The adventure continues with Disney's "Descendants: The Rise of Red"

July 14, 2024

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(Spoilers Ahead)

Disney's Descendants: The Rise of Red is quadruple the fun, magic, and adventure - the fourth and best installment in the franchise. With catchy new original songs that are sure to be hits and genuine touching moments, the series premiered on Disney+ on July 12, 2024 and will be released on Disney Channel on August 9, 2024.

Written by Dan Frey and Ru Sommer, the movie was directed by Jennifer Phang, produced by Wendy S Williams, and executive produced by Suzanne Todd and Gary Marsh.

It's a race against time as Red (Kylie Cantrall), the teenage daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe Charming (Malia Baker), the teenage daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming, team up and travel back in time to prevent The Queen of Hearts from staging a coup and saving Cinderella along with several others.

One of the most endearing moments was seeing Brandy Norwood and Paolo Montalban reprise their roles as Cinderella and King Charming, who previously played these characters in the 1997 ABC television adaptation of Cinderella. Here, the couple is more in love than ever, and their romance gets a brief moment to shine as they relay the story of how they fell in love to Chloe.

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Another memorable moment was the tasteful scenes in which the producers honored Carlos' memory (the son of Cruella de Ville from the original prequels and the late Cameron Boyce, who died unexpectedly in July 2019).

Mal (Dove Cameron), Ben (Mitchell Hope), Evie (Sofia Carson), and Jay (Booboo Stewart) set sail to recruit more alliances. The Queen of Hearts is as tyrannical as ever and orders a curfew. Anyone who doesn't comply, it's off with their heads! When Fairy Godmother (Melanie Paxton) leaves Auradon Prep, Uma (China Anne McClain) becomes the new headmistress. Her first order of business is to unite the magical kingdoms by inviting another Villian Kid (VK) to Auradon Prep, none other than Red, the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts, to attend Auradon Prep to honor Carlos' memory. Fairy Godmother is against it but sends the invitation to Red in Wonderland, who longs for freedom from her mother's controlling ways.

The Queen of Hearts tries to convince Red to behead one of the Jack of Hearts' guards for his inability to protect her courtyard, unaware that Red was responsible. Red does not comply, and the movie shows how children become resentful when their parents use them to fulfill their desires, not caring that by doing so, they aren't allowing the children the freedom to live their own lives.

They accept the invitation and travel through the rabbit hole to Auradon, where the Queen of Hearts and Cinderella meet for the first time since attending Merlin Academy—the original title for Auradon Prep. The Queen of Hearts is frosty to Cinderella, remembering a mean prank that was done to her as a teenager. Cinderella tells her to get over it as it was eons ago, but the Queen of Hearts says she remembers it as if it were yesterday (old wounds die hard).

At Auradon Prep, the Queen shows Red the looking glass, which foretells Red's future as a replica version of her villainous self, to which Red rebels not wanting to be anything like her. The Queen claims everything she does is for Red, but we don't believe her, and neither does Red.

Uma welcomes Red to Auradon, but the Queen quickly initiates a coup on the kingdom, revealing her master plan and taking everyone prisoner. When Cinderella refuses to bow to her, Red is pressured into calling it treason and punished by execution.

To prevent the coup, Red uses Maddox Hatter's watch to travel back in time. However, when Chloe intervenes, the clock accidentally sends them back to when Cinderella and the Queen were teenagers attending Merlin Academy.

The adventure truly begins when Chloe and Red meet Principal Merlin (Jeremy Swift) and enroll themselves in school as transfer students, facing the younger versions of their mothers, Ella (Cinderella) and Bridget (Queen of Hearts). They realize that the character dispositions of who they know their mothers to be are different as teenagers. Bridget and Ella are actually best friends! Queen (with pink hair) is sweet, compassionate, and perpetually optimistic, whereas Cinderella is far from perfect. This part of the movie works really well as the teenage dispositions give history and depth to an otherwise formulaic approach to the adult Queen of Hearts and Cinderella.

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When Red and Chloe visit Ella at home, we glimpse Ella's dilapidated living conditions and her evil stepmother, Lady Tremaine (Julee Cerda). Ella is forced to sleep in a barn after Lady Tremaine blames her for a broken vase (it was actually Chloe who broke it, but it's moments like these that not only honor the original story of Cinderella but also give the character emotional depth). Chloe realizes that things aren't always black and white, and she sometimes needs to "get her hands dirty" to accomplish the greater good.

One of the most self-reflective questions came when Chloe told Ella that her glass boots were a reward for being a good person, which Cinderella had previously gifted to her. Ella then asked if she was actually good if she was being rewarded for it. Great question!

Other noteworthy scenes were the Villain Kids, such as Ulina, Ursula's baby sister (Dara Reneé), Hades (Anthony Pyatt), and Maleficent (Marissa Kruep) at Merlin Academy. Dara shines as the wicked Ulina, especially in a colorful scene involving flamingo feathers. This leaves Ulina embarrassed in front of the whole school, and she devises a plan to prank Bridget at the school dance out of revenge.

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Chloe and Red secretly follow the VKs back to Black Lagoon and discover that Ulina's prank on Bridget entails a spell from the enchanted Sorcerer's spell book that will turn Bridget into the tyrannical Queen after eating a cursed cupcake.

After Red has a heart-warming moment with Bridget, she and Chloe look into the looking glass and see that the Queen has captured King Charming and beheaded Cinderella. Bridget then surmises that the spell book might be one of the banned books in Merlin's office. The girls disagree on the best course of action, with Red sneaking into Merlin's office, however the VK's have also followed them, and when Ulina opens the book, it casts a spell and freezes Maleficent, Hades, and Hook in place. When Merlin returns, he blames the VKs and issues a year's worth of detention, preventing them from attending the dance, which successfully stops Ulina from creating the prank against Bridget.

Chloe admits that Red is a good person, better than she gave her credit for. She gives her the spell book and allows her to use it. Becoming best friends, they activate the pocket watch to return to the present minutes before the Queen initiates the coup.

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This is where the movie again excels by demonstrating Chloe's growth as she recognizes that individuals can change for the better if they are willing to do so given the opportunity. Many people are a product of their environment (Red), and life doesn't treat everyone fairly (Ella). While Chloe is inherently good, her goodness is primarily focused on being perceived as good, which may not be entirely selfless but rather self-serving. Life isn't simply black or white; it is about the choices we make that shape who we are.

When they return to the present, it's revealed that the Queen is a good Queen spreading love and light, and they have successfully prevented the coup. Chloe and her mom genuinely reunite with hugs and laughter, and everyone celebrates with joy.

While the celebration lingers, Uma's voice-over promises that messing with the fabric of time can be dangerous, further promising that the story isn't over yet, leading to the fifth installment of the franchise, Beyond the Isle of the Lost: Wonderland.

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Watch the trailer below and don't miss out on Descendants: The Rise of Red streaming now on Disney+.