{"id":54672,"date":"2024-07-11T06:00:33","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T04:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2069719"},"modified":"2024-07-11T11:57:05","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T09:57:05","slug":"descendants-the-rise-of-red-review-meet-the-next-generation-of-disney-superstars","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/descendants-the-rise-of-red-review-meet-the-next-generation-of-disney-superstars\/","title":{"rendered":"Descendants: The Rise of Red review \u2013 Meet the next generation of Disney superstars"},"content":{"rendered":"

You’ll be humming along to the songs in no time. <\/p>

By Katelyn Mensah\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 11 July 2024 at 04:00 AM<\/p>

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<\/div> 4.0 out of 5 star rating<\/span> <\/span> <\/div> <\/div>
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It has been nine years since fans were first introduced to the villain kids from the Isle of the Lost who shook things up upon their arrival at Auradon Prep, and a lot has happened since then, marking the introduction of Chloe (Malia Baker) and Red (Kylie Cantrall).<\/p>\n

Descendants: The Rise of Red fast-forwards ever so slightly from the events of Descendants 3, in which Mal (Dove Cameron) and Ben (Mitchell Hope) have set off on their travels and there\u2019s a new principal in town \u2013 Uma (China Anne McClain), the daughter of Ursula.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Now, whether that was a good or bad thing given their touchy history is a storyline in itself, but that isn\u2019t the focus.<\/p>\n

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The new movie introduces Disney fans to the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts from Wonderland, played by the talented Rita Ora, who has a decades-long grudge against Auradon and her former best friend Cinderella, played by the equally talented Brandy. And when Red is invited to study at Auradon, a light bulb goes off \u2013 and she seeks revenge and incites a coup.<\/p>\n

But Red must team up with Cinderella\u2019s perfectionist daughter Chloe as they travel back in time to try and undo the Queen of Hearts\u2019 villain origin story.<\/p>\n

\"Rita\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Rita Ora as the Queen of Hearts in Descendants: The Rise of Red.<\/span><\/figcaption> Disney\/Quantrell Colbert<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

While the story is a classic Disney plot, it is the performances from the young actors that elevate and move said story along. The Descendants franchise has never shied away from testing out different kinds of music across its soundtracks, from the likes of It\u2019s Goin\u2019 Down, Did I Mention and Queen of Mean all taking on different musical genres \u2013 and The Rise of Red is no different.<\/p>\n

In some of the opening scenes, we see Kylie Cantrall and Rita Ora bounce off one another in a duet, proving that Disney movies are restoring their glory, providing a stage for brand new stars to take centre stage alongside more experienced heads.<\/p>\n

And it isn\u2019t just Cantrall\u2019s singing that impresses, with the 19-year-old\u2019s acting skills shining through as Red embarks on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, which many fans could liken to Mal\u2019s in each film, as every challenge she faces develops her character bit by bit.<\/p>\n

[squirrel-affiliate-playlist squirrel_playlist_id=\u201d612\u2033 \/]<\/p>\n

Malia Baker, who plays the overly-cheery Chloe, embarks on a similar journey to Red, but as the pair unite, it issues an important message of friendship \u2013 even between the most unlikely pair.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Chloe\u2019s interactions with other characters which sees the royal daughter undergo a transformation, moving away from abiding by the rules all the time to sometimes bending those to stand up for what is right.<\/p>\n

But they aren\u2019t the only characters at the forefront in The Rise of Red, with Dara Rene\u00e9 taking on the role of Uliana, the younger sister of Ursula the sea witch, who will undoubtedly remind many of Uma before she stepped out of her villainous shoes.<\/p>\n

Despite Rene\u00e9, Ruby Rose Turner and Morgan Dudley\u2019s characters not having the most amount of screen time in the movie, their presence is certainly noted, and if there is another instalment, let\u2019s hope Disney brings those powerhouses back!<\/p>\n

As Red and Chloe explore old Auradon to discover what happened to Bridget (Ruby Rose Turner) to become the evil Queen of Hearts, without giving away spoilers, it becomes clear that Uliana had something to do with it, and an electrifying number between the teens as the movie reaches its climax will blow audiences away.<\/p>\n

\"Anthony\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Anthony Pyatt as Hades, Mars as Maleficent, Dara Renee as Uliana and Joshua Colley as Hook in Descendants: The Rise of Red.<\/span><\/figcaption> Disney\/Quantrell Colbert<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

As this is another Descendants film, the outfits are just as impressive as before, with each character having their own story to tell, and a lot of that is down to the colour scheme, letting audiences learn that just that bit more about them.<\/p>\n

Red\u2019s style has a mix of colours, from the obvious red and black and heart shapes, nodding to her royal lineage as the Queen of Hearts, even if she doesn\u2019t want to associate with that part of her life.<\/p>\n

As the daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming, Chloe\u2019s look is much more regal, with light colours of white and royal blue at the forefront, highlighting her innocence in comparison to Red.<\/p>\n

But even with these clash of colours, they blend together well, just as their characters do.<\/p>\n

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