Descendants 3: A Final Wicked Tale

By starrymag | August 10, 2019

By: Dustin Bradley

 

 

Disney Channel’s hit franchise Descendants released its third and final movie on Friday, August 2, 2019. This final chapter, which is dedicated to our Carlos (Cameron Boyce) who died suddenly last month in his sleep due to a battle with epilepsy, gave us what most fans wanted and more! 

 

The Plot

 

We begin our story with our villain kids Mal (Dove Cameron), Evie (Sophia Carson), Carlos (Cameron Boyce) and Jay (Booboo Stewart) traveling to the Isle of the Lost where they select four new of their kind to come to Auradon. All is going well until an old face resurfaces to steal the queen’ crown and Maleficent’s scepter. This thief also starts putting Auradon under sleeping spells and turns the residents into stone. It’s up to Mal and her friends, including Uma (China Anne McClain) and her pirate gang Harry (Thomas Doherty) and Gil (Dylan Playfair), to save King Ben (Mitchell Hope) and all of Auradon. And the only thing to stop the scepter is Hades’ Ember, which is in the hands of Mal’s father (Cheyenne Jackson).

 

The script, once again written by Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott, is quirky and funny yet strikes a real emotional chord. This time around you can tell that they really collaborated with not only the cast but with Melissa De La Cruz, who writes the Isle of the Lost book series. This movie tied in elements from the book series and various other media connected to this universe. You can tell that everyone involved had the most fun making this final movie the best way to end this film series.

 

The Characters and Relationships

 

One of the best things about this series is it’s cast and characters. And with this final film we got to see everyone we love and got introduced to new characters that we wish we had more time with, not to mention the development we got for a ton of relationships. Let’s start with some favorites of the returning cast. 

 

The core VKs Cameron, Carson, Boyce and Stewart clearly know these characters after three movies and a digital series. They inhabit these individuals with such grace and complexities and really ground them in reality. This movie the two standouts were really Dove Cameron and Cameron Boyce. Dove played the emotional vulnerability with such dignity of a girl who has already lost her mother and has difficulties with her father due to the fact that he wasn’t ever around. Her journey not only with Hades but with her friends and readjusting to becoming queen is honestly magical to watch. 

 

And then Cameron Boyce, in his final Disney Channel performance, gives us a portrayal that shows us everything that was good about this young man. His bright and beautiful smile, his joyous energy and infectious laughter, all just makes us really understand that his loss is so profound and difficult because he was such a bright star. The cast and crew have been paying tribute to him on social media since the news broke and Disney Channel decided to do something special to honor to him before and after the movie. The very ending of the film had a tribute reel that had me and many others in tears from the first frame. Cameron leaves behind a legacy that will not be forgotten, including the newly created The Cameron Boyce Foundation started by his family and co-stars that continues his philanthropy. Rest In Peace Cameron Boyce. You will never be forgotten.

 

Newcomers to the franchise that really stand out include Cheyenne Jackson as Hades, Jadah Marie as Celia (the daughter of Dr. Facilier) and Jamal Sims as Dr. Facilier. Jackson is a rock star as Hades and you can totally see him and Kristen Chenoweth’s Maleficent having Mal as a daughter. He brings some wickedly good energy to the role and found a way to pay homage to James Woods’ version of the character in the cartoon but still make it his own. Marie as Celia is someone you think is going to be playing the villain kids and truly helping out the bad guys, but surprisingly not at all! She is a genuine little girl who just wants her and her father to have a better life than the one they have on the Isle. Sims as Dr. Facilier really is a great performance as well, even if it is only for one scene or two. He shined enough that I remembered him. 

 

And, finally, we have the relationships! Mal and Ben are still going steady and even end up getting engaged, which is crazy considering at one point Mal cast a love spell on him. Evie and Doug (Zachary Gibson) don’t make anything official until this movie, but are as cute as ever. Carlos and Jane (Brenna D’Amico) are the sweetest! “Jarlos” had some really adorable moments together and it was just really wonderful to watch. 

 

The Music

 

As always the music was completely on point here! The soundtrack is as fun as ever and a few of them have been on repeat. My favorite tracks are “Queen of Mean” and “Do What You Gotta Do.” 

 

This movie had more dance and rock tracks than ever before (thanks director Kenny Ortega). The first movie had a bit more Broadway and the second had a bit more hip- hop, but this one was almost all dance, rock and pop. The music and choreography have always been a highlight of these films and this soundtrack as well as the previous two are just as amazing as the latest crops of Disney Channel Original Movies.

 

Music has been such an important part of Disney Channel movies for a very long time and they are very effective ways to tell stories. This series has really been fantastic at progressing the story of the residents of Auradon in such interesting ways that we desperately wish we had more time with these characters to hear more music from them. 

 

Descendants 3 is currently out on DVD and digital. The soundtrack is also available on CD and digital. Be sure to check it out!