Fixing the past turns out to come with a bill. Red and Chloe kept Cinderella safe and left the Queen of Hearts kind instead of cruel, and the corrected timeline has quietly produced someone who never existed before: Maddox Hatter.

The fifth Descendants film sends Red (Kylie Cantrall) and Chloe (Malia Baker) back into Wonderland on a rescue, this time with a bigger crew. Red's new sister Pink joins them, along with Luis, son of Luisa Madrigal, which quietly plugs the Encanto family tree into this franchise, and Max, who has the awkward job of being the new villain's son. Rita Ora returns as the Queen of Hearts and Brandy Norwood as Cinderella, the role she first played on television in 1997.

Kimmy Gatewood directs from a script by Tamara Chestna, Dan Frey and Ru Sommer, and the shape is the one the series has used across five films: big ensemble numbers, loud costume design, a plot that moves fast enough for an eleven-year-old, and jokes aimed a little over their head.

For families choosing it: comedy, action and fantasy with songs, and peril kept at Disney Channel scale. A newcomer can follow it, though Descendants: The Rise of Red (2024) introduces Red, Chloe and the changed timeline, so watching that first makes the opening land properly.