Descendants

High School Musical meets the next generation of Disney fairy-tale characters in this original musical fantasy that aired on the Disney Channel. The offspring of four Disney villains—Mal (daughter of Maleficent), Carlos (son of Cruella de Vil), Jay (son of Jafar), and Evie (daughter of Evil Queen)—are released from a magical island prison (which looks alarmingly like a slum) and welcomed into the magical kingdom to attend boarding school with the children of fairy-tale heroes and heroines. Maleficent (played by Broadway superstar Kristin Chenoweth) sees this as her big chance to escape; she orders Mal to steal the Fairy Godmother's wand. But the only chance for that is during the coronation of the new king (son of Belle and the Beast)—the same teen monarch who freed them from their miserable captivity. Directed by veteran Kenny Ortega (Newsies, High School Musical), Descendants is very much a juvenile musical, with goofy comedy and high school dramas involving teen crushes, prejudices, cliques, cool kids, and outcasts, all set in a world of fairy-tale royalty and magic. Along the way, the kids discover teamwork, friendship, loyalty, and romance, while also learning that appearances and expectations can be misleading. Featuring energetic song and dance numbers, scenes of sports action (a version of lacrosse with added complications), and magical battles (albeit on a cable TV budget), this is a so-so Disney original that is likely to be popular. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)