Premiered: July 31, 2015

On: Disney Channel

Starring: Dove Cameron, Cameron Boyce, Booboo Stewart, Sofia Carson, Mitchell Hope, Melanie Paxson, Brenna D’Amico, Sarah Jeffrey, Zachary Gibson, Jedidiah Goodacre, Dianne Doan, Dan Payne, Keegan Connor Tracy, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Maz Jobrani, Kathy Najimy & Kristin Chenoweth

By mixing Disney nostalgia with new characters and a fun story, Descendants instantly becomes a classic in the Disney Channel Original Movies world.

As his first proclamation, future King Ben (Mitchell Hope) enacts that four children of villains should be allowed to start the process of reuniting the worlds of good and evil. As one of the chosen students, Mal (Dove Cameron) is instructed by her mom Maleficent (Kristin Chenoweth) to steal the Fairy Godmother’s (Melanie Paxson) wand.

This is a better entry in the DCOM canon with stronger acting – including the glorious overacting by Chenoweth – and music that accompanies the storyline rather than the story relying on the music. It doesn’t come as a surprise though with the film being helmed by High School Musical director Kenny Ortega.

Final say: A wonderful introduction to old villains and new heroes. ★★★★☆