10 Best DreamWorks Animated Sequels, Ranked

Sequels have been a staple of filmmaking ever since its inception, with animated films specifically being one of the most prominent places to see sequels as a whole. It especially helps when an animated film is able to transform into its own franchise, whether it be an original, constantly evolving series like Toy Story, or a brilliant adaptation like the Spider-Verse films. One of the biggest and most prominent animated studios when it comes to outstanding sequels for a multitude of their most successful films is DreamWorks Animation.

Whether it’s continuing installments of beloved franchises, or brilliant and unexpected sequels to assumed one-off films, there is no limit to the types of sequels that the studio has put out for decades. Even as recently as 2024 with the recently released Kung Fu Panda 4, the studio continues to prove their strength and dominance in creating sequels to their legendary films. Some of the sequels have even been regarded so highly as to be considered some of the most beloved and critically acclaimed animated movies of all time.

10 ‘The Croods: A New Age’ (2020)

Directed by Joel Crawford

An unexpected sequel released 7 years after the original The Croods film, The Croods: A New Age sees the Crood family uncovering a seemingly perfect paradise while on the hunt for a safer habitat. However, they soon discover that this paradise is the home of the Bettermans, a more evolved family that more closely resembles modern-day humans as opposed to Neanderthalic cavemen. The two families are now forced to attempt to share this haven, getting increasingly bothered by their differences and creating a larger rift day by day.

While the original The Croods certainly had its fans, it was far from considered DreamWorks greatest work, faltered by a formulaic story and awkward pacing. The sequel manages to find a way to improve upon the original in seemingly every way, from highly improved animation to a more interesting premise, and most importantly, an overall stronger focus on humor. The film genuinely has a lot of great comedic moments, as it leans more into the inherent insanity and chaos of the Crood family as a whole, creating an unexpectedly great time.

The Croods: A New Age can be streamed on Peacock in the U.S.

Watch on Peacock

9 ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ (2024)

Directed by Mike Mitchell

The latest film in the legendary animated action franchise, Kung Fu Panda 4 sees Po taking the steps towards upgrading into becoming the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace. However, in his wake, he will have to choose an apprentice who will take his place as the dragon warrior, training and teaching them the ways of kung fu mastery. As if he wasn’t dealing with enough already, his quest to find an apprentice is quickly interrupted by an emerging new villain known as the Chameleon, who has been transforming into Po’s previous arch-rivals.

While not nearly as beloved or critically acclaimed as the other films in the series, Kung Fu Panda 4 still provides enough flashy and dynamic action setpieces to make it a fun and exhilarating watch. These action sequences are certainly the highlight of the film, but the themes of the fear of growth and new experiences fit well into the overarching story of Po and the series as a whole. It certainly makes the most out of its decreased budget compared to the previous films in the series, and sets up the pieces for further exciting installments to come.

Kung Fu Panda 4 is currently playing in theaters in the U.S.

Buy Tickets Now

8 ‘Shrek Forever After’ (2010)

Directed by Mike Mitchell

The current final chapter of DreamWorks’ first massive series, Shrek Forever After sees Shrek dealing with the monotony and pains of life as a new parent, wishing he could relive his glory days as a terrifying ogre. He is soon given the chance to feel like a real ogre again when he strikes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin, and is transported to a twisted version of Far Far Away where Shrek can be an ogre once again. It doesn’t take long before Shrek realizes that he’s been duped, now on a timer to make things right with Fiona and restore the great life that he took for granted.

Easily one of the most criminally underrated films that DreamWorks has ever put out, Shrek Forever After does great justice to the legacy and world of Shrek as a whole. It creates a wildly creative new twist on the world that fans have come to love, as well as further developing Shrek as a character and creating a perfect concluding story for him and his family. Especially after the lackluster and wildly uninteresting Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After showed that the franchise was still able to surprise and charm audiences in exciting new ways.

Shrek Forever After can be streamed on Amazon Prime in the U.S.

Watch on Prime

7 ‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted’ (2012)

Directed by Conrad Vernon, Eric Darnell, and Tom McGrath

The third and final film in the Madagascar series, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted sees the quartet of former zoo animals continuing their ongoing quest to return to their home at the Central Park Zoo. They find themselves taking a detour through Europe to find the penguins, who previously abandoned them and have been creating all sorts of mischief in Monte Carlo. With a deadly control officer now on their tail, the group is forced to hide in a traveling circus to avoid getting caught and stuck in Europe forever.

The Madagascar series as a whole hasn’t particularly aged the greatest over the years, with its overreliance on pop culture references and dated animation making them difficult to revisit. Madagascar 3, however, acts as the notable exception, as its style of humor leans much more into an absurdist and slapstick tone, combined with numerous beautiful visuals thanks to the colorful traveling circus. Overall, it creates a fun and compelling final chapter for these characters, able to find closure while having a blast.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted can be streamed on Amazon Prime in the U.S.

Rent on Prime

6 ‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’ (2019)

Directed by Dean DeBlois

The finale to the legendary How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World sees Hiccup having succeeded in creating a utopia to be shared between humans and dragons. However, his life takes another unexpected twist following the discovery of another, untamed Night Fury that could act as a mate for Toothless. During their efforts to examine and learn more about this mysterious dragon, they uncover the plot of a dangerous villain with a plan to control the entire dragon population.

How to Train Your Dragon has easily been considered DreamWorks most emotional and mature franchise, with The Hidden World acting as the best possible sendoff for these iconic characters. It continues to do what the franchise has always done best, bringing to life a thriving and creative world with relatable characters, formidable villains, and a wide variety of powerful dragons. While it may be considered by many to be the low point of the series, it’s only because the other two films are considered some of the best that DreamWorks has ever put out.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World can be streamed on Fubo in the U.S.

Watch on Fubo

5 ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ (2017)

Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni

Kung Fu Panda 3 sees Po going toe to toe with General Kai, a powerful warrior who has harnessed the power of the spirit realm and has been stealing and using the chi of fallen kung fu warriors to enact his revenge on the mortal realm. At the same time, Po’s entire worldview is changed when he has a chance encounter with his biological father, whom he had presumed to be dead. He is soon taken to the village of pandas where he was born, in hopes of being able to learn how to master his ki from the panda village.

Kung Fu Panda 3 continues to deliver the philosophical and spiritual themes of the previous films, in combination with its continued excellence when it comes to action scenes and high spectacle. It’s specifically Po’s focus and relationship with his family that drives the film, as it balances a lot of themes surrounding familial bonds, the bonds of friendship, as well as destiny as a whole. It also features an iconic soundtrack, with Kai’s main villain theme especially being one of the most iconic songs in the entire Kung Fu Panda franchise.

Kung Fu Panda 3 can be streamed on Netflix in the U.S.

Watch on Netflix

4 ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ (2014)

Directed by Dean DeBlois

How to Train Your Dragon 2 sees Hiccup, Toothless, and the rest of Berk five years after the events of the first film, now living in harmony between dragons and vikings, and looking to map out unexplored lands. While on their quest to explore more of the world, they come face to face with the mysterious Dragon Rider, an unknown figure who dominates the skies and has connected with Dragons long before Hiccup and Berk. With a dangerous new villain on the horizon, Hiccup and his friends will have to come together to protect their village and their dragons.

While the first film was certainly a critical darling, How to Train Your Dragon 2 was the film that cemented the franchise as a DreamWorks staple for fans, showing that it was far from a cash-grab sequel. Unlike many other animated sequels that have their characters simply repeat what has happened in the past, How to Train Your Dragon 2 has its characters mature and grow with the audience. The film greatly succeeds by allowing its characters to grow more accustomed to the world and handling its story with greater emotional weight and maturity.

How To Train Your Dragon 2 can be streamed on Netflix in the U.S.

Watch on Netflix

3 ‘Kung Fu Panda 2’ (2011)

Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Considered by many to be the best film in the franchise, Kung Fu Panda 2 elevates the world and characters to a higher level of maturity and depth, initially following Po and the Furious Five, now protecting the Valley of Peace in tandem. Their training and new life together is soon threatened by a dangerous villain known as Shen, who plans to use a mysterious weapon to eradicate kung fu in its entirety. It soon becomes up to Po and the Furious Five to travel across China to put a stop to Shen’s dangerous plot.

Kung Fu Panda 2 only continues to deliver the surprising brilliance of the first film, only further amplified by an increased number of emotional moments and powerful thematic resonance. A great deal of credit can be given to the villain of Lord Shen, easily one of DreamWorks’ greatest villains, as he dominates the screen as a visual spectacle as well as being an intimidating presence for the entire runtime. While it’s up for debate as to which film is better between this and the original, it certainly lives up to the already high precedent set by the first film’s surprise smash hit.

Kung Fu Panda 2 can be streamed on Peacock in the U.S.

Watch on Peacock

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

Directed by Joel Crawford

Easily one of the biggest unexpected surprises to come out of DreamWorks in recent memory, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is easily the best film that they’ve released in over a decade. The film follows the legendary Puss in Boots, having gone through 8 of his 9 lives as a cat, putting himself into retirement so as not to face the truth of death looming over him at all times. However, when he hears about a search for a mythical Last Wish, he embarks on going out on a quest to restore his 9 lives, and in the process, restore his glory.

The original Puss in Boots film was nothing to write home about, being a relatively basic spinoff film that had its moments, but was, for the most part, a standard family film. The Last Wish, however, takes the character of Puss in Boots and elevates him to his highest point yet, telling a powerful and dynamic story with beautiful animation, a powerful story, and a multitude of memorable characters. The film is already cementing a powerful legacy for being one of the finest pieces of work that DreamWorks has ever released.

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish can be streamed on Netflix in the U.S.

Watch on Netflix

1 ‘Shrek 2’ (2004)

Directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon

The first true sequel that DreamWorks Animation would put out, Shrek 2 had massive expectations on its shoulders, being forced to follow up one of the most influential and iconic animated films of all time. However, the film manages to not only live up to the strengths and merits of the original, but in some ways, even surpass the original Shrek. The film tackles the story of Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey setting off to Finoa’s childhood home of Far, Far Away, in order to meet Fiona’s parents, the king and queen of the kingdom.

All the charm and grace of the original film is perfectly intact and translated over to this sequel, from digs at fairytale tropes to the pop culture references that influenced animated films for decades to come. However, instead of simply retreading and repeating what made the first film work, Shrek 2 builds upon and further explores the themes and dynamics of Shrek as a character, creating the perfect addition to the character and world as a whole. It laid the groundwork for what the quintessential DreamWorks sequel should be, and has continued to be the benchmark for over 20 years.

Shrek 2 can be streamed on Peacock in the U.S.

Watch on Peacock

NEXT: The 10 Lowest-Grossing DreamWorks Animation Movies