Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story Given the Green Light
Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story, a new music-and-dance-fueled movie expanding the Descendants universe, has been greenlit for Disney Channel and Disney+. The brand-new Descendants story centers on the journey of the unsung heroes behind Disney’s greatest adventures — the sidekicks. The film goes into production next week.
Hidden in the center of each fairy tale is a portal to a secret training facility where the descendants of legendary sidekicks are challenged to join the elite ranks of partners to heroes. When a villainous duo comes to Sidekick Academy, a group of fresh recruits must band together — without heroes, without parents — using only their new skills to save the fairytale realm before it’s too late.
The lead cast includes Dior Goodjohn (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Poser) as Jennie, the daughter of Genie from Aladdin; Momona Tamada (The Baby-Sitters Club) as Zara, the daughter of Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove; Jacob Rodriguez (Tell Me Lies) as Kronk Jr., the son of Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove; Eva Fossaceca Smedley (Welcome to Flatch) as Meri, the daughter of Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty; and Harry Jones (Bury Your Nephew) as Lou, the son of Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast.
Also joining the cast are Rhys Dawkins, Connor Wong and Kyra Wong as the Potts Siblings (from Beauty and the Beast).
Directed by Jude Weng (Only Murders in the Building, Finding ‘Ohana), the script was written by Tamara Chestna, Eydie Faye and Emma Fletcher. Mark Ordesky (ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires) and Jane Fleming (ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires) are executive producers, alongside Gary Marsh and Chestna, who executive produced Descendants: Wicked Wonderland. Louise Hradsky and Jeffrey Mortensen are the choreographers. The movie is produced by Disney Kids & Family.
“One of the things that has always made ‘Descendants’ so special is the way it invites audiences to experience familiar Disney stories through an entirely new perspective,” said Ayo Davis, president, Disney Kids & Family.
“With ‘Hidden Heroes,’ we’re finally putting the sidekicks center stage, because they’ve always been an essential part of Disney’s greatest adventures. It’s a fun, surprising new chapter that expands the ‘Descendants’ universe with all the music, dance and heart fans love and expect from the franchise.”
The announcement comes on the heels of Descendants: Wicked Wonderland ranking as the No. 1 movie on Disney+ globally (based on views July 17-27). The premiere also lifted the franchise library, driving a 400% increase in hours streamed to the other four movies during the week of July 20 alone.
The Descendants: Wicked Wonderland Soundtrack debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Soundtracks chart — and has reached 50.8M streams globally — with standout tracks “Perfect Princess,” “Dancing with the Enemy” and “Mad-Wicked Wonderland.” Fans are also enjoying the products inspired by Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, including a doll line from Mattel, costumes, apparel and books.
Since the premiere of the first Descendants movie in 2015, the franchise has dominated youth entertainment, with each of the first three films ranking as the most-watched cable movie of their year, amassing nearly 1 billion hours of viewing across linear and streaming in the U.S.
In 2024, Descendants: The Rise of Red debuted on Disney+ as the most-watched original movie among Kids and Girls 6–11 and sparked over 9 billion lifetime views. In the summer of 2025, Descendants/ZOMBIES Worlds Collide: Concert Special thrilled sold-out crowds in over 40 arenas across North America.
Following last year’s huge success, Disney’s Worlds Collide Concert Tour returns this year with 60 shows in North America, the U.K. and Europe, launching Sept. 25, 2026, in Palm Springs, California. The new arena spectacular features stars from the Descendants, ZOMBIES, and Camp Rock film franchises, including Malachi Barton, Liamani Segura, Dara Reneé, Mekonnen Knife, Hudson Stone, Swayam Bhatia, Kiara Romero and Alexandro Byrd.
The Worlds Collide Concert Tour will also extend to the U.K. and Europe early next year, launching Feb. 6, 2027, in Dublin, Ireland.
Previous Descendants films and The Descendants/ZOMBIES Worlds Collide: Concert Special are now streaming on Disney+ and are available in the Descendants Collection.
