DESCENDANTS: WICKED WONDERLAND (2026)
Rating (Anticipated): 4/5 Stars (A Spirited, Consequence-Driven Expansion)
Director: Kimmy Gatewood (The Baby-sitters Club) Starring: Kylie Cantrall (Red), Malia Baker (Chloe Charming), Rita Ora (Queen of Hearts), Brandy (Cinderella) Genre: Musical Teen Fantasy Comedy Release: Summer 2026 (Disney Channel/Disney+)
DESCENDANTS: WICKED WONDERLAND is the pivotal fifth film in the Descendants franchise, moving the action away from the familiar halls of Auradon Prep and directly into the chaotic, unpredictable world of Wonderland. The film acts as a necessary sequel to The Rise of Red, confirming that messing with the fabric of time has consequences.
1. Plot: The Ripples of Time
The story picks up shortly after Red (daughter of the Queen of Hearts) and Chloe Charming (daughter of Cinderella) returned from their time-travel adventure, believing they had successfully prevented the Queen of Hearts from staging a coup.
- The Instability of Wonderland: The central conflict is the warning issued at the end of the previous film: Altering time created dangerous consequences. While Red’s mother, the Queen of Hearts, initially seems reformed, Wonderland itself is destabilizing. The rules are breaking, logic is dissolving, and a new, mysterious threat—potentially a new villain who benefited from the timeline shift—is exploiting the chaos.
- Return to the Source: Red and Chloe are forced to travel back to Wonderland (now in the present day) to stabilize the dimension. They team up with Maddox Hatter (Leonardo Nam) and new Wonderland locals, including Max Hatter, facing off against iconic Wonderland figures whose allegiances have been dangerously scrambled.
- The New Generation of VKs: The film introduces several new Descendants tied to Wonderland and other fantastical realms, including Luis Madrigal (son of Luisa Madrigal from Encanto) and Hazel Hook (daughter of Captain Hook), suggesting the Descendants universe is expanding its geographical and magical boundaries.
2. Character Arcs: Royalty and Rebellion
The sequel focuses on the duality of its two princesses:
- Red’s Reckoning: Red (Kylie Cantrall) continues to grapple with her chaotic lineage. She must decide whether her inherited ruthlessness is necessary to impose order on a world gone mad, or if true leadership lies in the kindness she learned from Chloe. Her character arc centers on her struggle to accept her destiny as the future Queen, proving she can rule with a heart, not just a shout.
- Chloe’s Crisis: Chloe Charming (Malia Baker), the daughter of perfection (Cinderella and King Charming), must learn to embrace the chaos and messiness of Wonderland. Her attempts to solve problems with logic and optimism repeatedly fail, forcing her to adopt Red’s unpredictable, rebellious tactics to save her own mother’s kingdom.
- The Mothers Return: The return of Cinderella (Brandy) and the Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora) in present-day Wonderland is crucial. Their relationship, now officially civil but still strained, is tested as the consequences of their shared past threaten their children.
3. The Visuals and Music
With a new director, Kimmy Gatewood, the sequel is expected to maintain the high-energy musical sequences but with a potentially sharper, more visually distinct style reflecting the absurdity of Wonderland. The songs must capture the frantic, unpredictable rhythm of the setting, delivering catchy, theatrical numbers infused with a sense of emergency and magical chaos.
Wicked Wonderland promises to be an ambitious expansion, leveraging its colorful mythology and talented new cast to delve into the fun, messy, and ultimately important consequences of achieving a “happily ever after.”
