Descendants 3

**Descendants 3** is a 2019 film and Disney Channel Original Movie. It was produced by Disney Channel Original Productions. The film was written by Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott, and released on August 2, 2019.

It is the third film in the Descendants Franchise.

## Plot

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. The day the kids are to be picked up, Mal is concerned about Uma being on the loose, and Ben, Mal's boyfriend and the king of Auradon, proposes to her, and she 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.

When the barrier is opened for the new VKs, Hades, the god of the underworld, attempts to escape, but Mal beats him back in her dragon form. That night, unable to contain her jealousy of Mal, Audrey steals the Queen's Crown and Maleficent's Sceptre from The Museum. The theft and Hades' escape attempt has the citizens panicking. Mal, as future Queen, decides the best way to protect the subjects and restore peace is to close the barrier permanently, meaning no new VKs can come, nor can anyone enter the Isle.

Audrey attacks Mal with Maleficent's sceptre, turning her into an old hag. Mal and the other VKs go to the Isle to get Hades' ember, the only thing powerful enough to break the sceptre’s curse. Mal is restored upon entering the Isle due to the suppression of evil magic there. Celia gets Mal into Hades' lair, but he thwarts their effort to steal the ember. He is revealed to be Mal's absentee father and reluctantly gives her the ember, warning her that it mustn't get wet and will not exhibit its full powers for her. While leaving the Isle, Mal and the others are stopped by Uma, Gil, and Harry, who take the Ember. They agree to help after Mal agrees to release all the children from the Isle.

In Auradon, Audrey attacks Jane's birthday party with a sleeping curse; Chad aligns himself with Audrey, 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; he refuses, so she turns him into a beast and begins turning people to stone. Mal and Uma, vying for the leadership of the VKs, return to Auradon with their friends. Despite their bickering, they defeat suits of armour animated by Audrey. Uma finds Audrey's diary and learns that she spends time at Fairy Cottage, a contribution for which Mal thanks her. Evie, nervous to define her feelings for Doug, wakes him with "true love's kiss." After finding Ben in beast form, Carlos calmed him down until Jane restores him with lake water. As Mal and Uma are thawing towards each other, Audrey traps them in Evie's house; they reverse Audrey's spell by combining their magic, and they all reunite there.

At the Fairy Cottage, they find only a shell-shocked Chad. When Mal admits that she plans to seal off the Isle permanently, the group implodes and Celia, learning she can never see her father again, throws the ember in a birdbath, and Uma and Harry leave. After Evie tells Mal how upset she is for lying to her and their friends, they are all suddenly turned to stone, except 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 overcomes Audrey, who falls comatose, and the curses are lifted. The ember could revive Audrey, but only in Hades' hands; Ben agrees to send for him, while Uma, Harry, Gil, and Celia plan to return to the Isle. Mal apologizes for lying; her friends and former rivals forgive her as they understood that she was just trying to do the right thing. Hades arrives and revives Audrey but decries the double standard by which Audrey is immediately forgiven because she is not considered a villain. Mal and Ben apologize to Audrey; in response, Audrey apologizes to Mal.

Mal announces that she cannot be the Queen of Auradon unless she can also be the Queen of the Isle because everyone is capable of being good and bad and with Ben and the Fairy Godmother's agreement, Mal removes the barrier and creates a bridge, and the people of the newly merged society celebrate. Also, Jane and Carlos become official, Mal and Ben are engaged, and Audrey has eyes for Harry (after Uma rejects him).

In the mid-credits scene, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos are seen looking at the Isle of the Lost; then racing across the bridge to their parents.

## Cast and Characters

* Dove Cameron as Mal
* Cameron Boyce as Carlos
* Sofia Carson as Evie
* Booboo Stewart as Jay
* Mitchell Hope as Ben
* Sarah Jeffery as Audrey
* Brenna D'Amico as Jane
* Melanie Paxson as Fairy Godmother
* Thomas Doherty as Harry
* Dylan Playfair as Gil
* Zachary Gibson as Doug
* Jedidiah Goodacre as Chad
* Anna Catchcart as Dizzy
* Jadah Marie as Celia
* Dan Payne as Beast
* Keegan Connor Tracy as Belle
* Bobby Moynihan as Dude
* Cheyenne Jackson as Hades
* China Anne McClain as Uma
* Judith Maxie as Queen Leah
* Christian Convery and Luke Roessler as Squeaky and Squirmy
* Jamal Sims as Dr. Facilier
* Linda Ko as Lady Tremaine
* Faustino Di Bauda as Mr. Smee

## Production

On February 16, 2018, Disney Channel announced the production of Descendants 3, which Disney scheduled to air in mid-2019. Descendants 3 is written and produced by Sara Parriott and Josann McGibbon, and is directed and executive produced by Kenny Ortega. Wendy Japhet is a producer on the film, with Ortega, Sara Parriott, Josann McGibbon, and Japhet also serving as executive producers. Mark Hofeling and Kara Saun return as production designer and costume designer on the sequel, respectively. In addition to playing Dr. Facilier, Jamal Sims also serves as the film's choreographer, along with Ortega who has served as choreographer for all three Descendants films.

Rehearsals and pre-recording on the film began on April 23, 2018, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Production began on May 25, 2018. On July 18, 2018, it was reported on social media that production on the film had "officially wrapped". Teen Vogue reported that this will be the last film in the Descendants film series.

## Release

Some promotional footage for the film was released on the Disney Descendants YouTube channel in February 2018 as a teaser or first look into the production. In late May 2019, it was announced that the film would premiere on August 2, 2019.

A related short film, Under the Sea: A Descendants Short Story, which features Mal and Uma facing off in "an epic underwater showdown", was released on September 28, 2018.

On July 11, 2019, Disney announced it was cancelling 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.

### Home Media

Descendants 3 was released on DVD on August 6, 2019.

## Reception

Descendants 3 was watched by 4.59 million viewers on its August 2, 2019 premiere, with viewership increasing to 8.43 million viewers after three days of delayed viewing. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 78% based on 9 reviews.