With all the fairy-tale magic director Kenny Ortega conjured up while filming here last summer, and the swoons Dove Cameron’s mere presence prompted, we had an inkling Descendants would be something special.
What we didn’t anticipate, however, was just how witty, tuneful and captivating Disney’s fresh spin on its classic fairy-tale universe would be — not just for tweens, but for older siblings and grownups, too.
While the capital region locations — the B.C. legislature as a fairy-tale castle in the kingdom of Auradon, and Royal Roads as Auradon Prep — are a bonus for local viewers, Descendants has much more going for it, including a tongue-in-cheek screenplay, candy-coloured costumes and art direction, some great music and a spirited cast.
“No magic, no Wi-Fi, no way out … or so I thought,” says Cameron, deliciously naughty as Mal, purple-haired daughter of Maleficent (Kristin Chenoweth), at the start on Isle of the Lost. The Liv and Maddie star’s sarcastic lament sets the stage for an inspired plot that will free her from this godforsaken place, along with Magic Mirror-obsessed Evie (Sofia Carson), dog-hating Carlos (Cameron Boyce) and thieving Jay (Booboo Stewart).
They’re the children of Snow White’s Evil Queen, Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmations and Aladdin’s evil sorcerer Jafar, played to hammy perfection by Kathy Najimy, Wendy Raquel Robinson and Maz Jobrani.
The teenaged offspring of Disney’s most notorious villains, who have been banished to the Isle of the Lost for years, get a shot at redemption when Prince Ben (Mitchell Hope), son of the King (Dan Payne), formerly Beast, invites them back to Auradon.
The catch: They must study alongside the children of good Disney characters taught by Fairy Godmother (Melanie Paxson), who tells them: “As you may have heard, I have a little thing about curfews.”
From the moment these vanquished villains musically express their apparent destiny in Rotten to the Core, the film’s electronic opening dance number, to the infectious exuberance of Set It Off, the spectacular finale shot at Hatley Castle, Descendants casts a spell.
It’s due largely to the lively staging Ortega has achieved with Victoria-born Paul Becker, his co-choreographer in a musical and comic spectacle.
It enlivens a winning romp that is to traditional fairy tales what High School Musical was to school musicals, with elements of pop-culture touchstones from the Broadway musical Wicked to Once Upon a Time rolled in.
“I’ve got the poster parents for goodness, but we’re not automatically like them,” Ben, the future king, tells Mal, determined to make this bad girl good. “We get to choose who we’re going to be.”
Although the flimsy nature vs. nurture plot is predictable as the teens unleash their inner goodness, it’s the zingers that grab you, as when Beast quips: “It was either you or the teapot” when Belle expresses her love.
Some of the one-liners in the snappy screenplay by Josan McGibbon and Sara Parriott border on cringeworthy, however, such as Evil Queen’s observation that “the poison apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Chenoweth is wickedly affecting — amusingly licking her lips, rolling her eyes and cooing “that’s my nasty little girl” in her role as the “evilest of them all” sorceress determined to steal Fairy Godmother’s wand.
“Ha! I buried the lead!” she deadpans, before revealing dramatic news.
And the Broadway pizzazz Chenoweth gleefully brings to Evil Like Me, Maleficent’s comedic show-stopper, is electrifying, building to a duet as Maleficent cajoles Mal into following in her footsteps. It sounds as if there’s Broadway potential for this franchise.
Other musical highlights include a fun, albeit perfunctory, hip-hop twist on Be Our Guest, and If Only, a beautiful ballad sung by Cameron with pop-chart potential.
Noteworthy local talent includes Payne as the King, and Zachary Gibson, who is amusing and unleashes some cool dance moves as Doug, Dopey’s nerdish son with a thing for Evie.
It’s fun seeing how the filmmakers have digitally enhanced and dressed up the local landmarks they filmed last summer.
Highlights include the coronation arrival sequence at the legislature, Museum of Cultural History sequences filmed inside, and the family day sequence on the Royal Roads lower lawn and rose garden.
The fairest of them all is the dazzling finale party at Hatley Castle, followed by Mal’s final words, which will be music to local film industry boosters’ ears: “You didn’t think that was the end of the story, did you?”
What: Disney’s Descendants
When: Tonight, 8 p.m.
Where: Family Channel
Rating: Four stars