The theater seems to be bursting with excitement and anticipation with the rise of reappearing classics left and right. Suddenly there is a sequel to one of my favorites, and before I could blink, there is already a three-quel. Then a prequel.

And suddenly going to see a movie seems like a cliche, because nothing is new. The same concepts are reused, and overdone, and transformed from something unforgettable to something thoughtless.

The animated movies are the most disappointing, however. The nostalgia of all my favorite childhood movies coming to life once again seems thrilling at the surface. Then I realized they are hitting the theaters in the form of cash-grabbers with poor writing, poor execution, and a complete lack of originality. The cinema magic is gone---and it is not because Gen-Z is getting older.

It's because the movie industry is getting lazy.

Can't the Movie Industry Come Up With Any New Ideas?

All the movie industry needs for a successful project is for us to grab our popcorn and take a seat. It's that easy.

This is because the modern, ever-appearing sequels of the past few years heavily rely on the success of the previous movie to attract audiences and create anticipation. It doesn't matter how good the new movie actually is---all the company needs is for us to buy our ticket or purchase the movie at home. They made money, whether we enjoyed their creation or not. So that means that they don't need to try very hard; they don't need to enthrall their audience with an interesting storyline because they already captivated us with the previous film's reputation.

I think this logic is especially evident in Despicable Me 4.

Image Credit: Universal Studios, Illumination from Wikimedia Commons

Chances are, you know and love the Despicable Me franchise. I know for me, it was one of my childhood favorites. So when the announcement of a new Despicable Me movie in the works, I was excited. I expected it to be funny and entertaining, and just a good film overall, because the other films were good.

As a consumer, I was more focused on the reputation of the previous movies rather than the quality of the advertisements.

So my family rented the movie on Prime Video. Despicable Me 4 was terrible, boring, and predictable. Made up entirely of filler, supposedly comedic clips that contributed to no real story and characters created to be McDonald's Happy Meal toys demonstrated the painfully obvious laziness of the writers overall.

I have a feeling most people agree on the film's status. Yet Despicable Me 4 has earned $971.3 million in the worldwide box office. Meaning that it was still successful, even though the quality was horrible.

The worst part of Despicable Me 4 was that there was no heart and no thought, showing that the movie industry no longer cares about their audience. All they care about is money. And that is one of the main reasons why these types of sequels won't stop coming out.

And it isn't just the Despicable Me franchise. So many others---Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Moana 2, Smile 2, Inside Out 2---are just the same.

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Sequels are Everywhere, And There are No Alternatives

Some of you all might be asking why I, and others like myself, don't just avoid sequels altogether.

Believe me, I tried, but the truth is that there are hardly any other options. According to an article by Fast Company, of "the major U.S. releases of 2024, 26 sequels or prequels hit theaters. According to an IMDb list of upcoming releases, there will be 34 sequels or prequels in 2025." They are literally everywhere, so when I want to go see a movie with my friends or family, I don't really have a choice but to watch a remake.

Last year, my family went to see a movie, and wanting to avoid a horror film, had the options of Transformers One (though not officially a prequel, it is still an extension of the Transformers franchise) or Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Since Beetlejuice is a family favorite, we chose to see the second one, which was horrible, to say the least. I would have liked to not watch a cash-grab, but avoiding sequels would be avoiding the movie theaters altogether, and I shouldn't have to give up a regular pastime of mine.

This is also tiring for people who want to take their younger sibling(s) or kids they babysit to the theaters. The majority of kids' movies are sequels, forcing the older sibling/babysitter to not only sit through pure blandness but support these soulless remakes.

Image Credit: Nathan Engel from Pexels

It would be great if the movie industry could create films with new storylines so audiences could have the option of avoiding the sequels and prequels that plague the theaters. But since that is not happening right now, nobody can escape these remakes.

Let's Talk Disney

Disney has created terrible sequels to its most beloved movies ever since hand-drawn animation was the norm. Remember Peter Pan 2: Return to Neverland? Or Cinderella III: A Twist in Time?

No? Or you do remember these movies, but they're terribly vague?

That's Disney sequels in a nutshell for you: forgettable, cheap, and straight to Disney channel.

However, in more recent years, Disney has been extra notorious for making multiple parts for their most-loved films. Not just sequels, but we are looking at 4th and 5th additions. Remember Toy Story, an instantly loveable classic?

The fifth movie is coming out in 2026. Disney has taken "reduce, reuse, recycle" to a whole new level. And it's exhausting.

Image Credit: Pixar Animation Studios/The Walt Disney Company from Wikimedia Commons

The number of sequels that Disney is making has turned magical stories into tedious franchises. I don't want to see Toy Story 5 or Frozen 3 or Zootopia 2. I want to see new movies that take my breath away; just like as Disney's most famous films once did.

And Then There's Disney's Live-Action Remakes

Let me clarify this first: I am referring to the live action remakes that are exactly the same as their cartoon counterparts. The general storyline isn't changed one bit. Although these movies are not technically sequels, they are similar in nature because both reuse old ideas.

At first it was nostalgic. Cinderella's dress in the live action movie was jaw-dropping. The Beauty and the Beast effects were stunning.

Then it got repetitive. Mulan, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Lilo & Stitch, and on and on. They just wouldn't stop releasing them. I know how the story goes already, so the live-actions were completely predictable. It was boring.

Image Credit: Disney Enterprises, Inc. from Wikimedia Commons

Lilo & Stitch is one of my least favorites, unfortunately. The film was obviously made to win over the audience's pockets instead of their hearts. To keep the expensive CGI to a minimum, they ended up having to remove one of the movie's most iconic characters: Captain Gantu, who is actually very important to the plot. Furthermore, Jumba and Pleakley were humans for the majority of the movie, again to keep costs low, and when they were aliens, they were downright creepy.

But for those who haven't seen Lilo & Stitch yet, I don't want to spoil any more, but I will say that the film was trying to make as much money as it could as cheaply as it could. It's disappointing.

I think that the live action remakes should just be cancelled---all of them. I know, it's a bit of a stretch, but I want originality, and I think a lot of other people would agree. Disney should only make a live-action remake if the storyline is vastly different from the cartoon, such as in Alice in Wonderland (2010).

Same characters, but different premises in multiple ways. It was nostalgic, it was creative, and it was unpredictable. The film was a balanced blend of sentimentality and adventure.

This includes Tangled, Disney; we don't want the remake. Because why redo something that's already perfect?

The Bottom Line: Movie-Goers Need Creativity

Films were made to be a visual form of storytelling. Stories that express the ideas and thoughtfulness of the writers and everyone involved in the creation of the movie. Sure, sequels and other parts to a movie are fun, but there is a point when it gets too much and too repetitive, especially when everything available at the movies already has a first part.

I think that sequels and more additional parts to films should be at the bottom of Hollywood's to-do list, kept to an absolute minimum. Truly, the movie industry needs to stop focusing on money-making and start prioritizing coming up with new stories, so that the theaters are filled with excitement and unpredictability once again.

Image Credit: Jakob Owens from Unsplash