Today, Disney+ released a new teaser and poster for Descendants: The Rise of Red, the next installment in the mega-hit Descendants franchise that features the teenage progeny of iconic Disney heroes and villains. The music-driven Disney Original movie starts streaming Friday, July 12, exclusively on Disney+, followed by a special encore Friday, August 9, at 8:00 p.m. EDT/PDT on Disney Channel.
The latest teaser introduces Kylie Cantrall as Red, princess of the hostile kingdom of Wonderland and Auradon’s newest Villain Kid (aka VK), who is caught “red-handed” by Malia Baker, who plays Chloe, the daughter of Cinderella and King Charming.
Descendants: The Rise of Red follows Red, the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe, Cinderella’s perfectionist daughter. When the tyrannical Queen of Hearts incites a coup against Auradon, polar opposites Red and Chloe must join forces and travel back in time to undo the traumatic event that set Red’s mother down her villainous path.
In addition to Cantrall and Baker, the film stars a new ensemble of VKs and legacy characters, including Brandy as Cinderella, Rita Ora as the Queen of Hearts, Dara Reneé as Uliana, Ruby Rose Turner as Bridget/Young Queen of Hearts, Morgan Dudley as Ella/Young Cinderella, Joshua Colley as Young Hook, Peder Lindell as Morgie, Grace Narducci as Fay/Young Fairy Godmother, Jeremy Swift as Principal Merlin, Paolo Montalban as King Charming, and Leonardo Nam as Maddox Hatter.
China Anne McClain is back as fan-favorite Uma and the new principal at Auradon Prep. Melanie Paxson also reprises her role as Fairy Godmother.
True to the Descendants tradition of music-driven stories, this fourth installment features seven new original songs, two reprises, and a cover of “So This Is Love” from the classic animated Cinderella film that will engage viewers and bring them along on the emotional journey with our bold new characters. The Descendants: The Rise of Red Original Soundtrack is set for release on July 12 from Walt Disney Records.
Each premiere telecast of a Descendants movie ranks as the most-watched cable movie of the year (2015, 2017, and 2019) among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14. Music from the Descendants franchise boasts over 15 billion audio and video streams and 8 billion TikTok views.
In addition, the RIAA has certified the movie soundtracks, with three certified gold albums, three certified platinum singles, and two certified gold singles.
Nearly 7 million dolls and 9 million Descendants books, including four New York Times bestsellers, have been sold, and Descendants Halloween costumes were among Disney’s top 5 licensed costumes for seven consecutive years (2015-2021).
Along with the Descendants: The Rise of Red film, fans can also expect an array of Disney Consumer Products offerings this summer, including fashion dolls, playsets, apparel, role-playing, costumes, books, and more.
Descendants: The Rise of Red is executive-produced by Suzanne Todd and Gary Marsh. The film is directed by Jennifer Phang, with a script from Dan Frey and Russell Sommer. The movie is choreographed by Ashley Wallen (The Greatest Showman) with a score by Torin Borrowdale (Searching).
Mark Hofeling designed the production, and Declan Quinn served as the director of photography. Katie Ennis is the editor. Mahita P. Simpson and Jennifer Phang are co-executive producers, and Wendy S. Williams is a producer. Julia Caston and Emilio Sosa designed the costumes.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills in 2018 to cover the latest news on streaming, movies, TV, and video games.