Descendants (franchise)

• 1. Introduction

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  Descendants had been viewed more than one million times on the Watch Disney Channel app before its first film ever aired on television. When that film premiered in July 2015, 6.6 million people watched on the first night. Descendants is a franchise of Disney Channel musical fantasy films about the teenage children of famous Disney villains. Those teenagers are the sons and daughters of the figures who menaced generations of animated heroes. Who dreamed up the idea, and why did the network want it? What does the child of a villain do when someone offers a clean start? And how did one television movie grow into something far larger than a single premiere night?

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• 2. An Executive's Request

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  The idea for Descendants reached Sara Parriott and Josann McGibbon through a former assistant of theirs. By then she had become a development executive at Disney Channel. The network wanted a story built on the premise of the villains' teenage children, and the two writers took the assignment.

  Their most important decision concerned where those children would live. Parriott and McGibbon proposed that the four teenagers attend school in Auradon, an idealized fairyland, instead of a school reserved for villains' offspring. That choice placed the newcomers in classrooms alongside the families of heroes.

  They picked the characters by going back to their own favorite Disney films. They concentrated on human villains rather than monsters or creatures. They also decided the group should include two male teenagers and two female ones. The premise invited a comic question as well. How would figures as fearsome as Maleficent and the Evil Queen behave as parents?

  Kenny Ortega would direct the first three films, Jennifer Phang the fourth, and Kimmy Gatewood the fifth.

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• 3. Auradon and the Isle

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  Twenty years into the marriage of Belle and Beast, the United States of Auradon has become a single country built from the settings of many Disney animated films. Every villain has been banished to the Isle of the Lost, a slum enclosed by a barrier that suppresses magic. Beast plans to hand the throne to his and Belle's son, Ben. Ben announces a program that invites four children from the Isle to live in Auradon, far from their parents' influence. People call them the Villains' Kids, or VKs.

  The four are Carlos, son of Cruella de Vil, and Jay, son of Jafar. Evie is the daughter of the Evil Queen. Their gang's leader is Mal, daughter of Maleficent. Dove Cameron plays Mal, Cameron Boyce plays Carlos, Sofia Carson plays Evie, and Booboo Stewart plays Jay.

  Maleficent has her own plan for the trip. She orders the four to steal the Fairy Godmother's magic wand, so that the barrier can be switched off and she can conquer Auradon.

  The plan falters because the children like their new life. They fit in and enjoy an ordinary childhood. Mal begins a relationship with Ben, which supplants Audrey, the daughter of Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip.

  The barrier is then dispelled by accident. At Ben's coronation, Maleficent attacks and turns herself into a dragon. Ben encourages Mal to make her own choice, and she decides to be good. Mal and her friends defeat Maleficent by turning her into a small lizard, and the people of Auradon celebrate. Maleficent can recover from that state if she ever fills her heart with love, a condition the story leaves open.

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• 4. Rivals and Returns

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  A sequel was announced on the 15th of August 2015 at the D23 Expo, and Descendants 2 premiered on the 21st of July 2017. In it, Mal struggles with celebrity life as Ben's girlfriend. She secretly uses magic to maintain a lifestyle she regards as a façade, and she concludes that she does not belong in Auradon.

  She goes back to the Isle, where leadership of the gang has passed to her old rival, the pirate captain Uma, daughter of Ursula. Uma's first mate is Harry, son of Captain Hook, and her second mate is Gil, son of Gaston. China Anne McClain plays Uma, Thomas Doherty plays Harry, and Dylan Playfair plays Gil. Evie, Jay and Carlos agree to help Ben look for Mal. Mal rejects Ben anyway, believing the Isle is the best place for her for his sake and Auradon's.

  Uma carries a grievance of her own, because she resents never being chosen to live in Auradon. She captures Ben and demands the Fairy Godmother's wand in exchange for his life. Ben respects her as a leader and invites her to Auradon. Uma vows to make her own way there instead. Mal's group rescues Ben with a 3D-printed decoy wand.

  At the royal cotillion aboard a ship, Uma arrives as Ben's date. Ben announces that he will destroy the barrier, and Mal realizes Uma has cast a spell on him. Then Mal finds a portrait Ben commissioned, which shows her as she was before she changed herself with magic. She accepts it as an act of love, kisses Ben, and breaks the spell. Uma and Mal fight, transforming into an octopus and a dragon. Ben tries to negotiate, but Uma leaves unreconciled. Evie asks to bring more children over from the Isle, and Ben agrees.

  Announced on the 16th of February 2018, the third film arrived on the 2nd of August 2019. Mal and her friends are busy recruiting a new generation of villain kids when Hades tries to breach the barrier, and Mal stops him. Ben proposes to Mal, which makes her the future queen of Auradon. Then Audrey, the girl Mal displaced in the first film, steals Maleficent's scepter and the queen's crown and becomes an evil version of herself. The VKs return to the Isle to retrieve Hades' ember. Uma, Harry and Gil join forces with Mal and the others to stop Audrey from destroying Auradon. Sarah Jeffery plays Audrey, and Cheyenne Jackson plays Hades.

  The engagement leaves a royal wedding waiting to be held, and an animated special in 2021 would eventually take it up.

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• 5. The Rise of Red

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  In September 2021, Deadline Hollywood reported that Disney was developing two more Descendants films, and one of them became The Rise of Red. On the 10th of May 2022, a sequel first called Descendants: The Pocketwatch was greenlit for Disney+, with Jennifer Phang attached to direct. The official title was announced on the 21st of March 2023. The film was released on the 12th of July 2024, with a Disney Channel premiere scheduled for the 9th of August 2024.

  This installment is a spin-off, and it passes the lead to a new pair. Kylie Cantrall plays Red, the teenage daughter of the Queen of Hearts. Malia Baker plays Chloe, the daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming. The two team up and travel back in time to prevent a catastrophic event.

  The trouble starts when the Queen of Hearts coerces Red into punishing Cinderella. The Queen is taking revenge for a prank played on her during her student days at Auradon, which was then called Merlin Academy. Red and Chloe therefore aim at the prank itself. They must stop Uliana from pranking Bridget, the younger version of the Queen of Hearts, because that prank would lead Bridget to become an evil queen. Dara Reneé plays Uliana, and Ruby Rose Turner plays Bridget.

  The mission succeeds, the present survives, and the Queen of Hearts becomes a loving figure. The film still ends on a cliffhanger. Uma's voiceover delivers the closing lines over a scene of merriment and dancing.

  Afterward, executive producer Suzanne Todd confirmed that Disney was "definitely working on and thinking about a follow-up movie." Because the film closes with a warning about the unforeseen consequences of time travel, she said that in the sequel "there will be future good and evil turns for sure." The first cast members were announced in February 2025, with several characters from The Rise of Red returning and new ones joining. More names followed in March. In May 2025, the title Descendants: Wicked Wonderland was announced, together with the return of most of the adult cast from The Rise of Red. Wicked Wonderland is scheduled for release in summer 2026.

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• 6. Audience and Impact

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  By August 2024, the original trilogy had accumulated more than 781 million hours of viewing in the United States. Each of the three films was also the most-watched television movie of its premiere year among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14. Those years were 2015-2017 and 2019.

  For the first film, early DVR playback added 10.5 million viewers. Soon after its premiere, ratings placed it fifth among the most-watched original movies in cable history. In Australia, 151,000 people watched, which made it the sixth highest-rated broadcast on pay television on its premiere day. The British premiere drew 827,000 viewers and was the most-watched broadcast on Disney Channel that week and that month. Domestic home video sales reached $18,245,955.

  The sequel's premiere night was spread across six networks: ABC, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Freeform, Lifetime and Lifetime Movies. Together they drew 8.92 million viewers, which was up from the first film, and at least 13 million people watched a minute of it. Disney Channel alone drew 5.33 million and topped cable that night. ABC added 2.41 million. With delayed viewing, the total climbed to 21 million. DVR playback added 5.54 million viewers on Disney Channel, the biggest viewer gain on cable television in two years, and lifted that network's total to 10.90 million. Domestic home video sales came to $13,314,855.

  The third film drew 4.59 million viewers on the 2nd of August 2019, and delayed viewing over three days raised that to 8.43 million. Its domestic home video sales were $6,968,947, so the figure fell with each of the three films.

  The Rise of Red moved the audience to streaming. It was watched by 6.7 million viewers in its first three days on Disney+, which made it the highest original movie premiere on the service for Disney Branded Television. It was the most-watched streaming original movie of the week of 12-the 18th of July 2024, with 1.1 billion minutes of watch time. On the 27th of July 2024, it reached the number one film spot on Disney+ in the United States, according to FlixPatrol. In August 2024, Disney announced that the film had reached 20 million views worldwide.

  The franchise also left marks well outside ratings charts. In 2020, the animated series Robot Chicken parodied it, sending X-23, the clone of Wolverine, to the school attended by the children of Disney villains. By May 2022, nearly 7 million dolls and 9 million Descendants books had been sold, including four New York Times Best Sellers. Descendants Halloween costumes were the number one and number two best sellers in 2015 and 2016, and they stayed among Disney's top five licensed costumes for seven consecutive years, from 2015 to 2021. In July 2024, the hashtag "#Descendants" had more than 95 million views in the United States and over 9 billion worldwide. The official Disney accounts for Descendants had gathered over 10 million followers by August 2024.

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• 7. Songs of the Isle

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  The first soundtrack album, released on the 31st of July 2015, reached number one on the American chart and on the American soundtrack chart. The sequel and third-film albums peaked at numbers six and seven on the main chart, and all three were certified Gold. Every Descendants soundtrack, including that of The Rise of Red, topped the American soundtrack chart. Released on the 12th of July 2024, The Rise of Red album was digital and streaming only. The first three had also come out on CD.

  Individual songs did well too. "Rotten to the Core" reached number 38 in the United States and number 66 in Canada, and it was certified Platinum. Kenny Ortega directed its music video, and also the video for "Ways to Be Wicked" from the second film. Dove Cameron's solo "If Only" was certified Platinum as well. "What's My Name," performed by China Anne McClain, Thomas Doherty and Dylan Playfair, reached number 61 in the United States and number 39 in the United Kingdom. It earned a double Platinum certification. Sarah Jeffery's "Queen of Mean" from the third film also went double Platinum, peaking at number 49 in the United States and 57 in Canada.

  The first album also carried a promotional single by Shawn Mendes, called "Believe," which went to number one on the American kids chart. Jake Kasdan directed its video.

  The Rise of Red had its own standouts. China Anne McClain and Kylie Cantrall recorded "What's My Name (Red Version)," with a video directed by Jennifer Phang. Rita Ora, Kylie Cantrall, Brandy and Malia Baker performed "Love Ain't It."

  Disney also issued karaoke albums, starting with The Best of Descendants on the 24th of May 2017. A Halloween EP and a karaoke album for The Rise of Red followed together on the 27th of September 2024.

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• 8. Beyond the Films

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  Descendants: School of Secrets arrived in 2015 as a prequel to the first film. Each of its 23 episodes ran under five minutes, and a new one was released every day leading up to the premiere. They revealed secrets about the students at Auradon Prep.

  Right after the film finished airing, Disney Channel announced Descendants: Wicked World, an animated short-form spin-off released on the 18th of September 2015. Aliki Theofilopoulos Grafft, a former Phineas and Ferb storyboard artist, directed it, with Jenni Cook as producer and the original cast returning. The series reached over 30 million viewers in the United States and generated over 100 million consumer engagements across the Disney Channel app, video on demand and YouTube.

  Short films filled the gaps between the features. Under the Sea: A Descendants Short Story, released on the 28th of September 2018, finds Mal discovering a glowing orb in a forest. She then meets Dizzy, whose necklace is possessed by Uma. Audrey's Royal Return, released on the 5th of July 2019, shows Audrey at her salon preparing for a comeback and retells the first two films from her point of view. Wicked Woods, released on the 4th of October 2019, is a stop-motion Halloween story built with dolls from the Hasbro toy line. In it, Mal tells her friends about the Headless Horseman, one of Auradon's first villains, who is said to have haunted the woods for hundreds of years. Wickedly Sweet, released in October 2024, was animated with dolls from the Mattel toy line. Red, Chloe, Bridget and Uliana get hold of the Sorcerer's Cookbook and sing as they cook. On the 13th of February 2025, Shuffle of Love followed, in which Bridget dreams that her song is a hit and everyone is dancing to it.

  Television specials came next. Descendants Remix Dance Party aired on the 20th of March 2020, with Cheyenne Jackson returning as Hades to host a dance party of reimagined hits. Descendants: The Royal Wedding, an animated special that premiered on the 13th of August 2021, was the first project announced after the death of Cameron Boyce, who played Carlos. Carlos is briefly mentioned, but what happened to him is left unspecified. In the story, Hades arrives and the place of the ceremony burns, so Mal and her friends set out to learn why. The special was nominated for Best Original Score - Short Film (Animated) at the 12th Hollywood Music in Media Awards.

  On paper, Melissa de la Cruz's novel The Isle of the Lost came first, released on the 5th of May 2015 as a prequel to the first film. Its villains' descendants band together to retrieve the Dragon's Eye, and the book spent over 14 weeks as a Children's Middle Grade New York Times Best Seller. Return to the Isle of the Lost followed on the 24th of May 2016, with Ben running Auradon while his parents are on a cruise. Rise of the Isle of the Lost arrived on the 23rd of May 2017 and tells of Uma's rise to power, as she plans to take King Triton's migrating trident. The fourth and fifth books, Escape from the Isle of the Lost and Beyond the Isle of the Lost: Wonderland, were published on the 4th of June 2019 and the 7th of May 2024. A separate School of Secrets series began with CJ's Treasure Chase on the 30th of August 2016, centered on Captain Hook's daughter. It ran through five books and ended with Carlos's Scavenger Hunt on the 14th of November 2017. Disney Publishing Worldwide also released diaries, spell books and a fashion book.

  In July 2015, a mobile app let fans sing along to Descendants songs and record music videos. A mobile game released in November 2015 lets players create an avatar and explore Auradon Prep.

  The story also reached the stage. On the 6th of February 2020, Music Theatre International released the rights to a junior production of the film series, Disney's Descendants: The Musical. Nick Blaemire wrote its book and additional lyrics. Then, at the D23 Expo on the 9th of August 2024, Disney announced the Descendants/Zombies: Worlds Collide Tour. It joined stars from both franchises in an arena concert across the United States, running from the 17th of July to the 16th of September 2025. The cast released a single, "Worlds Collide," on the 27th of June 2025, with vocals from Kylie Cantrall, Malia Baker, Dara Reneé, Joshua Colley, Malachi Barton, Freya Skye and Mekonnen Knife.

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