The Descendants franchise is expanding – again – with Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story. This time, it’s with a movie under a new umbrella. It’s the latest addition to the franchise that started with the original trilogy – Descendants, Descendants 2, and Descendants 3 – in 2015. All of which are Disney Channel Original movies. Descendants: The Royal Wedding, an animated special, wrapped up the stories of the original characters in 2021.
Sticking with the movies, Descendants: The Rise of Red revived the franchise exclusively on Disney+ in 2024. Its sequel, Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, released on Disney Channel and Disney+ in July 2026. While it remains to be seen whether there will be a third movie with that new generation of characters, this movie is the first feature-length offshoot in the Descendants universe. You can read everything we know about Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story below!
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What Is ‘Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story’ About?
The description of Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story reads as follows:
“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.”
Ayo Davis, president, Disney Kids & Family, spoke about spotlighting these new characters: “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. 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.”
Tamara Chestna, Eydie Faye and Emma Fletcher wrote the script, and Jude Weng is attached as the director. Mark Ordesky and Jane Fleming are executive producers, alongside Gary Marsh and Chestna, who executive produced Descendants: Wicked Wonderland. Louise Hradsky and Jeffrey Mortensen are the choreographers. Disney Kids & Family is producing the movie. Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story will feature new dances, music, and characters.
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Who Stars in the New ‘Descendants’ Movie?
As expected, Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story will introduce a bunch of new characters. This time, they’re the children of some of Disney’s sidekicks. Dior Goodjohn (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) will play Jennie, the daughter of Aladdin’s Genie. Momona Tamada (The Baby-Sitters Club) will star as Zara, the daughter of Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove, while Jacob Rodriguez (Tell Me Lies) will play Kronk Jr., the son of Kronk. Eva Fossaceca Smedley (Welcome to Flatch) joins the Descendants Universe as Meri, the daughter of Sleeping Beauty’s Merryweather. Harry Jones (Bury Your Nephew) will star as Lou, the son of Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast, and Rhys Dawkins, Connor Wong, and Kyra Wong will play the Potts Siblings. There are no updates about whether or not other Descendants Universe characters will appear in the movie.
As of August 2026, we know who will be playing the adults cast of Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story. They include Darren Criss as Jiminy Cricket, Sherry Cola as Yzma, James Monroe Iglehart as Genie, Hugo Ateo as Kronk, Sean Yves Lessard as Lumiere, and Dan Bakkedahl as Yen Sid from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice in Fantasia.
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When Does ‘Hidden Heroes’ Premiere?
Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story doesn’t have a premiere date yet. The movie was greenlit on Friday, August 7, and it went into production the following week. The official Descendants social media accounts shared that Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story wrapped production at the end of September. The video featured the cast in-costume with items that are relevant to their characters. How about that for a tease?! As we get updates on its release, we will update this section.
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