moment. Toy Story 2 pretty much gives us something new and adds development to these characters. The new characters that are introduced are very likeable. Kelsey Grammer is really great as the villain. I’m still glad I got to see him in person at the Hollywood Bowl. Toy Story 2 is a great movie. I think everyone can agree.

My favorite Pixar sequel by FAR! Here's hoping The Incredibles 2 can impress me!

THIS MOVIE sucks only in my opinion

4 Shrek 2

This is probably the biggest example I can think of an animated movie sequel improving on the original. When it gets down to it, the original Shrek was a very simple film with simple characters and a simple plot. The movie handled all of its elements remarkably well, but due to its small cast of main characters and limited story, something felt missing. Shrek 2 has a much more interesting and less predictable plot that takes major risks (i.e. changing Shrek's appearance), the jokes are funnier and the fairy tale satire is much sharper, and every new character the film adds are extremely endearing, and the established characters all get more depth and become even more lovable. Shrek 2, in my opinion, is right up there in the Top 5 when it comes to the funniest animated movies ever.

Eh, Shrek The Third was my favourite, but this was also way better than the original

Nah! The first is always gonna be the best

5 The Rescuers Down Under

I love this movie so much, after I saw the first one I was soe excited for a sequel beacsue I loved it, and this sequel was even better! The villian was so great and it has some good action, and also, the scene with the goanna stealing McLeach's eggs was hilarious!

I think there's a large population of people who think that Beauty the Beast was released directly after The Little Mermaid.

The Rescuers is one of the most forgettable Disney movies ever. I can’t remember anything about it. It was so boring. Nothing memorable happens in it. It’s definitely not one of Disney’s best. Yet, it was the first animated Disney movie to get a sequel. Rescuers Down Under was released during the Disney Renaissance and it was actually pretty good. Not great, but good. It’s a major improvement over the first one. It actually has a much better story as well as very memorable characters. Even the animation is amazing. It was completely made digitally. It’s too bad not a lot of people saw it due to how forgettable the first movie was. Basically, the same situation is happening these days with Star Wars in which not a lot of people are going to see Solo because of how much they claim that the Last Jedi ruined their childhood. Only difference is Solo is a bad movie while the Last Jedi is a good movie that people refuse to admit.

6 Kung Fu Panda 2

So Universal Studios apparently has a new Dreamworks theater that has a Kung Fu Panda attraction inside it. I watched it on YouTube and it looks great. Better than Shrek 4D. Anyway, Kung Fu Panda is Dreamworks’ best franchise. All three movies were good. Especially Kung Fu Panda 2. It’s awesome. Despite still being a family friendly comedy/action movie, it’s quite mature. It takes on a very dark tone. Even has some emotional moments. The action scenes are brilliantly choreographed, the story is amazing, and we learn more about Po’s backstory. I wanted to hate Kung Fu Panda. It just sounded like a dumb concept that I could easily make fun of. But it ended up being surprisingly great and managed to get two great sequels. This entire franchise is better than it has any right to be. I’ve seen Kung Fu Panda 2 multiple times. It just never stops being so good.

How is a movie named "Kung Fu Panda 2" so good and so emotional?

7 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

I agree with you 100%, the third was horrible, the first was good and this was amazing!

Madagascar 2 is the best movie in the franchise. The first one is good and the third one sucks. I liked the second one the most because I thought it was a lot funnier. Plus, I love seeing that Alex got to reunite with his parents. We actually learn about Alex’s backstory and how he got separated from his parents. Each character has their moments. They all get some sort of laugh out of me. I’m entertained throughout the entire thing. Although, I thought the fight between Alex and Marty felt a little forced. I don’t get why that needed to happen. It literally added nothing to the story. I guess they just needed the “best friends break up” cliché. Even though we already got that in the first movie. Still, this is a great movie. Definitely an improvement over the first one.

8 The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature

Can you tell how hard it was for me to make this list? I would’ve had this list done DAYS ago. But it took me longer than expected because I needed to find another movie to include so I could have a complete list. And I REALLY didn’t want to add this movie. Even though it is a slight improvement over the first. The only praise I can give it is that it at least tries to have a decent story. It fails, but it still tries. Also, the voice actors do a pretty good job and the animation is slightly better. The sequel being better than the original isn’t much of an accomplishment. Both of these movies are bad. In fact, I have absolutely no idea WHY the first one even got a sequel!

Well, you're not wrong, Mega. Nut Job 1 has an 11% and Nut Job 2 has a 13%.

9 Cars 3

Cruz is hilarious

10 Planes: Fire & Rescue

I hate having to use the phrase “no one asked for this” as an argument. If studios determined what movies to make based on that, not a lot of movies would be made. No one asked for a Lego movie yet it ended up being a hit. No one asked for a sequel to Toy Story and it ended up being a hit. No one asked for a Han Solo movie and... well actually that movie legitimately sucked. As for Planes, there is DEFINITELY no one who asked for a sequel! Actually, the sequel was already being made before the first one even came out. Which is a little more ridiculous. There’s even gonna be a third one coming out which will supposedly be put on the Disney streaming service. Planes 2 I thought was a better film than the first one simply because it actually has a more interesting story and actually has exciting moments. Still, the characters are very bland and I have a hard time actually caring for them. Honestly, this and the first one feel like direct-to-dvd movies. I don’t know how they got into theaters.

The Contenders
11 Ice Age: The Meltdown

Way better, and it's the third best movie in the franchise

12 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
13 Finding Dory

Finding dory had more plot and twist plus a lot more interactions

For me, this was better than Finding Nemo

14 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure

I like this one better because it was a comedy while the original was a drama.

15 Incredibles 2

It was an INCREDIBLE flick

16 Rio 2

I thought it was bad, it was bland, I thought the first was way better

That is an unpopular opinion that it is better than the original

I’m not a big fan of Rio. The characters are insufferable, the songs are forgettable, and the story is very generic. And it got a sequel for some reason. Was anyone even asking for a sequel to that movie? I’d actually be surprised if anyone told me that they wanted a sequel to Rio. Fortunately, the sequel ended up being better than the original. However, it’s still not a good movie. The only reason I watched it is because Bruno Mars was in it. What ruins this movie for me though is how mean-spirited it is. Anne Hathaway’s character’s family judges Blu for being a pet. They act like jerks to him and they tell him he doesn’t belong in the wild. I know it’s one of those things where someone tries to fit into a place they’re not used to, but the way they do it make the characters very unlikeable. Also, Blu has children now and they are very annoying. The villain from the first movie returns. Even though he doesn’t have that big of a part, he was actually pretty enjoyable in this sequel. He was one of the few good things about it. This is a pretty bad movie. Even so, it still doesn’t compare to how bad the Ice Age sequels are.

17 Kung Fu Panda 3

I really want to see this movie. What's it like?

This is how Mulan 2 should have been.

18 All Dogs Go to Heaven 2
19 Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

I feel as if this film was overlooked because of its two mediocre predecessors. On paper, the film may seem silly and dumb, but whoever they got to replace the original writers of Madagascar did a fantastic job with this film because it had a good story and fantastic characters that were superior to the two previous films.

20 Ice Age: Continental Drift
21 Batman vs. Two-Face
22 Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants
23 Shrek the Third

Not a bad movie. Although, compared to the first and second one, it’s not that good.

24 Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure
25 Cars 2
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