Disney announcing sequels of Toy Story 5 and other popular films has fans worried, and with good reason

Disney recently announced major animated sequels like Toy Story 5, Frozen 3, and more. The company revealed on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, that a sequel to Moana is set to be released at the end of 2024. With the number of animated sequels that are set to come out, fans have taken a bit of an issue with the company's latest strategy.

In the case of sequels like Toy Story 5, and Frozen 3, among others, Disney aims to revive their old franchises to get more revenue at the box office. This may be because their latest ventures haven't been very successful. This has many fans worried as they have begun wondering whether the company has run out of new ideas to make.

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Disney announces Toy Story 5, Moana 2, and more

During their financial report on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, Disney revealed the release windows for their upcoming animated sequels. The films mentioned in the reports were Toy Story 5, Zootopia 2, Frozen 3, Moana 2, and Inside Out 2. The reports revealed that Inside Out 2 and Moana 2 will be released in 2024 with Inside Out 2 coming out on June 14 and Moana 2 on November 27, 2024.

The rest of the films in the list are however going to take a bit longer to come out. Disney revealed that Zootopia 2 will come out in 2025 while Toy Story 5 and Frozen 3 will specifically release in 2026. Not much is currently known about these films, but they fit within the company's strategy to focus on their stronger franchises.

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Why are fans worried about these announcements?

Fans were quick to dismiss the announcements of Toy Story 5, Moana 2, and all the other films revealed during the financial report. This is because many fans have started wondering if Disney can no longer make a worthwhile new IP while pandering to franchises of the past that already have had their stories told.

Many are worried that with Toy Story 5 and Inside Out 2, the sequels might ruin the stories of the films that came before and taint their legacies. Fans also considered them only being made for the purpose of money, which has left many disappointed. They took to X to express their feelings.

It definitely does look like fans of these franchises and Disney are worried for a good reason.

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Disney's track record with sequels hasn't been the best

Disney's recent original output failed to gain an audience. Even Pixar in recent years has struggled with their films as movies like Lightyear and Elemental failed to garner a huge fan following, unlike their previous films. Disney's latest Wish was a critical and commercial failure too, and with the company pivoting to sequels it certainly doesn't bode well for them.

Disney's previous track record with creating sequels to their classic movies hasn't exactly been successful. Previously, they would release direct-to-DVD films like Aladdin 2, The Lion King 2, Cinderella 2, and more which would always earn bad reviews from critics and fans. Even their modern outputs like The Incredibles 2 and Finding Dory were commercially successful but failed to maintain a conversation in the current cultural zeitgeist.

With Toy Story 5, Moana 2, Frozen 3, and more - it looks like Disney is doing a final Hail Mary in trying to find commercial success even if the films won't have a huge critical standing. These are big names, and fans will drive themselves to theatres to catch a glimpse of their favorite characters, but it also spells a grim nature for the company.

While the fans themselves have grown up, Disney still wants to be stuck in the past rather than innovate and create new stories. It is a feeling that's reflected through all the sectors of the company from Lucasfilm to Marvel, and here is hoping that maybe in the future the past magical spark of Disney can be restored.