Good and Evil Collide When “Descendants” Premieres July 31 on Family Channel
NEW MOVIE STARS DOVE CAMERON, CAMERON BOYCE, BOOBOO STEWART, SOFIA CARSON AND TONY AWARD-WINNER KRISTIN CHENOWETH
Toronto, July 8, 2015 – The next generation of villains arrive on Family Channel this summer with the premiere of Descendants, a fantastical music-filled adventure that explores family dynamics with a nod at traditional fairy tales. Premiering Friday, July 31 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, the star-studded television movie event follows Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay – the teenage offspring of infamous villains Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Cruella de Vil and Jafar – as they face the challenge of living up to parental and peer expectations. Starring Dove Cameron, Cameron Boyce, Booboo Stewart and Sofia Carson alongside Tony Award-winning Kristin Chenoweth, Descendants debuts as part of an exciting evening of programming designed for the entire family, opening with a brand new episode of Liv and Maddie at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Filmed in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, Descendants is a classic story of good vs. evil with a modern day twist. The high-fashion fairy tale is set in the idyllic kingdom of Auradon, where goodness has reigned ever since Maleficent, Cruella de Vil, the Evil Queen and Jafar were banished to the Isle of the Lost – along with all the other villains, sidekicks and evil stepmothers – 20 years earlier. Now, Ben, the teenage son of the King and Queen (Beast and Belle from Beauty and the Beast) is poised to take the throne and, as his first official proclamation, he offers the villainous descendants a chance at redemption. Will the seemingly evil teens follow in their nefarious parents’ footsteps and help the villains regain power, or embrace their innate goodness and save the kingdom?
The fairy tale adventure continues at Family.ca where kids can help Mal, Jay, Evie and Carlos run through the streets of the Isle of the Lost performing cool flips and slides in the brand new game “Isle of the Lost Rush.” The website also features exclusive interviews with the cast, music videos and background information on all of the characters. The movie will be available on Family OnDemand beginning August 7.
Descendants stars Dove Cameron (Liv and Maddie) as Mal, Maleficent’s daughter; Cameron Boyce (Jessie) as Carlos, Cruella de Vil’s son; Sofia Carson as Evie, daughter of Evil Queen; Booboo Stewart (Twilight franchise) as Jay, son of Jafar; Mitchell Hope as Ben; Tony Award-winning Kristin Chenoweth (Glee) as Maleficent; Wendy Raquel Robinson (The Game) as Cruella Da Vil; Kathy Najimy (Veep) as Evil Queen; and Maz Jobrani (The Interpreter) as Jafar. The movie also features Vancouver-natives Sarah Jeffery (Wayward Pines) as Audrey, daughter of Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and Jedidiah Goodacre (The 100) as Chad Charming.
Emmy Award-winning Kenny Ortega (High School Musical) directs, choreographs and executive-produces Descendants. Wendy Japhet (An Education, The Italian Job) also serves as executive producer and Canadian-born Paul Becker (So You Think You Can Dance Canada) is the co-choreographer. The script was written by Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott (The Starter Wife, Runaway Bride), who are also co-producers. Mark Hofeling (Teen Beach Movie, High School Musical) serves as production designer and Kara Saun (Project Runway) is the costume designer.
Family Channel offers the best in family television entertainment in a premium, commercial-free environment. Dedicated to celebrating family life and providing a daily vacation for children and their families, Family airs a unique mix of top-rated series, movies and specials. Family Channel subscribers also have access to Family OnDemand and Family OnLine at no additional cost, to see hit movies and series when they want them, where they want them. Visit us at Family.ca.
About DHX Television
DHX Television is comprised of the Family suite of channels and is part of DHX Media Ltd., a leading creator, producer, marketer and broadcaster of family entertainment. DHX Media Ltd. markets and distributes its library of more than 11,000 half-hours of entertainment programming worldwide, and licenses its owned properties through its dedicated brand-management and consumer-products business, DHX Brands. DHX Media Ltd.’s full-service international licensing agency, Copyright Promotions Licensing Group Ltd. (CPLG), represents numerous entertainment, sport and design brands. With offices in 15 cities worldwide, including Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Barcelona, Milan, Munich, Amsterdam and Beijing, DHX Media Ltd. is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and on the Toronto Stock Exchange.