Descendants: The Rise of Red (2024)
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Two girls from opposite worlds must work together after a time-traveling mishap threatens the peace of Auradon.
The story
Following the wedding of King Ben and Mal, Uma becomes the headmistress of Auradon Prep and opens the border to Wonderland. She invites Princess Red, the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts, to join the school. While Red's tutor, Maddox Hatter, warns her of the dangers of a magic pocket watch that can travel through time, Red secretly steals it. When the Queen of Hearts launches a coup at the opening ceremony, Red and Chloe Charming are forced to work together after a mishap with the watch sends them both back in time to the days when Auradon Prep was known as Merlin Academy.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a coup is launched by the Queen of Hearts, Red and Chloe are sent back in time to Merlin Academy. They pose as exchange students and meet the younger versions of their mothers, Ella and Bridget, who are not yet influenced by the events of the present. They also encounter a group of 'Villain Kids' led by Uliana. The girls discover a sorcerer's cookbook that was the source of the Queen's transformation and manage to hide it from the villains. Upon returning to the present, they find that the timeline has been altered: the Queen of Hearts is now wearing a lighter gown and creates heart-shaped bubbles instead of a hostile display. While the immediate threat is averted, Uma warns that tampering with time has lasting consequences.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 94
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jennifer Phang
- Writers
- Dan Frey · writer; Ru Sommer · writer
- Cast and characters
- Kylie Cantrall · Red; Malia Baker · Chloe Charming; China Anne McClain · Uma; Dara Reneé · Uliana; Rita Ora · Queen of Hearts; Ruby Rose Turner · Bridget; Brandy · Cinderella; Morgan Dudley · Ella; Joshua Colley · Hook; Peder Lindell · Morgie; Paolo Montalban · King Charming; Tristan Padil · young Prince Charming
- Genres
- musical; teen; fantasy; comedy
- Themes
- girl power; self-discovery; empowerment; unexpected friendships; consequences of time travel
- Tone and mood
- vibrant; upbeat; feel-good
- Setting
- Auradon and Wonderland, spanning the past (Merlin Academy) and the present.
- Premise and plot tags
- time travel; fairy tale; musical; spin-off
- Source material / true-story basis
- Descendants franchise
- Franchise connections
- Descendants
- Content notes
- magic
- Reception
- The film received generally mixed reviews from critics but was a major success for Disney+ in terms of viewership, breaking records for the platform's most-viewed premiere and becoming a top-streamed original movie.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 5.10 · scale: 10 · review count: 7
- Production trivia
- The film's trailer became Disney Branded Television’s most-watched trailer of all time in a 10-day window.; The character of Red was highlighted as one of the top-costume choices for Halloween 2024.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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