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) has gone on to appear in several indie films.
(Cameron Boyce, who played Cruella del Vil’s son Carlos, passed away at age 19 from an epileptic seizure in 2019.) With the core stars moving on, Disney Branded Television President Ayo Davis faced a dilemma: Expand the franchise or cap a wildly successful series? Davis believed the could grow. “We knew that we needed to launch a new set of actors, we needed a cast of very talented young stars that could carry this torch, and bring these new characters to life in a way that would not alienate any old fan, but bring them along for the ride and introduce that new generation,” says Davis.
’s new cast includes British singer Rita Ora, who steps in as the Queen of Hearts, and Disney star Kylie Cantrall, from , who plays her daughter Red. R&B singer Brandy Norwood and Paulo Montalban reprise their respective roles as Cinderella and Prince Christopher from , the 1997 ABC TV movie. Malia Baker, from Netflix’s , plays their daughter Chloe.
With , the story not only introduced new characters but extended the borders of the Magical Kingdom. Music from the film reached number one on s soundtracks and kids albums charts, with standout singles “Red,” “Life is Sweeter” and “What’s My Name (Red Version)” garnering more that 10 million views on YouTube. If not specific actors or characters, what then is the key to ‘ continued success? Davis says it starts with the story and ends with a good singalong.
“A core part of our strategy at Disney Branded is really fueling stories with magic, adventure, wonder, and heart. We talk about that a lot,” says Davis, who was named president in 2021. “But the thing that really appeals to kids, specifically in franchises like , or whether it’s , or , or , for that matter, it’s music.
We know that music is global, and it’s universal, and it travels. Dancing is universal and global. And dressing up in costumes is universal and global.
” Davis acknowledges that the new story doesn’t represent much of a departure from the existing material. Davis says, “The common theme that we’ve been able to intricately weave in all of the stories, from 1, 2, 3, and 4 that resonate with kids around the world. The music, the dancing, the world-building, that magic, and that wonder and adventure — it’s all of those core things that get kids to immerse themselves in the environment.
.. to live and breathe these characters.
And to want to be them.” success extends beyond the screen: Nearly seven million dolls and nine million books have been sold. For nearly seven straight years, from 2015 to 2021, ’ character costumes were among Disney’s top-five licensed merchandise.
Before original songs from the earlier films had over 15 billion audio and video streams and 8 billion TikTok views. In 2023, as Disney Branded Television celebrated its 40th anniversary, Davis and her team scored a hit with another beloved franchise: . When asked if last year’s launch of the new series — likewise introducing an unfamiliar cast — informed how the studio would market , she says, “the lessons that we took from , because came first, was ensuring that the approach was thoughtful.
” Davis continues: “We never want to alienate the fans that made the movie and the characters who they are today. It was so important for us to ensure that the stories could build off of where we were going. What was different for is we had the ability to sort of evolve a lovely movie into an epic television series, where kids and families could live with the characters that they loved far longer than you can in a 90-minute movie.
And having the ability to do it with the creator [Rick Riordan], the author of the books, and having him bless that, was really important.” “ is our baby, it has been a part of the family for over 10 years,” says Davis. “To see us be able to pick up the torch five years later from .
.. They did a wonderful job of crafting that story in a way that kept the legacy alive, kept the essence of the characters from the parks alive, and opened up a world that gave us the ability to launch new worlds off of that.
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