The Last Wish’ and 9 Family Movie Sequels Better Than the Original, According to Letterboxd


It’s no secret that most sequels to family movies usually pale in comparison to the original film. Even the family movie sequels that are critically acclaimed, like Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and the Toy Story sequels usually are considered worse than the original. However, that makes it that much more interesting when a sequel can rise above its original film, as it rarely happens.


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Letterboxd’s modern and more varied user base makes it one of the more unique film aggregate websites available to the public. Using average scores from Letterboxd’s users, we can see exactly which family movie sequels surpass the original in the eyes of the Letterboxd community.

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10 ‘Trolls: World Tour’ (2020)

The main cast of characters featured in Trolls: World Tour

Based on the classic ’80s memorabilia and toys, Trolls: World Tour is the musical sequel to DreamWorks’ original Trolls. The sequel is focused much more on the world-building and expansion of what we’ve seen from the trolls’ world. The film expands past the singular scope of the original and shows audiences a wide variety of trolls who all sing different types of music. The film is also well known for popularizing the trend of premium online rentals for films before they officially hit digital markets.

Trolls: World Tour holds an average rating of 2.8/5 on Letterboxd, which is 0.1 higher than the original Trolls‘ 2.7/5. While not a massive difference in averages, it’s still telling of how the approach that DreamWorks took towards the sequel paid off in the eyes of fans. It will be interesting to see where the upcoming third Trolls movie planned for this year will rate compared to the first two films.

9 ‘The Angry Birds Movie 2’ (2019)

Characters from The Angry Birds Movie 2 looking up with confused expressions.

Based on the classic mobile app, The Angry Birds Movie 2 is the sequel to 2016’s The Angry Birds Movie. The film was a pleasant surprise for a number of audiences, with an increased focus on absurdist and slapstick humor over the original. This can be credited to new director Thurop Van Orman, most commonly known for his role as the creator of the cult classic Cartoon Network show, Flapjack.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 has an average rating of 2.7/5 on Letterboxd, putting it 0.2 higher than the original’s 2.5/5. The community on Letterboxd wasn’t the only one to sing this film’s praises, as on release, this film was the highest-rated video game movie on Rotten Tomatoes. While not the highest-rated video game movie anymore, The Angry Birds Movie 2 still holds a soft spot for a key number of fans around the world.

8 ‘The Croods: A New Age’ (2020)

A still from the movie The Croods: A New Age where the Croods family is looking with curiosity towards the Betterman family

Coming out seven years after the original, The Croods: A New Age acted as the return for DreamWorks’ take on prehistoric times. The film features a number of massive stars for voices, including Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, and Ryan Reynolds. The sequel only continued to add stars to this lineup, with the likes of Leslie Mann, Peter Dinklage, and Kelly Marie Tran all joining the fray. The director of The Croods: A New Age, Joel Crawford, would continue his success with sequels at DreamWorks and co-direct Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

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The Croods: A New Age holds an average score of 3.2/5 on Letterboxd, putting it 0.2 higher than the first’s 3.0/5. While the film was released in the middle of the pandemic in late 2020, its success made it one of the 10 highest-grossing domestic films of 2020. It shows alongside Trolls: World Tour that DreamWorks was on top of its game when it came to sequels in 2020. This trend would continue in the years to come, as shown in multiple upcoming entries.

7 ‘The Boss Baby: Family Business’ (2021)

the-boss-baby-2-family-business
Image via DreamWorks

While it may have seemed like there wasn’t a feasible way to create a sequel to The Boss Baby, this film found a way. The Boss Baby: Family Business is one of the strangest family movie sequels out there. The film features ninja babies, characters turning into children (and babies) and interacting with their children, and of course, Jeff Goldblum as the villain. It’s a film that only amplified the already wild nature of the first film to an inconceivable degree.

The Boss Baby: Family Business garnered a 0.3-point increase in its score over the original, getting a 2.8/5 compared to the original’s 2.5. It isn’t too surprising that Letterboxd would be drawn more to the goofier antics found within this sequel. It will be interesting to see how much DreamWorks can top this film’s level of lunacy with the third Boss Baby movie currently in early development.

6 ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ (2022)

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Continuing to deliver everything fans loved about the first movie, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 showed that the iconic blue blur’s jump to film was far from a lucky fluke. With the inclusion of Tails and Knuckles, as well as more greatness from Jim Carrey‘s Dr. Robotnik, the film was able to deliver on fans’ wishes and more. The film was so successful that it became the highest-grossing video game movie of all time.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has an average of 3.2/5 on Letterboxd, giving it a 0.3-point increase from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. It makes sense that the film was able to connect more with audiences and fans, given the mass increase in fan service on top of what fans already loved about the original. Considering the cliffhanger at the end of the film, fans are only that much more excited about what the next film will deliver.

5 ‘Paddington 2’ (2017)

Paddington riding a train in Paddington 2
Image via StudioCanal

The once best-reviewed film of all time, Paddington 2, raises the levels of kind-heartedness and sweetness that the first film was full of. The film has gone down in recent memory as one of the most well-beloved and highly praised family movies of all time. All of this is because it’s a sequel to a film that was already pretty great in the first place.

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Paddington 2 has a high 4.2/5 average on Letterboxd, which is 0.4 points more than the original’s 3.8/5. Paddington 2‘s high rating also lands it a spot in Letterboxd’s Official Top 250 Narrative Features Films, making it one of Letterboxd’s highest-rated family films of all time. Considering all the goodwill this film has garnered, it will be interesting to see just how well the upcoming sequel will do in comparison.

4 ‘Sing 2’ (2021)

sing-2
Image via Universal

With even more songs and even more cute animals, Sing 2 provided exactly what fans loved about the original Sing and more. The film ups the stakes and brings the original cast of characters into a bustling city environment providing a flurry of life and excitement. Sing 2 takes the formula established by the first film and can execute it without using the time to introduce us to these characters and this world.

Sing 2 has an average score of 3.5/5 on Letterboxd, which is a significant 0.5 points higher than the original’s 3.0/5. This score makes it the highest-rated Illumination film on Letterboxd, even beating out the original Despicable Me. Even if the film parallels the first one in a number of ways, Sing 2‘s execution allowed it to connect with audiences in a notably more substantial way. It’s a film that hits the right note for the community on Letterboxd.

3 ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules’ (2011)

Zachary Gordon as Greg Heffley pointing at Devon Bostick as Rodrick Heffley in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

Based on the beloved children’s book series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is the second installment in Diary of a Wimpy Kid’s live-action endeavors. It’s one of the more beloved films in the original Wimpy Kid trilogy, especially because of its increased focus on fan-favorite Rodrick Heffley. Devon Bostick‘s portrayal of the obnoxious older brother, Rodrick, is one of the most cherished and beloved aspects of these films by fans.

Rodrick Rules holds a substantial 0.5 lead over both the original Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the third film in the franchise, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. It has an average rating of 3.5/5 compared to the original and Dog Days‘ 3.0/5. This score makes it the highest-rated film out of all the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies, including the recently released animated films on Disney+.

2 ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ (2022)

minions-rise-of-gru-young-gru-1
Image via Universal

One of the biggest animated blockbusters of the past year, Minions: The Rise of Gru, provided an 80s-themed origin to not just the minions, but their beloved leader, Gru. It was the first time we saw the minions on the big screen since 2017’s Despicable Me 3. While some of that can be attributed to delays, five years of downtime between releases made the minions’ classic style of humor hit that much harder on their return.

Minions: The Rise of Gru has an astonishing 0.7-point lead over the original Minions film, with a score of 3.4/5 over Minions‘ 2.7/5. It is possible that some of this film’s higher average rating could be attributed to the “GentleMinions” trend. The trend featured large groups of young fans showing up to watch the film wearing fancy suits and acting as formally as possible. Even without the trend, the point difference between the two films is so substantial that The Rise of Gru would still find its way above the original.

1 ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (2022)

Puss, Kitty Softpaws, and Perrito in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Image via DreamWorks

One of the biggest surprises and critical hits of the year, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish surpassed all the fans’ expectations for a sequel to the original Puss in Boots. It’s already garnered a massive reputation and become one of DreamWorks’ most beloved animated films, sequel or otherwise. The visually mesmerizing animation style, on top of the gripping story with many entertaining characters, comes together to make a sequel that truly stands on its own.

The Last Wish‘s 4.3/5 average rating is a massive 1.3 points higher than the original Puss in Boots. This rating has also propelled the film into being a part of Letterboxd’s top 250 of all time, with a placement even higher than Paddington 2‘s. It’s become the highest-rated animated film from 2022 on Letterboxd, as well as one of the highest-rated films from 2022 on the site, too. The excitement and love from fans surrounding this film are all-encompassing, and Letterboxd and its community are no different.

KEEP READING: ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’: Every Main Character, Ranked by Likability



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