Disney sequels

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Gladiator back in the (ampi)theatre, Tom Cruise reminding everyone he’s the toppest gun, 2 Lion 2 King: Mufasa Rises.

These days, it can feel like every movie is a sequel or spin-off. 

But is that really the case? To find out, I had a look at the big cheese – or more accurately – the big mouse, by diving into Disney’s film catalogue.

What’s new with you? Not much.

Short answer: yes, there really are more follow up films than before.

Disney began releasing sequels in the 1960s, but their output kicked into a higher gear from the 90s onwards. And lately, remakes and spin-offs are trending the same way.

Prequels? Not so much. The last one, Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), didn’t exactly inspire a deluge of new films. Gee I wonder why!

Line chart showing the cumulative number of Disney releases across sequels, remakes, prequels, and spin offs. The chart shows sequels beginning in the 1960s, gradually increasing over time until they pick up pace and the line becomes steeper in the 1990s, reaching just above 125 total sequels in 2024. Prequels, remake, and spin offs all sit below 25 total releases.

I can hear you already  – But Disney makes all kinds of movies! Maybe they’re making more films in general, including originals!

And true! In the 1960s, Disney made 52 films. By the 2010s, that number had jumped to 129.

But here’s the thing: In the 1960s, only 6% of Disney’s films were sequels, prequels, remakes, or spin-offs. By 2010 that number had shot up to 44%

A waffle bar chart showing the number and type of movies released by Disney each decade starting in the 1930s. We see in 1930 Disney released one original movie - Snow white and the seven dwarves. From the 1990s onwards, a growing proportion of the total movies are sequels, remakes, prequels and spin-offs, but Disney is also releasing more movies overall.

The worst offenders

But some studios have more to answer for this slew of sequels than others. 

Curiously – Walt Disney Pictures, the company that started it all, releases the fewest non-original movies of the lot.

The real culprits? You guessed it – Marvel’s cinematic universe and Lucasfilm’s cinematic galaxy far, far away.

Four waffle charts comparing the proportion of non-original movie releases across four Disney studios: Marvel - 59% Lucasfilm - 53% Pixar - 33% Disney - 23%

Disney didn’t invent snow white

So job done right? Yes, today Disney is leaning more on its past work than it did in the past. In fact, since 2020 more than 1 in 3 Disney films were connected to a previous movie.

Does that mean that Disney has lost their spark? Are they less creative than they used to be? Not necessarily.

A stacked bar chart showing the proportion of original movies versus movies based on movies released by Disney each decade between 1945 and 2025. The chart shows that in 1945 all Disney movies were original stories, but the number of movies based on movies has climbed steadily to around 40% in the last two decades.

When Disney released their first film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, there weren’t exactly many movies to copy.

Did that mean they just churned out new idea after new ideal? Of course not! 

They borrowed from what was popular at the time – books, plays, nursery rhymes, fairy tales – let’s add them to our chart.

A stacked bar chart showing the proportion of original movies versus movies based on movies and movies based on other media released by Disney each decade between 1945 and 2025. The chart shows that in 1945 Disney releases were nearly equally split between original movies (46%) and movies based on other media (54%). Over time, the chart shows movies based on other media have declined while movies based on movies has climbed as a matching rate. Original movies have stayed largely consistent each decade.

And when we do, we finally see a historic handover – a baton pass between zeitgeists. 

Because when they need inspiration for their movies, Disney has always looked to popular culture.

In the 1930s, that meant adapting popular books and plays. Today, it means adapting their own work.

In the middle, are the new ideas. Fresh, never before seen silver screen classics. And actually, they haven’t really changed much. Nearly half of all Disney movies are original stories, and that’s as true today as it was in the 1940s.

So are Disney really releasing more sequels? Yes. But for better or worse, they’re not being any less creative than they were 80 years ago.

But does it mean I’ll be rushing to the cinema for the seventh entry in the Freaky Friday franchise due later this year? I wouldn’t count on it.

Note: All the data is as of October 2024. The full list of releases from each studio was gathered on Wikipedia and categorised manually.

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