A mega media company, Disney is known for its varied multimedia content suitable for families. From fantasies to fairy tales, the media giant is also known for its vast repertoire of stories for young adults and children. It was a content strategy that propelled her to the top of the media game. Its vast catalog of intellectual properties allows it to capitalize on their popularity and provide insight into ideas. One such example is Descendants 2 which is a 2015 spinoff of Descendants. Both films tell serialized stories of the children of some of Disney’s popular storytelling villains.
The Descendants franchise joins a roster of Disney fantasy musical franchises like the High School Musical franchise. The first film in the franchise, Descendants was released in 2015 to acclaimed success. The movie, which was made for the Disney Channel, spawned a sequel, Descendants 2, which was released on every Disney-owned network, with a third movie slated for release in 2019.
So far, every film in the franchise has come with original music and a soundtrack, as is the tradition of Disney musical films. The soundtrack to the first film, Descendants peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and the soundtrack to Descendants 2 peaked at number 6. Both soundtracks are certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).
Descendants 2: Synopsis
We mentioned earlier that the Descendants franchise is a story about the lives of the children of Disney villains. The first film picks up the 20-year-old proceedings, since Beauty and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast) ruled the Disney universe and founded the United States of Auradon. The newly formed Utopia expelled the bandits from the new kingdom and forced them to live on the Isle of the Lost.
The story takes shape when Beauty and the Beast’s son seizes the throne and issues a proclamation to bring four of the banished bandits’ children to the Isle of the Lost in Auradon, so they won’t grow up under the influence of their parents. The children, Carlos, Jay, Evie, and Mal, descendants of Cruella de Vil, Jafar, The Evil Queen, and Maleficent, respectively, are taken from their parents and brought to Auradon to attend Auradon Prep, a high school run by the Fairy Godmother. The theme of the first film is “Nature vs. Nurture” and how the socialization of children during their formative years affects the type of person they become.
Descendants 2 picks up from where the first film left off, with the kids trying to settle into their new lives as citizens of Auradon. Mal is Ben the King’s girlfriend, but she and her friends keep finding each other outside of their parents’ reputation. The story continues the theme of the first film, exploring the pain and difficulty of overcoming nature with care. Mal is forced to go blonde and change her hair from her signature look in order to fit in with her new, less mean surroundings. The story, which focuses on Mal and her struggles, follows her as she returns to the Isle of the Lost to live her life as herself. Descendants 2, besides the Nature vs Nurture running theme, also explores insecurities, growth and self-acceptance.
Cast and characters
Descendants 2 largely follows the main cast of the first installment in the franchise. Descendants 2 characters include – Mal, Carlos, Evie, Jay, Ben, Jane, Fairy Godmother, Gil, Belle, Beast and some other minor characters.
Disney is known for casting a lot of young stars on its array of TV and movie projects. It’s a strategy that allows her to make great films on a shoestring budget, while also providing a platform for adult and child actors and actresses to showcase their talents and build a lasting career from there. . It is a model that has produced Hollywood stars such as Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, to name a few. It’s a pattern Disney is continuing with for the Descendants franchise which is populated by relative unknowns with a filmography of little to no previous projects. Here is the list of main cast of Descendants 2.
Evil – Played by Dove Cameron
Dove Cameron plays Mal, Maleficent’s daughter. Reprising her role from the first film, Dove Cameron is the franchise’s lead actor. The business relationship between Dove and Disney began before Descendants. The American actress was the lead role on the Disney Channel show, Liv and Maddie for three seasons before becoming a main cast member in Descendants. Dove, who is also a singer, released a series of songs that appeared on the Billboard Kid Digital Songs chart. With a career primarily focused on Disney, his few non-Disney projects include television appearances such as Shameless, Agents of SHIELD and The Mentalist.She has also appeared in several films such as Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors and Barely Mortal.
Carlos – Played by Cameron Boyce
Cameron Boyce plays Carlos, son of Cruella De Vil. The American actor has appeared in a few notable projects such as Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2. He plays Luke Ross on the Disney Channel series, Jessie An accomplished dancer, Cameron appeared in the web series, The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. Besides acting, Cameron is also a philanthropist and helped The Thirst Project raise $27,000 in 2017.
Evie – played by Sofia Carson
Although her real name is Sofia Daccarett Char, Sofia prefers to go by Sofia Carson, seeking to distance herself from the Char family of Colombian Char politicians. She made her first television appearance in Disney’s Austin and Ally in 2014 and was cast as Evie Descendants in 2015. Since then, she has appeared in other film and television projects, including the highly anticipated Pretty Little Liars . : The perfectionists. Sofia Carson is also a singer signed to Hollywood Records. She has released a few singles and is currently working on her debut album.
Jay – played by Booboo Stewart
Booboo Stewart is one of the few Descendants 2 casts with notable appearances in non-Disney projects. He appeared in The Twilight Saga and played Warpath in the Marvel-Fox X-Men franchise film , X-Men: Days of Future Past. He made his screen debut in 2004 and has appeared in over 20 movies and TV shows since. He is also a philanthropist having worked with PETA, Childhelp and an ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Ben – Played by Mitchell Hope
Mitchell Hope is an Australian actor whose career featured several minor roles before being featured in 2015 as Ben in the film. Descent. The actor, born in 1994, is also a model. He is currently dating an Australian actress, Tayla Audrey.
Fairy – Godmother played by Melanie Paxson
Melanie Paxson plays the fairy godmother, the principal of Auradon High. One of the few talents in the franchise to have an extensive filmography outside of Disney, Paxson has featured in other notable works such as Masters of Sex, Trollhunters, and The Outfield. She started acting in 1997.
Uma – played by China Anne McClain
China Anne plays Uma, the daughter of Ursula, another Disney Descendants 2 villain. One of the most high-profile names on Disney’s roster, China has a Disney career that began with Hannah Montana before landing a starring role. recurring in Jonas, a guest role on Wizards of Waverly Place and eventually getting him the lead role with ANT Farm. She is also a singer in a music group with her two sisters. Outside of Disney, she starred in Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls and is currently featured in Black Lightning, a CW television show.
Queen Belle – Portrayed by Keegan Connor Tracy
Keegan Connor Tracy plays Belle, Ben’s mother in the Descendants franchise. The Canadian, best known for her work in Final Destination and White Noise, was cast in 2015 for the role and is set to appear in the franchise’s third installment. His other work includes recurring roles on The Wizards of Once Upon a Time, Bates Motel and Stargate Sg-1.
Beast – played by Dan Payne
The Beast, played by Dan Payne, is one of the more unconventional actors on the cast list of the Descendants franchise. Dan started his professional career as a volleyball player before moving into acting after retiring from the sport. Despite a late entry into the acting industry in 2001, the Canadian actor has appeared in over 30 TV shows and movies since. Her other works include appearances on the CW show, Legends of Tomorrow as well as Good Witch.
Other notable casts from Descendants 2 include Zachary Gibson as Doug, Brenna D’Amico as Jane, Dylan Playfair as Gil, and Thomas Doherty as Harry Hook.
all you need to know
Descendants 2 was ordered for production in 2015 after the success of the first film. It was written by Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott and directed by Kenny Ortega.
As a Disney musical film, it featured an original film soundtrack performed by the film’s cast. The sound album reached number 6 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA. The soundtrack enjoyed similar reception to the film itself, which was viewed by 8.92 million viewers on its first release night across all Disney networks, despite not being not shown in theaters.
The film hasn’t enjoyed the same success from the film awards, however, with its only recognition coming from the Saturn Awards, a nomination for Best Television Presentation in 2018. streaming sites such as Netflix.
