The Return of Jafar (left) started the Disney direct-to-video animated sequel while Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (right) and Little Mermaid III will end it. All images © Disney.

The Disney direct-to-video animated sequel is dead.

Since their birth, in 1994, with The Return of Jafar, the sequels have entertained (and made) millions; they've also enraged no small number of Disney fans who see them as little more than desecrations of the beloved originals. After any number of official "2s" (The Jungle Book, The Lion King, Brother Bear) and "IIs" (Mulan, Pocahontas, Bambi), along with misnumbered "3s" (The Lion King 1-1/2, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch has a Glitch) and unnumbered "4s" (Leroy and Stitch) the studio released its first official "III" Cinderella III: A Twist in Time. Down the road a ways there'll be a Little Mermaid III, and then... that's it.

DisneyToon Studios head Sharon Morrill has no mixed feelings over the end of an era. "I knew from early on when I first started that we weren't going to be doing 4s and 5s," says Morill. "I think we had a great run, but we have to be fresh and innovative, otherwise we would've gotten stale."

Some observers think the feature sequels might've gone on a bit longer, save for John Lasseter's arrival as head of Disney animation. An Aristocats 2 was in the works prior to his arrival, along with any number of other proposed follow-ups. Cinderella III director Frank Nissen says, "For a long time I surmised there was a policy -- let's make as many as we can. Sometimes we had a winner and sometimes we didn't." He adds "I agree in principle with Mr. Lasseter: first and foremost you need a good story and a reason for making a movie -- a passion for telling a story no matter who the characters are."

DisneyToon Studios head Sharon Morrill doesn't have mixed feelings over the end of an era. She thinks it's time for the division to be fresh and innovative.

As tempting as it might be lay the blame -- or credit -- at one man's feet, there was probably any number of factors contributing to the death of the DTV sequels. "The decision to stop had less to do with John and more with the marketplace itself," opines Jim Kammerud, the director responsible for a slew of them, including Little Mermaid 2, Fox and the Hound 2 and the aborted Aristocats project. "Sequels are expensive and everyone knows the DVD market has declined. There was some trouble at DreamWorks and Pixar last year when DVD sales came in under projections and the profits weren't what everyone expected. They might've made all that they can and people feel they've bought all they need.

"The real issue is competition for kids' time. There's GameBoys, GameCubes, Wiis; there's cable with a million channels, the Internet and YouTube, everything's on there for free. I think all of this happening is what changed their business plan. I don't think John made the decision -- it had already been made -- but he would have."

Often derided as "cheapquels," the DTV releases' quality have improved greatly from their earliest days. Budgets have risen from a rumored $3.5 million for Return of Jafar to the mid-to-high teens and above for more recent, higher-profile productions -- a fraction of the cost of the theatrical titles, but, "we still spent five times more than anyone else would've and tried to make something we could be proud of," Kammerud points out. "However you feel about the sequels, only Sharon and the people at Disney were willing to put that much care and effort into it."

"Interquels" like Bambi II explored the previously overlooked year between the first and second halves of the original film.

Storywise, many of the sequels have evolved away from the "shuffling the deck" feeling of the earlier efforts and took the characters in new directions. Prequels and what Buena Vista Home Ent. gm Lori MacPherson describes as "interquels" -- lost-chapter stories -- were added to the mix, as when Bambi II explored the previously overlooked year between the first and second halves of the original film. Fox and the Hound 2 revisited the title characters in their youth and had them cross paths with a canine country band. Its story was a major change in tone from the original's realistic and even downbeat underpinnings; it may have offended the purists, but director Kammerud is unapologetic.

"It's just a silly little story, completely ridiculous, but people loved it, it tested higher than any sequel. Then the reviews came out -- 'why can't Disney find a new story to tell?' You know you're already dead in the water with this reviewer when he goes onto say 'I hate country music' -- then why did you watch it? I didn't make it for you, I intentionally made a kids' movie. We had more music than any other sequel, we got Reba McEntire, the best players in Nashville. It's amazing what resources Disney can pour into these things -- it has so much heart and quality. That story doesn't deserve be a theatrical movie, but it's a great DTV."