5 Things I Loved About Disney’s Descendants

I received a DVD for purposes of evaluation. Thoughts are my own.

Descendants DVD

Disney’s newest original movie Descendants was just released on DVD on July 31st! And I must admit that I went ahead and watched it on the Watch Disney Channel app even before it premiered on TV.

Set on a new epic universe, Descendants tells the untold story of Disney’s classic characters after they have been defeated by the heroes. This re-imagined story is directed and produced by Emmy Award-Winner Kenny Ortega (who brought us the High School musical franchise).

In a present day idyllic kingdom, the benevolent teenaged son of the King and Queen (Beast and Belle from Disney’s iconic “Beauty and the Beast”) is poised to take the throne. His first proclamation: offer a chance at redemption to the trouble-making offspring of Cruella de Vil, Maleficent the Evil Queen and Jafar who have been imprisoned on a forbidden island with all the other villains, sidekicks, evil step-mothers and step-sisters.

These villainous descendants (Carlos, Mal, Evie and Jay, respectively) are allowed into the kingdom to attend prep school alongside the offspring of iconic Disney heroes, including Fairy Godmother, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and Mulan. However, the evil teens face a dilemma. Should they follow in their nefarious parents’ footsteps and help all the villains regain power, or embrace their innate goodness and save the kingdom?

Now let me share 5 things I loved about this movie!

1. The talented cast

Tony and Emmy Award-Winner Kristin Chenoweth plays the classic villain Maleficent in Descendants and she plays it quite well which isn’t such a surprise. I have loved her since I saw her play Glinda in Wicked! Then there’s Dove Cameron (who plays Mal, daughter of Maleficent) and Cameron Boyce (who plays Carlos, son of Cruella de Vil)  who play central roles in Disney Channel shows.  Other artists in the movie include the following:

Wendy Raquel Robinson (“The Game,” “Miss Congeniality”) as Cruella de Vil
Maz Jobrani (“The Interpreter,” “13 Going on 30”) as Jafar
Booboo Stewart (“X-Men Days of Future Past,” “Twilight”) as Jay the son of Jafar
Kathy Nijimy (“WALL-E,” “Sister Act”) as the Evil Queen
Sofia Carson (TV’s “Austin & Ally”) as Evie the daughter of the Evil Queen
Mitchell Hope (“Down the Way,” “Yes Mum”) as Ben the son of Beast and Belle
Melanie Paxson (“Saving Mr. Banks,” “Happy Family”) as Fairy Godmother
Brenna D’Amico as Jane the daughter of Fairy Godmother
Sarah Jeffery (“Shades of Blue,” “Rogue”) as Audrey the daughter of Princess Aurora
Zachary Gibson (“Zapped”) as Doug the son of Dopey
Jedidiah Goodacre (“If There Be Thorns,” “Zapped”) as Chad Charming the son of Cinderella
Dianne Doan (“Last Night in Suburbia”) as Lonnie the daughter of Mulan

2. The nice costumes

This story is set in the modern world, and I love that their designers were able to create costumes that have that contemporary vibe without losing their identity as fairy tale characters. And even in the DVD image above, you’ll see how each descendant’s costume reflects their heritage.

3. The cute story

You know me. I love fairy tales. And I love stories that put a twist on the classics. Descendants gives me exactly that. As soon as I heard that Disney was coming out with this movie, I was interested in it right away! Okay, I know Disney Channel movies aren’t really targeting people my age but I got really excited about it anyway.

It was nice to see this movie’s version of the relationships between the parents and their children, as well as the heroes’ reactions when they saw the kids of their nemeses.

4. Good message

Like all other Disney movies, you can expect a good theme in Descendants. I love how they developed the story to bring out the fact that we are all responsible for the choices we make, and that everyone can learn to love. I’ll stop there. Because I don’t want to spoil the story for you. 🙂

 

5. The bonus features!

Yep! You get a free Descendants bracelet when you buy the DVD!  It also includes never-before-seen bonus features including backstage dance rehearsals, bloopers and #Mal.

You can buy the DVD from a retailer near you or online at Amazon.com!

 

Descendants Activity Sheets

Click the image below to download some fun activity sheets!

Download Descendants Activity Sheets

I received a DVD for purposes of evaluation. Thoughts are my own.

Comments

5 Things I Loved About Disney’s Descendants — 18 Comments

  1. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this one, but now you’ve got me curious to want to see it!

  2. I absolutely loved this movie. I watched it the night it premiere with my kids and some friends. It was a great family movie night with snacks and entertainment

  3. I was not able to watch Descendants when it premiered on TV. I’m looking forward to watching Descendants on DVD. Thank you for sharing the activity sheets.

  4. I really enjoy Disney movies. Even the cartoons. This sounds like a great movie with a great message. Thank you for sharing

  5. Thanks for the Wonderful Review on 5 Things I Loved About Disney’s Descendants! This movie sounds like something I want to see as well! I mean, you know all of their parents and to see their kids is awesome! I was not aware that it was already out on DVD! This would make a terrific Christmas Gift for my Daughter! She loves the Descendants! Plus, Then I’ll get to see it too! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful review, the pictures, and your personal and professional opinions on 5 Things I Loved About Disney’s Descendants with all of us! I truly do appreciate it! Thanks again!!! Michele 🙂
    Michele Ash recently posted..Treat Yourself To More At Target + $100 Gift Card GiveawayMy Profile

  6. Sounds like a good movie. Disney never disappoints. I like that you have seen the actors before that makes it even more fun.

  7. (5 Things I Loved About Disney’s Descendants) How weird is that, I just watched this over Labor Day weekend with my family and thought that it was pretty good.

  8. I love that you get a free bracelet with purchase and I really like movies that teach good values. Thank you for sharing your review on this flick.

  9. Thanks for your take on the movie! I was actually interested in what The Disney Channel did with it. I thought it sounded pretty cool! 🙂

  10. I forgot all about this movie. We have not watched it yet. We will have to do that soon. Thank you for sharing. I am glad I was surfing your site and saw this again.