A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Descendants | |
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| Created by | Josann McGibbon Sara Parriott |
| Owner | Disney Channel |
| Based on | Animated films by Walt Disney Animation Studios |
| Print publications | |
| Novel(s) | See list |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) |
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| Short film(s) |
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| Television short(s) |
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| Theatrical presentations | |
| Musical(s) | Disney's Descendants: The Musical |
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) | |
| Original music | |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Starring |
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| Music by |
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| Cinematography |
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| Edited by | Don Brochu |
Descendants is an American media franchise centered on a series of Disney Channel musical fantasy[1][2] films directed by Kenny Ortega and created by Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott.
The franchise takes place in a world that serves as a continuation of the Disney animated classic films. 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 the kingdom of 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, a third film premiered on Disney Channel. Each film was accompanied by original music; the soundtrack for the first film peaked at number one in the United States, the second peaked at number six, and the third peaked at number seven. A spin-off film to the previous three, Descendants: The Rise of Red, starring Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker, is set to be released on Disney+ on July 12, 2024.
Film series
Descendants (2015)
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 (dubbed as "Villains' Kids" or "VKs") 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. The four VKs 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)
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 film was watched by 5.3 million viewers on Disney Channel and 8.9 million across all six networks it is shown on.[8]
Mal struggles with her new celebrity life as Ben's girlfriend, secretly using magic to maintain a lifestyle she feels is a façade. Mal decides that 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, Harry (Captain Hook's son) and Gil (Gaston's son), respectively. Evie, Jay, and Carlos agree to help Ben find Mal, but Mal rejects Ben, believing it to be best for him and Auradon that she stays on the Isle. 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 act 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)
Descendants 3 was announced on February 16, 2018.[9] The film premiered on August 2, 2019 on Disney Channel.[10][11] The film received 4.6 million viewers on its premiere night.[12]
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 Maleficent's crown and the scepter and becomes an 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 team up with Mal and the others to stop Audrey from destroying Auradon.
Descendants: The Rise of Red (2024)
On May 10, 2022, a new sequel, initially announced under the title of Descendants: The Pocketwatch, was greenlit for Disney+, with Jennifer Phang attached to direct.[13] On March 21, 2023, the official title for the film was announced as Descendants: The Rise of Red.[14] The film will be released on July 12, 2024 on Disney+, and August 9, 2024 on Disney Channel.[15][16][17]
It centers on Red, the teenage daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe, the daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming, teaming up and traveling back in time to prevent a catastrophic event.[13][14]
Potential sequels
In September 2021, Deadline Hollywood reported that two more Descendants films were being developed by Disney.[18] One of them ending up being The Rise of Red.[13][14]
Cast members
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in the franchise.
- An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
- V indicates a voice-only role.
- Y indicates a younger version of the character.