Top 10 Animated Sequels

It may have been billed as “The Meltdown,” but this movie proved to have nothing but a positive impact upon the “Ice Age” franchise, especially when it comes to box office numbers! As the title would suggest, this film follows the big freeze with the thaw! Manny the mammoth, Sid the sloth and Diego the saber-toothed feline are sent on another prehistoric, potentially perilous journey - but this time the unconventional clan of characters must contend with some unfamiliar and unusual faces! Along with stunning animation, Ellie, Crash and Eddie ensure things get wackier as they get warmer!

In this movie, Gru has already made the switch from aspiring villain to anti-villain, and ditches his old ‘I want to take over the world’ idea in favor of becoming a family man! With Margo, Edith and Agnes in tow, he’s recruited by the authorities to provide some insider information, develops himself an infatuation, and on more than one occasion, proves a source of inspiration! With Pharrell’s “Happy” headlining the soundtrack, that is exactly how this sequel will make you feel!

In the first movie, Fievel and his family effectively immigrate to the United States. For their second outing, the mice think it would be nice to head west! Embarking on a traditional American road-trip of sorts, their journey allows cinemagoers to see more of their mousey ways as they scurry and squeak towards their own ‘American dream’! They must watch out for cats though! Their natural enemies, Fievel and co. must figure out their feline friends from their foes!

A rare example in which the sequel might be more famous than the original, “The Rescuers Down Under” was the second movie released as part of the much-celebrated ‘Disney Renaissance’ of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. A film that follows its heroes into an animated Australia, it was also a production that bucked the trend at Disney. The company had not, until that point, made a habit of making sequels - but we’re sure glad they made an exception to the rule for the Rescuers!

“Monsters Inc.” was the fourth film ever made by Pixar, and “Monsters University” was a sequel that fans had been screaming for for years! And thankfully, this fraternity-filled follow-up didn’t disappoint! Of course, technically we have a prequel on our hands here, as Mike and Sulley are sent back to school! The college environment is made all the more fun with its monster-y details, and our favorite characters are made all the more frightening (and cute!) when their younger days are documented! A scarily good second helping!

After the success of the original “Madagascar,” movie fans were a little disappointed with the “Escape to Africa” installment that followed, but the proverbial ‘third time lucky’ worked like a charm with the release of “Europe’s Most Wanted”! In this movie, our animated animals swap the zoo for the circus, as they travel through the vast and varied continent of Europe! With a wealth of new characters forming friendships with the old, this is a film that gained greater critical acclaim than its predecessors - and deserved it!

Having achieved his Kung Fu dreams in 2008, Po the Panda returned to our screens in 2011 to embark on another Oriental adventure! This time, Jack Black has a back-story, as he provides the voice of Po once again and seeks to find out more about his family! He’s still just as dangerous as he is endangered and there are still enemies to defeat... But this sequel’s also about showing another side to Po and his life in the Valley of Peace!

After the massive success of Shrek’s debut, it was difficult to see exactly how DreamWorks could improve upon their idea with a sequel... But they managed to do it! By combining our favorite faces from the first film with an array of fresh fairy-talers, there’s an originality to this movie as it refuses to lean on its predecessor! Puss in Boots, Prince Charming and the Fairy Godmother are all awesome additions, while the cameos are as clever as ever! “Shrek 2,” we salute you!

In case you hadn’t quite mastered dragon-taming at the first attempt, those kindly folks at DreamWorks Animation angled another lesson your way in 2014! And what a lesson it was! Set five years after Hiccup and Toothless united the Vikings and dragons of Berk, the pair’s sense of adventure has led them a little further away from home! All is not necessarily well overseas however, and this sequel is an attempt to put things right! A massive commercial and critical success, this film’s a high flier that breathes fire!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- “Aladdin and the King of Thieves” (1996)
- “Cars 2” (2011)
- “Rugrats in Paris: The Movie” (2000)
- “Rio 2” (2014)

Eleven years after “Toy Story 2” - which could’ve topped our countdown just as easily! - Woody and Buzz proved just as brilliant, if not better than ever with “Toy Story 3”! Here, Andy’s at late adolescence, and times are changing once again for his pack of playthings! Another adventure with yet more memorable characters, audiences of every age laugh and cry in equal measure! Pixar reigns supreme even at the third time of asking, as they take us ‘to infinity and beyond’... And then a little further still!

Do you agree with our list? Which cartoon sequel is your favorite? For more top 10s that there should be two of published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.