History SequelGap / AnimatedFilms

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'' (1982) and ''The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue'' (1998) -- 16 years.

* ''WesternAnimation/ChickenRun'' (2000) and ''WesternAnimation/ChickenRunDawnOfTheNugget'' (2023) -- 23 years.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'' (2004) to ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOutOfWater'' (2015) -- 11 years. The next installment, ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOnTheRun'' was released digitally in 2021, 6 years after ''Sponge Out of Water''.[[note]]The film was intended to be a 2020 theatrical release, but was delayed due to the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic. It ''was'' theatrically released [[ShortRunInPeru in Canada]], though, in August 2020; making that 5 years in that sense.[[/note]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' (1988), where 6 years passed before [[WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeIITheGreatValleyAdventure the first sequel]] (1994). From there though, [[LongRunners the numerous sequels came like clockwork]], where the only noticeable gap was at ''best'' two years, only stopping in 2007. And then nine years after [[WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeXIIITheWisdomOfFriends the thirteenth film]], [[WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeXIVJourneyOfTheBrave another sequel]] was released. Oh, and a TV Series too!

* ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'' (1986):
** The first sequel, ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailFievelGoesWest'' (1991), was released 5 years later.
** ''Fievel Goes West'' was then followed by ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailTheTreasureOfManhattanIsland'' (1998) for another gap of 7 years.

* ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'' (1986) and ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailFievelGoesWest'' (1991) -- 5 years. ''Fievel Goes West'' was then followed by ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailTheTreasureOfManhattanIsland'' (1998) -- 7 years.

** ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' and its {{Interquel}} ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf'' (2004) -- 10 years, though ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' (1998) came out in between, which still had a gap of 6 years between it and ''1½''. After a void of 11 years in the ''Franchise/TheLionKing'' franchise following the release of ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf'' (2004), ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'' aired in 2015, standing as a {{midquel}} series of ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' (1998) -- 17 years.

** ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf'' (2004) -- 10 years, though ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' (1998) came out in between, which still had a gap of 6 years between it and ''1½''. After a void of 11 years in the ''Franchise/TheLionKing'' franchise following the release of ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf'' (2004), ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'' aired in 2015, standing as a {{midquel}} series of ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' (1998) -- 17 years.

* ''WesternAnimation/The13GhostsOfScoobyDoo'', which started and finished in 1985, was revived in the form of a DVD movie , ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheCurseOfThe13thGhost'', in 2019, which is ''34'' years later.

* ''WesternAnimation/The13GhostsOfScoobyDoo'', which started and finished in 1985, was revived in the form of a DVD movie , ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheCurseOfThe13thGhost'' , in 2019, which is ''34'' years later.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster'' (1987) and... depending how you look at it:

** ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' (2006) and ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'' (2011) -- 5 years. It was followed by ''WesternAnimation/Cars3'' (2017) -- 6 years. Considering that ''Cars 3'' is a direct sequel to the original ''Cars'' then its 11 years.

* ''WesternAnimation/FernGullyTheLastRainforest'' (1992) and ''[=FernGully=] 2: The Magical Rescue'' (2022) -- 6 years.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster'' (1987) and... depending how you look at it:
** The first DirectToVideo sequel, ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToasterToTheRescue'', was completed in 1997 and released in the UK that same year. However, North America had to wait until 1999. This would mean a region-specific gap of 10 or 12 years.
** Further complicating matters is another sequel. ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToasterGoesToMars'' was completed ''and'' released in 1998. Among those who didn't get ''To the Rescue'' first, this would be an 11-year gap between the first film and ''Goes to Mars''.

** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' (1999) and ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' (2010) -- 11 years. And then ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'' (2019) -- 9 years. The entire premise of ''Toy Story 3'' hinges on this, with the film taking place almost a decade after ''Toy Story 2'', [[ChildlessDystopia with all the repercussions]] [[BittersweetSeventeen that brings]] [[AlwaysAChildToParent for the characters.]] Ironically, the admittedly lesser time gap of ''Toy Story 4'' doesn't at all play into the narrative, and the movie was even delayed 2 more years than initially planned due to a TroubledProduction.

** The first DirectToVideo sequel, ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToasterToTheRescue'', was completed in 1997 but released in North America in 1999. However, the UK got a home video release of ''To the Rescue'' in 1997. This would mean a region-specific gap of 10 or 12 years.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' (1988), where 6 years passed before the first sequel (1994). From there though, [[LongRunners the numerous sequels came like clockwork]], where the only noticeable gap was at ''best'' two years, only stopping in 2007. And then nine years after the thirteenth film, another sequel was released. Oh, and a TV Series too!

* A number of Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon DirectToVideo examples count, with some being released decades after the originals. However, to be fair, Disney's sequels trend dates from ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar'' and his huge profits compared to the cheap cost of production. From then on, they decided to create DirectToVideo sequels even for films released a long time ago, [[Sequelitis/{{Disney}} for better and for worse]].

* Disney Animation's sister company Creator/{{Pixar}} has done this quite a bit as well in the past decade. Part of this stemmed from Pixar's initial reluctance to produce sequels for most of their films and they did not jump onto the bandwagon until fairly later: