Today, Disney+ released a new teaser and poster for Descendants: The Rise of Red, the next installment in the mega-hit Descendants franchise that features the teenage progeny of iconic Disney heroes and villains. The music-driven Disney Original movie starts streaming Friday, July 12, exclusively on Disney+, followed by a special encore Friday, Aug. 9, at 8:00 p.m. EDT/PDT on Disney Channel.
As seen in the teaser above, we are introduced Kylie Cantrall as Red, princess of the hostile kingdom of Wonderland and Auradon’s newest Villain Kid (aka VK), who is caught “red-handed” by Malia Baker, who plays Chloe, the daughter of Cinderella and King Charming. The rebellious Red covered with a signature hood and cape, takes to the school halls to spray paint the wall with graffiti hearts before introducing herself to Chloe, who is stunned to learn that Red is her new roommate.
But how does this connect to Descendants 2 which concluded with a battle on the seas between a giant Uma — hello, Ursula’s The Little Mermaid — and a fire-breathing Mal, who transforms into a dragon for the first time. Did Mal’s transformation mean her dark side still remains and could this tie into the rebellious Red? With Malia Baker as Chloe, the perfectionist daughter of Cinderella (Brandy) and King Charming (Paolo Montalban).
Descendants: The Rise of Red follows Red, the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe, Cinderella’s perfectionist daughter. When the tyrannical Queen of Hearts incites a coup against Auradon, polar opposites Red and Chloe must join forces and travel back in time to undo the traumatic event that set Red’s mother down her villainous path.
In addition to Cantrall and Baker, the film stars a new ensemble of VKs and legacy characters, including Brandy as Cinderella, Rita Ora as the Queen of Hearts, Dara Reneé as Uliana, Ruby Rose Turner as Bridget/Young Queen of Hearts, Morgan Dudley as Ella/Young Cinderella, Joshua Colley as Young Hook, Peder Lindell as Morgie, Grace Narducci as Fay/Young Fairy Godmother, Jeremy Swift as Principal Merlin, Paolo Montalban as King Charming, and Leonardo Nam as Maddox Hatter. China Anne McClain is back as fan-favorite Uma and the new principal at Auradon Prep. Melanie Paxson also reprises her role as Fairy Godmother.
Baker told Entertainment Weekly, she’s very excited for fans to see her “brilliant mother” Brandy reprise her role from the 1997 classic Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. “My jaw dropped the first time I saw her at the castle we shot at,” Baker says. “It was such an honor playing her daughter and getting to see the blue hair that runs in the family.”
True to the Descendants tradition of music-driven stories, this fourth installment features seven new original songs, two reprises and a cover of “So This Is Love” from the classic animated “Cinderella” film that will engage viewers and bring them along on the emotional journey with our bold new characters. The Descendants: The Rise of Red Original Soundtrack is set for release on July 12 from Walt Disney Records.
A remarkable force in youth entertainment, each premiere telecast of a Descendants movie ranks as the most-watched cable movie of the year (2015, 2017 and 2019) among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14. Music from the “Descendants” franchise boast over 15 billion audio and video streams and 8 billion TikTok views. In addition, the soundtracks from the Descendants movies have been certified by the RIAA, with three certified gold albums, three certified platinum singles and two certified gold singles. Nearly 7 million dolls and 9 million “Descendants” books, including four New York Times bestsellers, have been sold, and “Descendants” Halloween costumes were among Disney’s top 5 licensed costumes for seven consecutive years (2015-2021).
Along with the Descendants: The Rise of Red film, fans can also expect an exciting array of Disney Consumer Products offerings across fashion dolls, playsets, apparel, role play, costumes, books and more, coming this summer.
Descendants: The Rise of Red is executive-produced by Suzanne Todd and Gary Marsh. The film is directed by Jennifer Phang, with a script from Dan Frey and Russell Sommer. The movie is choreographed by Ashley Wallen (“The Greatest Showman”) with a score by Torin Borrowdale (“Searching”). The production design is by Mark Hofeling, with Declan Quinn serving as the director of photography. Katie Ennis is the editor. Co-executive producers include Mahita P. Simpson and Jennifer Phang, and Wendy S. Williams is producer. Costume design is by Julia Caston and Emilio Sosa.
