Descendants
An attempt to cash in on the success of High School Musical while also incorporating the large catalog of Disney Princess characters. 2015's made-for-TV movie introduced the world to four children of villains given the chance to leave the island prison where they were raised and join the "good people" and attend Auradon Preparatory High School. However, the foursome have a completely different mission assigned to them by their parents to steal a magic wand and free them all
Our four villain kids are Mal (Dove Cameron), Evie (Sofia Carson), Carlos (Cameron Boyce), and Jay (Booboo Stewart) who at first have no interest in life outside of the Isle of the Lost but soon each finds something, or someone, to care for including Mal who falls for Prince Ben (Mitchell Hope) who, despite his parents' objections, was the one who decreed giving the four villain kids a chance.
The Descendants plays very much what you would expect from a mid-2010s Disney Channel movie with the characters (many of whom have been forced in a series of awful wigs which would become one of the staples of the franchise) breaking into song while struggling with ideas of good and evil and choosing their own path in the world.
The movie is solid, even if the bigger musical numbers often feel overchoreographed and staged (another staple of the franchise) while the budget of TV-movie feels strained at times when attempting to incorporate the more elaborate fantasy elements.
The success of the TV-movie would lead to two direct sequels along with a spin-off, it's sequel, and a series of albums, plays, TV-series, and specials. The first Descendants is the only one in which the parents of the four villain kids appear, most notably as Maleficent who is certainly one of the highlights.
- Title: Descendants
- IMDb: link
