Outside of the meme-bating crossovers of Ralph Breaks the Internet and the IP-entwining weirdness that was Wish, Disney has refused to really unite its many animated classics in an interconnected shared universe. Which is surprising, given how much cinematic universes have dominated the culture for so long now. Nevertheless, although this has never happened on the big screen, Descendants has been delivering exactly this on TV since 2015.
The Disney Channel original — as corny, cheesy and yet as full of annoyingly catchy tunes as you would expect — went on to spawn a Descendants trilogy which wrapped up in 2019. 2021 then delivered animated special Descendants; The Royal Wedding, which concluded the story of Mal (Dove Cameron) and the OG VKs (Villain Kids). And yet this is Disney so we should know that the story wasn’t going to stop there. A reboot of sorts is set to happen with Descendants 4, properly titled Descendants: The Rise of Red.
But what’s the next adventure to spring from the kingdom of Auradon and when can we expect the fourth film to descend on Disney’s platforms?
Descendants: The Rise of Red plot
We got our first hint at Descendants 4 in the closing moments of The Royal Wedding, which revealed a field of white flowers painted red. Anyone with a degree in Disney-ology recognized this as a reference to Alice in Wonderland, suggesting that the next film in the saga would draw from the Mouse House’s 1951 Lewis Carroll adaptation for inspiration.
Sure enough, that is indeed the case. The Rise of Red focuses on the titular Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts as she forms an unlikely friendship with Chloe, the daughter of Cinderella. Originally titled The Pocketwatch, the movie will see Red and Chloe use the White Rabbit’s pocketwatch to travel back in time to prevent Auradon — the unified kingdom of all Disney’s magical lands, don’t forget — from being erased from existence.
Basically, it’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child but Disney. You get it.
Descendants: The Rise of Red cast
Descendants 4 is set to be a true multi-generation event as it will obviously try to hook in current Disney kids and those who grew up with the Descendants trilogy in the 2010s, but it will also be one that ancient former Disney kids from the 1990s won’t want to miss either. The big draw of The Rise of Red for those of a certain age is that Brandy Norwood and Paolo Montalban are on board the film to reprise their roles as Cinderella and Prince Charming from 1997’s Cinderella.
The leading roles of Red and Chloe, meanwhile, will be played by newcomer Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker (Are You Afraid of the Dark), respectively. Rita Ora is set to portray Red’s mother, the Queen of Hearts. As for veterans from the original movies, don’t expect Dove Cameron or Sofia Carson to return, but you will see fan-favorite China Anne McClain back as Uma, daughter of Ursula, and Melanie Paxton as the Fairy Godmother. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series‘ Dara Reneé joins as Uma’s aunt, Ulyana,
Thanks to the plot, we’ll also get teen versions of iconic Disney characters, some of whom appeared as adults in earlier films and some of whom didn’t. So look out for Kabir Bery as Aladdin, Aiza Azaar as Jasmine, Mars as Maleficent, Joshua Colley as Hook, and Anthony Pyatt as Hades. Other cast-members include Jeremy Swift as Merlin, Leonardo Nam as Maddox, son of the Mad Hatter, and Alex Boniello as Jack of Diamonds.
Descendants: The Rise of Red trailer
The first teaser trailer for The Rise of Red is here and, appropriately enough, it gives us our first glimpse at the rise of Red. Kylie Cantrall’s rebel character is depicted wandering through the halls of Merlin Academy at night, defacing pictures and portraits of familiar characters. Malia Baker’s Chloe, who we can tell is bookish and shy, then stumbles upon Red’s rulebreaking and asks her who she is. “I’m your new roommate,” Red replies. There’s a new queen of mean on the scene, folks.
Descendants: The Rise of Red release date
Descendants: The Rise of Red marks a big change for the franchise as it will premiere on Disney Plus, whereas the previous movies have all been Disney Channel babies. Production on the fourquel, as directed by Jennifer Phang (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), has been in the can for a while now as filming took place between January and March 2023.
In keeping with the series’ tendency to drop new installments as summer event releases, Descendants: The Rise of Red will be coming to make some magic on streaming this July. To be specific, as the above trailer confirms, the new film is set to debut on Disney Plus on Friday, July 12.
