What is the longest gap between a movie and its sequel?
Sequels occupy a specific place in cinema, often inspiring fierce debate over whether they are ever anything more than a cash grab.
You can’t deny the existence of many great sequels, from The Godfather Part II to Scream 2, which expand on the worlds carved out in the first films without feeling like a lazy extension of the story for the sake of it. You can usually tell when a sequel has been made purely to generate profit and nothing else, although you can’t help but wonder how some of these films were ever greenlit. Who the hell asked for SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2 or Sex and the City 2, which was an insult to the series, dragged out far beyond its expiry date to disastrous results.
Tragically, even many classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Easy Rider haven’t been able to escape awful sequels made years later, making for depressing audience experiences.
Hollywood is a business that thrives on profit, so it makes sense that certain films have been tainted by unnecessary instalments because the simple thinking is, if the first film was a success, surely the second will be, too, no matter when it comes out. Of course, there have been times when this has rung true; just look at the sheer success of Top Gun: Maverick, which came 36 years after the original, grossing over $1billion, thus, begging the question, what is the longest amount of time that has passed between a movie and its sequel?
What is the longest period between a movie and its sequel?
With studios clearly trying to capitalise on beloved classics, many of the movies with decades-long gaps between their sequels are animated ones, and it’s not the worst idea, because you know children are going to be tuned in, regardless of the quality. But sadly, this has resulted in some pretty dire movies, such as Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, made 52 years after Disney’s beloved animated film that no one’s fairy godmother should have granted.
The longest gap to end all gaps, however, goes to another Disney movie, one that has made countless children and adults alike shed at least a tear for decades, and that’s Bambi, released in 1942, which was followed by Bambi 2 that didn’t come until 2006: 63 years later.
While the first film saw the young deer experience the death of his mother, a tragic event which shapes his childhood, the sequel instead explores the titular protagonist’s relationship with his father. It’s not something that I’m sure many people wished for, although it sold several million DVD copies upon its release, so clearly enough Disney fans were interested in a sequel, over 60 years on from the first charming viewers.
Meanwhile, the longest gap between a live-action film and its sequel is 54 years, although not with the same actors in each, losing out to the record-holding animated feature by a cool nine years. In the sequel, Emily Blunt took on the role of the beloved nanny in Mary Poppins Returns in 2018, while Julie Andrews, of course, introduced to screen the eponymous character in Mary Poppins back in 1964.
