Descendants (2015 film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Descendants |
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Promotional poster
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| Genre | |
| Written by |
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| Directed by | Kenny Ortega |
| Starring | |
| Composer(s) | David Lawrence |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
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| Cinematography | Thomas Burstyn |
| Editor(s) | Don Brochu |
| Running time | 112 minutes |
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| Release | |
| Original network | Disney Channel |
| Original release | July 31, 2015 |
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Descendants is a fun American musical fantasy adventure-comedy television film. It was directed by Kenny Ortega. The movie stars Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Booboo Stewart, and Cameron Boyce. They play the teenage children of famous Disney villains. These villains include Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Jafar, and Cruella de Vil.
The story follows these teens as they leave their island prison. They are on a secret mission. Their goal is to steal the Fairy Godmother's magic wand. This would free their villain parents. The film first aired on July 31, 2015. It was a Disney Channel Original Movie. It got good reviews and was watched by 6.6 million people.
The movie also features Mitchell 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, and Kristin Chenoweth. Descendants is the first movie in the Descendants series. It led to a CGI animated cartoon called Descendants: Wicked World. Two more movies, Descendants 2 (2017) and Descendants 3 (2019), followed.
Contents
The Story of Descendants
Queen Belle and King Beast are now married. They have created a new nation called Auradon. All the Disney villains were sent to the Isle of the Lost. This island is a poor place with no magic.
Twenty years later, their son, Ben, is about to become king. His first big decision is to bring four villain kids to Auradon. He wants to give them a fresh start. His father, King Beast, does not agree. Ben chooses Carlos, son of Cruella de Vil. He also picks Jay, son of Jafar. Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen, is chosen too. Finally, Mal, daughter of Maleficent, joins them.
On the Isle, Maleficent tells the four teens to steal the Fairy Godmother's magic wand. This would break the barrier around the island. Then, the villains could take over Auradon.
Life in Auradon Prep
The four villain kids arrive at Auradon Preparatory school. They meet Ben and his girlfriend, Audrey. Audrey is the daughter of Princess Aurora. They also meet the Fairy Godmother, who is the school's headmistress.
Evie uses her mother's magic mirror to find the wand. It is in a nearby museum. Mal uses her mother's spinning wheel to put the guard to sleep. But they cannot steal the wand because of a magic barrier. They learn the Fairy Godmother will use the wand at Ben's coronation. So, they decide to wait.
The villain kids start to fit in at school. Jay joins the "tourney" team. This sport is like field hockey. Carlos gets over his fear of dogs and makes friends with the school dog, Dude. Evie is smart but acts vain to impress Chad. Chad is Cinderella's son. He makes her do his homework. Dopey's son, Doug, tells Evie to be herself.
Mal becomes popular. She uses Maleficent's spell book to make Jane and Lonnie look better. Jane is the Fairy Godmother's daughter. Lonnie is Mulan's daughter. Jane especially dislikes her looks. She wishes her mother would use magic to change them.
Mal learns that Ben's girlfriend will sit near the wand at the coronation. The wand is used during the ceremony. Mal bakes a cookie with a love potion for Ben. Ben eats it and falls deeply in love with her. This surprises his friends, especially Audrey.
On a date with Ben, Mal feels confused. She is starting to feel good inside. But she also wants to please her mother. She doesn't know how to handle Ben's feelings. During family day at school, the villain kids are treated badly. Audrey's grandmother, Queen Leah, hates Mal. This is because Maleficent cursed Aurora. An argument starts, and Mal ends the beauty spell on Jane. Ben tries to tell them everything will be fine after the coronation. Doug tries to stay friends with Evie. But Chad forces him to stay away from her.
The Coronation Day
At Ben's coronation, Mal gives him a brownie. It has the antidote to the love spell. She thinks the spell is not needed anymore. Ben then tells her he was already free of the spell. He swam in the Enchanted Lake on their date. He believed Mal liked him for real. To Mal's surprise, Ben truly had feelings for her all along.
During Ben's crowning, Jane grabs the wand from her mother. She wants to improve her looks. But she accidentally breaks the barrier around the Isle of the Lost. Mal takes the wand from Jane. She is torn about what to do. Ben encourages her to make her own choice. Mal realizes she and her friends are happy in Auradon. They choose to be good.
Maleficent crashes the coronation. She freezes everyone except Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos. When they stand up to her, Maleficent turns into a dragon. Mal and her friends use a counterspell. They turn Maleficent into a tiny lizard. Her small size shows how little love is in her heart. Mal gives the Fairy Godmother her wand back. The Fairy Godmother unfreezes everyone. She tells them not to be hard on Jane. The villains watch the celebration from far away. The Auradon Prep students party all night. Mal's eyes turn green. She tells the audience that the story is not over yet.
Meet the Cast
Here are the main actors and the characters they play:
- Dove Cameron as Mal, daughter of Maleficent
- Cameron Boyce as Carlos, son of Cruella de Vil
- Booboo Stewart as Jay, son of Jafar
- Sofia Carson as Evie, daughter of Evil Queen
- Mitchell Hope as Ben, son of Queen Belle and King Beast
- Melanie Paxson as Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. She is the headmistress of Auradon Prep and Jane's mother.
- Brenna D'Amico as Jane, daughter of Fairy Godmother
- Sarah Jeffery as Audrey, daughter of Aurora and Prince Phillip
- Zachary Gibson as Doug, son of Dopey
- Jedidiah Goodacre as Chad Charming, son of Cinderella and Prince Charming
- Dianne Doan as Lonnie, daughter of Fa Mulan and Li Shang
- Dan Payne as King Beast from Beauty and the Beast. He is the king of Auradon and Ben's father.
- Keegan Connor Tracy as Queen Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She is the queen of Auradon and Ben's mother.
- Wendy Raquel Robinson as Cruella de Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians. She is Carlos' mother.
- Maz Jobrani as Jafar from Aladdin. He is Jay's father and owns a junk shop.
- Kathy Najimy as Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She is Evie's mother.
- Kristin Chenoweth as Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. She is Mal's mother and a very powerful villain.
Other actors include Judith Maxie as Queen Leah, Reese Alexander as Coach Jenkins, Jonathan Holmes as Mr. Deley, and Stephanie Bennett as Snow White.
How the Movie Was Made
On December 12, 2013, Disney Channel announced they would make the film. They also shared what the story would be about. Kenny Ortega was chosen to direct the movie. He had directed the High School Musical movies before.
The script was written by Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott. Filming started in the spring of 2014. They filmed in Vancouver and other places in Canada. These places included Hatley Castle and the British Columbia Parliament Buildings in Victoria. The costumes were designed by Kara Saun.
Where and When it Aired
Descendants first aired in Canada on Family Channel. This was on July 31, 2015, at the same time as in the United States. It was the last Disney Channel Original Movie to air on Family Channel in Canada. This was because a new Disney Channel started there.
The movie premiered in Australia and New Zealand on August 1, 2015. It aired on Disney Channel there. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, it premiered on September 25, 2015. This was on Disney Channel. It also aired in the Middle East and Africa on September 18, 2015. In Turkey, it premiered on October 17, 2015.
Descendants on DVD
Descendants was released on DVD on July 31, 2015. It was the fifth-best-selling home video release in August that year. By the end of 2015, the DVD sales had earned about $11.5 million.
The Descendants World
The Descendants movie is part of a larger story world.
More Descendants Movies
At the 2015 D23 Expo, Disney said a sequel to Descendants was planned. This news was confirmed on the Disney Channel Facebook page on October 15, 2015. The original writers and producers, Parriott and McGibbon, returned. All the actors from the first movie were expected to come back. On June 10, 2016, it was announced that China Anne McClain would join. She would play Uma, Ursula's daughter.
On February 16, 2018, Disney Channel announced a third movie. Descendants 3 premiered on August 2, 2019.
Mini-Series and Cartoons
Before the first movie aired, Disney Channel announced a live action mini-series. It was called Descendants: School of Secrets. New episodes were released every day leading up to the movie. They revealed more secrets about the students at Auradon Prep. Each episode was less than 5 minutes long. There were 23 episodes in total.
Right after the movie aired, a CGI-animated cartoon was announced. It was called Descendants: Wicked World. It started on September 18, 2015. Aliki Theofilopoulos Grafft, who worked on Phineas and Ferb, directed the series. Jenni Cook was the producer. The original actors returned to voice their characters.
There was also a TV special called Descendants: The Royal Wedding. It premiered on August 13, 2021.
The Music of Descendants
The Descendants soundtrack album was released on July 31, 2015. It was put out by Walt Disney Records. The soundtrack was very popular. It reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States. It also topped the US Top Digital Albums and Top Soundtracks charts.
