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Descendants: The Rise of Red, the fourth film in the Descendants franchise, premiered on Disney+ on July 12, 2024.
While a spin-off of the previous films, Descendants 4 does not feature the original cast of the "Villains' Kids" or "VKs" from the earlier movies, such as Dove Cameron, Cameron Boyce, Sofia Carson, and Booboo Stewart. Boyce, who played Carlos de Vil, passed away just before the third movie's premiere, due to complications from epilepsy.
The remaining “VKs” members were unwilling to return for Descendants: The Rise of Red without Boyce. Furthermore, some of them thought that the story had come full circle in the third film itself.
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As per IMDb, the official synopsis of the newly released movie reads:
"Former Villain Kid Uma, now headmaster of Auradon Prep, extends an invite to the school to another VK – Red, the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts from Wonderland."
It further continues:
"After the Queen of Hearts incites a coup against Auradon, Red must team up with Cinderella’s perfectionist daughter Chloe and travel back in time to try to undo the traumatic event that set Red’s mother down her villainous path."
"Incredibly heart-wrenching" : Why the original cast did not return for Descendants 4?
In the three Descendants films from 2015 to 2019, Dove Cameron, Cameron Boyce, Sofia Carson, and Booboo Stewart played the roles of Mal, Carlos de Vil, Evie, and Jay, respectively. These roles became iconic, making the actors household names.
The actors became like family during the filming process of the three films. As a result, the sudden demise of Cameron Boyce brought intense grief to the others. They did not want to return for the latest film, primarily because it would be a painful experience to go through the project without Boyce.
Speaking about her possible involvement in another movie of the series after Boyce’s death, Dove Cameron told Hollywood Life back in December 2019:
"What happened was so incredibly heart-wrenching for all of us and something we could not recover from. And so, I think that the idea of making another movie, while it would be nostalgic for all of us and while it would be healing in a lot of ways, it might also be super wrong."
In a 2022 interview with PopBuzz, Cameron expressed that it would not “be the same without the whole original cast.” She added, “We told a full story. We completed it.”
Sofia Carson shared a similar sentiment in an interview with ET in September 2022. She stated:
"Descendants for us ended with Descendants 3. But it's always so beautiful to see all of the love for the franchise and I wish them the best of luck."
Thus, the original cast of the popular series opted out of the fourth installment.
Descendants: The Rise of Red: New cast, plot, and more
China Anne McClain, one of the few actors from the previous films, returns as Uma. The trailer of the latest film features her signature song, “What's My Name.” Among the new cast members, Kylie Cantrall plays Red, the daughter of Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora), and Malia Baker plays Chloe Charming, the daughter of Cinderella (Brandy Norwood) and Prince Charming (Paolo Montalban).
Fans of the series have paid tribute to Cameron Boyce while commenting on the latest film's trailer on YouTube. They have also praised the visual effects of the movie and the new cast members.
The plot revolves around Princess Red and Chloe. Following the events of Descendants: The Royal Wedding, Uma is now the headmistress of Auradon Prep and invites Princess Red to Auradon Prep.
This decision proves calamitous since Red is the daughter of Queen of Hearts, the whimsical and dictatorial ruler from Wonderland. The Queen hates Cinderella and Auradon and seeks to harm both.
As the Queen of Hearts stages a coup against Auradon, an unexpected alliance develops between Princess Red, Cinderella and Prince Charming’s daughter Chloe. Together, they use a magical pocket watch to travel back in time and fix things.
Interested viewers can watch the film on Disney+. Additionally, it is scheduled to debut on the Disney Channel on August 9, 2024.
