Disney is expanding the Descendants universe with a brand-new group of kids connected to some very familiar characters.
Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story has officially been greenlit for Disney Channel and Disney+, with Dior Goodjohn, Momona Tamada, Jacob Rodriguez, Eva Fossaceca Smedley and Harry Jones leading the cast.
This time, the story won’t focus on the children of Disney’s biggest heroes and villains. Instead, Hidden Heroes turns its attention to the next generation of the characters who helped those heroes along the way — the sidekicks.
At the center of the movie is Sidekick Academy, a secret training facility where the descendants of famous Disney sidekicks learn what it takes to become partners to heroes. When two villains threaten the academy, the young recruits are forced to put their training to the test and protect the fairytale world on their own.
The new characters pull from several classic Disney movies.
Dior Goodjohn, known for Percy Jackson and the Olympians, stars as Jennie, the daughter of Genie from Aladdin.
Momona Tamada of The Baby-Sitters Club plays Zara, the daughter of Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove, while Jacob Rodriguez stars as Kronk Jr., the son of Kronk.
Eva Fossaceca Smedley plays Meri, the daughter of Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty, and Harry Jones takes on the role of Lou, the son of Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast.
The Beauty and the Beast family will grow even further with Rhys Dawkins, Connor Wong and Kyra Wong joining the movie as the Potts siblings.
Like previous Descendants movies, Hidden Heroes will feature plenty of music and dancing. Jude Weng, whose credits include Only Murders in the Building and Finding ‘Ohana, is directing the film, with choreography by Louise Hradsky and Jeffrey Mortensen.
Ayo Davis, president of Disney Kids & Family, said the new movie gives the franchise an opportunity to explore Disney’s familiar stories from another point of view.
“With ‘Hidden Heroes,’ we’re finally putting the sidekicks center stage, because they’ve always been an essential part of Disney’s greatest adventures,” Davis said.
The announcement follows the release of Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, which Disney says became the No. 1 movie on Disney+ globally based on views from July 17 through July 27.
The Descendants franchise began in 2015 and has continued introducing younger audiences to the children and descendants of characters from Disney classics. Hidden Heroes takes that concept in a different direction by asking what happens when the kids who usually stand beside the heroes finally get their own adventure.
Production on Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story is set to begin in August. Disney has not yet announced a premiere date.
