Before it goes wicked, it was evil once. Or so they said in 2015.
I can’t even believe I’m admitting that after all these years, I’m still checking out whatever Disney Channel has got to offer and watching those movies like it’s still 2007.
Descendants is a musical, well, like High School Musical, but it’s done in a twisted, traditional Disney way.
20 years ago, Beast and Belle got married and established the United States of Auradon, while banishing all villains to the Isle of the Lost.
Now, we have the children of the villains roaming around their hometown, without wifi and all, going “I am evil” wherever they go.
At the same time, Prince Ben (Mitchelle Hope), the only son of Beast and Belle, proposes to his parents to let him invite four children of the most evil villains to attend his school, so that they can get a chance to blend in and become a part of the kingdom.
These four kids are Maleficent’s daughter Mal (Dove Cameron), Evil Queen’s daughter Evie (Sofia Carson), Cruella de Vil’s son Carlos (Cameron Boyce), and Jafar’s son Jay (Booboo Stewart). And the moment the parents hear about Prince Ben’s invitation, they start planning world domination by having their children steal the Fairy Godmother’s magic wand and hand it to them.
So off the children go from the Isle of the Lost to Auradon for school to meet every Disney couple’s children whose parents obviously hate theirs. I mean, imagine going to a school where Princess Aurora’s daughter goes when you’re the daughter of Maleficent. That’s just plain bad. These kids are bound to be hated and bullied.
Did I say that Ben isn’t very bright? Yeah, he isn’t.
When the kids got to Auradon Prep School, Mal immediately starts asking Fairy Godmother about her wand. Of course, that doesn’t get her anywhere.
After finding out that the closest way they can ever get to the wand is to sit with Ben on his coronation day, the kids decide to make Mal Ben’s new girlfriend.
Surprisingly, the kids, after some time being at the school, start blending in. They make friends, and realize that what their parents have taught them isn’t what they prefer after seeing what’s good. Carlos, who initially hated dogs, has discovered that unlike what his mother says about dogs, dogs are awesome. Jay, who’s athletically inclined, has scored popularity with his biceps and triceps. Evie, beauty and brains, starts to like school. And Mal, after giving Ben love potion, becomes Ben’s girlfriend and starts questioning if doing what her mother wants is what she really wants.
So on Ben’s coronation day, the kids hesitate on doing what their parents want. And when their parents finally get there to Auradon, the kids decide to be who they really are, not what their parents say they are. That they have good in them.
This is just a recap before Descendants 2 is out in a couple of weeks.
I love the songs in this movie. I actually re watched it several times just to sing along. Plus, the girls have amazing hair.
This is the fantasy version of High School Musical, and I like it. The ‘Be Our Guest’ version is a lot of fun. The music is fun, and I cannot wait until Descendants 2 is out to rock our world.
I don’t really get the whole Ben-Mal romance. I mean, it’s probably the whole “I’ve never met anyone like her before” kind of attraction, and it makes sense. And it’s probably the same thing for her. They’re the polar opposites, and they’re attracted to each other. Long before Mal charms Ben into falling for her.
Remembering that this is a teen romance, I’ll let it slip.
The adults disappoint me, due to being more childish than the kids, but it’s a Disney channel movie, and it’s their trademark to make the parents one dimensional characters.
I’m also not a fan by how everyone’s labeled by who his or her parents are. Like, someone walks into the room, going, “Hi. I’m Bonnie…. my mom’s Mulan.” or “He’s Cinderella’s son.” And the fact that these kids start to question who they are, not based on their parents’ titles or histories, makes one good development for everyone.
Mal, the most ambitious one of them all, is the first to challenge her mother’s values. Evie, who is all about beauty and finding a prince, stops acting like a dumb princess and sees that she is more than just a pretty face. Carlos, who runs away from dogs all the time due to what Cruella has taught him, now loves dogs. And Jay, the hottest of them all, finally learns what it means to be on a team and to work together with others.
They finally become their own person, and I like that message for the audience. And kids going through puberty, of course.
I cannot wait until Descendants 2 is out. I’ve been so excited for this movie, it’s silly. I mean, I’m a grown woman who still watches That’s So Raven and Even Stevens from time to time… and on top of that, I am waiting faithfully for Descendants 2. Wow.
Descendants is an 8/10 from me. It’s probably bias, but at this point I don’t care anymore.
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