Descendants: Musical Hell Review #51

[@gingergoddess8953]

Why the hell is that Ben kid inheriting a throne at age 16 when he has both parents alive and capable of ruling?!?!

[@colleen4ever]

I wondered that too. Why would they suddenly want to abdicate the throne?

[@Jezzikah287]

Watch Shark Jumping's review of Descendants. Tim brings up a good point near the end of the review about that could make sense.

[@saphiriathebluedragonknight375]

Now that you mention there was a Japaneses Shogun who united Japan and abdicated to his son after two years. By doing so he ensured his son would have a peaceful transition of power.

[@Dragoncurse4]

Because Disney proved long ago that it has no idea how a monarchy is supposed to work.

[@willlyon7129]

Not to mention that 16 year olds had to get married. Not because of love, but of status and lineage.

[@kaonreal]

"Malificent! She's the worst villain in all the land." They are forgetting my boi Frollo. They will burn in hell for their sins.

[@DayanaraDays]

Leaf 4, Frollo! Now there is a special kind of villian that's all too real!

[@austinreed7343]

Leaf 4 Scar, Shan Yu, Rourke, Sykes, Turbo, the Horned King, Percival C. McLeach, and the Coachman, too.

[@LordofFullmetal]

I would KILL to see Frollo's child in this series.

[@trixxsaurus2386]

Quite ironically, I might add.

[@oliviasneed6867]

yes thank you

[@TheQuickAsAFlash]

Fun fact, according to the book, Gaston has twin sons - both named Gaston.

[@symxttry623]

loracarol that sounds exactly what he'd do

[@jalapeno1119]

That's the most accurate thing in this entire series

[@JARED_SF]

So that means Gaston sleep with one of the blonde tripplets?.

[@sulsulii810]

Okay that's hilarious

[@aboocauldron5051]

@jeger nihighsa Saw it, was so pissed off.

[@michaelfox8466]

They turned Be Our Guest into a rap number........... What's next? A dubstep cover of Colors of the Wind?

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

Techno version of the title song for Beauty and the Beast? I'm trying hard to think of something worse.

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

Eamonn Deane Bingo! That sounds ghastly.

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

Eamonn Deane I second that!

[@YourObedientSandwichAHam]

A dubstep version of Bella Notte (from Lady & the Tramp?)

[@IdeaBox-dk5vj]

+Eamonn Deane Oh... Dear GOD, don't do this to yourself, Disney Channel!

[@kimberlyterasaki4843]

16:37 Ummm, pretty sure love spells are G-rated date rape drugs. I agree that they don't face the consequences of their actions, but I also feel the severity of their actions is downplayed here.

[@embroideredragdoll]

Kimberly Terasaki I was thinking that

[@LordofFullmetal]

Right? At least Harry Potter makes it suitably horrifying (a child born under the influence of one is incapable of feeling real love; this is literally how Voldemort a.k.a. Wizard Hitler was born), makes a love potion the reason the world is almost destroyed and enslaved, and makes you realise it's NOT a good idea. This movie totally downplays what's essentially drugging someone to a harmless prank. The last thing we need is for more young people to think drugging someone is harmless.

[@miraculouseveraftersforeve91]

@Swallowtail Drake Exactly! And in the books...Mal is kind of a brat! Loving (liking) Ben doesn't necessarily make her a good person....

[@mitchfletcher2386]

@@LordofFullmetal The idea of Hitler as a wizard sounds both terrifying and stupid at the same time. Like something a college student would write while under the influence.

[@miraculouseveraftersforeve91]

@Chatnoir 77888 phew! I thought it was just me! And I agree wholeheartedly! Especially with her being a hypocrite! Also in the books she's the reason Uma hates her! Cause she treated her like crap! I love Dove Cameron, but the character she plays, not so much! At least in Ever After High, (the books by Shannon Hale, also a web series!) The main character Raven Queen, was called out on being reckless and realized that,( in the books anyway!)

[@FloatingSpaceKitten]

I think Be Our Guest needs to have a blanket put around it, serve it hot chocolate, and rub its shoulder telling them it's gonna be okay. That's all we can do.

[@jeniferjoseph9200]

"They... THEY MADE ME RAP" "It's not your fault, Be Our Guest, it's not your fault, it was Disney trying to be cool-" "I THOUGHT I WAS COOL! MY MOVIE GOT A STANDING OVATION AT THE NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL FOR A ROUGH CUT! IT GOT AN OSCAR NOMINATION FOR BEST PICTURE, BEST PICTURE...." "Shhhh, shhhhhh, it's gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay. People will remember you. Not this. You."

[@missm8067]

This comment thread made me both laugh and cry at the same time.

[@Chocobo0Scribe]

"Here, have some noodle soup too, it'll help nourish you." "WHY JUST WHY!?" "Marketing is a harsh mistress, especially marketing that thinks it knows what the kids are into today." "I have a stage production that was one of the best on Broadway! My number had FIREWORKS!!" "Didn't get to see the fireworks at the showing I went to, but Beast had an epic set of pipes." "I understand remixes but....THIS!?" "It's gonna be okay, I'll always remember the one by Alan Menken. Now eat your soup, you'll feel better afterward."

[@missm8067]

+lru 😂😂😂

[@jesusrox4u]

Lol

[@martytardigrade8838]

This Maleficent has the charisma of a Power Rangers villain.

[@ArcherSlamBAM]

AAH, AFTER 10,000 YEARS, I'M FREE! TIME TO CONQUER EARTH!

[@crypticmrchimes]

That's exactly what I thought when I first saw her!

[@jeniferjoseph9200]

I mean... I kinda like Power Rangers villains. I mean, sure, it's not Maleficient, but it's still good.

[@boxorak]

At least Rita Repulsa was supposed to be hammy and ridiculous.

[@avalasialove]

satireknight Tinkerbell would be a good role. If Disney ever plans on making a live-action Sword in the Stone movie, I think she'd be great as Madame Mim.

[@Gwen1661]

The sad thing is that Ever After High, despite starting very basic with mostly stereotypical characters and just a decent narrative, because it was a cartoon (with some specials in the middle) the evolution of all the characters and their struggles feels more natural and believable. I'm not joking, EAH does the 'the legacy of your parents doesn't define you/you choose your own destiny' storyline better than this piece of garbage. I mean, yeah the episodes may only be 5 minutes long but, with how many there are, the characters had time to grow and the world building just kept going. Also, none of the kids are unlikable, all of them are relatable in some way or just fun to watch. Watching Descendants is just... sad. Because BEFORE knowing who the director would be I actually had some hopes. I mean, if Mattel could do it then so could Disney, especially since they have their own iconic characters. But as soon as the director was revealed I started to cry, knowing that it would be a musical and it would be stupid, childish, and nonsensical.

[@magicmousery8063]

Ro Saavedra Yep I would rather re watch Ever After High again than having to re watch Descendants heck I only watched the second one because of China playing Ursala's daughter. (Sorry if I bothered you with responding to a comment that was 10 months ago).

[@DustySprinkles]

One thing I hate about descendants is the character’s names. Like how creative do you have to be to derive Mal from “Maleficent ?” At least the characters from the show “Ever After High”, which has the same theme of kids of fairy tale characters, has names that take the smallest amount creativity.

[@ladyarcane4129]

I agree. Disney had so much material to work with. The fact that an online series of web-episodes designed to sell toy did it better (and first). Is very disappointing to me. After all they had to make the gory original tales child friendly before getting to the nextgen thing. Mattel also didn't break the first rule of world building; have a structure of government that makes sense and doesn't contradict itself. I spent hours trying to figure out the laws of government I broke and just gave up. The laws of magic don't work because it was never properly explained. Not even a passing comment about why, since magic is legal, there are no classes. Even the books for Ever After High and Highsc- ehh Descendents are vastly different. EAH books expand on the original story, expanding the world and how it works. Most importantly the books don't contradict the video content. On the other hand... Descendents books go completely against everything in the movies (both of them).

[@TommyDeonauthsArchives]

Wait... what? A web toon based off a Mattel Toyline that's spun off from Monster High (Not to be confused with Monster Hunter since it too is abbreviated as MH) has character depth and continuity? That can't be!

[@lenastorm6280]

EAH is so much better then this! The characters, the design, the development, the story.... EAH is even better with mixing midd ages-stuff with modern technologie!

[@collectingmythoughts991]

Not only did they make Belle and The Beast into boring, dorky run of the mill Disney sitcom parents, but destroyed one of the beloved songs from the film. I'm not a huge Beauty And The Beast fan, but still cringy to see that happen.

[@theladyfromplanetx2847]

Then they did that goddawful live action remake. I think Disney desperately wants to destroy Beauty and the Beast.

[@annaleepena2790]

Gonna have to respectfully disagree because I liked it.

[@ryanappleton3653]

This is where I lost respect for the movie.

[@Micho55]

they. used. sad. music. in. a. scene. about. cookies.

[@youtubesfavoriteidot7714]

Mysllaw M. COOKIES CRAPING COOKIES

[@depressedsnowman9344]

Cookie Monster is probably the only one that cried on that scene.

[@verdethestarwarrior1088]

Cookies need love like everything does

[@CeltycSparrow]

I just choked on my soda from laughing at this. lol I will say they used sad music in a scene about cookies TWICE. lol. You don't just get cookies when you're sad. lol

[@horrorboyhonorboy727]

Press F to pay respect to the cookies.

[@annietrinity1833]

Also, Dopey having a son has some just AWFUL implications; somebody should be punished for suggesting that alone.

[@blapis-blazuli]

I take that and raise you this: in one of the Descendants books, Frollo has a daughter. If that isn't wrong on so many levels, then I don't know what is.

[@austinreed7343]

Annie Trinity Maybe he’s a clone?

[@Plaugue1122]

@@blapis-blazuli you are fucking with us. You gotta be. That pos has a kid? How who? Why?

[@awesomesmileyguy]

@Zavven Sadein Rape, I suppose.

[@KanaidBlack]

If Goofy can have a child, why not Dopey?

[@1987MartinT]

My biggest gripe is the casting of the adult villains. The Evil Queen is supposed to be tall, regal, and domineering. Kathy Najimy is great actress, but she has none of the required traits. Jafar is a thin raspy-voiced conniving sorcerer, who occasionally breaks into fits of mad high-pitched laughter. He's not a chunky buffoonish street vendor of stolen goods. Cruella De Vil is a fabulous rich fashionista who is insanely obsessive about her vision and has a mean streak that's a mile wide. She's not a homeless looking henchwoman to the other villains. Maleficent is one of, if not THE, ultimate Disney villain. She is(as you brilliantly put it) a tall statuesque embodiment of all evil who strikes terror into the hearts of all who behold her. She need only appear before people to frighten them into silence. She is elegant and beautiful, but it's an unnerving beauty. She doesn't need to shout or scream or cackle, and rarely does since she possesses great self-control. And when she finally lets her emotions come to the surface it is as awe-inspiring as it is horrifying. This Dark Lady is the equal of any of the legendary Dark Lords out there, whether we're talking about Sauron, Voldemort, Darth Vader, Ganon, Darkseid, Dracula or any other. And this is how they chose to portray her?! As a smiling cackling oneliner spewing second grade bad guy(well, girl. You know what I mean)? Maleficent does not let herself be trapped by the amateur magic of the heroes! Maleficent does not mope on a couch with other villains! Maleficent does not sing!

[@austinreed7343]

1987MartinT Let’s imagine how villains like Xehanort, Thanos, and Loki would look. Xehanort’s bald and somewhat bony, Danny DeVito is the go-to choice!

[@tandnmom100]

Now, I can actually buy Jafar's situation as an example of the state he's been reduced to since being defeated by Aladdin; now *he's* scrounging for scraps like a street rat while Prince Ali is living comfortably in the palace. It's, like, an irony thing!

[@SteveCrafts2k]

@@austinreed7343 1) I'd actually pay for Danny DeVito Xehanort. 2) "Maleficent does not let herself be trapped by the amateur magic of the heroes! Maleficent does not mope on a couch with other villains! Maleficent does not sing!" Maleficent _is._

[@AllyGatorAnimator]

I could actually see it working if, as tandnmom100 said, it showed how far they'd fallen and had an ironic twist. Cruella went to great lengths for fashion, so having her look shabby and scrounging like the "mangy animals" she tried to kill would be a good twist. Evil Queen tried to kill out of jealousy of someone's beauty, so have her freaking out about what the isle is doing for her looks (her and Cruella could even bond over that, with Cruella obsessing over the beauty of her clothes while the queen frets over her face). Jafar wanted power and wealth and hated the "street rat," but now he's the one stealing to survive, as already stated in the comments here. Maleficent...honestly, have her be the one villain who stays the same. Have her run the isle as the big bad because she's the only one still focusing on the name of evil while everyone else whines about their own problems. Show that even without ultimate power, she still commands respect and evokes fear, making her a genuine threat alone, but even more so when she has no limits.

[@elsie8757]

I feel like almost everything wrong with this movie can be summed up with this exchange: "Hey guys! I'm Lonnie!" *blank stares* "...My mom's Mulan?" "Ahhhh."

[@goodjobeli]

@anime fantasy123 Also why does Ben not have a French name (same with Gil but second movie)? Why doesn't Carlos have an English accent? Why don't they have names that reflect how their parents think of them? So much doesn't make sense.

[@miraculouseveraftersforeve91]

@anime fantasy123 Exactly! Although you made a typo it's *hood*, not hold!

[@ClaudetteVioletta]

It's like call her child: Fa Hi, i'm the daughter of Mulan II

[@ironvlogger9712]

With a name like that I don't blame them! I didn't even know who she was either Why wasn't she given a unique Chinese name?

[@ironvlogger9712]

@@goodjobeli exactly

[@dunes8817]

Shouldn't Cruella's son at least be familiar with the concept of peanut butter considering the time period he and his parents are from?

[@avalasialove]

Maybe they don't get such good on The Isle of the Lost.

[@archive9796]

Well Curella is British and peanut butter isn't really that well liked over hear

[@dunes8817]

79.03.13 I know. I was simply talking about knowledge of its existence.

[@grainneorgracequinn2888]

79.03.13 true

[@grainneorgracequinn2888]

79.03.13 true

[@barbararab6390]

Okay, this is how I imagine this movie: Snow White and her husband are the rulers of Auradon(since she is the first Disney princess) and, instead of putting all the villains together in an island, put all of them in cells and slaved their children(forcing them to be servants and stuff) Maledicente is chained as a dragon furious with her situation and because of that, she is really harsh on Mal at the rare times they are allowed to be together. The evil queen is stuck in her old ugly form in a cell full of mirrors, forcing her to see herself as ugly. She puts herself he idea in Evie's head that she needs to be beautiful for her mother. Jafar is trapped in the lamp and Jay is always sneaking in his cell with stolen stuff in hopes that he can use any of them to free his father Cruella tried to scape but was killed by guard dogs when Carlos was a child, because of that, he has a fear of dogs. Their children think that the princesses and princes are the evil ones and that their parents are innocent, making them want revenge against the kingdom. When the son of Snow White gives them a chance to get a better life, they decide to steal the wand to free all the villains. But of course in the end, they learn that their parents aren't that innocent and that not all nobles are bad. I guess I went a little dark, but yeah, this is how I imagine it

[@MrThorfan64]

That sounds much better. In so many ways. Rather then this horrible Penal Colony situation.

[@willlyon7129]

Why dose every fictional kingdom in every Disney movie starts with an A?

[@alexjewett7455]

That could work and Disney's gone dark before like with hunchback of notre dame or night on bald mountain

[@luciakaminski779]

I might be biased after watching Twisted more times than Aladdin, but I saw Jafar telling Jay he needed to steal as him giving up. IN HIS EYES, he spend all his live serving the sultan and climbing the power ladder through the "legal" way, but the one that wins is the one that always breaks the law by stealing. So basically "steal my son, because that's what I've seen works in the past", and in the end it kind of works for Jay.

[@dvdcbb]

@@luciakaminski779 you saw Twisted?! 🙂

[@KaeMcSpadden]

Chenoweth is too bubbly and perky for a villainess like Maleficent.

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

Yep, she is really good at a lot of things, from Your a Good Man Charlie Brown to Pushing Daises, but she can't play someone like that. The original voice was amazing, partially because her voice was deepend by tuberculosis. I don't know who I would have picked, but certainly not Chenoweth, no offense to her.

[@KaeMcSpadden]

Right. I am not saying she is a bad actress, she is very talented. But there are some roles that are just not made for some people.

[@janeyrevanescence12]

Honestly...I would've loved to have seen her as Cruella, not Maleficent

[@vylbird8014]

I've seen four people on this thread, including myself, say that she reminds them of Rita Repulsa.

[@ryanappleton3653]

Thankfully Angelina Jolie was the perfect actress for that character being calculated, sharp tongued and biting. Entertaining as HELL!

[@annaolson4828]

Wait...who's Doug's mother? Dopey fathered children? Why is Doug not a dwarf then? I have so many questions!

[@MusicalHell]

As do we all.

[@annaolson4828]

Also does Melody from Little Mermaid 2 not get to make an appearance? She is an actual canon Disney child. Unless they want us to forget that movie ever existed...

[@avalasialove]

Anna Olson Honestly, even that movie is better than this.

[@saphiriathebluedragonknight375]

What about Kiara? Yeah she's a lion, but how cool would that have been? Plus Kovu would have been a great addition to helping the villain's kids not be bad guys anymore since he was once in their position!

[@josephdavis9234]

Saphiria TheBlueDragonKnight Reading your comment inspired me to realize how similar Descendants is to Simba's Pride and compose an hour long mental rant about where SP succeeds where D fails.

[@elsie8757]

Can we talk about how absolutely ridiculous the premise alone is?? Apparently Belle and Beast's combining all the Disney properties' lands into one involves a flipping TIME WARP, seeing as how all these characters' stories come from completely different points in history-- Medieval and Rennaisance-era Europe, Ancient Saudi Arabia, 20th-century England (I believe, in Carlos/Cruella's case). Are we ever given any idea who these villain kids' other parents are, besides the iconic ones? Not to mention the fact that in order for all these kids to be roughly the same age, their parents all would have had to get knocked up at around the same time. Guess they were all getting REALLY bored without being able to use magic.... And aren't half these villains supposed to be dead, anyway??

[@elsie8757]

colleen If Evie was born by Snow White's dad, she shouldn't be of highschool age, since Snow's dad was already dead by the time of the movie

[@IntoTheGigerverse]

Yeah, when is this movie supposed to be set, anyway? It looks like this weird mishmash of the Renaissance and the modern day. Which, to be fair, has been done before (the Burton Batman films, for instance, were '30s gangland era plus modern day) but I doubt as much thought was put into this one. Also, why Cruella? She's just a nasty, animal-hating fashion executive; I wouldn't call her "truly evil" so why did they room her with the world-conqueror types?

[@crypticmrchimes]

Also, why do they all look like they're in the same biome? Did Agrabah move to a more temperate climate? If they're in a European world, how is it that Mulan's daughter is gooing to school there? How is it that you elect a MONARCH?! Also, didn't Cruella live in a late 1800s-early 1900s time period? Did Bell and the Beast convince everyone to do the Time Warp from the Rocky Horror Picture Show? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!

[@willlyon7129]

Acutaly I don't think Snow White's father dead in my opinion, also The Evil Queen is in fact her biological mother. Aslo she did'nt die by being crushed to death, but being forced to ware iron shoes that made her dance until she died.

[@elsie8757]

Will Lyon That might be the case in the original fairytale, but we're talking about the Disney movie, dude. The story book opening refers to her as "[Snow White's] vain and wicked Stepmother, the Queen". At the end of the movie, the dwarves chase her to the edge of a cliff, the cliff crumbles underneath her and she falls. If Snow's father isn't dead, then where is he? And if he were around, unless he was somehow just as evil as his wife, he surely would've had something to say about his daughter being treated like a slave.

[@MrShoebox21]

...Maleficent? She's the worst? Really? You have people like Frollo, who enacted a mostly successful campaign of persecution across Paris and sang quite possibly the most epic baddie song in the history of animation, you have people like The Coachman, who kidnaps children and takes them to an island where they turn into donkeys and then sells them to salt mines, you have people like Ursula who became Cthulhu, and you have the devil himself, Chernabog...but no, Maleficent, a woman whose villainy extends to...um...being really upset she wasn't invited to a christening, kidnapping, and attempted murder of ONE CHILD, is...is the worst. Mmkay.

[@MusicalHell]

Hell, Jafar plotted and briefly succeeded in taking over an entire kingdom and Grimhilde wanted her stepdaughter's heart cut out and later gloated over the possibility of her being buried alive-they deserved better than playing second banana to the self-proclaimed Mistress of All Evil.

[@MrShoebox21]

You know what else? How much do you want to bet Alemeda Slim from Home on The Range has a kid slumming it on the Isle of the Lost? Personally, I think that'd be so stupid it'd be...kind of hilarious, actually.

[@MusicalHell]

"My father was the most feared cattle rustler in all of Texas!" "Your father wore a sparkly shirt and yodeled at cows." (Also on the "worse than Maleficent" list: Dr. Facilier. Dude was ready to offer up the ENTIRE FREAKIN' CITY OF NEW ORLEANS to pay his debts.)

[@MrShoebox21]

Bill's a great choice, but I was thinking more Movie Baddies since I don't think we'll see TV baddies in the Descendantsverse. Unfortunately.

[@MrShoebox21]

A little yellow Square, who hangs out with Vanessa Doofenschmirtz and who is taught by Xanatos's son.

[@maugdei292]

Am I the only one who thinks that this movie was created for on singular purpose? To sell merchandise? Think about it, this entire "movie" has a stupid premise, a non consistent plot, and characters that look like rejected Ever After High reject dolls.

[@elsie8757]

Still no excuse for it to be THIS bad. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were both created to sell merch, and both of them have found ways to avoid sucking.

[@maugdei292]

+Elsie Not Giving You My Last Name Not saying that it's Good, just pointing something out.

[@elsie8757]

Maugdei 29 I know you're not saying it's good, but I'm saying if it's the excuse they used for not trying, it's not a valid one.

[@susanalopez5052]

It was actually, when mattel made their ever after high line of dolls disney was pissed because mattel owned the rights to the disney princess merchandise and preffered to use the "fairytales are public property" loopole instead of making a deal with disney, so disney started developing their descendants franchise and moved the disney princess doll line to mattels bigfest competition, hasbro. So if you think about it descendants cash grabbing is a rip off of ever after high, wich is a rip off of moster high, its pretty sad.

[@maugdei292]

12345 Nltsaaegcj That explains it....

[@QueenErikaTheSongful]

That "Be Our Guest" arrangement INFURIATES me. How DARE they take such an iconic song from such a beautiful movie (not to mention my favorite Disney movie) and turn it into...well, THAT. It's an absolute insult to Howard Ashman and Alan Menken

[@willlyon7129]

I hope the new live action Beauty and the Beast becomes a bomb at the box office

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

Ugh, I love that song, and its apart of one of my favorite movies ever made. Your damn right its insulting.

[@Jaceblue04]

To quote CinemaSins: "Hearing an inferior version of a classic Disney song you've heard a million times is like listening to Justin Bieber try and sing like Kurt Cobain."

[@amadaotero2886]

OMG ikr Howard Ashman didn't die for this

[@CeltycSparrow]

I will say that I did like the Descendants movies more than other movies (High School Musical, The Even Stevens movie and that God-awful live action Cinderella to name a few)....BUT that is one song in this movie that I WILL NOT FORGIVE. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie hands down, and even the live action Beauty and the Beast got the songs right....it made me absolutely livid to see Lumiere's classic and iconic song turned into what is basically an insulting pile of shit pop song. And they weren't even eating. It was "Family Day".

[@kittykat123425]

You forgot to mention how one dimensional the villains are

[@embroideredragdoll]

TheTheatreQueen all the characters are oddly one dimensional

[@fredjones2170]

It goes without saying.

[@MrThorfan64]

Disney villains oft are but at least they're entertaining and interesting. These villains have lost what the original versions were.

[@definitelycatherine7296]

What is Cruella DeVille doing in this universe at all? 101 Dalmatians takes place in London not some fictional realm.

[@Bookworm533]

France where beauty and the beast is set is a real place too

[@T5ComixCartoonz]

Not to mention her crime seems rather petty compared to Jafar, the Queen, and Maleficent.

[@theladyfromplanetx2847]

And how was she banished along with all the others since there were no fairies or wizards in 101 Dalmatians?

[@bevinbobele9958]

One again. We need Judge Frollo. Well we're gonna get Hades (Greece) for 3!

[@rockbeauty3439]

Most Disney movies are set in real places and the time are all connected. Also, in the beginning they said they banished anyone who did anything wrong, petty thieves, evil step sisters, ect. The only reason Aladdin isn't on the island because hero concept.

[@RealParadoxBlues]

You know, if there was a musical based on the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, Kristen Chenowith would make an excellent Rita Repulsa. Lord knows that's what her Maleficent reminds me of.

[@MusicalHell]

I would actually watch that.

[@harrietamidala1691]

Yeah, she's more Rita Repulsa than Maleficent. I would have preferred Idina Menzel as Maleficent who's voice range is actually closer to the villainess's voice than Kristen's.

[@sarahcole9661]

Sweet Muses, that sounds hilarious

[@Plaugue1122]

Know what? That is not a bad idea the series is campy so why not throw music in there for the lols.

[@bobavanjie2827]

I desperately need this to exist

[@taralucent1219]

"Hey, guys. I'm Loni. My mom is Mulan." Why do the character's children need to have similar sounding names to them?

[@alexjewett7455]

Because if they didn't, the four year olds in the audience might not get that they're related.

[@perrilewis180]

Because Ever After High took all the good ones. Even if you still have some that would work. Jafar's kid could have been Viper or something. Mal could have been Twilight but in a different language to parallel Aurora or maybe Rose Thorn. Ruby instead of Evie or something about Beauty. I made like 4 names off the top of my head

[@PassTheMarmalade1957]

@@perrilewis180 I had Evie down as Rose, because Snow White is actually supposed to have a sister called Rose Red. And Ben should have been named after Belle's father Maurice, but Reece for short.

[@smol-one]

@@PassTheMarmalade1957 As far as I know the story, Snow White and Rose Red, is a completely different story. If I'm remembering right it involves a bear. And as far I'm remembering, in that story, Snow White would be older than she was when she got booted out by the Queen. I think the name is the only real reason people think it's the same girl. I'm not sure how or if the fairytales were distributed in print before Grimm's, but the collection is where the Snow Whites' are most easily found, I believe. Public domain and all, you know.

[@kaylagirl1611]

One thing I thought is that she could be Mulan II but goes by Lonnie to differentiate from her mother but that's not canon at all its just me thinking

[@MightyMewtron]

another sin: the weird racial implications of good guys living in some gentrified kingdom and evil living in the ghetto.

[@HopelessRomantic999]

I think they tried to avoid making it racial that by having Audrey be black and including Mulan's daughter (and I remember my mom being impressed with the colorblind casting instead of going out of their way to try to find people who look exactly like the already established cartoon characters), but yeah, that doesn't seem to help much.

[@MightyMewtron]

HopelessRomantic999 well, audrey is an antagonist....

[@grainneorgracequinn2888]

Pandemewnium I see her as one I still hate her even in the shorts including Chad

[@Zarastro54]

Eh, Mufasa did it so...

[@willlyon7129]

Classism

[@QueenCloveroftheice]

The biggest sin is that this directly rips off Ever After High with the same premise and same life lessons.

[@annaleepena2790]

Same life lessons yes but the major difference between EAH and Descendants is that in Descendants they are the sons and daughters of Disney's iterations of the original fairy tales. And I wouldn't say the premise is the same since EAH was about Raven Queen trying to purposefully change her destiny from being a villain. Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos was villainous all along but was showed why being good was better. The only thing I see as the same as them not wanting to be like their parents.

[@rubybryant8039]

QueenCloveroftheice yep totally

[@miraculouseveraftersforeve91]

@@annaleepena2790 But Ever After High was better. It had better themes going on too!

[@annaleepena2790]

MiraculousEverafter's Forever I mean I can’t say which is better cuz I love both immensely lol

[@hiyokosaionji1127]

I agree!

[@Hewylewis]

I hate how the villain from Snow White is just referred to as "The Evil Queen". Isn't her name supposed to be Queen Grimhilde? That's like only referring to Lady Tremaine only as Evil Stepmother.

[@boxorak]

To be fair, they weren't named in the original fairytales, were they?

[@NebLleb]

Told Ya it was that awful. Remember our comment conversation under your top 10 worst disney songs? Looking back, 'Rotten to the Core' should've been number one and not 'Fa-la-la-la-falling in love'.

[@Hewylewis]

Ben Bell Just one problem... Descendants isn't ANIMATED, and it was a list of the worst ANIMATED Disney songs.

[@NebLleb]

OH... NUTS. But animated or not, Its still the worst. Movie. I'VE EVER SEEN. And if you're wondering how that comment conversation went, Basically it was me typing my thoughts on your worst ANIMATED Disney songs. During my thoughts on #6, I made a joke about sequels I view to be terrible. (and Descendants.) One of the sequels I bought up was The Great Valley Adventure, a sequel to Don Bluth's 1988 masterpiece The Land Before Time that you liked, but I hated. In fact I consider it the worst sequel I've seen yet. This resulted in an argument that ended with me bringing up Descendants and how God-Awful it is, you not knowing what it is, and now that you've seen this Musical Hell on it, I think you can agree with me on it being an abomination. But not the worst film YOU'VE ever seen. (Dinotopia)

[@roristevens2810]

As Diva notes in the review, Grimhilde isn't a canon name -- it first appeared in the comic strip adaptation of the film in the late 1930s. She's officially just known as the Evil Queen, and even a "Wicked"-style novel Disney Press brought out a few years ago, "Fairest of All", didn't give her one.

[@TheDukeofCheese12]

Wait, aren't Maleficent and The Evil Queen supposed to be dead? And wasn't Jafar trapped in a lamp? I get that it's a made for TV movie aimed towards little girls, but at least have a little bit of continuity or even an explanation of how they're alive (or in Jafar's case, freed from the lamp)

[@KidSnivy69]

There was a prequel book (that actually wasn't completely crap) that says the resurrected all the dead villains. Roughly they said they did because "it wouldn't be the first time a villain came back to life".

[@munromister777]

Technically, if you take the Aladdin sequels as canon, Jafar is dead too.

[@annaleepena2790]

Descendants wasn't crap in general lol

[@taekinuru2]

munromister777 To be fair in the aladdin-Hercules crossover episode Hades brings Jafar back so I guess death is meaningless

[@crazycookie4645]

@@taekinuru2 Jafar didn't die.

[@dunes8817]

Couldn't they at least have tried to find someone who at least looked somewhat like Jafar. The guy they picked resembles the merchant from the first Aladdin more than Jafar.

[@dog5655]

Not to mention cruella

[@ilikecurry2345]

John Freeman voices Jafar?

[@katiedoodles]

Dunes8 I’m not a die hard fan of Aladdin but you’re not wrong, even if he was exiled he’d still try to look regal and better than everyone not frumpy XD

[@ryanappleton3653]

Why does Maleficent turn into a dragon again? That plan blew up in her face.

[@LaDracul]

My biggest question: Is Cinderella dead? I don't think Chad would be acting like that if she was still alive. However, I still wonder if this is one of the reasons Universal has delayed the live action versions of "Monster High" and "Ever After High". (Aside from the "Jem" debacle.) Though I think this and the "Attractionistas" series of Disney Park exclusive dolls were copying MH more than anything. I do think they did more justice to Maleficent in this film than the live-action movie, though. Unless the sequel to that one opens with the reveal that the previous movie was a lie told by Maleficent and we get a REAL live-action "Sleeping Beauty". Apparently, the Fairy Godmother is named Dreama in one of the Cinderella books Disney released. It's also canon that the Isle of the Lost is where the villains have to live off the table scraps and hand-me-downs from Auradon. So of COURSE they're going to be enamored of all this great stuff. And is no one going to point out Belle and Adam here were on OUAT?

[@gennybaratta2460]

Wait they were? who where they? Did they meet Rumple and/or Belle?

[@LaDracul]

+Random Reviews Belle in this one is Mother Superior/The Blue Fairy. Adam showed up in one of the "Wonderland " episodes.

[@gennybaratta2460]

Good so at least one of them has meet Once's version of BatB and both Rumple and Belle at that. (even if i don't like/trust Blue)

[@oppakunn328]

The same question goes with Mulan ... is she dead ??? I n the cookie scene her child acts like she had the best of childhoods, even if both of her parents are solders ...

[@XxBroadwaygonnabexX]

I kind of assumed that Chad was just the result of being spoiled too much due to Cinderella's desire to give him everything she didn't have growing up. I've seen it happen with kids in real life

[@dunes8817]

So much missed potential and character assassination.

[@DeathnoteBB]

11:54 To be honest, as a kid of abusive/neglectful parents those scenes really stuck with me. It’s not “just” cookies. It’s that their parent never gave enough of a crap to even care when they were upset. It’s not “just” strawberries, it’s that the island they grew up on didn’t *have* fresh fruits.

[@billymccrary2246]

That's rough, buddy.

[@RoryKatherin03]

Can we get a Musical Hell review of Descendants 2?

[@sackboy5055]

there's a sequel?

[@jennielizabethedwards5068]

Sack Yes and there is going to be a third one

[@youtubesfavoriteidot7714]

Jennifer Elizabeth Edwards oh great ANOTHER DECENDENCE MOVIE They are basically milking the franchise

[@jennielizabethedwards5068]

patricia bentley I loved it and I am glad they are making a third one, though I hate waiting into next year.

[@youtubesfavoriteidot7714]

Jennifer Elizabeth Edwards ok your opinion you can say it

[@ursaminor9780]

I’ve got another issue with this movie: The Beast, a character whose whole story revolves around him evolving from a spoiled brat to a selfless lover, is the character who banished the villains without a chance of redemption? Really?

[@willlyon7129]

The ruling class are the real villains of the story.

[@TheHeroOfTomorrow]

It's a sad state of affairs when Angelina Jolie is a better Maleficent...

[@stagelinedpro]

Angelina Jolie was good as Maleficent, but the movie around her was shit.

[@crypticmrchimes]

Agreed. She portrayed the character wonderfully, but the script and the whole Wicked Revisioning is what brought the movie down. It's more the script and the direction than the acting itself.

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

Nobody can top Audley, she IS Maleficent, but Jolie wasn't bad, its everything around here that killed the entire movie.

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

satireknight I agree, she wasn't terrible. Its just the writing let the entire film down hard, from making the good guy's either worthless or evil, making the mistress of all evil angry because of a man which is really not a good backstory, and the fact she's the fucking hero in the end. Oh, and they ripped off the ending of Frozen, a film that came out just six month's early. What the fuck.

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

Well it was a far better performance then Mia Wesikosia as Alice in Alice In Wonderland. That was Kristen Stewart levels of lack of emotion plus not giving a fuck.

[@avalasialove]

Finally! Someone who feels the same way I do about this movie! One point that I would like to make is how black and white the gender roles are in this movie. I wouldn't call it "sexist" but stereotypes are definitely a big problem. All of the boys enjoy sports, fighting, or playing video games. All of the girls enjoy gossiping, swooning over boys, and obsessing over their appearances. It not only gives kids a bad impression but it also makes the characters very shallow and one-dimensional. Also, couldn't they have given the kids actual names instead of just combining their parents names? And why are so many of the kids only children? Did Prince Adam pass some kind of single-child law? Who am I kidding, that would actually require some thought and effort to be put into this movie.

[@avalasialove]

And also, Belle turned into a complete doormat and Adam turned into a complete and utter ***hole. A lot of people compare the Isle of the Lost to the Concentration camps. I personally wouldn't go that far, but it does seem very close to the Ghettos. If you're going to banish someone, at least show some form humanity by giving them some descent living conditions!

[@MrsXanatrix]

I haven't seen the movie, but at least for some characters like Maleficent and "Evil Queen" it makes sense that they would raise their children according to more traditional gender roles. Isn't "Evil Queen's" kid's arc about defying traditional gender roles too? Still kinda eh, but maybe the series can fix this.

[@avalasialove]

MrsXanatrix I was referring more to the heroes' kids. I don't have anything against more typically girly characters but when they're all the exact same it starts to get on my nerves.

[@RariettyC]

Nothing makes this more apparent than the way they threw in Mulan's daughter. Like, she has no personality aside from being the nice Asian one who wants a makeover. Her mother is MULAN, a lead character in a film that is all about defying gender stereotypes and is firmly against the notion that a woman should be valued only for appearances and what she can bring into a marriage.

[@colleen4ever]

Especially since Mulan was a REAL PERSON!

[@Platinum400]

Idina Menzel would've made a great Maleficent.

[@elsie8757]

How much do you want to bet the casting director for this movie forgot Idina's name and just told their intern to get "the lady from Wicked", and by the time Kristen showed up they were too embarrassed to admit there was a misunderstanding so they just rolled with it?

[@Platinum400]

Elsie Not Giving You My Last Name lmao well given that this whole film seems like a lazy cash grab with no effort put into it aside from the young cast that wouldn't surprise me.

[@harrietamidala1691]

That's what I was thinking. She would have been a better choice for Maleficent.

[@harrietamidala1691]

I can buy that.

[@IdeaBox-dk5vj]

Put me down for a thousand. You know what, because of Idina Menzel's history with Disney, better make it two thousand dollars.

[@Charolette21]

Here's a better ending for this film: Maleficent and crew smoke into the palace and fights ensue between the parents and their kids, all the parents except maleficent are taken down which forces Maleficent to become a dragon and turn the tides to her favor. Mal then decides to to do the same thing and an epic fight begins between the two sorceresses, destroying most of the palaces inside and taking it to the courtyard. The villain kids and the rest of the students back Mal up as support and she gives the killing blow to her mother, both of then turn to their human forms and Mal apologies to her mother as she dies, burdened knowing she killed someone.

[@avalasialove]

Jacob Albers Daaaaang! That sounds awesome!

[@grainneorgracequinn2888]

Jacob Albers I just realised Mal SHOULD be able to turn into a dragon and I really want to who her dad is

[@Charolette21]

It would be better if they have a story that isn't High school musical based because I got a lot of bad vibes similar to those horrendous films. Stakes and consequences might add something good to these films.

[@jess15223]

Write a fanfic!

[@andrewb6194]

J'acob Albers there’s 3 reasons they didn’t use this ending. 1. Budget, probably couldn’t afford it. It’s not a blockbuster (that’ll come back soon). 2. It involves actual good writing 3. It vaguely resembles Jurassic World’s finale Mal= T.rex Maleficent= Indominus Friends= Blue and Mosasaur The battle between the dragons may even share some similar moments. But I’d take an “inspired” battle over the shit ending we got!

[@moonlightrobbery]

I wrote fanfiction better than this. In my inexperienced, sometimes weebish, always pretentious, early days of fanfic writing, I did better than grown adults did.

[@awseven1144]

RIP Be Our Guest. We will remember you for your fun, creative, Oscar-winning glory that you gave us in Beauty and the Beast. 😪

[@Kahran042]

"RIP"? That's a bit over the top. After all, the original song still exists.

[@antonspivack3928]

Wasn't the melody, shall we say, borrowed from Mahler's third symphony?

[@alexanderklepp]

Agreed. Even a song has a bad cover, the original will always still exist.

[@jackob.graphic5143]

The sequel is going to butcher both "kiss the girl" and "poor unfortunate souls"

[@tooniet4964]

Jackson Benight actually Poor Unfortunate Souls doesn't sound that bad in the teaser trailer

[@antonspivack3928]

1:30 Actually there is such a system as an Elective monarchy, and it is currently used in Malaysia and Cambodia.

[@adamdao4826]

Anton Spivack NERD

[@fermintenava5911]

There was also something of an elective monarchy in medieval germany - when one royal blood-line ended, certain noble-man elected one german Sovereign to found a new one.

[@vylbird8014]

Also the Holy See.

[@harrietamidala1691]

I am glad you addressed the miscasting of Maleficent--you captured exactly why Kristen Chenoweth was wrong for the part.

[@h193013]

I think that's why she was casted, they're making fun of Maleficent and the other villians

[@avalasialove]

But even satires have to have some sense to them. What's the sense in casting Kristin Chenoweth as Maleficent? The only thing that I can think of is irony.

[@h193013]

Maybe they casted her due to irony

[@antonspivack3928]

But doing so makes the villains seem less threatening than they should be. Especially Jafar, who was supposed to be an evil sorceror, here he's just a common thief.

[@missm8067]

True... But her villain song has recently become a guilty pleasure for me.

[@danthefan28]

I can understand having Jafar, Maleficent, and the Evil queen on that island, but Curela? She has no magic powers, none what so ever. Also didn't most of these villains die? I can understand Jafar and Curela still being alive, but the other two died. Also who the hell are all those other people on the prison island?

[@T5ComixCartoonz]

In addition, Cruella's crime seems awfully petty compared to the other three.

[@jennielizabethedwards5068]

You found out in the first book that they were brought back to life.

[@theladyfromplanetx2847]

Seems kinda cruel don't you think? "Hey, we'll bring you back to life only to imprison you for eternity!"

[@thethingthatwouldnotgoaway5881]

Daniel Diaz If you count the sequels as canon,then Jafar is dead too.

[@ClaudetteVioletta]

@@T5ComixCartoonz The better thing could have been that either Gothel or Ursula were in Cruella's place. They are magic and make mmore sense to see them there.

[@Maplestarknight]

"Hi I'm Lonnie, daughter of Mulan. I had to clarify because of all the asian characters Disney has, because it would be impossible to determine my parents. Also heres my friend Tiana jr., you'll NEVER guess who her mom is."

[@Annausagi2]

14:16 - ..... Oh, how Howard Ashman must be rolling in his grave.

[@missm8067]

Exactly what I thinking...

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

Yep! That poor man basically created the animated musical we still have today. He wrote alongside one of the greatest composers of all time some of the best songs in musical history, and poured his entire soul in Beauty and the Beast, one of the best movies ever made period. And sadly died aids before his greatest masterpiece was ever finished. His work help create the Disney Renaissance. He is considered one of the best song writers ever, up there with Rogers and Hammerstein and the Sherman Brothers. And THIS is what you do nearly 25 years after his death? Whoever thought this was a good idea needs to be fired and never allowed in the entertainment industry. FUCK YOU!

[@KidSnivy69]

To the song writers of this movies (*and the Be Our Guest rap in particular*) fuck you and may you be tortured in hell for all eternity

[@NebLleb]

Yep. Fuck Those talentless hacks and their crappy songwriting!

[@NebLleb]

+Tyler Bioshock R You took the words out of my mouth. No wonder why this is the worst film I've ever seen; because the people behind this had a personal vendetta against Disney!

[@lovelydia101]

What the hell did they do to Mulans kid? It seems these kids take after thier parents somewhat so why did they make Mulans daughter a perky little token asian girl. Your Mum is a badass soldier who helped defeat the Mongols with armour and sword mastery and now you just dress up in cutesy dresses and love to have your hair all pretty FUCK THAT SHIT. Plus Mulan would be out kicking shit up and not at home backing choc chip cookies AHHHHHHHHH.

[@oppakunn328]

I think she wouldn't spend time at home so much, and more going to war with Shang . I only thing I could guess for her being like that is if she lived with her grandparents while her parents were at war

[@avalasialove]

Oppa Kunn That would have made her character much more interesting. But how could she have been exposed to chocolate chip cookies as a child? I'm pretty sure that they didn't have chocolate chip cookies in ancient China. That's another thing I thought of, how is everyone the same age despite coming from different time periods? The only reason I can come up with is magic.

[@colleen4ever]

And unlike the other characters in this, Mulan was real! So this doesn't make sense reguardless.

[@oppakunn328]

colleen Mulan is a legend so it's not 100 % real, the events actually happen tho

[@Mochitachi70]

lovelydia101 "Irony of the kids being nothing like their parents", or something like that

[@compassrose1466]

Out of all the sin in this movie, one of the biggest that bothers me the most is that...they didn't even try with Ben's or Adam's crowns. Like they're fake as all heck. It really does sicken me they only started this series to sell dolls and books...

[@stefanfilipovits9221]

Wait, if Maleficent can just teleport to the museum for an out of character musical number than why can't she just walk down the hallway and grab the friggin' wand?

[@MusicalHell]

She doesn't really, that's just Mal's dream sequence.

[@stefanfilipovits9221]

+Musical Hell ok fair enough, that still doesn't excuse the gap kids "be our guest" rap number though.

[@MusicalHell]

Nothing excuses the "Be Our Guest" rap number. NOTHING.

[@stefanfilipovits9221]

+Musical Hell I love villains. Love em'! Ever since I saw Hook at 3 and found Dustin Hoffman's Captain Hook a scene stealing revelation (yes I love "Hook", I will not apologize). So I'm usually down for any villain centric movie, musical, tv show, novel, etc. but this? This is just painful. It's awkward and weird and stilted yet somehow obnoxiously over the top. The villains are annoying, the good guys are unbearable, the songs sound like the creator of Kids Bop decided to start a career as a songwriter and I hate it. I HATE it. I hate it, hate it, hate it!

[@ArcherSlamBAM]

Yet she hums it in her climactic appearance. I love plot holes. :P

[@rainyrouge5123]

Am I the only one who finds the fact that these characters had kids in the first place kinda weird? Cause last time I checked: Maleficent=Died at the end of her movie Evil Queen=Died at the end of her movie Jafar=Turned into a genie, was imprisoned, and died in the stupid sequel that nobody liked Cruella=Okay, she was fine

[@blondiefox2781]

Ink Star the Doodle Reviewer that is what I was thinking

[@Kahran042]

I liked that "stupid sequal that nobody liked."

[@elsie8757]

Cruella's a psychotic bitch and she looks like a cadaver, so it's still a mystery as to how she came to bear children xP. (Not to mention have you SEEN how skinny she is in the original movie? Pregnancy would probably kill her...)

[@gracefutrell1912]

Elsie Not Giving You My Last Name she was married in the book so you could assume that was his kid and they could've just easily made mel and Evie orphans but they decide not to go that route and they could've used Scheherazade and duyazard as jafar "s daughters sense Jafar was a combination of her father and that creepy guy from the original one entail but oh well !

[@jennielizabethedwards5068]

You found out that they were brought back to life in the first book

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

You can hear Howard Ashman roll in his grave when this movie raped "Be Our Guest".

[@ilikecurry2345]

I want to correct this error, but at the same time it feels so appropriate.

[@AdAstraPerAspera137]

I wish that Little Shop of Horrors was a disney property, so Audrey III could eat these titanic 2 level character tropes....and sing a jazzy tune like I'm a mean green motha. that would make my day.

[@katiedoodles]

If I was writing this movie I would’ve had lumiere on the side during that damn be our guest rap, sighing and shaking his head “They ruined my song, just ruined it”

[@georgevaltom2015]

"You don't vote for a king." First of all, I'm always a sucker for a Monty Python reference. Second, THANK YOU! They can't even get elementary social studies right, good grief... Again, thank you for this review. I can't believe this hasn't been panned more. Unfortunately we do have a sequel confirmed... better get the fires stoked and ready.

[@MrThorfan64]

Well Kingship used to be elective. Is US of Auradan kind of Holy Roman Empire? But handing power over at 16 still feels stupid.

[@fandemusique4693]

The monarchies of eastern and Central Europe would like to disagree with you on the “we don’t elect a king”. However, they clearly weren’t inspired about that, so it doesn’t count.

[@iwakeupandboomimarat]

_be kind to small fluffy animals_

[@verdethestarwarrior1088]

You know, you'd figure that Cinderella, who spent her whole life getting taken advantage of by her evil stepsisters and stepmother, would teach her son NOT to take advantage of people, but apparently that whole subplot with Evie getting taken advantage of by Chad was absolutely integral to the plot except it's not. Oh, and rapping Be Our Guest. Fuck this movie in the ass with a flaming tuning pitchfork. By the way, is that seriously a tuning pitchfork? That's...surprisingly threatening

[@MusicalHell]

'Tis indeed.

[@susanalopez5052]

what pisses me the most about retelings from the villains point of view is that almost all the time they just reverse the roles but keep the names. The whole movie they tell us the kids are "evil" but they never do anything morally wrong, and the "heroes" are simoly jerks. Maleficent sucked for the same reason. Only wicked has been able to pull it of because while elphaba is still good she makes wrong choices and still faces the consequences of her actions plus she also has a big musical number about finally accepting her "evilness"

[@tsifirakiehl4250]

I get your point, but I feel the need to point out that Mal essentially drugged Ben into liking her, and people who do that kind of thing in real life tend to end up with very long prison sentences, so the kids did in fact do something morally wrong.

[@Launchpad05]

I REALLY hate Disney Channel movies, and it infuriates me when Disney doesn't pay attention to it's own movies, and characters. This movie is an embarrassment to all the animated classics that it's based on. I would've preferred this to be an animated film, at least by the former animation team who loves, and respects these characters. People may give the 'cheapquels' a lot of flack, but at least they were never that big a departure from their original films. The Nostalgia Critic NEEDS to review this.

[@asiabrown99]

Marc Baker Nostalgia Critic went over those movies in 2017's Disneycember.

[@willlyon7129]

Marc Baker Disney Channel use to have good movies and great TV shows. Hell they had movies that weren’t under the Disney logo

[@masterseal0418]

DCOMs aren't ripped on enough as the cheapquels and live action remakes. So let's make that happen!

[@ClaudetteVioletta]

@@masterseal0418 Disney is getting out of hand with remakes. But at least I can name more good Disney remakes than DCOM

[@elsie8757]

This movie is all the things you'd expect to be made by people who don't know anything about Disney and its movies or characters beyond the barest of bare-bones details. It's utterly baffling that such a thing was actually put out BY Disney themselves!

[@DustySprinkles]

One thing I hate about descendants is the character’s names. Like how creative do you have to be to derive Mal from “Maleficent ?” At least the characters from the show “Ever After High”, which has the same theme of kids of fairy tale characters, has names that take the smallest amount creativity.

[@kirara2516]

As a Kingdom Hearts fan I gotta say, its not a "harmless affair" it's a brilliant miracle that combines the best of Disney and the vast expanse of Final Fantasy and combines the two into a very deep, intricate (and a bit confusing if you skip some side titles) adventure.

[@d4arken3ds0ul]

kirara2516 not just the side titles I love kingdom hearts But that plot makes zero sense most days lol

[@raynethescribe2772]

As someone who literally grew up playing kingdom hearts...... you're so right

[@turtle_goddess9522]

kirara2516 Hell yeah!

[@lolar7707]

i’ve played only one game in the series and i have to agree with you even though i missed some stuff but it’s a great game.

[@LordofFullmetal]

Can confirm that as far as really bizarre crossovers go, Kingdom Hearts is actually pretty good.

[@vmdraco]

Idk why they called Snow White's mother "Evil Queen". Like... you couldn't have just come up with a name and made her look like the original character to sell it?

[@ilikecurry2345]

She already has one. Her name is Grimhilde.

[@ClaudetteVioletta]

... Grimhilde?

[@alyssagoss2299]

The real question is: why do all these kids only have one parent? Maleficient could probably create a daughter from a spell or something, but what about the others? I'd never given any thought to a Queen Grimhilde and Jaffar pairing before but now I'm so annoyed at this movie for missing such a perfect opportunity.

[@vylbird8014]

In the live-action continuity, Maleficient can transform her raven into a human. As that raven is one of the very few creatures she has even shown any sign of genuinely caring about...

[@ClaudetteVioletta]

Grimhilde could also cast an spell, Jafar at some extent. But... Who wanna Bang Cruella?

[@AllyGatorAnimator]

Honestly, I'm more shocked they didn't have the kids all be the result of strange villain couples and market that and the dynamics between their parents. Mal is already one of those (the daughter of Maleficent and Hades), it's clear movie canon doesn't matter and people do that kind of thing for fun online all the time, so why not? It would be stupid film-wise, but from a cynical marketing perspective I could see it working and getting attention. Like, have Carlos be the son of Cruella and Clayton, really driving home his hatred of animals. Evie's mom dated Gaston because they both value beauty to an unhealthy degree and Gaston's dislike of smart women is both why he left but also why Evie is self-conscious about her own intelligence. Jafar nailed...I don't know, Madame Medusa because they were both obsessed with treasure, wealth and getting others to do their dirty work? I just made all that up and it's absolute crack, but it's at least more interesting than what we got.

[@taekinuru2]

The worst thing about this movie is that they forget that the queen from Snow White has a name. Grimhilde. It’s a good name, a powerful name.

[@benjaminwambeke9458]

I totally agree with the Kristen Chenoweth casting choice thing. Although she delivers the best song in the movie, it's a song that doesn't make sense for the character. Also, if you read the book (I know, it sounds awful, and it's nothing great, but its way better than the movie) all the characters are exactly as they are in the movie. Maleficent is easily the ruler of the Isle of the Lost, as she takes complete control of the island by force and fear, which is exactly something she would do. Also, I know this is a controversial topic, but why did they make some characters POC instead of just using Disney characters who are already POC. Like you know it would be awesome to see Aladdin and Jasmine's children, or Tiana and Naveen's, but instead they have Audrey be Aurora and Phillip's daughter despite them being literally the whitest. It's weird, she could have easily been Tiana's daughter (actually, I'm going to be totally honest, I looked it up, and I don't want to assume her ethnicity, so I'm just saying Tiana for now but if that's not correct please please tell me). It also doesn't work with Cruella because her son obviously has no inherentence of race from his mother for some reason. It's just annoying because they could have given lesser known Disney villains and heroes of color their time to shine but instead they just kinda went "eh screw it" and it just makes for some very confusing lineage. Another issue is the little nods to Disney that are so little it's like they're shying away. I loved the stain glass window of Belle and Beast, why didn't they have more stuff like that? Little shots in the background like posters for the Norte Dame Choir or a school spirit shop with the fantasia hat on a mannequin and the bear necklace from brother bear on another? Just little things like that would have been so much fun to spot.

[@benjaminwambeke9458]

I'd actually be a lot more willing to accept Audrey's race change if it was obvious that it happened to the entirety of at least one part of her family, and when her grandmother is introduced, that's the path they're taking, and it's kind of like "okay, I can deal with that change" but then, correct me if I'm wrong, but at 18:33 in this video, we get a clear shot of Aurora and Phillip (it could be Cinderella and Prince Charming, I'm just assuming because they,re standing right by Audrey and her Grandmother) and they are still white, which definitely does not make sense for Aurora, let alone Audrey. Also, another thing that really bothers me is that Cinderella and Aurora aren't exactly "strong" characters. Their strength and entirety of their morals come from their kindness and love and respect. So how did their kids end up being such awful people?

[@elsie8757]

OF ALL THE CHARACTERS TO PROCREATE, WHY _DOPEY??_ WHO THE HELL SHAGGED DOPEY?? AND WHY ISN'T HIS KID A DWARF, THEN?

[@MusicalHell]

Maybe he found someone who likes the silent type...

[@dunes8817]

Plus, of all the Dwarves why focus on Dopey?

[@elsie8757]

Dunes8 Yeah, you'd think what's-his-name would be, idk, Doc's kid, because he's got the whole nerd thing going on. Plus Doc seems like he'd be the more realistic candidate, what with appearing to at least have the... _mental capacity_ for potential fatherhood....

[@philipdarrenellwell1994]

Maybe he hooked up with one of the Dwarvelves from that weird Snow White cartoon

[@elsie8757]

***** Those were their cousins, though.

[@ariellakahan-harth8831]

The concept is interesting, but if they really wanted a good movie, they would have paired up the kids of Facielier from Princess and the Frog and Hans from Frozen.

[@avalasialove]

The daughter of Fraciler actually makes an appearance in the "Wicked World" shorts. Her name is Freddie.

[@willlyon7129]

Those are from the new generation movies

[@jayblade2000]

Interesting concept, horrible, horrible writing PLEASE STOP BAD WRITERS FROM RUINING GOOD CONCEPTS

[@SpamEggSausage]

you couldn't have Doc Facilier in this movie because the only person who would be able to play him died: Prince.

[@kachiechan]

This video is a year old and all I wanna say is WHY IS MULAN TALKING ABOUT HER MOM MAKING CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES IN CHILDHOOD!! Her mom is Mulan, she's Chinese!! She would have been making her Sesame Rice Balls or Moon Cakes or something related to her culture... Why would they have Mulan's daughter deliver this line when she did not grow up in the West. Sorry its just like rugghhh be respectful!!

[@rassilontdavros3004]

THESE DONUTS ARE GREAT! JELLY-FILLED ARE MY FAVORITE! NOTHING BEATS A JELLY-FILLED DONUT!

[@xxkewldudexx]

@@rassilontdavros3004 Damn you 4Kids!

[@coffeebeans5460]

This isn't the worst thing based off of Disney canon (*coughOnceUponaTimecough*), but I feel like this would've worked as a parody of some sort. Because good god, even by Disney Channel standards, Maleficent is way too upbeat!

[@elsie8757]

At least Once isn't actually made by Disney themselves-- and is more or less geared toward adults-- so it has kindof an excuse for being insulting to the canon. But this was made by Disney itself! It's practically the intellectual property equivalent of child abuse...

[@coffeebeans5460]

+Elsie Not Giving You My Last Name You have a point. ...The show was kind of its own thing until they decided "Hey! Frozen is really popular! Let cash in on it!!".

[@willlyon7129]

This is what I hate about this show, they show off to much of the Disneyfied versions and force feeding the messages about hope, belif, rediemption and all that crap. total wated on that good concept.and I whished it was one of those short live series

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

I always hated that it feels like really bad fan fiction at times. I mean, Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz in a relationship with Mulan? I know for a fact that fan fiction is out there somewhere, and I really question which writer read it.

[@colleen4ever]

WHAT?! OK, granted I don't watch the show but...#1 Mulan was a real person, and #2...Mulan and Dorothy are GAY? Since when?! I mean I donl;t have any beef with gay people, not at all. But THEM?!

[@kellydemando3303]

"Whose idea was it to turn Belle and the Beast into dorky sitcom parents?" THANK YOU, someone said it.

[@jenneacubero1036]

I'm sorry but would Mulan, a woman born and raised in circa-15th century China, even make chocolate chip cookies (a dessert from 1930's America)?

[@EYTPS]

Also, Diva, I have to correct you on one thing. "Rotten to the Core" is not a dubstep song, it's an EDM electro house track. The rhythms are on four-on-the-floor, so it's not classifiable as a dubstep song. Burial and Skrillex makes dubstep music. Hey, I know my electronic music terminology

[@mental_decay_]

Still sucks though

[@AntiFaGoat]

Introducing yourself as the child of a character for exposition... SCREENWRITING LESSON #2 : Don't have the characters tell us. Let the story tell us as it goes along. This follows lesson #1, "show don't tell," because in this case it's "how you tell." It would have been funnier and still get to the kid viewers if the children characters introduce themselves by name only, get into a comical situation that is like/unlike their parents would do, and then the villains guess it; "Let me guess-DOPEY'S kid?" Ugggh. You could pay me peanuts and I'd write a better script out of sheer love for Disney and the movie credit.

[@whatamidoing8566]

That would make a good concept honestly

[@Thatdumbgremlin]

You hit the nail on the head with the "This seems like it was cobbled together from a series" remark. This was based on a series of YA books by Melissa De La Cruz.

[@dunes8817]

Also, aren't some of the villains technically supposed to be dead?

[@MusicalHell]

Apparently there's some handwave in the supplemental material somewhere that the villains were brought back to life just so they could be exiled forever or something. Pretty stupid and ethically questionable idea, if you ask me.

[@xxkewldudexx]

Yep. But why let that get in the way of profit? This is Disney we're talking about, after all.

[@elsie8757]

Plus if the heroes could bring someone back from the dead with no consequences, I'm sure a lot of them have some dead relatives they'd rather use that technique on.......

[@princedonovaughn1182]

They could have at least done the whole " darkness brought them back from the dead" thing most franchises do when a character appears that was previously dead.

[@princedonovaughn1182]

My question is why isn't Jafar a genie still? Even in the first sequel he is still a genie. Then again The Evil Queen and Maleficent should both be dead.

[@ThRealBendario]

Why is Maleficent short and not green, and also played as the Wicked Witch of the West? Who the hell had sex with Dopey? Why was there a rap version of Be Our Guest? Why are Cruella and Aurora's family black? How are people from so many wildly different time periods in one place (Cruella's story sort of requires the fashion industry to be established and cars to exist)? Why is Belle such a cloying mother that allows her kid to hang around shallow jerks? Why was there a rap version of Be Our Guest? Why would Jafar allow his son to hang around and act like a "street rat"? Are you telling me to my face that Cruella De Vil didn't have the finest luxuries available to spoil her son (there is clearly candy to steal from babies on hellhole island)? Why is the Fairy Godmother suddenly so young? And most importantly, why was there a rap version of Be Our Guest?

[@JadeCryptOfWonders]

Disney's Descendants reminds me how poignant Wreck-It Ralph's tale of bad guy who wants to be good truly was, in fact, it makes me long for the Kenny Ortega who gave us Xanadu and Hocus Pocus.

[@HopelessRomantic999]

14:16 Anyone else wondering if Howard Ashman and Jerry Orbach are turning in their graves at this part?

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

Oh yeah! How about every bloody cast member from that masterpiece haunts whoever thought that was a good idea until the end of time.

[@noahbossier1131]

and every crew member haunts them

[@MeganKoumori]

Howard Ashman started spinning with the “Enchanted Christmas” and hasn’t slowed down since.

[@CAMarino92]

I was waiting this review for quite some time; you promised us a good review of this train wreck and you delivered. I think this movie managed to surpass the HSM series in corniness. And the worst part, it could've been avoided: You had this idea of offspring of heroes and villains in the same place clashing, and all that potential to do something different is squashed to do the same by-the-numbers DCOM formula; that's just sad. Oh, and whoever thought it'll be an idea to mess with 'Be Our Guest' by making that version needs to be either fired (literally and figuratively) or sell ramen in the Ninth Circle.

[@pandaking9000]

Yes to all of the above except bashing HSM, I understand that from a technical standpoint it probably wasn't great( which is hard for me to see since it was my childhood) but what it did was something that hasn't been repeated since. It was an absolute cultural phenomenon that ended with a big screen movie. That's pretty damn big for a DCOM! It's been a major thing for getting kids into theatre and musicals, such as myself. Anywhere you go that has a decent group of teens to twenty somethings you can shout part of a Highschool musical quote and at least one person will finish it! If that isn't success I don't know what is, they must have done something right because it's still in our minds

[@CAMarino92]

You know what, you're right. HSM at least tried to be original and for good and for ill, did manage to give musical theater a boost. This takes things that Disney knew like the back of his hand and well, missed the mark.

[@XxBroadwaygonnabexX]

Yeah, not gonna lie, when I first heard about Descendents I thought it was a tv show because I assumed it would be better fitting for what they're clearly trying to do. I'd say overall a lot of the problems with this movie could have been fixed if Disney Channel didn't assume that their target audience had the intelligence of an amoebae. Seriously, these days Disney Channel feels like they have to spell everything out for kids. Otherwise it actually sounded like a good idea in theory that could have been utilized to address bigger real life issues. But I guess as long as it brings in easy views they don't really care anymore

[@richardwarner4585]

You should hear them ruin "Kiss the Girl".

[@brandyloutherback9288]

Apparently, Gaston's kid will be in the sequel! Have fun with that Baby Beast!

[@alexanderklepp]

As well as the daughter of Dr. Facilier and the daughter of Ursula.

[@grainneorgracequinn2888]

Brandy Loutherback yay!

[@angelabryant9766]

Ya know, this has been bugging me. Of course, there's tons of problems in this movie writing wise, but I could picture rewriting that cookie scene specifically. Like, say one of the kids said they'd never had chocolate chip cookies, and the hero kids assume it's because he was abused and give him some. But then, it turns out he was ALLERGIC to chocolate, and that's why he never had any, indicating even villains can be good parents. It'd fit the whole 'don't judge a book by it's cover' thing better.

[@antonspivack3928]

This, along with High School Musical and Camp Rock, have been adapted for the stage. One thing about Descendants, it did pair Chenoweth with Dove Cameron, and they reunited for Hairspray Live! and Schmigadoon/Schmicago.

[@ZaltnD]

1:29 voting for a king and queen that is interesting maybe could be turned into a very interesting concept

[@starbird3939]

Wait... Dopey is a dwarf. How come Doug is the same size as everyone -- unless Dopey married a human or giantess?

[@aquaperi4848]

(Hears Hip-Hop Be Our Guest) STOP! JUST STOP!

[@artemisfowldragon]

I think the greatest loss in potential is the sheer ruthless cunning of the villains that they chose. Maleficent is one of the Fair Folk, so she’s got experience, Cruella’s a CEO, so you know she’s got the smarts to plot something short term, Jafar was a conniving Vizier for crying out loud, and the Evil Queen was royalty in medieval fucking Europe, you think she wouldn’t know her way around a scheme? Yet the best they could come up with was “steal wand. Get off island. ???. Profit”

[@Dreigonix]

Here’s how I would rewrite Descendants: In Auradon, among the people, there are two societies, the Heroes and the Villains, the members of whom are less people and more ideas embodied, Into The Woods style. Adam is King of Heroes, Maleficent is Queen of Villains, and both factions are committed to a cycle in which the Villains cause trouble in Auradon and are stopped by the Heroes, and in doing so, the fairy-tale genre lives on. The Villains give ample warning to the Heroes before attacking, and the Heroes never go farther than is necessary to stop a Villain’s evil plan. However, King Adam’s son Ben doesn’t care for this and thinks the world would be better without Villains, and when Adam dies, Ben takes the throne and begins oppressing the Villains, confining them to the Island of the Lost and enforcing order with an agency of cyber-armored soldiers called the Knights In Shining Armor that periodically go to the Isle and crack down on any sign of a potential Villain plan. No new stories are being written, and the universe itself is dying. The Villain kids are a crew of plucky rebels who are introduced as Rotten To The Core plays over a scene of them defending their neighborhood from a KISA crackdown, striking down KISA soldiers with cunning left and right. Ben’s invitation of the Villain kids to Auradon Academy, the school for Heroes, is well and truly a condescending means of keeping the Villains pacified and trying to educate the Villainy out of them. The Villain kids attend the school and play the part of the “model minority”, but as they do, they plot to overthrow Ben, destroy his regime, and save their people- and their universe. So yeah- not a fluffy high-school AU, but a dystopian story about a rebellion against an explicitly fascistic regime.

[@aaronlandry3934]

Don't worry people. Jafar never married and was turned into a genie, Cruela was white not black, Fairy God mother had white hair, and Maleficent died long ago. Also, I'm pretty sure no one would hook up with Fairy Godmother, Dopey, Jafar (seeing as he was hoping to hook up with Jasmine), Maleficent for sure, or the evil Queen. Also, shouldn't Cruella be in jail?

[@aaronlandry3934]

satireknight I remember the tall and fat guy ended up in jail, so I'm guessing she did too.

[@vylbird8014]

Given that every character has a missing parent, there's an obvious answer: They are all one night stands. Some of the villains are established as super-hotties (Evil Queen was ranked by the mirror as the most attractive woman in the country) or as super-rich, so they can easily score a brief fling, but their obnoxious personalities quickly drive any partner away.

[@jkrfan7]

Evil Like Me was supposed to be sung by all 4 of the parents but when Kristin Chenowith was cast, the producers changed it to a solo number for her

[@sapphireseptember]

The thing that REALLY annoys me is Mal starts out by looking like a total badass and as the movie progresses looks more and more normal (and boring.) Evie has the same thing happen, but not nearly so badly. It's not like Disney has never had Goth characters, there was a goth girl who turned up in That's So Raven complete with a pentagram necklace!

[@xxkewldudexx]

Oh, about Gaston's kid...he's actually been cast already. Cheap plot device ahoy!

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

12 is being generous.

[@ilikecurry2345]

What, is Gaston Jr. gonna be named Gabriel or something?

[@IdeaBox-dk5vj]

Nope. He's actually called, and I kid you not, "Gil". And considering who the sequel's main villain's mother is, that just puts another nail in the legacy of Walt Disney. Seriously, if it wasn't for my love for the company starting at a VERY early age, I would have boycotted said company BEFORE they announced that they would acquire 21st Century Fox!

[@artisticbeautybyhanako6801]

Hehe I'm laughing that you had a mini pirate reference in your comment before they even revealed he'd be in a pirate crew 😂😂

[@xxkewldudexx]

@@artisticbeautybyhanako6801 Holy shit, you're right lol

[@eoghanfeighery7383]

Should we tell Diva there's a High School Musical TV series?

[@IdeaBox-dk5vj]

I think I can imagine the punishments. For creating a rap version of "Be Our Guest", we condemn David Lawrence to listen to the entire soundtrack of Fantasia & Fantasia 2000, on repeat, until he decides to create some GOOD Disney Channel music. For letting the film be turned into another Monster High knockoff, we force Kenny Ortega to have his brain viciously ripped out of his skull. Not that it would be very hard. For the grating performances, the entire cast has to sing "Shrek the Musical" for the rest of their mortal lives. Fortunately, when they die, they can stop singing through the soundtrack and live their lives anew. R.I.P., Cameron. Finally, for allowing this film to be made, let alone turn it into a franchise, the Walt Disney Company is forced to release "Song of the South" to the public.

[@theladyfromplanetx2847]

Wait, how is listening to Fantasia soundtracks a punishment? Shouldn't we force him to listen to Randy Newman albums?

[@artisticbeautybyhanako6801]

How bout we get 10 speakers playing it, full volume at once, all just 2-3 seconds behind each other?

[@yotsubafanfan]

Shrek the Musical wasn't that bad. (At least the one i performed in wasn't.) They ought to be forced to sing the songs from Tom and Jerry the movie.

[@IdeaBox-dk5vj]

I would like to make an update... Listening to the Fantasia soundtracks became his punishment because I don't know much about his works, and I would like for this to not be his crowning achievement in music. I agree that Shrek the Musical isn't bad. I guess that I should have added that they would be singing in the performances that they gave the characters in this movie. Furthermore, I don't see anyone correcting me on the other punishments. Maybe you all like those ones more by comparison.

[@amandalynn4979]

*Reading this after Cameron Boyce's death* Yeah.....gonna have to update the cast thing, buddy-

[@asalways1504]

Kristen Chenowith reminds more of Mad Madame Mim than Maleficent.

[@avalasialove]

As Always I know! Madame Mim would have been the perfect role for her!

[@asalways1504]

Well, I was going by the Disney canon, and they haven't made a King Arthur story besides Sword in the Stone. ( I'm not counting OUAT!)

[@willlyon7129]

I much perfer public domain than canon

[@asalways1504]

As do I, it would be fun and more original to introduce the young audience to characters of the original source material, (The tale of Sir Gareth is my favorite) and be a gate way drug to learn more of the King Arthur mythos, but that's probably asking too much on Disney Channel standards.

[@MeganKoumori]

I demand Kristen Chenowenth as Madame Mim in the inevitable live action “Sword in the Stone” remake.

[@Falxifer95]

Since everyone agrees that this "film" is worst than High School Musical, The Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana combined, there's just one thing I have to wonder, WHY? Why would a company that prides itself on animated classics and groundbreaking the medium of film and music would step this low for a cash grab based on FUCKING FAN FICTION!

[@avalasialove]

TheSlayFer Ch. T. Some FanFiction can be good, but I agree.

[@reshawndrezenbarriga7218]

TheSlayFer Ch. T. Me

[@henryp.3212]

If I was a villain kid in this movie, I would steal the wand and enslave Aurodon because they're basically racist classists who inprisoned me and everybody else in a filthy, low supplied, poverty filled, concentration camp island just because my mom or dad was a bit evil. Literally the majority of the population of Auschwitz Island didn't commit any crimes against Aurodon, most of them are as the title states "Descendants".

[@LuckySailorStar]

2:06 Oh, no worries, they're saving Gaston's child for the sequel! Ha ... ha... eh..... :/

[@JadeEyes1]

Ah, yes. A nice, family movie where the male romantic interest is okay with basically being roofied.