Descendants 3

Like its predecessors, this Disney Channel TV movie focusing on the sons and daughters of the Mouse House’s famous heroes and villains is a colorful, energetic, but also rather empty diversion aimed at teens, fashioned in the mold of the High School Musical movies. This time around, Mal (Dove Cameron), the daughter of Maleficent, and Ben (Mitchell Hope), the son of Belle and the Beast and ruler of the blissful kingdom of Auradon, are a loving couple preparing to wed. But when the portal between Auradon and the so-called Isle of the Lost is opened, the presumably nefarious denizens of the latter—including Mal’s nemesis Uma (China Anne McClain), who is the daughter of Ursula the Sea Witch and Hades (Cheyenne Jackson), ruler of the underworld, threaten to cross over and cause havoc. Descendants 3 includes numerous musical numbers, and veteran director-choreographer Kenny Ortega brings athletic brio to the ensemble dances. Cameron Boyce, who plays Conrad, the son of Cruella de Vil, died suddenly after filming was completed, and his performance here serves as a proper tribute to a career cut sadly short. Given the popularity of the series, this should be considered a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)