Logo used for the franchise.
Descendants is an American media franchise centered on a series of musical fantasy[1][2] films, created by Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott, with the first three films being directed by Kenny Ortega and the fourth by Jennifer Phang.
The franchise's world is placed in a universe that serves as a continuation after the Disney Animated Classics series. Starring Dove Cameron, Cameron Boyce, Sofia Carson and Booboo Stewart, each film chronicles the lives of the teenage children of four Disney-villains on the Isle of the Lost, and their move to Auradon at the request of the teenage son of Queen Belle and King Beast. The first film was released as a Disney Channel Original Movie in July 2015. Following its success, a sequel was put into production and premiered across six Disney-owned networks in July 2017. In August 2019, the third film premiered on Disney Channel. A fourth film starring Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker, serving as a spin-off to the previous three, was released on Disney+ in July 2024. Each film was accompanied by original music, and film soundtrack; the first soundtrack peaked at number one in the United States, while the second soundtrack peaked at number six, and the third peaked at number seven.
Film series[]
Descendants (2015)[]
Main article: Descendants (2015 film)
Descendants premiered on July 31, 2015 on Disney Channel, and received immediate commercial success. Prior to its premiere, it was viewed more than one million times on the Disney Now app.[3] On its premiere night, the film received 6.6 million viewers, becoming the most-watched broadcast on the network of 2015, and the highest-rated broadcast on the network since 2013.[4] The film later went onto become the fifth most-watched original movie on cable television.[5] The film's soundtrack debuted atop of the US Billboard 200, becoming the first Disney Channel original movie to do so since High School Musical 2 achieved the same feat in 2007.
In the United States of Auradon, Belle and Beast rule as king and queen, twenty years after they married, united the settings of many Disney animated films, and banished all villains to the Isle of the Lost, a slum surrounded by a magic-suppressing barrier. Beast plans to abdicate in favor of his and Belle's son, Ben, who announces a program to invite four children from the Isle of the Lost to live in Auradon, away from the influence of their villainous parents: Carlos, son of Cruella de Vil; Jay, son of Jafar; Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen; and their gang's leader Mal, daughter of Maleficent. Maleficent orders them to steal the Fairy Godmother's magic wand and deactivate the barrier, so Maleficent can conquer Auradon. But the four find themselves fitting in and enjoying a normal childhood, and Mal begins a relationship with Ben, supplanting Audrey, daughter of Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip. When the barrier is inadvertently dispelled, Maleficent attacks Ben's coronation and transforms into a dragon. With Ben encouraging her to make her own choice, Mal decides to be good. She and her friends rebuke Maleficent, turning her into a small lizard, from which state she can recover if she fills her heart with love. The people of Auradon celebrate.
Descendants 2 (2017)[]
Main article: Descendants 2
Descendants 2 was announced on August 15, 2015, at the D23 Expo.[6] The film premiered on July 21, 2017, and was simulcast on six channels: ABC, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Freeform, Lifetime, and Lifetime Movies.[7] The movie was watched by 5.3 million viewers on Disney Channel and 8.9 million through all six networks.[8]
Mal struggles with her new celebrity life as King Ben's girlfriend, secretly using magic to maintain a lifestyle she feels is a façade. Mal decides she does not belong in Auradon; she returns to the Isle, where gang leadership has fallen to her old rival, pirate captain Uma (Ursula's daughter), and her first and second mates, respectively, Harry (Captain Hook's son) and Gil (Gaston's son). Evie, Jay, and Carlos agree to help Ben find her, but Mal rejects Ben, believing it best for him and Auradon. Uma captures Ben and demands the Fairy Godmother's wand in exchange for his life. Uma resents not being chosen to live in Auradon; Ben respects her as a leader and invites her to Auradon, but she vows to make her own way there instead. Using a 3D-printed decoy wand, Mal's group rescues Ben. At the shipboard Royal Cotillion, Uma appears as Ben's date and he announces he will destroy the barrier; Mal realizes Uma has cast a spell on Ben. When Mal discovers Ben commissioned a portrait that depicts her as she was before she changed herself with magic, she accepts the emotion of love and kisses Ben, breaking the spell. Uma and Mal battle, transforming into an octopus and a dragon, respectively. Ben tries to negotiate with Uma, but she leaves, unreconciled. Evie asks to bring more children from the Isle to Auradon and Ben agrees.
Descendants 3 (2019)[]
Main article: Descendants 3
Disney Channel ordered the third film of the franchise on February 16, 2018.[9] The film premiered on August 2, 2019.[10][11] The movie received 4.6 million viewers on its premiere night.[12]
In the film, Ben proposes to Mal, making her the future queen of Auradon. However, threats from Uma, Mal's father Hades and Ben's ex-girlfriend Audrey has Mal trying to stop evil once and for all. While Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos are recruiting a new generation of villain kids, Hades is trying to breach through the barrier, then Audrey steals the crown and the scepter and becomes the evil version of herself. The VKs return to the Isle of the Lost on a mission to retrieve Hades' ember and later, Uma, Harry and Gil teams up with Mal and the others to stop Audrey from destroying Auradon.
Descendants: The Rise of Red (2024)[]
Main article: Descendants: The Rise of Red
On September 21, 2021, after the premiere of Descendants: The Royal Wedding, it was announced that two new Descendants movies were in development, extending the popular Disney Channel movie franchise.[13]
Later on May 10, 2022, it was announced that one of the films titled, The Pocketwatch was in development with Jennifer Phang set to direct and co-executive produce from a script by Dan Frey and Russell Sommer, with production slated to begin in the Fall of 2022. The Pocketwatch returns to the lands of Auradon and the Isle of the Lost and also takes audiences through the rabbit hole to the hostile unincorporated territory of Wonderland, a magical, mysterious place made famous in Alice in Wonderland. The story revolves around Red, the whip-smart and rebellious teenage daughter of the Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland) and Chloe, the perfectionist and athletic daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming (Cinderella). In order to prevent an impending coup in Auradon – one that looms during the celebration of a new royal baby –, Red must join forces with Chloe to travel in back in time, via the pocket watch created by Maddox Hatter, to stop an event that would lead to grave consequences.[14]
Future[]
On September 21, 2021, it was announced that two new Descendants movies were in development,[13] one of them ending up being The Rise of Red.
After the release of The Rise of Red, the film's executive producer Suzanne Todd said that considering the movie ends with a warning about the unforeseen consequences of time travel, there has to be a sequel in the works. She confirmed that Disney is "definitely working on and thinking about a follow-up movie," and that due to the consequences of time travel, in the sequel "there will be future good and evil turns for sure."[15]
Cast members[]
Discography[]
Soundtrack albums[]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Descendants |
|
| Descendants 2 |
|
| Descendants 3 |
|
Promotional singles[]
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Believe" (performed by Shawn Mendes) |
2015 | Descendants |
| "Genie in a Bottle"[18] (performed by Dove Cameron) |
2016 | Non-album singles |
| "I'm Your Girl"[19] (performed by Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson) | ||
| "Rather Be With You"[20] (performed by Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Lauryn McClain and Brenna D'Amico) |
Descendants 2 | |
| "Evil"[21] (performed by Dove Cameron) | ||
| "Better Together"[22] (performed by Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson) |
2017 |
Other appearances[]
| Title | Year | Performed by | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Jolly to the Core"[23] | 2016 | Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Cameron Boyce and Booboo Stewart | Disney Channel Holiday Hits - EP |
Television series[]
Descendants: School of Secrets[]
Main article: Descendants: School of Secrets
Before the film's premiere air date, Disney Channel announced a live action mini series leading up to the event. Every day leading up to the release of the film, a new episode of Descendants: School of Secrets would be released revealing more secrets about the students at Auradon Prep. Each episode of the series is under 5 minutes long, with 23 episodes in total.
Descendants: Wicked World[]
Main article: Descendants: Wicked World
Right after the film finished airing on Disney Channel, it was announced that a CGI-animated short spinoff entitled Descendants: Wicked World would be released on September 18, 2015. Furthermore, former Phineas and Ferb storyboard artist Aliki Theofilopoulos Grafft announced on Twitter that she was directing the series, with Jenni Cook as producer, and that the original cast would be reprising their roles.[24]
The Planning of the Royal Wedding[]
On November 2020, a animated short prequel of the Descendants: The Royal Wedding television special was released on Disney Channel's YouTube channel. The series follows Mal and Evie as they prepare for the royal wedding with Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson reprising their roles.[25]
Chibi Tiny Tales[]
Main article: Chibi Tiny Tales
In July 2021, Descendants became the next Disney Television franchise to get the Chibi Tiny Tales treatment, which started with Big Hero 6: The Series. The first short, Descendants 3 As Told By Chibi was released July 4, 2021.[26] The second short, Date Night at the Museum was released July 11, 2021.[27] The third short, Queen of Mean was released on July 19, 2021.
Short films[]
Under the Sea: A Descendants Short Story (2018)[]
A short film, Under The Sea: A Descendants Short Story was released on September 28, 2018.[28] The story revolves around Mal (Dove Cameron), who discovers a glowing orb in a forest. She then meets Dizzy (Anna Cathcart), who is wearing a necklace that is possessed by Uma (China Anne McClain).[29]
Audrey's Royal Return: A Descendants Short Story (2019)[]
A second short film, Audrey's Royal Return: A Descendants Short Story, was released on July 5, 2019. The story revolves around Audrey (Sarah Jeffery), who stops by her salon for a makeover in preparation for her big comeback at Auradon after her absence the previous year. This seven minutes short film is essentially a summary of the events of the first two films from Audrey's point of view and also explain her absence in the second film.[30]
Wicked Woods: A Descendants Halloween Story (2019)[]
A stop motion animation short film Wicked Woods: A Descendants Halloween Story, was released on October 4, 2019. The story revolves around Mal (Dove Cameron) who tells her friends on Halloween night, about the legend of the Headless Horseman, one of Auradon's first villains, who is said to be lost in the woods of the city and has haunted them for hundreds of years. The shorts was animated using dolls from the Descendants toy line with Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Booboo Stewart, Cameron Boyce (Posthumously), Sarah Jeffery and China Anne McClain reprising their roles.[31][32]
Television specials[]
Descendants Remix Dance Party (2020)[]
Main article: Descendants Remix Dance Party
Descendants Remix Dance Party is a television special released on March 20, 2020 on Disney Channel, featuring Cheyenne Jackson returning in the role of Hades, as the host of a dance party with reimagined musical hits from the Descendants films, performed by Sofia Wylie, Dara Reneé, and Kylie Cantrall.[33]
Descendants: The Royal Wedding (2021)[]
Main article: Descendants: The Royal Wedding
Descendants: The Royal Wedding is an animated special that aired on Disney Channel on August 13, 2021.[34] This is the first Descendants project to be announced after Boyce's death, and as such, it was reported that the absence of Carlos would be addressed.[35][36]
Disney's Descendants: The Musical[]
On February 6, 2020, Music Theatre International released the rights to a junior production of the film series. The plot mostly follows that of the first film but uses elements from the sequel and music from all three films and Descendants: Wicked World. It features a book and additional lyrics are written Nick Blaemire, additional music by Madeline Smith, and new orchestrations by Matthew Tishler.[37]
Books[]
The Isle of the Lost series[]
This book series details events that take place between the films:
- The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel (2015)
- Return to the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel (2016)
- Rise of the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel (2017)
- Escape from the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel (2019)
- Beyond the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel (2024)
Junior novels[]
The Junior Novels are novelizations of the films:
- Descendants: Junior Novel (2015)
- Descendants 2: Junior Novel (2017)
- Descendants 3: Junior Novel (2019)
- Descendants: The Rise of Red: Junior Novel (2024)
Guides and databooks[]
- Disney Descendants Yearbook (2015)
- Disney Descendants: Secrets of Auradon Prep: Insider's Handbook (2015)
- Descendants: Mal's Spell Book (2015)
- Descendants: Mal's Diary (2015)
- Disney Descendants: Up Close! (2016)
- Auradon Prep Spirit Book: Highlights and Memories (2016)
- Descendants 2: Evie's Fashion Book (2017)
- Mal's Spell Book II: More Wicked Magic (2017)
- A Descendants Scrapbook: The Isle of the Lost Edition (2017)
- Descendants 2: Uma's Wicked Book: For Villain Kids (2018)
- Descendants 3: The Villain Kids' Guide for New VKs (2019)
- Descendants 3: Audrey's Diary (2019)
- Descendants: The Magic of Friendship (2020)
- Descendants: The World of Auradon: Royals and Villains (2024)
Cinestory comics[]
The cinestory comics adapts stories of Descendants: Wicked World, with images of the episodes as comics:
- Descendants: Wicked World Wish Granted Cinestory Comic Volume 1 (2016)
- Descendants: Wicked World Cinestory Comic, Vol. 2 (2016)
- Descendants: Wicked World Cinestory Comic Volume 3 (2017)
- Descendants: Wicked World Cinestory Comic Vol. 4 (2017)
School of Secrets series[]
Main article: Disney Descendants: School of Secrets (book series)
The School of Secrets series includes several novels focused on specific characters:
- CJ's Treasure Chase (2016)
- Freddie's Shadow Cards (2016)
- Ally's Mad Mystery (2017)
- Lonnie's Warrior Sword (2017)
- Carlos's Scavenger Hunt (2017)
Manga[]
Manga stories of the franchise includes:
- Disney Descendants: The Rotten To The Core Trilogy
- Vol. 1 (2017)
- Vol. 2 (2017)
- Vol. 3 (2017)
- Collector's Edition (2018)
- Making the Manga: Disney Descendants (2018)
- Evie's Wicked Runway
- Dizzy's New Fortune (2020)
Comic books and graphic novels[]
The comic books and graphic novels of the franchise includes:
- The Isle of the Lost: The Graphic Novel (2018)
- Descendants: Twisted Field Trip (2019)
- Return to the Isle of the Lost: The Graphic Novel (2019)
- Descendants: Fright at the Museum (2020)
Other books[]
Trivia[]
- The franchise could be considered a spin-off of the Disney Villains franchise, with the descendants of the different villains being the origin for the creation of Descendants.
- According to Suzanne Todd, executive producer of Descendants: The Rise of Red, although the franchise is based on the characters from the Disney films, they are not directly the same characters from those films, but different adapted versions of them.[38]
- This would make Descendants the second adaptation under The Walt Disney Company to take Disney's animated characters as a basis for an adaptation with versions of other characters inspired by them, following the television series Once Upon a Time.
References[]
- ↑ Mendelson, Scott. "Review: 'Descendants 3' Is Both A Satisfying Finale And The End Of An Era". Forbes.
- ↑ "Cameron Boyce, Star of Disney's 'Descendants,' Dies at 20". TheWrap (2019-07-07).
- ↑ "Disney's "Descendants" Garners Over One Million Views on the WATCH Disney Channel App Ahead of Its Television Premiere Tomorrow". (July 30, 2015).
- ↑ Kessell, Rick (August 1, 2015). "Disney Channel's Descendants Bewitches 6.6 Million in Friday Premiere"..
- ↑ "'Descendants' Now Fifth Most Watched Cable Movie"..
- ↑ "Descendants Sequel Ordered at Disney Channel". www.yahoo.com.
- ↑ Saval, Malina (2017-07-12). "‘Descendants 2’ Cast Talks ‘Bigger’ Sets and Musical Numbers at Disney Channel Premiere". Variety.
- ↑ Porter, Rick (2017-07-24). "‘Descendants 2’ is bigger (but also smaller) than its predecessor [Updated]". TV By The Numbers.
- ↑ Ariana Brockington (February 16, 2018). "Disney Announces 'Descendants 3' for 2019"..
- ↑ Lauren Piester (April 27, 2019). "Hades Is Pretty Mad in First Look at Cheyenne Jackson's New Descendants 3 Villain". EOnline.com.
- ↑ "Descendants 3 Gets August Premiere Date, New Music Video — Watch". (May 31, 2019).
- ↑ "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY’s Top 150 Friday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.2.2019 | Showbuzz Daily". www.showbuzzdaily.com.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Gary Marsh Exiting As Head Of Disney Branded TV To Launch Disney-Backed Company With ‘Peter Pan’ & ‘Witch Mountain’ Offshoots, More ‘Descendants’"..
- ↑ "‘Descendants’ Sequel ‘The Pocketwatch’ Movie Greenlighted By Disney+; Jennifer Phang To Direct"..
- ↑ Andy Swift (July 13, 2024). "Descendants EP Answers Our Burning Questions About Rise of Red: Bonus Songs, ‘Missing’ Characters and More". TVLine.
- ↑ "Descendants (Original TV Movie Soundtrack)". (July 31, 2015).
- ↑ "Descendants 2 (Original TV Movie Soundtrack)". (July 21, 2017).
- ↑ "Genie in a Bottle - Single by Dove Cameron". iTunes (March 18, 2016).
- ↑ "I'm Your Girl (From "Descendants: Wicked World") - Single by Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson". iTunes (June 17, 2016).
- ↑ "Rather Be With You (From "Descendants: Wicked World") - Single by Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Lauryn McClain & Brenna D'Amico". iTunes (October 28, 2016).
- ↑ "Evil (From "Descendants: Wicked World") - Single by Dove Cameron". iTunes (December 9, 2016).
- ↑ "Better Together (From "Descendants: Wicked World") - Single by Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson". iTunes (March 3, 2017).
- ↑ "Jolly to the Core". iTunes (November 18, 2016).
- ↑ Aliki Theofilopoulos (July 31, 2015). "#DisneyDescendants #WickedWorld produced by the amazing @Jmageecook & directed by me! Voice talent from the cast!". @alikigreeky.
- ↑ "Ben and Mal's Royal Wedding Preparation | Compilation | Descendants". YouTube Disney Channel (November 6, 2020).
- ↑ "Descendants 3 | Chibi Tiny Tales | Descendants | Disney Channel Animation". YouTube Disney Channel (July 4, 2021).
- ↑ "Date Night at the Museum | Chibi Tiny Tales | Descendants | Disney Channel Animation". YouTube Disney Channel (July 11, 2021).
- ↑ "Under the Sea: A Descendants Story Special Coming to Disney Channel". E! Online (Aug 11, 2018).
- ↑ Petski, Denise (August 10, 2018). "‘Descendants’ Short-Form Special ‘Under The Sea’ Set On Disney Channel"..
- ↑ "Audrey’s Heading Back to Auradon Prep in New “Descendants 3” Short Story". Laughing Place (July 5, 2019).
- ↑ Del Rosario, Alexandra (March 13, 2021). "Disney Channel Greenlights ‘Descendants: The Royal Wedding;’ Animated Special To Honor Cameron Boyce"..
- ↑ "October 2019 Programming Highlights". (September 20, 2019).
- ↑ "Descendants Remix Dance Party: A Disney Channel Music Event (TV)". d23.com (May 13, 2021).
- ↑ "Avantika Finds Her Voice in Disney Channel’s First 'Spin' Trailer (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight Disney Channel (June 25, 2021).
- ↑ Del Rosario, Alexandra (March 13, 2021). "Disney Channel Greenlights ‘Descendants: The Royal Wedding;’ Animated Special To Honor Cameron Boyce"..
- ↑ Ferme, Antonio (March 13, 2021). "‘Descendants: The Royal Wedding’ Animated Special Set at Disney Channel"..
- ↑ "Disney's Descendants: The Musical". Music Theatre International (2019-01-25).
- ↑ Andy Swift (July 13, 2024). "Descendants EP Answers Our Burning Questions About Rise of Red: Bonus Songs, ‘Missing’ Characters and More". TVLine.
