| Descendants | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Genre | |
| Written by | |
| Directed by | Kenny Ortega |
| Starring | |
| Composer | David Lawrence |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Cinematography | Thomas Burstyn |
| Editor | Don Brochu |
| Running time | 112 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Disney Channel |
| Release | July 31, 2015 (2015-07-31) |
| Related | |
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Descendants is an Americanmusicalfantasy[1]television film directed and choreographed byKenny Ortega. The film starsDove Cameron,Sofia Carson,Booboo Stewart, andCameron Boyce as the teenage children ofMaleficent,the Evil Queen,Jafar, andCruella de Vil, respectively. The film follows these teenagers adjusting to life outside their island prison, while on a mission to stealthe Fairy Godmother's wand and free their parents from captivity. It debuted on July 31, 2015, as aDisney ChannelOriginal Movie, to positive reviews and 6.6 million viewers.
The film also starsMitchell Hope,Melanie Paxson,Brenna D'Amico,Sarah Jeffery, Zachary Gibson,Jedidiah Goodacre,Dianne Doan,Dan Payne,Keegan Connor Tracy,Wendy Raquel Robinson,Maz Jobrani,Kathy Najimy, andKristin Chenoweth.
The first installment in theDescendants franchise,Descendants was spun off into several television series, short films, and television specials, including an animated short-form series titledDescendants: Wicked World, and was followed by a sequel,Descendants 2, which premiered on July 21, 2017,[2] a third film,Descendants 3, which premiered on August 2, 2019,[3] and a fourth film,Descendants: The Rise of Red, which premiered on July 12, 2024 onDisney+.[4]
Belle andBeast have married and become king and queen. Following the establishment of the United States of Auradon, they have created a prosperous new nation from the surrounding kingdoms, and banished the villains and sidekicks to the Isle of the Lost, an islandslum surrounded by a barrier where magic is suspended, trapping all the villains there for good.
Twenty years later, their son Ben, who will soon be crowned king, announces that his first proclamation is to give four selected children from the Isle of the Lost a chance to live in Auradon, away from the influence of their villainous parents, despite his father's protests. He chooses Carlos, son ofCruella de Vil; Jay, son ofJafar; Evie, daughter ofthe Evil Queen; and Mal, daughter ofMaleficent. When the news is received, Maleficent secretly instructs the four of them to steal theFairy Godmother'smagic wand to release the barrier so she can take over Auradon.
Traveling to Auradon Preparatory, the core four meet Ben and his girlfriend Audrey, daughter ofPrincess Aurora. They also meet the Fairy Godmother, the school's headmistress. Evie uses her mother's pocket-sizedmagic mirror to locate the wand in a nearby museum, and Mal uses her mother'sspinning wheel from the museum to put the security guard to sleep, but they fail retrieving the wand due to a barrier blocking the wand and setting off a siren.
After learning that the Fairy Godmother will use the wand at Ben's coronation, the four wait it out by attending classes, but start to fit in with the students. Jay is recruited into the school's "tourney" team (a sport similar to field hockey,hurling and lacrosse), while Carlos overcomes his fear of dogs by befriending the school's dog, Dude. Evie, though intelligent, acts vain to impress Chad,Cinderella's son, but ends up doing his homework for him.Dopey's son, Doug, encourages her not to pander to others and be herself.
Mal becomes popular, using Maleficent's spell book to alter Jane and Lonnie's hair, the daughters of the Fairy Godmother andMulan, respectively. Jane in particular dislikes her looks, especially because her mother will not use her own magic to change them.
Mal learns that Ben's girlfriend will be seated close to the wand during the coronation, which is used during the ceremony. She bakes a cookie laced with a love potion and gives it to Ben, who falls madly in love with her, much to the shock of his friends, particularly Audrey.
On a date with Ben, Mal becomes conflicted with her growing inner goodness and desire to please her mother, unsure of how to react to Ben's feelings towards her. During the school's family day, the villains' children are ostracized after an encounter with Audrey's grandmother,Queen Leah. She hates Mal because Maleficent's curse was the reason she missed Aurora's childhood, prompting an argument that drives Mal to end the beauty spell she used on Jane.
Ben tries to reassure them that everything will be okay after the coronation. Doug tries to remain friendly towards Evie, but Chad forces him to distance himself from her.
At Ben's coronation, Mal gives him a brownie containing the love spell's antidote, believing it is unnecessary to keep him under the spell. It turns out, per Ben's admission, that he was already freed of the spell since their date when he went swimming in the Enchanted Lake, believing that Mal only did it because she really liked him. However, much to Mal's surprise, it turns out Ben has had feelings for her all along.
During Ben's crowning, a disillusioned Jane grabs the wand from her mother, wanting to improve her beauty, only for her to accidentally damage the Isle's barrier. Mal takes the wand from Jane, but torn over what to do, is encouraged by Ben to make her own choice rather than follow Maleficent's path. She recognizes that she and her friends have found happiness in Auradon and they choose to be good.
Maleficent crashes the coronation ceremony, freezing everyone except Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos. When they defy her, Maleficent transforms into adragon. Mal and her friends use a counterspell, turning Maleficent into alizard, her tiny size based on the amount of love in her heart.
Mal returns the Fairy Godmother her wand as she unfreezes everyone and tells her not to be hard on Jane. While the villains watch the celebration from afar, Auradon Prep's students party through the night. Mal's eyes turn green as she addresses the audience, telling them the story is not over yet.
Additionally, Judith Maxie portraysQueen Leah, Audrey's grandmother, Reese Alexander portrays Coach Jenkins, the coach at Auradon Prep, Jonathan Holmes portrays Mr. Deley, the science teacher at Auradon Prep, andStephanie Bennett portraysSnow White, who works as a television reporter.
On December 12, 2013,Disney Channel announced the production of the film and released the plot outline.Kenny Ortega, a director who had previously worked withDisney Channel on theHigh School Musical trilogy, was announced to be directing the film.[5] The script was written byJosann McGibbon andSara Parriott. Filming began in the spring of 2014.[6] Filming took place inVancouver and in locations such asHatley Castle and theBritish Columbia Parliament Buildings inVictoria, British Columbia, Canada.[7] The costumes were designed byKara Saun.
Descendants made its debut onFamily Channel in Canada on July 31, 2015, simultaneously with the United States. It was also the last Disney Channel Original Movie to air in Canada on Family after the launch of aDisney Channel there.[8] The film premiered on August 1, 2015 onDisney Channel in Australia and New Zealand and on September 25, 2015 onDisney Channel in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[9][10] In the Middle East and Africa, the film premiered on September 18, 2015 on the English feed of Disney Channel.[11][12] It premiered in Turkey on October 17, 2015 onDisney Channel.[citation needed]
Descendants was released onDVD on July 31, 2015.[13] It was the fifth-best-selling home-video release of August.[14] By the end of 2015, the physical release had grossed about $11.5 million.[15]
Descendants received positive reviews from critics. Isabella Biedenharn ofEntertainment Weekly gave the film a "B" grade, saying "... plot isn't really the point. The fun is in the roll call... It's noHigh School Musical, but the songs are catchy, and the junior villains are worth rooting for."[16] Tisha Mae Eaton ofMoviepilot.com stated, "It's a movie that definitely had the feel of a Disney classic with a modern twist and I highly recommend it."[17] Alex Reif of LaughingPlace.com gave it a score of 4.5 out of 5 saying, "... I highly recommend this to any Disney fan, if for no other reason than to see what they've done with the characters, theHocus Pocus references, andKristin Chenoweth's Maleficent which is closer to the animated character thanAngelina Jolie's portrayal."[18] Brian Lowry ofVariety called it "... a playful and tuneful TV movie, exhibiting much higher ambitions than, say, theTeen Beach franchise."[19] By contrast, Amy Amatangelo ofThe Hollywood Reporter gave it a mixed review, calling it "High School Musical meetsOnce Upon a Time. It smartly ushers little girls who have grown up watching Disney movies into the tween audience and is an idea so ripe for merchandising that the Disney Store is already chock-full ofDescendants costumes, dolls and T-shirts." She called the story "flimsy", but singled out the performances of Chenoweth, Najimy, Robinson and Jobrani.[20]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 90% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.67/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Memorable songs and excellent casting help turnDescendants into a decidedly wicked musical romp."[21]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 63 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[22]
Before the film made its TV debut, it was viewed more than one million times on the Watch Disney Channel app.[23]
It was viewed by 6.6 million people on its premiere night[24] and 10.5 million viewers in Early DVR Playback.[25] Shortly after the premier air date, ratings showed the film was the fifth most watched original movie in cable history.[26]
In Australia, the film attracted 151,000 viewers, making it the sixth highest-rated broadcast on pay television on its premiere day.[27] The British premiere was watched by 827,000 viewers, making it the most-watched broadcast on Disney Channel of that week and month.[28][29] The viewers rose to 1.45 million in 28 days, making it the highest viewership ever on the network.[citation needed]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie TV Song | Shawn Mendes – "Believe" | Nominated | [30] |
| 2016 | Writers Guild of America Award | Children's Longform Program | Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott | Won | [31] |
| 2016 | Directors Guild of America Award | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Children's Program | Kenny Ortega | Won | [32] |
| 2016 | Golden Reel Awards | Sound Editing In Television - Musical: Long Form | Amber Funk | Nominated | [33] |
| 2016 | 68th Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Music Composition For A Limited Series, Movie Or Special (Original Dramatic Score) | David Lawrence | Nominated | [34] |
During the 2015D23 Expo, Disney announced thata sequel toDescendants had been ordered.[35] The news was made official on the Disney Channel Facebook page on October 15, 2015.[2]Deadline reported that Parriott and McGibbon would reprise their duties as screenwriters and executive producers and that all of the cast from the first film was expected to return.[36] On June 10, 2016, it was announced thatChina Anne McClain would join the sequel asUrsula's daughter, Uma.[37]
On February 16, 2018, Disney Channel announced a third film in the series,Descendants 3, which premiered on August 2, 2019.[3]
Before the film's premiere air date, Disney Channel announced alive action mini series leading up to the event. Every day leading up to the release of the film, a new episode ofDescendants: 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.[38]
Right after the film finished airing on Disney Channel, it was announced that an animated short spinoff titledDescendants: Wicked World would be released on September 18, 2015.[39] Furthermore, formerPhineas and Ferb storyboard artistAliki 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.[40]
Disney Channel announced a television special titledDescendants: The Royal Wedding which premiered on August 13, 2021.[41]
Descendants is a soundtrack album by the cast ofDescendants, released on July 31, 2015 byWalt Disney Records.[42] The soundtrack peaked at number 1 in United States atBillboard 200, number one on the USTop Digital Albums and topped the USTop Soundtracks.[43]
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