"Descendants" is an American television movie from August 2015, so this one is roughly 1.5 years old now. It is a Disney Channel production, so you basically know what to expect here. At over 105 minutes, it is relatively long. Director is 3-time Emmy nominee Kenny Ortega, the man behind the Michael Jackson documentary "This Is It" and the duo who wrote the screenplay here also worked on the fairly known "Runaway Bride". But now lets talk a bit about this one here: It is basically a modern take on villain (and non-villain) characters from several old Disney movies. But even if these bad guys are included, it is much more about the next generation, namely about the children. So we see mini-Jafar, mini-Maleficent, mini-Cruela (a boy) and mini-Evil Queen, who initially have the intention to steal a powerful magic wand, but their contact with peers their age makes them question their parents' approaches. So yeah, there is also a bit of a lesson in here, but honestly, it's really difficult to take the film seriously in terms of the drama, namely the kids building up resistance against their mothers' and father's maliciousness. Also the romance story isn't that good, but I can see why it is essential here as a film with these young characters and the school setting and all. Besides, at times the film tries to channel Glee too much sometimes with one guy basically looking the exact same like the wheelchair boy and another character actually sitting (and dancing) in a wheelchair.
These almost 2 hours are at its best when they are just fairy tale references basically, like the Evil Queen's daughter showing Prince Charming the mirror, just one tiny example. And the music was also decent, even if it gets worse and a bit generic and cheesy after the first two amazing numbers. Lead actress Dove Cameron is not only giving the best performance in the film, but also delivers in terms of vocals and singing. Her number with Chenoweth (her movie mother and the most known actress in here probably) was pretty amazing. As for Dove Cameron, she is mostly known for "Liv and Maddie" and judging from what I saw in here, she does not only have amazing looks, but also star potential. I would love to see her one day in something like "La La Land". We'll see if she can get that far. I hope so. Anyway, "Descendants" became quite a hit and the awards recognition shows you that as well. Also there is a(n animated) television series based on the characters, there's music videos and a soundtrack album and there will be a sequel sometime later this year I think, so yeah for a small screen film it certainly made huge waves. I can see why and I recommend seeing it. It is not a perfect film and it's ridiculous how the kids prevail against all these super evil parents with their powers, who are basically just shadows of their animated selves, but I guess they have to be to get through the message and entire approach here about teenage power and willingness to stand up for what you believe in and who you really are. A bit shoddy there, but I can forgive them for this in the face of all the good. Thumbs up.
