Why Do Sequels Always Take Place in Europe

Almost 240 years back, we decided that this bear-infested hunk of rock upon which the Pilgrims landed their floral cruiseships was, in a word, better. Better than the tyrannical monarchy from which our fathers sprung. Better than the compartmentalized jungle of kingships jutting out from Asia's left cheek. Yes, we insisted. America is the best. But Hollywood doesn't seem to foster the same state of mind. In its perpetual quest to earn a bigger buck, the film industry has taken to extending its family franchises with sequel flicks, always opting to one-up its originals in the later entries. But how do you do better than the stories delivered in The Smurfs, Cars, Garfield, The Muppet Movie, and Cheetah Girls? Simple: take 'em to Europe.

Yes. For some reason, Hollywood thinks the best way to go about churning out a superior follow-up feature is by sending a movie's characters across the pond to that land rich in art history and sex trafficking: Europe. In just about every sequel lately, families, animals, sentient mechanical beings, and the odd hybrid of cheetah and human tween are high tailing it to England, France, Italy, or one of the continent's other formidable metropolitan areas. The Smurfs 2 continues this trend with a trip to Paris, joining a long line of series that go abroad for their second terms...