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This movie is rotten… to the core 😈 | Episode 26: Descendants
41 Plays3 months ago
Is Descendants the best DCOM since High School Musical? 🤔 This mashed-up fairytale is packed with easter eggs, Kenny Ortega choreography, and surprisingly flattering leather jumpsuits.
Let's discuss:
– The costumes… cringy or brilliant? 💃
– Childhood trauma & the importance of therapy!!! 👍
– Ben and Mal 4ever 💜
All that and more in this episode!
Descendants stars Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Cameron Boyce, Booboo Stewart, and Mitchell Hope. You can watch it now on Disney+!
Welcome to Once Upon A DCOM Podcast where we rave (and sometimes roast) classic DCOMs! We're rewatching every single Disney Channel Original Movie.
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@onceuponadcom.podcast
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Transcript
Introduction and Kristen Chenoweth's Influence
00:00:00
Speaker
So I've had the Kristen Chenoweth song stuck in my head for like three days. Literally, Gabby, me too. It's so good. I've been singing it around work and my co-worker's like, what are you doing?
00:00:13
Speaker
Don't you want to be evil? And she got her defying gravity moment. I mean, that was so on purpose. They have her up in the air with the, it's not a broom, but you know, her staff. And I was like, oh my gosh, even the evil laugh.
00:00:28
Speaker
It's like she gets to be Elphaba for one time. Yeah, perfect. It was perfection.
Podcast Introduction and Recent Hiatus
00:00:37
Speaker
Welcome fellow Disney Channel babes, whether you're from the nostalgic 90s, or the awkward odds, or you're giving Gen Z. We're glad that you're here. I'm Gabriella. And I'm Natalie. And this is the podcast where we rave, and sometimes roast, classic Disney Channel original movies. You're listening to Once Upon a DCOM.
00:00:57
Speaker
Hello everyone and welcome back to Once Upon a DCOM. Post the flu season. We're excited to be back. After a little hiatus there, what an interesting turn of events. Natalie, you were sick. Are you feeling better?
00:01:14
Speaker
i am feeling better. And then you, from across the country, got sick the next few days. How are you feeling? fell ill. I'm feeling better as well now. My voice is still a little off, so sorry, guys, if I sound ah little phlegmy.
00:01:27
Speaker
It was interesting because I thought we were going to make it without having to skip an episode. We got Megan on the podcast last week. It was great. And then I fell so ill I couldn't edit that episode and it got pushed and here we are. Sorry, everyone. That's okay.
Excitement for 'Descendants' and Cast Overview
00:01:40
Speaker
We are here now for Descendants.
00:01:42
Speaker
Oh, and I was like, Natalie, don't you dare do it without me. We must postpone and wait. We must do this podcast together. We have to. I'm so happy. Let's get into it.
00:01:53
Speaker
Oh, my goodness. Descendants. The best since High School Musical. Not just my opinion. That's the world's opinion, that it is the best sentence. I won't say better. I can agree with that.
00:02:03
Speaker
I can agree with that. Yeah. I mean, statistically, it's true. So Descendants came out in 2015. It was, of course, directed by Kenny Ortega. Fun fact, it was not supposed to be a musical until he was brought on. And then they were like, guess what? Now it's a musical.
00:02:18
Speaker
ah but Of course. I... Y'all know, y'all know how much I love Kenny Ortega. He is a visionary and just, I want to give him a hug. i want to say thank you. I probably, you know, like I often think like I don't get starstruck when I meet celebrities. I've met a good handful of people who are pretty famous and I'm pretty chill about it. But I feel like there's a few people that I would like go crazy for. feel like if I met Kenny Ortega, I'd cry.
00:02:47
Speaker
i think I'd be that weird fan that would cry. He's so sweet, it looks like, in all the behind the scenes I've seen of him. like He just seems to love the people he works with, and he's just kind-hearted. He's like that very sweet uncle that you love to see at family reunions. Exactly. You get me. You understand. Yeah.
00:03:04
Speaker
Yeah. So he's great. So he directed this, did a great job. The movie stars Dove Cameron, Sophia Carson, Cameron Boyes, Boo Boo Stewart, and Mitchell Hope, with appearances, I may add, from Kristen Chenoweth and Kathy Najimy.
00:03:21
Speaker
Kristen Chenoweth, if you don't know, is most known, among many other things, for originating the role of Glinda on Broadway's original Wicked cast. So, like, take that all in for what it is. Yeah.
00:03:34
Speaker
And that's, of course, why they gave her her musical number in this movie. Obviously, She's also in literally everything. And then Najini is Mary Sanderson in Hocus Pocus and in the Sister Act movies. Yep.
00:03:46
Speaker
So they're like comedic gold that was just brought into this DCOM. Yes. ah There's some fun facts and stuff about like the second and third movies that I'm going to like wait to share until later and like some fun where are they now stuff. Yeah.
00:04:02
Speaker
You guys can just get a little taste of the Descendants franchise today and we'll continue watching. So some fun facts about this before we jump in. The tagline is, they're not bad, they're just born that way.
00:04:14
Speaker
Which as far as Disney taglines go is not the worst we've seen. But it's not the best. No, which is why I love sharing the taglines. That's like my key thing when I open the episode.
00:04:25
Speaker
ah The movie has thousands of Disney Easter eggs and
Tagline, Easter Eggs, and CGI Critique
00:04:30
Speaker
references. It is so much fun. and You could spend an entire lifetime finding everything that they hid in this movie. It's great.
00:04:36
Speaker
It was the first Disney Channel original movie to have more than one sequel since High School Musical. It was also the first to have an entire soundtrack that got onto the top Billboard charts since High School Musical 2.
00:04:50
Speaker
So that's exciting. Yes. And um this kind of funny. The dragon at the end of the movie took over 2,000 hours to animate. And guys, it does not show.
00:05:02
Speaker
Just saying. Yeah. Yeah. For all that this movie is, it is not good at green screen. Yeah, it was, this was, I would just like to point out, this was not a high budget film because they weren't, you know, they weren't expecting it to be what it was.
00:05:19
Speaker
So like when people's major criticism is like, oh my gosh, the costumes, oh my gosh, the CGI, y'all, they didn't know. They didn't know what it would become. It gets sort of better in the next one.
00:05:32
Speaker
Right. Also, I think the costumes, for the most part, are really great. I love the Easter eggs in the costumes. I mean, it's kind of ridiculous that they match their parents' evil villain story, but that's part of the cleverness of it.
00:05:45
Speaker
and It's fine. It's fine. I think the costumes are really creative. They do get better with each movie for sure. but I think they're fun, but they're definitely over the top. Yeah. Oh, this is a fun fact I didn't include, but I did read it, so I'm going to share it anyways.
00:05:59
Speaker
Apparently, the way that they described like you know behind the scenes while they were building the movie, the way they described the look of the island was dirty candy.
00:06:10
Speaker
Which I think just makes so much sense. It does. It's place used to be sweet but is now covered in dirt. Like physically, symbolically. You know, I like that. I like that a lot, actually.
Plot Overview and Character Development
00:06:22
Speaker
Me And yeah it's kind of, it's in their costumes, too. And, like, everything you see is very bright and colorful.
00:06:27
Speaker
But it's, like, kind of dirty. Yeah. Yeah. So fun. Yeah. Okay. Tell us about what happened in the movie. For sure. So get ready for this fairytale mashup, y'all.
00:06:39
Speaker
So Belle and Beast got married and are now the rulers of a land called Ordon. The kingdom is thriving. Everyone's happy, in part because they banished all of the villains to the Isle of the Lost, where there's a magical barrier so that the said villains can't escape or use any magic.
00:06:56
Speaker
Belle and Beast have a son, Ben, who is about to be crowned king, And he's decided that his very first proclamation is going to be to give the villains kids, which are called the VKs, um a chance to integrate into Auradon, kind of like as an experiment.
00:07:11
Speaker
um He suggests that they start with these four, Mal, the daughter of Maleficent, Evie, the daughter of the evil queen from Snow White, Jay, the son of Jafar, and Carlos, the son of Cruella de Vil. Can I just pause you right there?
00:07:24
Speaker
I don't understand why he chose these four or if he like knew ahead of time that they all were friends or like, I don't know if they all live together. what a weird coincidence or maybe it wasn't that he chose these four.
00:07:38
Speaker
it You make an excellent point. He is very particular about wanting these four and there's no explanation as to why. And they're like the four villains that have the really big monuments in the museum.
00:07:52
Speaker
And I'm like, you'd think Ursula would be in there, a scar or something, but like Cruella and Jafar, they just seem like on a bit of a different level. I don't know. And the fact that these four like are ready friends like apparently there's a prequel book that goes into his decision-making about why these four.
00:08:09
Speaker
Oh, it's a whole thing. Ben had some dream where he saw a vision of a girl like Mal And Mal had a dream about a vision of a boy like Ben. And so it was a whole thing. And that's why when they meet for the first time, he looks like he recognizes her because he does from the dream. But none of this is ever talked about in the movie. Yeah, no, definitely not. And I don't know if the book was written later. Yeah, we better go read this book. I'm actually real curious now.
00:08:32
Speaker
Yeah. I just wanted to throw it out there, though. Like, why these four so interesting? And why are they like the top villains? Because even the parents kind of seem like, oh, Cruella's not bad. Okay, whatever. Sure. Like, oh, Jafar, like, sure, sure. And then they're like, oh, evil queen, we're getting bad.
00:08:46
Speaker
And then Maleficent, they're like, no, the worst. Yeah. yeah And so I'm like, clearly there is like a progression here. Yeah. But they're the ones with the statues. I don't know. I don't know.
00:08:57
Speaker
Keep going. Sorry. So Maleficent sees this opportunity of them being sent to Auradon as a great chance to gain power. And she orders Mal and her friends to steal the fairy godmother's magic wand so that she can break the barrier between the isle and Auradon, therefore allowing the villains to take over.
00:09:16
Speaker
At Auradon Prep, the four meet Ben and his girlfriend Audrey, who happens to be Sleeping Beauty's daughter. Obviously, she has some beef with Mal because of their mom's history together. um Initially, the VKs are pretty focused on their mission to get the wand. They try, they fail to get it, but then they learn that they can just wait until Ben's coronation to grab it.
00:09:38
Speaker
So the waiting game until then begins. As they spend more time at the school, they start to enjoy their new lives. You know, Evie has some boy trouble, but it gets resolved pretty quickly. She starts to learn the value of her brains and her talent over her looks.
00:09:53
Speaker
Jay gets recruited to the school's tourney team, which is like their sport that's kind of like football and lacrosse crossover. um And he just thrives as an athlete. Carlos has been taught his whole life to fear dogs, but he got over that fear and has befriended the school's mangy little mutt named Dude.
00:10:11
Speaker
So cute. Yes. Mal is also gaining popularity as she uses her mother's spellbook to do some makeovers on some of the other girls. Jane, the fairy godmother's daughter, in particular really appreciates the change because her own mother won't use her transformation magic on her, which is something that Jane is super bitter her about.
00:10:31
Speaker
Ben's coronation is coming and Mal learns that Ben's girlfriend will be the only one close enough to grab the wand during the ceremony. So she decides In a brilliant turn of events, that she's going to use a love potion and win over Ben so that he'll date her instead of Audrey.
00:10:49
Speaker
And it works. He falls madly in love with her and gives a very enthusiastic and hip thrusty dance number in front of basically the whole squad. The best.
00:11:00
Speaker
It makes me like... giggle like i cant i can't watch that that number without like losing my mind i think it's so fun and so cheesy and just like makes me giggle like a little girl it's the song i think that reminds me the most of high school musical in its vibe yes yes it honestly might be my favorite it's so funny it's not i can't say it's good it's so funny it's enjoyable to watch I'm not going to say it's good either, but I love it.
00:11:33
Speaker
Yes, yes. So then there's some romance, some conflicted feelings from all of the VKs about whether or not they want to continue with their parents' plans for their lives. There's some continued drama where the kids are bullying the villain kids.
00:11:48
Speaker
But Ben promises that everything is going to be okay once the coronation is over. Right before the coronation, Mal gives Ben a brownie with the love spells antidote. As it turns out, that was unnecessary because the spell was broken a while ago and fe just didn't tell her.
00:12:05
Speaker
um He thought that she did it because she really liked him and was worried that a relationship between them wouldn't happen on its own. And to her surprise, Ben says that he has actually genuinely had feelings for her all along.
00:12:17
Speaker
So yay. Works out great for her. not so much for Audrey. Yeah, I know. Honestly. During the ceremony, before Mal can even act and grab the magic wand, Jane, the fairy godmother's daughter, grabs the wand and accidentally damages the Isles barrier.
00:12:33
Speaker
Mal is able to grab it from her, but she decides, you know, she doesn't want to be evil. She wants to be good. She abandons the plan, but it's too late. Her mother shows up.
00:12:45
Speaker
Maleficent, case you forgot, causes a whole scene. Ultimately, Mal is able to use a counterspell and turn Maleficent the dragon into a lizard, ah her size reflecting the amount of love in her heart.
00:12:56
Speaker
The VKs and everyone else fully embrace their new lives in Auradon and they party throughout the night in one of the best songs of the movie. But it ends with Mal telling us that this isn't the end of the story and we have more to look forward to.
00:13:11
Speaker
In the three sequels
Personal Anecdotes and Themes of Morality
00:13:13
Speaker
and counting of this franchise. What's my name? What's my name? I can't wait for the sentence two. It's my favorite one. well With Hook and his raw sexual energy.
00:13:23
Speaker
Oh, I can't wait. We should just do them all except for four. Just right in a row. And that's that's Descendants, y'all. ah It's so good. I really genuinely, even though the second one is my favorite by Leaps and Bounds, this first one makes me so happy. And when I knew i got to watch it this week while ill, I was like, I couldn't have a better present.
00:13:43
Speaker
This is awesome. Yes, I totally agree. This movie is like everything. It just brings me so much joy for like, it's a movie that like, as you watch it, you're just like, i I don't even care that it's a little like the tiniest bit cringy.
00:13:59
Speaker
I don't even care that like, this is a child's movie. I'm having the best time. Yes, and that is exactly what I felt the first time I watched it. There was just some kind of cosmic energy that clicked in my soul with this movie, and I was like, they just did it really right. They did. And I have a huge victory to announce to everyone.
00:14:19
Speaker
Okay. In the past, my husband, Nick, has shared that he despises this movie above all others, and despite watching every other DCOM that we have had to suffer through, like Frenemies, which I'll come back to that in just a moment, um...
00:14:34
Speaker
He's watched all of those, no problem. But this one, for some reason, he will never sit down and watch with me. It has to be like a me night if I want to watch my Descendants movies. Well, this time around, I was like, dude, it's podcast week.
00:14:46
Speaker
Like, you have to watch it because that's what do. We watch them together. so he watched it and he said... It was better this time. I don't know why, but I liked it slightly more.
00:14:59
Speaker
I was like, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. That's a victory. Yep, that's a victory. No, I said I'd come back to Frenemies and it's time just because I want to throw a jab at Frenemies and say this, this is how you do a narrator with an iPad correctly.
00:15:16
Speaker
That's all I had to say. knew you were going to bring that up. Literally my only comment. There were um a handful of reviews that did mention the iPad.
00:15:28
Speaker
not Not positively. I'm not saying it's a great idea. I'm saying it's better than how they did it in front of me. Yes. Agreed. Agreed. All right, dude. Should we should we discuss?
00:15:39
Speaker
I think we already are. Yeah. So let's talk about, I think, like the big bridge of this movie, which is like the evolution of the fours the four main villains' friendship.
00:15:51
Speaker
At first I thought you meant the actual large bridge. Let's talk about the bridge. was like, it's pretty. Yeah, so it's a nice bridge. Okay, the four main characters, their arc.
00:16:05
Speaker
Yeah, I think they grow as friends throughout this movie. And it's just like, what really makes this movie work is their relationship to each other. Yeah, this was my first pass noticing that they're really not that close before they go to Ardon. They know each other. Yeah, their parents are friends.
00:16:24
Speaker
Yeah, so I was kind of impressed by that because you really do believe by the end that they are all in it together. Yeah, and I love that. And I feel like that that is what makes this a franchise that works, like into multiple movies and series and everything. It's the relationship between the four of them.
00:16:42
Speaker
Yeah. A particular character that I think highlights this point is Carlos because he is so sweet. And at the beginning, especially, no one notices his efforts. And by the end, they really do. And they come to value him so much. And in the second movie, he has a huge role in the gang. like He's the computer genius. He does all the things. So I think the way they treat him- And even Mal and Evie, like their sisterhood grows yeah and they just are like looking out for one another. They really care about each other. It's beautiful.
00:17:13
Speaker
It is beautiful. And i I feel like in a typical team dynamic, you know, each person brings their strengths, but it kind of feels like in this movie, they have to discover what their strengths are and discover them all at the same time. And because of that, they become a stronger team, you know?
00:17:31
Speaker
Yes, I love that. I also appreciate that there's never romantic tension among the main four. Correct. I love that. Because boys and girls can just be friends.
00:17:43
Speaker
Yeah, and it allows for them to always stay this group of friends. There's not going to be drama and picking sides. Yeah. It's so good. And I think like the reason that they start together is out of fear. like They're kind of just like unaware that they could just say no.
00:18:01
Speaker
And Auradon would protect them. you know um like Even Ben is like, oh, they can't reach you here. Your parents can't get here. But they're so fearful of their parents that it glues them. It's that familial abuse, right?
00:18:16
Speaker
It's childhood they can't They don't think they have the power to escape. ah Right. And so throughout the course of the movie, you're seeing them grow as a group dynamic that have all overcome their individual traumas with each of their parents.
00:18:30
Speaker
And then like together, they make each other stronger and they realize that they can all make this choice for good. And their friendship becomes about that and choosing good together and overcoming ah trauma. Mm-hmm.
00:18:41
Speaker
Instead of being bonded by the trauma and the fear. It's very powerful. It's incredibly powerful. And I also think its it's reflective of what Ben is going through too. Because yes, his parents seem like wonderful people, but they put so much pressure and expectation on him.
00:18:58
Speaker
In like the exact same way that all the VKs, like their parents put all this expectation on them, specifically Mal and Maleficent. And I feel like that, whether they know it or not, is something that brings Ben and Mal together is because they actually have very similar stories.
00:19:15
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, she's kind of like in charge of the aisle to begin with. Right. People look up to her and and see her as a leader. Right. and it's not necessarily something she ever asked for or ever says she wants.
00:19:29
Speaker
Yeah, I really do love this. i haven't really thought about it before. um transitioning kind of slightly sideways. I also think a huge theme in this movie is that not all evil is evil and not all good is good. Because so many of the Auradon kids, like Chad and Audrey, are just the worst.
00:19:49
Speaker
And then these kids from the aisle are really just the sweetest and they've just had this terrible upbringing. um And to an extent, I was going to say that doesn't apply to the parents. Like for the parents, evil really is evil.
00:20:02
Speaker
But I think mal Being the complex character that she is at the end kind of helps us as the audience realize her mother was also a victim because she has this one line and it's so powerful when she says, you know, ah love isn't weak.
00:20:16
Speaker
Because Maleficent says to her, like, I've had years and years of practice of being evil. You'll get there. And she says, no, I won't. And I really wish that you hadn't either. And it's like you can see Mal's heart is like, I see that you were also a victim. And that's how you got here.
00:20:31
Speaker
Yeah. it's It's how we we react to our circumstances, right? And i think it's somehow this Silly Little DCOM is a really, really good case study about why therapy and community are important, about having to talk about what you have gone through, things that have disappointed you or hurt you, so that you can understand that that doesn't need to define you.
00:21:01
Speaker
And I mean, these kids had every excuse to be awful, and they chose not to be. they're They're treated horribly, right? Like, This is something else I want to talk about too. It's like Auradon's society claims to be so good and perfect, but they exiled all of the villains and their children without considering if the kids deserve to be punished.
00:21:28
Speaker
They're massively discriminating against a large chunk of people because I don't think the aisle is very small. like That doesn't seem like a small island. No. like People are strangers to each other on that island. That means there's more people than like just a neighborhood, right?
00:21:45
Speaker
And they've decided that the best way to get rid of whatever is wrong in their area is to just exile and segregate everyone that doesn't fit their perfect idea of what perfect is.
Societal Critique and Dance Choreography
00:22:03
Speaker
Yeah, they're kind of horrible. Like I said, they don't have it all together. And then they really mistreat the kids when they do finally show up. They do because they've taught their children to also discriminate. They've taught their children to be biased.
00:22:18
Speaker
Not all of them, but a lot of them, especially the ones that have power. Yes, which is a major issue, right? And I think that something that is nice about the Descendants franchise is, yes, that's addressed in this first one, but I think as we go into the later movies, it's addressed even better.
00:22:36
Speaker
Oh, yeah. It's not like they just fix it overnight. Like, oh, now we've accepted you and we accept everyone. And they grow in this understanding of the nuances of what's acceptable and what's not and- how much do you actually have to change about yourself that comes into the second one to be accepted here and you know like even in the second one with uma um i don't want to get too far ahead of myself but she ends up not being remorseful for a while and and not changing anything and she is kind of evil and they're like there is reason to keep boundaries up with her you know but they shouldn't have immediately assumed that in this movie about these four kids
00:23:14
Speaker
Yeah, and immediately assuming that someone one is going to be, quote, evil or bad or whatever, that sometimes leads people to be what you expect them to be. Yeah, and that's kind of what starts to happen with Mal.
00:23:30
Speaker
She's like kind of starting to soften, and then they get all mad at her at the tea party or whatever. And all four of them are like, wow, I'm really excited to steal the wand and ruin these people's lives now.
00:23:41
Speaker
Exactly. And they did not feel that way the day before. I know.
00:23:47
Speaker
we went heavy fast. Yeah. It's so funny. This tiny, adorable, wonderful, delightful, cheesy little decom is actually so deep.
00:23:57
Speaker
I think that's at the heart of why it's so good. agree. Because it it's always best when there's a really good theme that's just wrapped in leather and great songs. Yeah. And can you take a choreography?
00:24:10
Speaker
Speaking of which I just wanted to point out The thriller influence In the song Rotten to the Core Makes me so happy every time Yes I i did note that It's just so good.
00:24:24
Speaker
Before we move on, I do just have to say one last discussion point that like the choreography in this movie is top notch. And I don't think people respect it enough.
00:24:37
Speaker
Like, I agree. You got all these TikTok dances. Like if TikTok was around when Descendants came out, everyone would be doing these dances. I will die on this hill. If TikTok had been around when I was like between 10 and 15, I would have been an influencer because I learned all the dances to Camp Rock and High School Musical.
00:24:56
Speaker
And it's just like... Useless knowledge. What'd you do with it We're just in our basements figuring it out with our little screen. You had to actually use your finger to go backwards. like It was the whole thing. and like We learned these dances the hard way and now people are just doing the same thing. They're just learning to dance in their basement. They post it online. They make millions. I'm like, what? what I was born in the wrong time.
00:25:19
Speaker
was born in the wrong generation. Seriously. I'm so good at dancing from movies, from Disney Channel movies. ah But yeah, the choreography is phenomenal.
00:25:30
Speaker
And you're right. It's completely underrated. People don't give it any credit. And it's I mean, it's better than High School Musical's choreography in terms of like um technique. Yeah. It's like real, real dancing. It pains me to say that to my favorite.
00:25:44
Speaker
But yes, correct. I'm not saying it gives us the same feels. I'm saying like technically they're better dancers. Yes. Yes. Do you want to know what the rest of the world thought?
00:25:54
Speaker
Yeah, tell me. They better have liked it. So just so everyone knows, we always head to Rotten Tomatoes in order to look at what the whole world thought of the movie. The tomato meter is what the critics thought. The audience rating slash popcorn meter, that is what the audience, the general public thought of the movie.
00:26:13
Speaker
So the tomato meter, the critics, this is a delightful number. 90%. ninety percent Yes. Oh my gosh. Yes. Good. Put some respect on it. They did. Yes.
00:26:25
Speaker
However, audience rating, not the greatest, but not, not terrible. It's 68%. No, ah that's way too low. Okay. Yeah. There are definitely some haters out there who came out of the woodwork to skew that.
00:26:40
Speaker
I have no words. Let's see what the critics said, okay? So, obviously, this is a um later DCOM. This was, what, 2015? Is that what you just said?
00:26:51
Speaker
So, some of the bigger hitters came out and gave their opinions. So, this is what Variety said. The movie boasts a stronger, more assured story than most of the recent youth-oriented live-action musicals Disney has offered, with plenty of brightly covered bells and whistles, as well as songs that range from Broadway to rap.
00:27:09
Speaker
Wow. I mean, great. Yeah. True. This next one said, um thanks to winning performances by Dove Cameron, Kristen Chenoweth, and others, it's a flick that the whole family can sit down and enjoy.
00:27:22
Speaker
And I agree with them. I think the performances make this movie. Yes, I agree as well. And then Entertainment Weekly said, Descendants moves quickly through its two-hour-long running time, builds momentum off a handful of peppy tunes, and delivers a colorful confection that's sure to impress the younger crowd.
00:27:40
Speaker
All great. love the critics today. Listen, all the critics were very complimentary. And the only things they said that were bad were mainly like, yeah, it reads like a DCOM. Because it is one.
00:27:51
Speaker
That's not bad. That's just the truth. I don't want to hear these audience members, though. I'm not looking forward to their thoughts. So most of the negative ones were like... This is cringy. This is the worst movie I've ever seen. i hate this movie. Okay, so 10-year-olds that were given a computer too soon. Exactly. So it was really people who, like, didn't put good thought into their reviews. They just wanted to be haters.
00:28:14
Speaker
So I mainly have good reviews to speak of. And I do just want to point out before I read these, this movie has, like, a thousand written reviews, which is, like, way more than I've seen for any other movie. So a lot of people have That's great.
00:28:31
Speaker
Thanks for reading each one individually and choosing the best ones. You know, I probably read about a hundred. Like I did skim through a lot. That's pretty good, actually. Yeah, it took it took a lot of time.
00:28:42
Speaker
Anyway, so here we got some good ones first off. So this person said, Descendants was my childhood movie. It has and always will be my everything. These characters are fun. Costume designs are flattering for each character's personality.
00:28:57
Speaker
And the songs are absolutely the ones that get stuck in your head after watching. I love that. Specifically, I love the note that the costumes are flattering for each person because that's so true, which is not always the case with leather suits.
00:29:10
Speaker
But they're like so specific to the characters and I love that. Yes. Good. This next person said, i liked the concept of the villains having children. As a Disney fan, nothing better than characters from different movies hanging out with each other. It's every fan's imagination coming to life.
00:29:28
Speaker
And freaking love that. So accurate. I love that they never address in this film, like obviously these single parents were married to and or had kids with.
00:29:40
Speaker
Someone else on that island. And you're just left to wonder about it for a while. And it doesn't come up to like, don't know, the third movie. I love it. It's so fun. Okay, this next person said, a cheesy and lighthearted musical that's decent at best.
00:29:55
Speaker
Descendants has all the ingredients to be a phenomenal movie, but suffers from sloppy writing and rushed development. The biggest praise I can give is its cast. The leads have some great chemistry and they're a joy to watch.
00:30:07
Speaker
While they can be a little too over the top sometimes, it never gets on your nerves too much. They feel like actual best friends and that's without a doubt the most important thing to get right with a high school movie.
00:30:19
Speaker
I was going to start nasty and be like, your writing's bad, but actually I think by the end I agree with almost everything they said. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't necessarily call it sloppy writing. i will say, you know, it's not going to win any Oscars for writing, but I don't think it's the worst.
00:30:35
Speaker
It's not. It's very cohesive. And it's like, it's not always predictable. ah The first time I watched it, i had no idea that Ben was past the love potion. I know. And that really, like, that gets you.
00:30:47
Speaker
and that scene when they're in the carriage and he eats the brownie, it's actually so freaking cute. We didn't discuss this. Ben is adorable. I love him and their chemistry. Did you know he's Australian?
00:31:00
Speaker
I did not, but that just made him 10 times more attractive. But like, yeah, him and Mal, that romance is so cute. Like so cute. I genuinely love it.
00:31:12
Speaker
They're so innocent and precious. Yes. Okay. Last audience rating. um This was just too good not to include. This person just wrote, the true villain of this franchise is whoever greenlit this movie.
00:31:28
Speaker
Well, somebody had a strong opinion. they They had a very strong opinion. They gave it a half star, but I just thought that was too funny not to include. So that's what everyone thought of this movie. Wow.
00:31:39
Speaker
All right, guys. I love it. Five stars from me. Five stars from me as well. Good. All right, Gabby, where are they now? I'm not going to lie to you, Natalie. This isn't going to take very long.
00:31:50
Speaker
ah They haven't gone too many places. And they're also it hasn't been that long. Like it's been the almost a decade since it came out. And they were all pretty young when it came out. But regardless, here we go.
00:32:03
Speaker
Let's do it. i just want to start out by saying that all four of the main casts continued on to appear in sentenceants two and three but then none of them appeared in descendants for and they've all been in just ah thousand other descendants related projects throughout the years so we're just going to put that out there and not mention it again now you know how we always talk about how my where are they now so so Well, yes I was dreading the day that we had to do this. Where are they now? Because I have the joy, privilege, and sadness to talk about Cameron Boyce.
Tribute to Cameron Boyce and Cast Updates
00:32:32
Speaker
So, of course, i have to bring him up first. Cameron Boyce played Carlos, son of Cruella de Vil.
00:32:37
Speaker
He unfortunately died in his sleep in 2019 at 20 years old of a sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. So he had a seizure in his sleep and passed away.
00:32:48
Speaker
um Which is just tragic. He had unlimited potential as a dancer, an actor, a philanthropist, and it just as a bright light in the world. Yeah. And so many like actors, both of this franchise and a bunch of other Disney ones, have said that he was like an incredible person. And like every year on the anniversary of his death, we'll post about it. So like very clearly he had an impact on people personally, too.
00:33:14
Speaker
He really did. And actually, it's funny you mentioned that. His death led to the opening of the Cameron Boyce Foundation, which honors his legacy by aiming to cure epilepsy through funding research, education, and awareness campaigns and supporting causes that were important to Cameron because he did a ton of work ah in his lifetime. In his short lifetime, like he really did a lot for the world.
00:33:35
Speaker
And the rest of the Descendants cast reunite annually for the Cameron Boyce Foundation Gala, and they all get together and kind of honor his memory together. And that's incredibly sweet. I love that. And I think that's a big reason why none of them came back for the fourth one because he died, i think, right before the third one came out.
00:33:52
Speaker
I think that's right. That sounds familiar to me. Yeah. Yeah, so he finished filming it and died shortly after. i think the third one is dedicated to him. There was like a whole little montage they did of him when it released on the Disney Channel.
00:34:03
Speaker
And I'm pretty sure that's why none of them came back. But something interesting to note is that they do mention him and his character in the fourth movie. And I'll leave the details for when we watch that.
00:34:14
Speaker
But he doesn't go away completely. He's not in it. None of them are. But he's mentioned. So that's pretty cool. Okay. Okay. Moving on to happier things, Sophia Carson. She has continued acting steadily, though she's not done anything that like super jumped out to me on the IMDb page, but I mean, she's acting.
00:34:32
Speaker
In 2016, she signed to Hollywood Records and released her debut solo single, Love is the Name. So she's continued with music. In March of 2022, she released her debut studio album of her own name, Sophia Carson, and she got the chance to perform with Diane Warren at the 2023 Academy Awards, where their ballad Applause from the movie Tell It Like a Woman was nominated for Best Original Song.
00:34:59
Speaker
So that's what she's up to. go, girl. Yeah. Good for her. Then we have Dove Cameron. So she went on, other than the Descendants films, to play Amber in Hairspray Live in 2016.
00:35:13
Speaker
And I know she did a fantastic job in that. She did. I did not love that production, but she was very fun. I've seen a lot of TikToks of her in that show.
00:35:24
Speaker
Before and during the filming of Descendants, she was playing both Liv and Maddie in the Disney show Liv and Maddie. That's kind of where she got her fame originally, but Descendants just really blew her up.
00:35:35
Speaker
ah She was Ruby in the show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., a reoccurring character in that. Wait, what? She was? Yes. Now I need to rewatch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I don't remember her in that at all.
00:35:46
Speaker
ah Apparently she was in six episodes. Interesting. Yeah. And then most recently, she was Betsy McDonough. I think that's how you say that. On the musical TV show Shmigadoon. I can't say that word.
00:36:05
Speaker
Shmigadoon. Yes, which also a weird show, but she was delightful in. Really? Yes. If you're musical fan, you should watch that show.
00:36:16
Speaker
Okay, good to know. Yeah, I thought that was kind of interesting. ah She has also continued in her musical career, possibly even more than acting. So in 2023, she released her debut studio album, Alchemical Volume 1, which was preceded by the single Boyfriend, which received critical success and reached number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100. And her musical career has just thrived since then. At some point in the past, she had a band with an ex-boyfriend. That was a whole thing, but...
00:36:45
Speaker
that ended with the relationship. So yeah, but she's, she's also doing well. Like they're, they're kind of just all still working, you know, they're all still pretty young. I know she was also in, um, the off Broadway production of Clueless, the musical where she played like the main I saw that Wikipedia. Yeah.
00:37:02
Speaker
And um honestly, I would love to see her on Broadway. So maybe someday we can make that happen. um Some Broadway producers, if you could get Dove Cameron up on Broadway, that'd be great. But funny enough, believe it or not, I saved the most interesting for last, who is Boo Stewart.
00:37:17
Speaker
Oh, yeah. i know ah i know a little bit about this guy. Okay, I didn't put everything he's done, but like, what a guy. Did you know he was Seth in the Twilight movies?
00:37:27
Speaker
I sure do. He was a wee little baby in those Twilight movies. He was. I didn't recognize him at all. And then he's Warpath in X-Men Days of Future Past, which is fun.
00:37:40
Speaker
Listen, this kid's been around. Oh, yeah. He had way more credits like before Descendants than any of the other cast did. Heck, that kind of cool. He has continued acting steadily through the years up until about 2022.
00:37:53
Speaker
After that, he only has one TV credit. He's in 31 episodes of the show Good Trouble, which is cute because it's alongside Maya Mitchell, who we just saw last week in Teen Beach Movie.
00:38:04
Speaker
Oh, cute. Yeah. haven't seen the show. I don't know if they're like in it together, but like they're both in the show. Interesting. All right. Yeah. Yeah. So maybe one reason he's not doing a ton of acting is because since 2018, Boo Boo's been a member of the Los Angeles based boy band, That Band Honey.
00:38:23
Speaker
And they tour all over. They're on Instagram. Check them out. Yeah. I did not know he was in a boy band. That makes so much sense somehow.
00:38:34
Speaker
Right? I was like, why isn't he acting as much anymore? And then i was like, oh, he's touring with his band. Cool. Okay, I have to look up a picture of this band now. It's so like, it's like black and white drama. Like, i am surprised they don't have, like, emo haircuts and tattoos.
00:38:52
Speaker
Oh, my goodness. It's very grungy looking. Oh, I love it. Oh, his hair is still luscious. Well, in some pictures it's buzzed, so I don't know what his current hairstyle is.
00:39:03
Speaker
You know what? I'm going to say it. He somehow got very, very attractive. Yeah, he turned out all right. Well, get this. There's one more fact about him. ok He is also an extremely talented mixed media artist, and he will occasionally lend his artistic talents to fundraisers for nonprofit organizations.
00:39:23
Speaker
He does sketches. He did something recently with plaster. And sometimes he'll just like do live drawings like in New York or whatever for a fundraiser and people can watch him draw art live. He's so good. the heck?
00:39:37
Speaker
Okay, Boo Boo, I see you. Check out his Instagram. Very multi-talented man. love that. So, I mean, good for these people. They're all doing great, except for poor Cameron. We're very sad about him. But everyone else turned out great. yeah No one's in jail yet.
00:39:49
Speaker
It's just a refreshing episode. And, guys, I tried looking up – what's his name? Mitchell. ah Prince Ben. Yeah, he's not doing anything. Like, he's just living in Australia being a guy.
00:40:00
Speaker
don't know. And you know what? He made enough money where he can do that now. He's literally not doing anything. I do know that Ben and Chad are still bros because I see them on TikTok all the time.
00:40:13
Speaker
Oh, I've seen that with the song about, like, I'm just a kid. oh it's so good. So fun. Oh, Gabby. Good times. I had a blast with this movie. Me too. I could literally watch this like on repeat, actually.
00:40:26
Speaker
Okay, it is time to pick out which DCOM we are watching next week.
Upcoming Episode Announcement and Closing Remarks
00:40:31
Speaker
So if you didn't know, Gabby and I have a massive list of every DCOM ever made. And every single week we use this random selector to tell us what we will be watching next.
00:40:41
Speaker
However... This week, a friend of mine is in town, a friend of me and Gabby's mutually, and I had her pick a number and I went with whatever she picked on our list.
00:40:52
Speaker
So I actually- Oh, that's I know. Shout out to Emma. Emma picked this movie. She didn't know she was picking it. She just picked a number. um But Gabby, next week, we are watching Rip Girls from 2000. What the heck is that?
00:41:07
Speaker
It's a movie about Hawaii and surfing, and that's all I know. o Ooh, that sounds interesting. I bet Nick is going to be very excited because he keeps saying the surfing one.
00:41:18
Speaker
And I don't know if that's what he means, but. No, he's probably talking about Johnny Tsunami. Different movie. Probably that's it, yes. So Rip Girls, that's what we're watching this week. I'm actually really excited. too. Because I Googled it to see if it was like a real thing because I'd never heard of it.
00:41:33
Speaker
And people like it, yeah. We shall see. Okay. I'm actually kind of excited to go back to 2000. I think it's time. We've been in the modern era for a bit. We're into the 2000. 2000. Somebody got me the other day because they were like, can you believe we're going to live through year 3000 like 75 years? And was like, gosh, can't wait.
00:41:54
Speaker
ah gosh i
00:41:57
Speaker
Not even kind of close. Oh, on that note, everyone. We will see you next week. Thanks for hanging out with us. Bye. Bye. Thank you all so much for listening to this episode of Once Upon a DCOM. Like what you just heard? Leave us a rating and review. We'd love to hear your thoughts.
00:42:16
Speaker
Also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at onceuponadcom.podcast and share this podcast with your Disney-loving friends. A big thanks to Gabby for editing this whole podcast together. Thanks, friend.
00:42:26
Speaker
And don't forget to subscribe because there's always a new episode on the way. This is Gabriela. And Natalie. Signing off with a sprinkle of pixie dust. And a whole lot of nostalgia.