Descendants is a franchise of Disney movies that follows the lives of the children of various characters from the longstanding Disney Animated Canon. The latest film, Descendants: The Rise of Red, is scheduled to release on Disney+ on July 12, 2024.
Originally directed by High School Musical fame Kenny Ortega, the movies are set in the United Kingdom of Auradon, where characters from various Disney Animated Canon films reside.
The heroes have ruled over an age of prosperity in Auradon, with Belle and the Beast as the reigning monarchs and others like Cinderella and Prince Charming starting their own families. The villains, however, have been exiled to the Isle of the Lost, where magic doesn't work and they have to eke out a living knowing that they've been ostracized for their past evil deeds.
The film series follows the children of these heroes and villains, who face upheaval when Ben, the son of Belle and the Beast and heir apparent to the Auradon throne, allows the children of the villains to attend Auradon Prep, hoping to give them a second chance at redemption.
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In what order should you watch the Descendants films?
The correct viewing order for the films is their release order. However, there are shorts and spin-offs viewers can watch to gain greater context into what happens between the films.
1) Descendants (2015)
The best place to start is the first film in the series and its prequel miniseries, School of Secrets. The first film was released on the Disney Channel in 2015 and is available for streaming on Disney+. It follows the story of Mal, Jay, Evie, and Carlos, who are the children of Maleficent, Jafar, the Evil Queen, and Cruella de Vil, respectively.
After being offered admittance into Auradon Prep, their parents hatch a scheme to use their kids to steal the wand of the Fairy Godmother, who is the Auradon Prep headmistress.
By usurping the Fairy Godmother's magic, the balance of power in Auradon could shift completely, but will the descendants follow this evil destiny before them or choose another path?
The film is followed by Descendants: Wicked World, a series of animated shorts set between the first and second films.
2) Descendants 2 (2017)
The second film begins where the first movie left off. At the end of the first film, Mal turns against her mother's evil plans and becomes Ben's girlfriend, the heir apparent to the Auradon throne.
However, in the sequel, she struggles with the pressures of her new life as the Auradon princess, causing her to seek the familiarity of her old home, the Isle of the Lost. When Ben, Jay, Carlos, and Evie find out about this, they rush to the Isle to bring Mal back.
Unfortunately for them, the Isle of the Lost has been taken over by Uma, the daughter of Ursula, who plans to finish what Mal and her gang failed to do and seize the Fairy Godmother's magic for her own nefarious ends. With Ben taken into captivity, Mal is forced to accede to Uma's demands, but can she figure out a way to break free of this predicament?
The second film is followed by the short film Audrey's Royal Return, which focuses on what Sleeping Beauty's daughter Audrey was doing during the events of the second film and sets up plot threads for the third installment.
3) Descendants 3 (2019)
The third film begins with Ben proposing to Mal, promising to make her the Queen of the Auradon kingdom if she accepts. Mal does, but this sends Ben's prior betrothed, Audrey, over the edge. Audrey is the daughter of Queen Aurora and King Phillip, the main heroes of Sleeping Beauty.
Audrey's grandmother, Queen Leah, admonishes her for failing to marry Ben, causing Audrey to embrace her inner darkness. She steals Maleficent's staff and the Queen's Crown, intending to take over Auradon by force and unleash a new era of tyranny.
It now falls on Mal, Ben, and their allies to stop Audrey from fulfilling her evil plan and hopefully save her from her own dark side.
The third film is followed by two animated specials, Planning the Royal Wedding and The Royal Wedding. The former covers the royal wedding between Mal and Ben, while the latter introduces plot threads that will lead to the upcoming Descendants: The Rise of Red.
There are other spin-offs in the franchise that don't take place at any specific point of the film series canon. These include Under the Sea, Wicked Woods, and Descendants Remix Dance Party.
All the films in the series are available for streaming on Disney+. Descendants: The Rise of Red will be released on July 12, 2024.
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