Jump to content

Descendants: The Rise of Red

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Georgemiser (talk | contribs) at 08:51, 13 July 2024 (→‎Plot). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Descendants: The Rise of Red
Promotional poster
Written by
  • Dan Frey
  • Ru Sommer
Directed byJennifer Phang
StarringKylie Cantrall
Malia Baker
Dara Reneé
Ruby Rose Turner
Morgan Dudley
Melanie Paxson
Joshua Colley
Julee Cerda
Leonardo Nam
Paolo Montalban
Jeremy Swift
China Anne McClain
Rita Ora
Brandy Norwood
ComposerTorin Borrowdale
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
ProducerWendy S. Williams
CinematographyDeclan Quinn
EditorKatie Ennis
Running time81 minutes
Production companies
  • Suzanne Todd Productions
  • Potato Monkey Productions
  • G Wave Productions, LLC.
  • Disney Channel
Original release
NetworkDisney+
ReleaseJuly 12, 2024 (2024-07-12)

Descendants: The Rise of Red is a musical fantasy film directed by Jennifer Phang from a screenplay by Dan Frey and Ru Sommer. Produced by Disney Channel, the film is the fourth in the Descendants franchise, being a spin-off of the previous three films and a follow-up from Descendants: The Royal Wedding. The film was released on July 12, 2024 on Disney+, and is scheduled to debut on Disney Channel on August 9, 2024.[1][2][3]

Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker star in the roles of Red (daughter of Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland) and Chloe Charming (daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming from Cinderella), respectively. China Anne McClain and Melanie Paxton reprise their roles of Uma and Fairy Godmother, respectively, from previous Descendants films. Cinderella and King Charming are played by Brandy and Paolo Montalban, who previously played versions of the characters in the 1997 television adaptation of Cinderella.

Plot

10 years after the events of Descendants, Mal, Ben, Evie, and Jay leave Auradon on business, leaving Uma as the new headmistress of Auradon Prep. She sends an invite to Princess Red, the rebellious daughter of the tyrannical Queen of Hearts, much to Fairy Godmother's dismay as Wonderland is not part of the alliance due to its chaotic and unruly nature. Uma manages to convince her as a way to honor Carlos. Meanwhile, in Wonderland, Red, who has never known freedom and longs to escape her mother's oppressive nature, is being chased by The Jack of Diamond's guards, after vandalizing the courtyard, only to be rescued by Maddox, son of the Mad Hatter and Red's private tutor, who shows her his latest invention, a pocket watch that can travel to specific moments in time. Despite warning her about the effects it could have, such as possibly losing her mother, she steals it. At the same time, Chloe Charming, daughter of Cinderella and King Charming and younger sister of Chad, prepares to leave for her first year of Auradon Prep and is gifted a modern pair of glass slippers for her good and kind actions (So this is Love). The next day, The Queen of Hearts convinces her daughter to punish the Jack for his inability to protect her courtyard by having him beheaded, but she flippantly refuses, only for Red's invitation to Auradon Prep to arrive, which her mother accepts for her, believing it to be an opportunity of a lifetime.

Red and her mother follow the invitation through the rabbit hole which leads them to Auradon just as Chloe and her mother arrive (Love Ain't It). The Queen of Hearts and Cinderella meet for the first time since their time at Merlin Academy, Auradon Prep's original title, which turns hostile immediately, relaying a traumatic prank of the Queen of Hearts suffered from their high school days, and their daughters have a cold introduction. At Auradon's opening day, The Queen shows Red the looking glass which shows Red as a capable and compliant princess next to her mother, which Red immediately denies as she refuses to be anything like her, but The Queen does not believe her. Uma welcomes Red to Auradon (What's My Name (Red's Version)), only for her mother to launch a coup on the Kingdom and take everyone prisoner, including Uma, Fairy Godmother and Cinderella, who refuses to bow to her. The Queen of Hearts goads Red into condemning Cinderella, but despite Ella's urging, Red complies and has her sentenced to a beheading, leading all of Auradon to turn on her. Chloe attempts to rescue her mother only for Red to stop her, Chloe attacks her, inadvertently activating Maddox's time watch which sends both Red and Chloe into the past, when their mothers were their age, and the school was called Merlin academy.

Red and Chloe fight over the pocket watch, Chloe believing that they should return to before the coup, and Red believing that they were sent to the current time for a reason (Fight Of Our Lives) until they resolve to team up for the sake of both of their mothers. The princesses meet Principal Merlin and enroll themselves into the academy under the guise of exchange students of far-off kingdoms. They are escorted to chemistry class where they are partnered with Bridget and Ella, (teenage versions of The Queen of Hearts and Cinderella respectively), and are surprised to find that they used to be best friends and that Bridget actually used to be a kindhearted person who just wanted to be friends with everyone before becoming Queen. While passing out enchanted cupcakes to other students (Life Is Sweeter), the group meet the VKs, including Morgie, son of Morgana le Fay and teenage versions of Maleficent, Hades and Hook, all led by Uliana, Ursula's younger sister. She steals Bridget's cupcakes and consumes the enchanted flamingo feathers from all of them, accidentally turning her into a flamingo that chases her and Ella through the school, embarrassing her in front of everyone and invoking her vengeance, which Red and Chloe realize is the catalyst for Bridget becoming the cruel hearted Queen of Hearts.

Looking for answers, Red and Chloe visit Ella's house, which Chloe is shocked to find it in shambles and disarray, compared to her otherwise pristine home, and officially meet Ella who only allows them in if they help her with her chores, by order of her stepmother Lady Tremaine. They question Ella about why Bridget and Uliana are who they are, which Ella states that Uliana is who she is because she feels like she has to live up to her sister's reputation of being one of the worst villains there was and hates Bridget specifically because she's so kind and only wants to be friends. When Red calls her mother an easy target because she's weak, Ella responds by saying she's the strongest person she knows because of how hard she tries to be loved by everyone. When Chloe tells her about how her slippers were a gift for her good behavior, she asks if she really earned them or if they were a gift, making both of them question their own motives. While cleaning, Chloe accidentally breaks a vase, but Lady Tremaine chooses to blame Ella for it, despite Chloe admitting her own fault, and forbids her from going to the upcoming Crowncoming dance, and Ella reluctantly complies. When Chloe tells her that it's unfair, Ella tells her about how unfair her own life has been since her parents died because of how her stepmother treats her despite how kind she is, making Chloe realize that her mother had lived a very different life from her.

The duo travel to the Black Lagoon, where the VKs hang out, and secretly follow them inside as they try to figure out what the big prank on Bridget is supposed to be in which they discover is a spell from an enchanted cookbook that is meant to turn Bridget into a monster after eating a cursed cupcake (Perfect Revenge). The duo decides that the best thing to is to get the cookbook before they do so they can't cast the spell. They visit Bridget to ask her where it is, where they find her practicing a special dance for the Crowncoming dance with a deck of cards (Shuffle of Love) and ask her if she knows anything about it, only to realize that the spell book might be one of the banned books in Principal Merlin's office. While she looks, they find Bridget's looking glass and look at how their future is currently only to see that The Queen of Hearts has captured King Charming and successfully beheaded Cinderella, much to Chloe's despair.

The girls have argument about what to do with the information, Chloe believes it's best to confess everything to Principal Merlin because it's the right thing to do, despite the fact that it could expose them, while Red resolves to steal the book themselves before Uliana can and take it with them so they can't pull off the prank. Chloe tells her that it's wrong and that it would make her no different than her mother, only for Red to coldly retort saying that she doing the right thing is what led her mother to her demise, and leaves to steal the book by herself because she knows she's bad. Later, Chloe, in a moment of self-doubt, goes back to Ella's house and asks her advice on what the right thing is. Ella tells her that sometimes you need get your hands dirty to do a lot of good and that people who know that they're bad aren't actually that bad. Chloe then begins to reflect on her own goodness while helping Ella clean her garden which she realizes is more vain and skin deep than she believed (Get Your Hands Dirty) and resolves to help Red steal the book.

Back at the academy, the VKs watch as Red sneaks into Merlin's office where she reunites with Chloe who apologizes for what she said. Together, they look for the enchanted cookbook, only to accidentally trigger a security protocol that causes swords to attack them while an owl goes to warn Merlin. They fend off the swords and Chloe throws her slippers at another owl before it flies off with the book, only for the VKs to enter and take it for themselves. When Uliana opens it, the book casts a spell on her, Maleficent, Hades and Hook freezing them in place due to their evil nature. Chloe then gives the book to Red, believing her to be the real hero, she opens it and removes the recipe. They leave just as Merlin returns and gives the VKs a year's worth of detention, blaming them for the destruction, preventing them from attending the dance and causing the prank.

Assuming Bridget will be fine, Red and Chloe reconcile their differences and become best friends as they activate the pocket watch and return to Auradon, minutes before The Queen of Hearts launched her coup. The duo find that the Queen of Hearts is now a kind-hearted queen spreading love and joy and is truly happy that her daughter will be attending Auradon Prep as they embrace (Life is Sweeter (Reprise), and Chloe reunites with her mother as Uma announces the opening of Auradon Prep. The kingdom celebrates with a dance party (Life is Sweeter(Remix)). In a narration, Uma states that while everyone got what they wanted, getting what you want can be dangerous, especially when you mess with the fabric of time, and then says that the story isn't over yet.

Cast

See also: List of Descendants characters

Production

On August 18, 2021, following the release of the animated special Descendants: The Royal Wedding, Lauren Kisilevsky, Disney Branded Television's Senior Vice President of Original Movies, responded to questions regarding the special's cliffhanger by saying that "[t]he tease is a tease", and was added due to the Descendants films ending with hints at additional stories, and also said that "Disney Channel would see where [they] get with the franchise".[6]

On September 21, 2021, a fourth Descendants film was confirmed to be in development as part of an overall deal between Disney and former Disney Branded Television president Gary Marsh's production company.[7] By May 2022, the film was greenlight by Disney+ as a spin-off under the working title of The Pocketwatch. Jennifer Phang was hired as director and co-executive producer, with Dan Frey and Russell Sommer writing the screenplay and Marsh executive-producing.[8]

On March 21, 2023, the official title for the film was announced as Descendants: The Rise of Red.[9][10]

Filming

Filming for Descendants: The Rise of Red began in early January 2023 under its working title The Pocketwatch.[8] Mark Hofeling return from the original trilogy as production designer.[8] Phang said she wants the choreography during action sequences to still be able to tell an emotional story. For Wonderland's design, Phang used Alice in Wonderland (1951) as a reference while also drawing inspiration from her previous filmmaking experience.[11] Filming took place in Atlanta beginning at the end of January 2023 with plans to run through mid-March.[12][13]

Casting

The featured cast announced at the 2022 D23 Expo included China Anne McClain, who is returning to portray Uma, with Kylie Cantrall (as Red) and Dara Reneé (as Ulyana) joining the cast of the film.[14] In November 2022, casting announcement revealed that Brandy Norwood was returning as Cinderella after playing the role in the 1997 film Cinderella and Melanie Paxson returned to the franchise as the Fairy Godmother. New cast members to the franchise were Rita Ora as the Queen of Hearts as well as Malia Baker, Ruby Rose Turner, Morgan Dudley, and Joshua Colley.[15] After filming had begun, Jeremy Swift and Leonardo Nam were announced as cast additions in February 2023.[13] In March 2023, was announced that Paolo Montalban was cast as King Charming, who like Norwood, played a version of the character in the 1997 film Cinderella.[16] It was also announced in March 2023 that Alex Boniello was cast as the Jack of Diamonds.[4]

Visual effects

According to Phang, visual effects was used to "enhance" the locations featured in the film.[11]

Soundtrack

Descendants: The Rise of Red is set to feature 7 songs both original and from animated Disney films.[8] The first single "What's My Name (Red Version)" was released on April 26, 2024, along with the pre-order of the soundtrack. The soundtrack was released on July 12, 2024, to coincide with the film's release.[17] The second single "Red" was released on June 21, 2024.[18]

Prequel book

The novel Beyond the Isle of the Lost: Wonderland, fifth book in the series The Isle of the Lost, was published on May 7, 2024, serving as a prequel to the events of the film.[19]

Release

Descendants: The Rise of Red was released on Disney+ on July 12, 2024, followed by the Disney Channel premiere on August 9, 2024.[20]

References

  1. ^ Gibson, Kelsie (March 5, 2024). "China Anne McClain Says Returning for New Descendants Film Was Very 'Healing' — See the First Look (Exclusive)". People Magazine. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Auradon Prep's Newest Principal ... UMA! ⚓️ | Descendants: The Rise of Red | @DisneyDescendants on YouTube
  3. ^ Hailu, Selome (April 2, 2024). "Descendants: The Rise of Red Teaser Introduces the Queen of Hearts' Rebellious Daughter and Reveals Summer Premiere Date". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Lynette, Rice (March 24, 2023). "Descendants: The Rise of Red At Disney+ Casts Alex Boniello As Jack Of Diamonds". Deadline.
  5. ^ "Meet the Characters of Descendants: The Rise of Red". d23.com. July 9, 2024.
  6. ^ ''Descendants'': Disney Channel SVP Addresses ''Royal Wedding'' Cliffhanger
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 21, 2021). "Gary Marsh Exiting As Head Of Disney Branded TV To Launch Disney-Backed Company With 'Peter Pan' & 'Witch Mountain' Offshoots, More 'Descendants'". Deadline.
  8. ^ a b c d Petski, Denise (May 10, 2022). "Descendants Sequel The Pocketwatch Movie Greenlighted By Disney+; Jennifer Phang To Direct". Deadline. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  9. ^ "Descendants 4 Gets an Official Title Descendants: The Rise of Red". Laughing Place. March 22, 2023.
  10. ^ Descendants [@descendants] (March 21, 2023). "You heard it here first — the next #DisneyDescendants movie is titled Descendants: The Rise of Red ❤" (Tweet). Retrieved April 13, 2024 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ a b "Jennifer Phang Interview: The Flight Attendant & Disney's The Pocketwatch". ScreenRant. 2022-06-07. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  12. ^ Rajput, Priyanca (January 4, 2023). "Disney's Descendants 4: The Pocketwatch to film in Atlanta, Georgia". KFTV.com.
  13. ^ a b Petski, Denise (February 2, 2023). "Descendants Sequel The Pocketwatch Disney+ Movie Adds Jeremy Swift & Leonardo Nam To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation.
  14. ^ "Disney Branded Television Presents Upcoming Slate of Films and Series at D23 Expo 2022" (Press release). Disney Branded Television. September 11, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  15. ^ Petski, Denise (November 21, 2022). "Brandy & Rita Ora Among 7 Cast In Descendants Sequel The Pocketwatch At Disney+". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation.
  16. ^ Swift, Andy (March 22, 2023). "Descendants: The Rise of Red Adds Paolo Montalban, Staging Cinderella Reunion With Brandy Norwood". TVLine.
  17. ^ "China Anne McClain & Kylie Cantrall Perform "What's My Name (Red Version)" From Descendants: The Rise Of Red Soundtrack In New Music Video". Disney Plus Press. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  18. ^ Atkinson, Katie (June 21, 2024). "Queen of Hearts' Daughter Caught 'Red'-Handed in Fiery New Music Video From Descendants: The Rise of Red". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  19. ^ Descendants [@descendants] (August 28, 2023). "COVER REVEAL ALERT! Fall down the rabbit hole with a brand-new prequel adventure in the best-selling Descendants book series by Melissa de la Cruz, out May 7, 2024" (Tweet). Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ Swift, Andy (April 2, 2024). "Descendants: The Rise of Red Sets Disney+ Release Date; New Characters Revealed in Teaser Trailer". TVLine. Retrieved April 2, 2024.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Descendants:_The_Rise_of_Red&oldid=1234237031"