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The Descendants franchise is officially branching into uncharted territory. Disney Channel and Disney+ have greenlit Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story, a brand-new, music-and-dance-fueled movie that puts the descendants of Disney’s most iconic sidekicks front and center. Production on the project begins next week.
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A New Focus on Unsung Heroes
Hidden Heroes introduces a fresh narrative within the Descendants universe, shifting focus from the children of classic heroes and villains to the offspring of legendary sidekicks.
The story takes viewers to a secret training facility hidden in the center of the fairytale realm. There, the descendants of famous sidekicks are put to the test to join the elite ranks of heroic partners. When a villainous duo infiltrates Sidekick Academy, the new recruits are forced to unite. Without heroes or parents to rely on, they must use their newly acquired skills to save the fairytale realm.
Related-Meet the Characters of Descendants Wicked Wonderland Coming to Disney+ this August
Meet the Lead Cast
The main cast features a lineup of rising stars stepping into the roles of sidekick offspring:
- Dior Goodjohn (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Poser) as Jennie, daughter of Genie from Aladdin.
- Momona Tamada (The Baby-Sitters Club) as Zara, daughter of Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove.
- Jacob Rodriguez (Tell Me Lies) as Kronk Jr., son of Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove.
- Eva Fossaceca Smedley (Welcome to Flatch) as Meri, daughter of Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty.
- Harry Jones (Bury Your Nephew) as Lou, son of Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast.
Rounding out the cast, Rhys Dawkins, Connor Wong, and Kyra Wong join the film as the Potts Siblings, descendants of Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast.
Creative Team Behind the Film
Hidden Heroes will be directed by Jude Weng (Only Murders in the Building, Finding ‘Ohana). The script is written by Tamara Chestna, Eydie Faye, and Emma Fletcher.
Executive producers include Mark Ordesky (ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires), Jane Fleming (ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires), Gary Marsh, and Chestna, who previously executive produced Descendants: Wicked Wonderland. Choreography will be handled by Louise Hradsky and Jeffrey Mortensen, with production overseen by Disney Kids & Family.
“One of the things that has always made Descendants so special is the way it invites audiences to experience familiar Disney stories through an entirely new perspective,” said Ayo Davis, president of Disney Kids & Family. “With Hidden Heroes, we’re finally putting the sidekicks center stage, because they’ve always been an essential part of Disney’s greatest adventures. It’s a fun, surprising new chapter that expands the Descendants universe with all the music, dance and heart fans love and expect from the franchise.”
Building on Franchise Momentum
The announcement follows strong performance metrics for the franchise’s previous entry, Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, which ranked as the No. 1 movie on Disney+ globally during its debut frame (July 17–27). That premiere drove a 400% increase in hours streamed across the original four franchise films during the week of July 20 alone.
Additionally, the Descendants: Wicked Wonderland Soundtrack debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Soundtracks chart and has accumulated over 50.8 million global streams, propelled by tracks such as “Perfect Princess,” “Dancing with the Enemy,” and “Mad-Wicked Wonderland.”
Since launching in 2015, the Descendants franchise has recorded nearly 1 billion hours of viewing across linear and streaming platforms in the U.S.
Live Experiences and Concert Tour
In addition to the new film announcement, Disney’s live events branch continues to expand the brand’s reach. Following 2025’s sold-out arena runs for the Descendants/ZOMBIES Worlds Collide: Concert Special, the Worlds Collide Concert Tour returns with 60 scheduled dates across North America, the U.K., and Europe.
Launching September 25, 2026, in Palm Springs, California, the updated arena show features talent across the Descendants, ZOMBIES, and Camp Rock franchises—including Malachi Barton, Liamani Segura, Dara Reneé, Mekonnen Knife, Hudson Stone, Swayam Bhatia, Kiara Romero, and Alexandro Byrd. The tour expands internationally on February 6, 2027, starting in Dublin, Ireland.
All previous Descendants films, alongside the concert special, are currently available to stream on Disney+ within the dedicated Descendants Collection.
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