One of the most anticipated films of the summer stars Rita Ora in a bright red wig, singing about ruling the world. Brandy and Paolo Montalbán reunite as Cinderella and Prince Charming. And there are plenty of tightly choreographed group dance sequences. Descendants: The Rise of Red is the latest film in Disney Channel’s ridiculously popular Descendants franchise: over the past nine years, since its release in 2015, Offspring the series has been launched, the films and their spin-offs are the the biggest thing Disney Channel has ever produced.
Offspring was a huge success and spawned two sequels, a handful of TV specials; short animated films; many, many book tie-ins; and the requirement extensive Disney merchandise line. Now, the fourth film continues the story, shifting the focus to a new set of characters as the original cast’s stories are completed.
Directed by Kenny Ortega (High school musical), 2015 Offspring film presented an appealing concept for fans of classic Disney villains: what if the children of those villains attended high school alongside the children of Disney heroes?
Image: Disney
In the Descendants franchise, Disney’s heroes live peacefully while their villains are locked away on the dilapidated Isle of the Lost. Four bad boy children—Maleficent’s daughter Mal (Dove Cameron), the Evil Queen’s daughter Evie (Sofia Carson), Jafar’s son Jay (Booboo Stewart), and Cruella de Vil’s son Carlos (the late Cameron Boyce)—are finally allowed to go to boarding school with the good boys after Belle and the Beast’s son Ben (Mitchell Hope) decides that maybe the bad boy children should be given a chance. In the first film, their parents want them to take advantage of this opportunity to take over the world, and at first, they go along with the plan. But eventually, the four bad boy children realize that maybe being good isn’t so bad after all.
Rise of Red continues the legacy of the main trilogy. It follows Chloe Charming (Malia Baker), the daughter of Cinderella and (now) King Charming, and Red (Kylie Cantrall), the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, as they eventually travel back in time in an attempt to save Red’s mother from becoming a tyrannical villain. It’s been six years since the last Descendants film, so the hype is high. The latest music video preview was viewed more than 9.5 million times on YouTube in just two weeks.
What made this franchise so damn popular? It comes down to a simple formula…
Disney villains…
Image: Disney
Disney villains are popular. Terribly popular. New Disney movies don’t often revolve around real villains anymore (I think that’s better, but that’s another essay) — but people still love the classicsAnd regret their disappearance from the cultural landscape. They’re big, bad, and larger than life. A large portion of fans swear that villains get the best songs, the coolest designs, and the most memorable scenes. And in previous Disney films like Sleeping Beauty And 101 dalmatiersthey just arrive Doing more than the heroes.
So seeing a favorite Disney villain return to the Descendents franchise scratches a nostalgic itch — especially since these characters aren’t the main protagonists of the show, so they can be just as comically evil as they were in their original cartoon versions. This show’s version of 101 dalmatiers‘ Cruella de Vil doesn’t have a tragic backstory about her mother being killed by dogs; she just wants a coat made of puppies! (Also, a shout-out to the cast of villains in Descendents — Kristin Chenoweth has the (Perfect high pitched laugh for Maleficent.)
But the original villains are only part of the fun of Descendants, mostly because they play a secondary role in the story. Their children get all the fun of a villain (the objectively cooler costumes and songs), but Also heroes. It’s the perfect combination for young viewers who want to immerse themselves in the setting, but don’t necessarily want to identify with the more sugary Disney princesses or princesses. Which also leads to the next big attraction…
…plus Next Generation
Image: Disney
The idea of beloved characters having their own stories is appealing, especially to younger audiences who want to be part of this fantasy world and identify more with younger heroes. So many of Disney’s direct-to-home video sequels have focused on the next generation of characters for exactly that reason. And before the Descendants films, Mattel’s Monster High and Ever After High franchises proved the concept had appeal. (The Ever After High line is similar enough to the Descendants concept that fans suspect Disney has launched its own line, seemingly to undermine Mattel’s version.)
Next-generation characters tell new stories, but with something familiar at their core. And since these films are only loosely tied to the Disney canon, they can get a little weird plot-wise, if you take them literally. Yes, sure, Gaston’s kid becomes pirate buddies with Captain Hook’s son and Ursula the Sea Witch’s daughter. And Dopey the Dwarf’s son falls in love with the Evil Queen’s daughter. And Maleficent’s daughter has pretty purple hair and she ends up saving the day.
The Descendants films play into childhood fantasies about creating new stories for favorite characters and trying to fit them in — but that’s a good thing. It’s a game of pretend play come to life, with costumes and elaborate role-playing in a beloved existing setting. And the filmmakers take the concept seriously. Not seriously as in grim and dark, but seriously in the sense that they understand that this idea means a lot to its intended audience, so it’s fully validated with enough time, care, and budget to be a great spectacle.
Plus Kenny Ortega’s Magic Touch™
It will come as no surprise that Kenny Ortega, the music-focused mastermind behind High school musical, Hocus Pocus, News, The Cheetah Girls 2and then some — directed the first three Descendants films. Ortega just directed gets that the secret to making a popular Disney film that enchants fans is to simply embrace the kind of camp associated with the Disney brand. The Descendants films are the ultimate proof of this.
The numbers are bangers. The dancing is energetic and impressively choreographed. The sets and costumes are loud and flashy. All of these things aim for a campy, over-the-top tone, but that’s not a criticism. Maybe there’s a subset of people who think “movie musical starring the children of Disney villains” and want something edgy and consciously adult, but Ortega isn’t one of them.
The latest film hands the directing reins to Jennifer Phang (Half-life, Star girl). But Ortega’s flair absolutely laid the groundwork for the entire Descendants universe. At their core, these films are unashamedly goofy. Rather than eschew the characters’ cartoonish roots, as other Disney live-action adaptations have done, Ortega has chosen to embrace them. These films may look a little silly, with their jewel-toned wigs and skirmishes that manifest in the form of dance and rap battles, but every second is driven by pure theater-kid energy and a passion for the source material. Unlike some modern fairy tale adaptations, no one laughs at tropes like fancy balls, true love’s kiss, or magic wands.
…is equal to a phenomenon
Image: Disney
The Descendants films have their glaring flaws. The acting can be stiff. The storylines vary wildly in tone from “Huh, maybe raise the villains’ children in complete misery and deny them basic privileges like an education and the internet was not a good idea” to “King Charming and Cinderella’s son keeps breaking into Jay and Carlos’ room to use their 3D printer to make action figure parts of himself.” The special effects were definitely made for a TV budget.
But my goodness, they’re the perfect embodiment of what it’s like to reach into a dress-up box, pull out the most glittering costume you can find, and declare yourself the next generation of Disney villains, akin to your favorite evil game-changer, but also the hero at the same time.
The new film actually interrogates a bit more about what makes someone good or bad, and how external circumstances can shape that. But there are still bright wigs and costumes, energetic dance battles, flashy special effects and a message about good triumphing over evil.
All of the Descendants films are perfect for young viewers — but not just them. For anyone who’s outgrown the days of daydreaming about being the long-lost child of a favorite Disney character, these films are a way to tap into that whimsy and embrace that inner child who craves to be whisked away to a world of fairy tales. Any resistance is blown away by the infectiously catchy songs.
Offspring: Rise of Red is available to stream on Disney Plus. All other Descendants films and specials are also available on Disney Plus.