First it was the offspring of the heroes and villains, and now it’s the kids of the sidekicks’ turn in the spotlight.
Disney on Friday announced a new movie that expands the Descendants universe by focusing on iconic Disney sidekicks. Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story, greenlighted for Disney Channel and Disney+, is described as a music-and-dance-fueled movie that “centers on the journey of the unsung heroes behind Disney’s greatest adventures.”
The official logline: “Hidden in the center of each fairy tale is a portal to a secret training facility where the descendants of legendary sidekicks are challenged to join the elite ranks of partners to heroes. When a villainous duo comes to Sidekick Academy, a group of fresh recruits must band together — without heroes, without parents — using only their new skills to save the fairytale realm before it’s too late.”
The movie stars Dior Goodjohn (Percy Jackson and the Olympians,) 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; and Harry Jones (Bury Your Nephew) as Lou, son of Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast.
Also in the cast are Rhys Dawkins, Connor Wong and Kyra Wong as the Potts Siblings (from Beauty and the Beast).
“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.”
The movie, directed by Jude Weng (Only Murders in the Building), was written by Tamara Chestna, Eydie Faye and Emma Fletcher. Mark Ordesky (Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires) and Jane Fleming (Zombies 4) are executive producers, alongside Gary Marsh and Chestna, who executive produced Descendants: Wicked Wonderland. Louise Hradsky and Jeffrey Mortensen are the choreographers. The movie, produced by Disney Kids & Family, goes into production next week.
The announcement follows last month’s debut of Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, the fifth film in the wildly successful franchise, which ranked as the No. 1 movie on Disney+ globally (based on views July 17-27). The soundtrack debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Soundtracks chart, reaching 50.8 million streams globally.
Each of the first three films ranked as the most-watched cable movie of their year. In 2024, Descendants: The Rise of Red debuted on Disney+ as the most-watched original movie among Kids and Girls 6–11.
The franchise also has extended to a live experience, with last summer’s Descendants/ZOMBIES Worlds Collide: Concert Special playing to sold-out crowds in more than 40 arenas across North America. The Worlds Collide Concert Tour returns this year with 60 shows in North America, the U.K. and Europe, launching Sept. 25.
Goodjohn is repped by Gersh, Rothman/Andres Entertainment and Myman Greenspan Fineman Fox Rosenberg & Light; Tamada is with da Costa Talent, TFC Management, Gersh, Persona PR and Jackoway Austen; Rodriguez is with Gersh and Kevin Donahue Management; Smedley is repped by CESD Talent Agency; Jones is with Independent Talent Group, Prime Talent Media and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern; Dawkins is repped by Performers Management; Connor Wong and Kyra Wong are with da Costa Talent.
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