Descendants3 is an American musical fantasy[1][2] television film, being the third installment in the Descendants series, following Descendants and Descendants 2, and the last one in the film trilogy focused on Mal (Dove Cameron) and her friends. It is written by Sara Parriott and Josann McGibbon, and is directed by Kenny Ortega. The film premiered on Disney Channel on August 2, 2019, and in other territories worldwide starting on October 12, 2019. The film was followed by an animated television special, Descendants: The Royal Wedding, released in 2021.
Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos visit the Isle of the Lost to choose four new villain kids (VKs) to take to Auradon. They pick Dizzy, granddaughter of Lady Tremaine; Celia, daughter of Dr. Facilier; and Squeaky and Squirmy, the twin sons of Mr. Smee. As the older VKs return to Auradon, Hades attempts to break through the Isle's barrier, but Mal stops him.
The day the kids are to be picked up, Ben, Mal's boyfriend and the king of Auradon, proposes to her. Mal accepts. Ben's ex-girlfriend Audrey seethes with jealousy, and her grandmother Queen Leah admonishes her for failing to secure the family legacy by marrying Ben. Unable to let go of her resentment of Mal, Audrey steals the Queen's crown and Maleficent's scepter from the museum, gaining magical powers and becoming a villain. Following the theft and Hades' escape attempt, Mal suggests that the best way to protect Auradon is to close the Isle's barrier permanently.
Meanwhile, in Auradon, Audrey attacks Jane's birthday party with a sleeping curse; Chad aligns himself with her, while Jane escapes into the enchanted lake. As the entire kingdom falls under Audrey's spell, she offers to reverse it if Ben will marry her. However, he refuses, prompting Audrey to turn him into a beast and she begins turning people to stone. Mal and Uma, vying for the leadership of the VKs, return to Auradon with their friends. Despite their conflict, they eventually work together to find and defeat Audrey. After finding Ben in beast form, Carlos calms him after removing a splinter from his hand, while Jane partially restores him to human form with the enchanted lake water. At Evie's house, Mal and Uma make amends while Evie wakes Doug with true love's kiss. Audrey traps them in the house, but they are able to reverse Audrey's spell by combining their magic, and they and their other friends reunite.
At the Fairy Cottage, they find only a shell-shocked Chad. When Mal admits her plan to seal off the Isle permanently, the group breaks apart and Celia, learning she can never see her father again, drops the ember in water. After Evie confronts Mal for lying to her and their friends, they are all suddenly turned to stone, save for Mal. Audrey takes Celia hostage and attacks Mal, who turns into her dragon form. Realizing she is Mal's only hope, Uma combines their magic to reignite the ember; Mal defeats Audrey, who falls comatose, and the curses are lifted. Mal and her friends reconcile, and she convinces Hades to use the ember to revive Audrey. Hades does so, but decries the double standard by which Audrey is immediately forgiven for her crimes as she is not considered a villain. Audrey awakens, and she, Mal and Ben make amends.
Changing her mind, Mal tells Ben that she cannot become queen of Auradon unless she can help the Isle as well. With Ben and Fairy Godmother's approval, Mal replaces the Isle's barrier with a bridge, and the people of the newly merged society celebrate. In the end, Evie is with Doug, Carlos is with Jane, Mal and Ben are engaged, Jay and Gil plan to travel the world together, and Audrey seems to become romantically attached to Harry after Uma rejects him.
Additionally, Judith Maxie reprises her role as Queen Leah, Princess Audrey's grandmother, from the first Descendants film.[10] Christian Convery and Luke Roessler play Squeaky and Squirmy, respectively, the twin sons of Mr. Smee.[6][10] Also appearing are Jamal Sims as Celia's father Dr. Facilier,[7][8] Linda Ko as Dizzy's grandmother Lady Tremaine, and Faustino Di Bauda as Squeaky's and Squirmy's father Mr. Smee.
On February 16, 2018, Disney Channel announced the production of Descendants 3, which Disney scheduled to air in mid-2019.[11] Descendants 3 is written and produced by Sara Parriott and Josann McGibbon, and is directed and executive produced by Kenny Ortega.[3] Wendy Japhet is a producer on the film,[5] with Ortega, Sara Parriott, Josann McGibbon, and Japhet also serving as executive producers.[6] Mark Hofeling and Kara Saun return as production designer and costume designer on the sequel, respectively.[5] In addition to playing Dr. Facilier, Jamal Sims also serves as the film's choreographer,[7][8] along with Ortega who has served as choreographer for all three Descendants films.[3]
Rehearsals and pre-recording on the film began on April 23, 2018, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[5] Production began on May 25, 2018.[12] On July 18, 2018, it was reported on social media that production on the film had "officially wrapped".[13] Teen Vogue reported that Descendants 3 will be the last film in the series.[14]
Promotional footage for the film was released on the film series' official YouTube channel in February 2018.[15] In late May 2019, it was announced that the film would premiere on August 2, 2019.[16][3][17]
On July 11, 2019, Disney announced it was canceling a red carpet premiere originally planned for July 22, 2019, in the wake of Cameron Boyce's death. The film's television premiere went on as scheduled, dedicated to Boyce's memory.[20]
Descendants 3 was watched by 4.59 million viewers on its August 2, 2019 premiere,[21] with viewership increasing to 8.43 million viewers after three days of delayed viewing.[22] On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 78% based on nine reviews.[23]
Descendants 3 (Original TV Movie Soundtrack) is the soundtrack accompanying the film of the same name. The soundtrack and lead single, "Good to Be Bad", was released on May 31, 2019, along with the pre-order of the soundtrack. The soundtrack was released on August 2, 2019. It reached number 7 on the Billboard 200 album chart,[26] and number 1 on the Billboard Kid Albums chart.[27] The single "Queen of Mean", reached number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100,[28] number 57 on the Canadian Hot 100,[29] and number 89 on the UK Singles Chart.[30] It was the longest charting Descendants song, spending over eight consecutive weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Kids see Mal wrestle with conflicting loyalties to Auradon and the Isle of the Lost. With help of her friends from both places, she makes a decision that promises to benefit everyone. A main character's dabble with darkness has dire consequences for people she cares about; she learns a valuable lesson as a result. Forgiveness, mutual respect go a long way to mend fences between former enemies and within family spats. Group scenes in Auradon often feature a character who uses a wheelchair.
Mal tries to take care of everyone on her own but eventually learns value of relying on others to help. When given the chance, villains become heroes and counter the idea that people can be defined as "good" or "bad." Mal lies to her friends about her intentions throughout part of the movie but owns up to it in the end.
Hades hits Mal and her friends with laser blasts, knocks them down. Mal is injured by magic from Audrey's scepter while in her dragon form and needs help from a friend to recover her strength. Audrey puts a spell on the residents of Auradon, putting some to sleep, turning others to stone. Choreographed dance number involves swordfight between knights in armor and heroes. A beast roars in a menacing way.
Parents need to know that Descendants 3 is the third and final movie in Disney's popular Descendants trilogy, continuing the story of four villains' kids acclimating to the picture-perfect existence in the kingdom of Auradon. The movie presumes viewers' familiarity with the characters and relationships from the first two films, so you may be a little lost if this is the first of the three you watch. A love affair continues between two main characters, and there are a few kisses on-screen. Another teen's jealousy makes her use magic to try to sway the affections of her crush, and the citizens pay the price when they're put under her spell. On the other hand, characters who appear to be villainous surprise with actions that are anything but, which has a positive influence on others and helps to change the way the two kingdoms relate. Expect some choreographed fighting (a swordfight that's set to a song-and-dance number, for instance) and a few scenes in which characters' safety is in question briefly (a villain shoots laser beams at teens and knocks them down; a princess uses magic to injure her enemy), but nothing lasts for long. What stand out in this story are messages about tolerance, second chances, forgiveness, and accepting both the good and the bad in people. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
In DESCENDANTS 3, things are going well in Auradon. Ben (Mitchell Hope) and Mal (Dove Cameron) are on their way to living their happily ever after, and the successful integration of the original quartet of villains' kids -- Mal, Evie (Sofia Carson), Carlos (Cameron Boyce in his final performance), and Jay (Booboo Stewart) -- into the peaceful kingdom has inspired future king Ben to give the OK to invite another group of VKs from the Isle of the Lost. But a snafu in the plan exposes Auradon's vulnerability to scheming villains like Hades (Cheyenne Jackson), who nearly makes his escape, leading Mal to consider closing the barrier between the two places permanently. Meanwhile, Ben and Mal's happiness spells misery for jealous Audrey (Sarah Jeffery), who takes extreme measures to reclaim the prince for herself. As tensions build in Auradon, Mal turns to an unlikely accomplice for help in preserving peace there and perhaps taking a new stance on the Isle's banishment.
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