By LEEANN RIVERS
Sheridan High School Student
Editor’s note: The Sheridan Student Column is brought to readers by Sheridan High School’s 10th grade Accelerated English class, taught by Alicia Burnell.
For decades, Disney has been captivating its audiences with its original animated classics, setting a standard for storytelling, animation, and character development worldwide. Films like Snow White, The Lion King, and Toy Story have become cultural precedents, loved by generations for years.
However, in recent years, Disney’s focus has shifted toward producing an endless stream of sequels, reboots, and live-action remakes of original Disney movies. While some of these movies have been financially and popularly successful, this strategy may risk weakening the brand’s legacy and restraining creative innovation.
This column argues that Disney should stop relying on sequels and remakes and instead prioritize the original stories that capture the hearts and minds of audiences.
One of the main reasons Disney should reconsider relying so heavily on sequels is because of diminishing returns. While some initial sequels to movies bring in significant revenue for the company, the movies often fail to live up to the critical and commercial success of the original Disney movie before them. This is likely because when a sequel is made, it often retells the story of the first movie, lacking originality and the freshness that made the original movie such a hit.
A primary example of this is the Toy Story franchise. Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 were a success and blew over well, but the newest movie, Toy Story 4, faced backlash because people felt it was unnecessary and repetitive. One reporter from an Iowa news organization writes, “‘Frozen 2,’ for example, is a convoluted and rushed attempt to recapture the magic of the original movie. It attempts to fit a complicated storyline and several new characters into only an hour and 43 minutes of run time.”
This pattern is not just unique to this franchise, and can be observed in other Disney sequels.
Why is Disney doing this? The reason why Disney is so sequel-heavy may be unknown, but it is harming their profit and popularity in the long run. For example, when The Lion King was released in 2019, it was a global hit and brought in over $1.6 billion in the box office, according to a box office website. But when Mufasa was released in 2025, it only reached $700 million in the box office, declining in profit from the first movie greatly. This is common in other movies, too. The reboot live versions of these original movies are declining in profit, and receiving mixed reviews worldwide.
Another big drawback of Disney’s sequel-driven approach is its chance of restraining creativity and innovation. When a company focuses primarily on sequels, the idea of investing in original ideas and looking for fresh talent becomes less appealing.
For example, Disney’s original films like Moana, Coco, and Zootopia really showcase Disney’s ability to create imaginative and compelling stories and characters that resonate with people worldwide. By now prioritizing sequels, Disney is at a huge risk of losing that reputation it worked so hard to build. Instead of prioritizing sequels, the company should encourage its creative teams to create new worlds, characters, and storylines that can captivate audiences in the same ways they previously did.
In conclusion, Disney should stick to coming up with creative and original ideas when producing new movies. Even though some live-action remakes do well, not all of them do and it is not worth funding the movie for it to not do as well as the original. If Disney refocuses on original stories, it can reaffirm its commitment to creation and innovativeness, ensuring its position in the entertainment industry for years to come.
Original films not only offer fresh perspectives and plenty of new opportunities, but also gain the potential to become new Disney classics, captivating audiences in ways that sequels can’t.