Fans of all ages have been crazy about Disney princesses and their movies since 1937 when the first one, Snow White, made her debut. Since then, new princesses have made their way on the scene and into the official princess lineup, and we love them all.
Each new movie brings on its own success and a new set of fans. It only makes sense that these princesses’ stories continue on with new films. While most of the original movies from the princesses on this list received a Rotten Tomatoes audience score in the 80s or 90s, the sequels didn’t do as hot as their first films. Here are the 10 sequels for official Disney princesses, ranked based on their audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World - 29%
Pocahontas is the only princess in the official Disney lineup to have been based on a real person, and the second film, from 1995, brings her to England, similar to the real Pocahontas. In the movie, Pocahontas accompanies a man name John Rolfe (who becomes the real Pocahontas’ husband) on a journey to England.
He was originally looking to bring her father to England to negotiate with the king over a war being proclaimed, but Pocahontas decides to take his place after her father refuses, hoping that she can be the one to inspire peace between her country and the king’s. The film has been criticized as not being very historically accurate, and it only received a 29% from RT.
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True - 32%
After Cinderella, the 2002 sequel finds the princess’ dear mice friends Jaq and Gus putting together a book filled with tales about life in the castle. The first consists of Cinderella getting put in charge of planning banquets and large gatherings at the castle. Coming from a different world, she finds the traditions of the castle to be unsatisfactory, and she must figure out how to blend her old world with her new world.
In the second story, Jaq gets turned into a human by the Fairy Godmother after he expresses his discontent at his small size and inability to help Cinderella. The third tale shows Cinderella’s step sister Anastasia falling in love with a baker, which her mother does not approve of. While the stories are heartwarming, they only get a 32% from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Return of Jafar - 40%
Jasmine is the only princess to not be the main character of her films, as they mainly star her prince, Aladdin. Still, she appears in the first sequel The Return of Jafar, although she does not contribute much to the plot. The movie is mainly about Abis Mal’s attempt to seek revenge on Aladdin with the help of Jafar, whose lamp he found in a well one year after the first film.
Aladdin must work to free his friends from jail and clear his name after Jafar pretends to be Jasmine and accuses him of murder. This film from 1994 only earned a 40%. We think it would have placed higher on our list if Jasmine had been in it more!
Mulan II: The Final War - 43%
What could be more stressful that finding out that your betrothed has different views on important issues than you do? Mulan discovers the difficulty of this reality a month after the first film when she and Shang are ready to marry. The ceremony is put on pause as the two partake in a favor for the Emperor, and it is then that they begin arguing over conflicting opinions. Mulan’s spirit guide Mushu has the realization that he will not be needed if Mulan gets married, so he decides to get her and Shang to break up.
However, Mulan believes Shang gets killed after an incident with a pack of bandits. She has to continue on with the Emperor’s task while mourning her loss and helping the Emperor’s daughters with their own marriage. Mulan II earned a 43% from audiences for her 2004 sequel.
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea - 45%
Ariel has become the first Disney princess to have a daughter, a beautiful little girl named Melody. Unfortunately, Ursula’s sister is after the new princess, so Ariel makes a decision to keep Melody away from the ocean. They build a giant wall around the castle and plan to never tell Melody anything about her mother’s past.
That would have been a fine plan if it wasn’t for one thing: Melody grows up loving the ocean and longing to be in the sea. This 2000 film received a 45% audience score.
Aladdin and the King of Thieves - 50%
He’s finally getting married! In 1996, Disney released the film Aladdin and the King of Thieves, where Aladdin and Jasmine are busy with wedding arrangements. However, the wedding is interrupted by the Forty Thieves, who are after a special treasure that belongs to a magic Oracle.
Per Jasmine’s advice, Aladdin asks the Oracle about his father, who left when Aladdin was very young, and he learns that his father is the one leading the Forty Thieves in their raid. Aladdin is now faced with the task of saving his people, his father, and his wedding before it’s too late. Audiences gave this film a 50%.
Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas - 56%
The main plot of Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas takes place during the original film while the Beast is still a beast, and Belle is still being held hostage. The Enchanted Objects are hoping to find a way to get Beast and Belle together to break the spell that is keeping them from being human again, but not everyone is ready for this to happen.
An organ—the instrument, not the body part—named Forte wants to sabotage Beast and Belle’s relationship so that he can stay an organ longer. Everyone is the castle must work together to see if the magic of Christmas help overcome the magic of the spell and prevent Forte from getting his way. Christmas magic granted this 1997 movie a 56% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning - 56%
While this movie is technically a prequel, it was released in 2008, almost 20 years after the original film was made. In The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning, her father gifts her mother, Athena, a beautiful music box when Ariel is young. However, just as he is giving it to her, a pirate ship comes near overhead. Athena goes back for the music box as everyone else escapes, and she doesn’t make it.
Overwhelmed with grief, King Triton forbids music from Atlantica. As Ariel grows up in a world without music, she finds herself falling more in love with it. This film tied with Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas with a 56% on RT.
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time - 61%
What would have happened if the glass slipper had fit one of Cinderella’s step sisters when they tried it on in the first movie? That’s exactly what happens in 2007’s Cinderella III: A Twist in Time when Anastasia steals the Fairy Godmother’s magic wand. With the help of her mother and sister, they go back to the day the prince arrived with the mysterious shoe, making it bigger so that it will fit Anastasia.
With the help of her mice friends, Cinderella must figure out how to win back her prince and defeat the evil magic in the hands of her step family. This alternate timeline receives a 61% audience score.
Belle’s Magical World - 73%
Similar to Cinderella II, Belle’s Magical World consists of several different stories in one movie. In “The Perfect World,” Belle and Beast get into a fight over dinner, leading some of the Enchanted Objects to forge an apology letter in attempts to help them reconcile. In the second story, “Fifi’s Folly,” Lumiere practices with Belle for his date with Fifi, causing Fifi to become jealous and suspect a romance between her man and the girl when she overhears. Then, an injured bird prevents Beast and Belle from having lunch together, and Beast captures it with rage and forces it to sing for him in, “The Broken Wing.” The four episodes did the best on our list, coming in at number one with a 73%.
