As the film begins, a royal decree is issued, stipulating that Auradon Prep, the elite boarding school for Walt Disney’s classic characters, would welcome a new class of VK’s — villain’s kids, or the offspring of Disney’s most nefarious anti-heroes. Admission letters were sent off with the flourish of a wand and the Descendants franchise began a new journey. The coming-of-age films have been tent poles of the Disney Channel since 2015, when the first chapter — — won over children and tweens.
The two sequels, (2017) and (2019), did equally well, each becoming the most-watched TV movie amongst ages 6-14 when they premiered. The July release of the franchise’s fourth installment, has kept the streak going, drawing 6.7 million views when it debuted on Disney+, making history as the most-viewed original film premiere for studio.
It was a notable win for the streamer given that the film features a new, unfamiliar batch of characters. A voiceover at the beginning of explains that the protagonists of the first three films are “sailing off to new adventures.” In real life, the original actors grew up and expanded their careers outside of the Disney Channel universe.
Dove Cameron (who played Maleficent’s daughter Mal) had a recurring role on the AppleTV+ series and released a solo album in 2023. Sofia Carson (Evie, the daughter of ’s Evil Queen) led the 2022 Netflix film, , and wrote and performed songs for the soundtrack. And Booboo Stewart (Jafar’s son Jay) .