Descendants: The Royal Wedding is a Disney Channel animated television special that aired on August 13, 2021. Based on the Descendants franchise, the special brings viewers back to the United States of Auradon and features Mal and Ben's royal wedding. The animated television special reached 0.65 million viewers.[1]
Synopsis[]
Happily-ever-after continues for Auradon's power couple, Mal and Ben, as they prepare to say "I do" at an epic celebration with their friends and family, but Hades threatens to ruin it all.
Plot[]
The big day has finally arrived for Mal and Ben's wedding. Dude chases some squirrels since they weren't invited. In the palace, Dizzy helps Mal get ready, as she is practicing her vows. Auradon Castle is alive with celebration as friends and family from both Auradon and the Isle of the Lost gather to witness the union that symbolizes true unity between their worlds. Evie comes in with brings in an extra-large bouquet. Audrey, who is serving as the wedding planner explains that the giant bouquet is made up of every flower grown in Auradon. As Mal and Evie express their excitement over the event since all of their friends are coming and her parents as well with Evie pulling Maleficent the lizard out of her bag and dressing her up for the wedding. Dude suddenly spooks the lizard, despite Evie scolding him for growling at the lizard of the bride and chases her out of the dressing room, just as Ben arrives to check on Mal, but Evie protests this, saying it's bad luck for Mal to see her groom before the wedding, and Audrey rudely shoos him away to get back to the palace and orders him to catch his mother-in-law. Despite the close call, Mal declares nothing can ruin this day.
Meanwhile Jay cheerfully greets guests at the castle Great Hall, welcoming everyone—including Uma and Hades, Mal’s father—whose fiery temper scares everyone. After Hades walks in Dude and lizard Maleficent soon come in which Jay greets the lizard of the bride and then notices Ben, who asks him if he has seen Dude and his mother-in-law, with Jay saying yes and they ran inside. Jay also tells Ben he just missed the father of the bride come in, but both notices smoke rising from the Great Hall. To everyone’s alarm, Hades accidentally sets part of the castle ablaze and flees the scene, prompting Ben and Uma to go after him while Jay rushes to tell Mal. Inside her dressing room, Mal prepares for the ceremony with Evie, Dizzy, and Audrey, who hears that the doves flew away and gets Snow White to solve it. Their excitement is briefly interrupted when Jay bursts in with the news of the fire. Though Mal insists it must be a misunderstanding, Evie and Jay worry that Hades might have reverted to his old ways. Determined to get the truth, Mal decides to return to the Isle of the Lost with her friends.
After changing into their regular clothes, the three, along with Audrey, who comes along and is trying to keep Mal on schedule and hears that the swans have a thing to deal with, head to the bridge. Before they cross the bridge, however, Mal pauses with a sad look, which Evie notices and alerts Jay. The two ask if she is okay, and Mal admits she is but just wish Carlos were here to share this day with them. Evie gently says "we all do", and with a nod Jay give Mal their wedding gift they were saving for the reception but now seem like a better time. Opening the gift, Mal sees it is a golden charm bracelet linking all four VKs’ crests together, with a bitten apple symbolizing their old motto, “Rotten to the Core.” Evie tells her "it's our crests. The four VKs. Linked together forever." Touched, Mal hugs them both before Audrey rushes up to warn that the bridge has caught fire. With Uma’s help, they extinguish the flames, also getting Audrey wet since she didn't get out on time, and cross safely to the Isle, now brighter, cleaner, and full of new life—proof of how far its people have come.
When they arrive at Hades’ lair, Pain and Panic refuse to let them in, even on her wedding day, forcing Mal to transform into a dragon to demand an audience. Inside, she finds Ben—who came ahead to talk with her father—holding Maleficent and trying to convince Hades to attend the ceremony, even if he has to drag him by his blue hair or appeal him through logic and reason. After a heated but heartfelt conversation, Hades admits he didn’t mean to start the fire; his fiery temper got out of hand because Dude bit him when he tried to get his ex-wife and he also pour water on Chad because he is the worse, which Mal and Evie agreed he is the worst. Mal tells him that her wedding wouldn’t be complete without both her parents present, and her sincerity softens his heart.
When Fairy Godmother arrives with Belle and Beast, Ben suggests holding the wedding right there on the Isle. With a wave of Fairy Godmother’s wand, Mal's wedding dress appears and with Aurdrey's suggestion to change the scenery, Fairy Godmother makes Hade's cave into a scenery wedding with glowing garden filled with flowers, candles, and music. Audrey says the setting is good but she and Evie agree it needs a bit of "VK flare". Watches as her friends set up the private ceremony, Mal sings ("Feeling the Love"). Evie and Audrey scatter petals while Ben and Hades set up the rug for Mal to walk on. Evie puts a bride headdress on Mal and tells her this is a dream come true. As Fairy Godmother continues to use her magic wand to decorate the pillars with tree branches with flowers, Jay and Evie arranging flowers on the pillers, Fairy Godmother sets up. Jay escorts Audrey down the aisle before separating to the brides and grooms side, and Evie has a small dance with Dude in tribute to Carlos.
As Hades proudly walks Mal down the aisle, Jay glance toward an open space beside him, a silent space reserved for their missing friend. During the vows, Jay and Evie hand the rings to Mal and Ben. Ben vows with this ring, "I pledge everything that I have to you. My life, my kingdom, my heart. I promise to always be there for you, to accept everything that you are and to always put you first." Mal starts her vows she will "pledge to you all the days of my life, all of my burdens, and all of my joys. I promise to be my best for you, to share all my secrets, and to keep yours, and to choose good always." Both Mal and Ben say "I do" and kiss. The ceremony concludes in joy as Fairy Godmother uses her magic to transport everyone back to the restored Auradon Castle, where the celebration continues with laughter, dancing, and tears of happiness.
As Mal and Ben end their kiss, Evie and Jay run to hug the two. The four notice the charm bracelet on Mal’s wrist begins to glow—Carlos’s crest shining brightest of all, connecting the others in radiant light. The Dude, Ben, and the VKs realize that Carlos’s spirit is with them, fulfilling Mal’s earlier wish that he would be part of this day. Seeing Carlos' spirit, Ben, Mal, Evie, and Jay head onto the dance floor so Mal and Ben take their first steps as husband and wife. Fairy Godmother make the floors float for the wedding couple and every guest, as the newly married couple dances under the stars.
As fireworks light up the night sky, Ben and Mal share a quiet moment outside, reflecting on what it means to live “happily ever after.” Mal smiles, looking toward the horizon, sensing that while their story has reached its fairytale ending, somewhere beyond, a new story is waiting to begin.
Cast[]
- Dove Cameron as Mal
- Sofia Carson as Evie
- Booboo Stewart as Jay
- Mitchell Hope as Ben
- Sarah Jeffery as Audrey
- Melanie Paxson as Fairy Godmother
- China Anne McClain as Uma
- Jedidiah Goodacre as Chad Charming
- Anna Cathcart as Dizzy Tremaine
- Dan Payne as Beast
- Keegan Connor Tracy as Belle
- Bobby Moynihan as Dude the Dog
- Cheyenne Jackson as Hades
- Faye Mata as Maleficent
- Jack Venturo as Pain
- Ryan Garcia as Panic
Trivia[]
- Since Cameron Boyce had passed away on July 6, 2019, the absence of Carlos De Vil was acknowledged in the storyline and Cameron's memory is honored in the Broadcast.
- Doug, Jane, Lonnie, Celia Facilier, Squeaky & Squirmy Smee, Harry Hook, and Gil LeGume are also absent, for unknown reasons
- While Mal saying all of her friends are at the wedding, these characters were not seen. Although it is possible they were seen but were in the background.
- While not explicitly stated, Carlos must have passed away fairly recently in the Descendants universe. This explains why Jane is not at the wedding; she is grieving and needs time to herself. Jane and Carlos were a couple, so she took the loss a lot more hard than the VKs. Mal, Evie, and Jay had things to distract them. Mal was busy with wedding planning and learning the duties of the queen. Evie has her fashion brand Evie's 4 Hearts in popular demand. Jay is on a gap year, exploring Auradon with Gil.
- It also has yet to explain why Carlos was never resurrected with the kind of magic used on the VK parents or Audrey is never elaborated on. Although it possible that Carlos' soul ended up in the Elysian Fields (a place in the Underworld restricted to Hades in Hercules: The Animated Series)
- This special aired right after on the Disney Channel Original Movie, Spin and before the premiere of Disney's Magic Bake-Off.
- Coincidentally, Anna Cathcart, who voiced Dizzy Tremaine in the special, had also played Molly in Spin.
- This is currently the final film in the Descendants franchise to focus on the original cast. The next film, Descendants: The Rise of Red, features a brand new cast.
- At the end of the special, there is a sight of red-painted white roses leading to a rabbit hole, hinting at the production of the aforementioned film.
- When Jay and Evie give Mal her present, Evie states "the four VKs linked together forever", there is a 5th crest with a heart crown (assuming it represents either Ben or Mal officially becoming queen or the apple 'D' logo for Descendants).
Gallery[]
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ "Friday Cable Ratings 8/13/21: Spin is Lowest-Rated Disney Channel Original Movie Ever". thetvratingdgyide.com. Retrieved on 2021-08-16.
External links[]
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