Following the events of the original series, the new film is a spinoff with the Queen of Hearts’ daughter Red, and Cinderella’s daughter Chloe at the core of the plot.
While the film introduces many new people, numerous familiar faces appear throughout as Chloe and Red journey back in time to prevent a disastrous catastrophe from occurring.
Notably, China Anne McClain returns as Uma, the principal of Auradon Prep. As head of the school, her first act is to combine “all the kingdoms,” including Wonderland, which initiates a series of events in the film.
Brandy and Paolo Montalban will also feature as Cinderella and Prince Charming, having previously played the roles in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, a made-for-TV musical film that debuted in 1997.
Here are the key cast members from Descendants: The Rise of Red.
Malia Baker as Chloe
In the film, Malia Baker plays Chloe, Cinderella’s adolescent daughter and Prince Charming’s first-year student at Auradon Prep. During orientation, Chloe goes back in time with Red, and the two must work together to safeguard those they care about now.
Following minor roles on programs such as A Million Little Things and The Flash, Baker landed her big role as Mary Anne Spier in Netflix’s adaption of The Baby-Sitters Club. She was featured on the show’s first and second seasons until it was cancelled in 2021. She then participated in Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark? reboot.
Following the release of Descendants: The Rise of Red, Baker has a variety of projects in the works, including Harvest Moon with Paul Bettany, Spider & Jessie with Mckenna Grace and Dacre Montgomery, and Hair of the Bear, which she executive produced.
After her first time producing, Baker said that she wants to become more engaged in directing and writing, citing Ayo Edebiri and Zendaya as influences for working both behind and in front of the camera.
“I would love to be in the directing space at some point,” added the actress. “I produced my first film this year, so hopefully that’ll be the next step along this journey.”
China Anne McClain as Uma
China Anne McClain reprises her role as Uma, Ursula’s vivacious daughter. Her character initially appears in Descendants 2 as the commander of the VKs on the Isle of the Lost. In the third film, she and Mal become good friends after initially disagreeing.
In the current film, Uma is the new principal of Auradon Prep, and her first item of business is to unify “all the kingdoms” of Auradon, including Wonderland, by inviting Red.
In an exclusive first look at her comeback, McClain said that she was worried about reprising her role as Uma after Cameron Boyce’s death, but it turned out to be a therapeutic journey for her.
“I was hesitant to return to the Descendants world at first because losing Cam was the first heartbreak I’d ever felt,” she says in an exclusive statement. “But once I saw how excited the new generation of kids were, it reminded me of myself when we created the original films.”
“Everything came together beautifully,” she said of the film. “There’s one moment that is really significant to me, and I’m sure the audience will be able to determine which one it is after seeing the film. Stepping back into Uma was both rewarding and therapeutic for me.
Before Descendants, McClain established herself on popular series such as Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and Disney Channel’s A.N.T. Farm. Following the Descendants movie, she appeared on The CW’s superhero series Black Lightning and resumed her role as Jazmine Payne on OWN’s relaunch of The Paynes.
Kylie Cantrall as Red
Kylie Cantrall plays the lead role of Red, the Queen of Hearts’s daughter. Red despises her mother’s autocratic rule over Wonderland and tries everything in her power to defy her.
Cantrall’s big break came when she starred in Gabby Duran & the Unsittables, after making cameo appearances on Disney Channel episodes including Bizaardvark and Raven’s Home. Both Cantrall and her Descendants co-star Dara Reneé appeared in a recurring role as Dani in the fourth and final season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series in August 2023.
Given their experience on HSMTMTS, Cantrall remembered that working on the new Descendants film with Reneé was “so special” in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. ‘See you in two weeks,’ I said to Dara on the final day of High School Musical. It’s unbelievable that we’re embarking on this new adventure side by side. Having that friend to lean on and the assurance that she would be there were both tremendous comforts.
I felt terrific because she is the most amazing lady and she makes everyone around her feel loved and special. Our chemistry is intriguing, and we discussed how I play the villain in High School Musical, which is hilarious. In Descendants, however, things work backward.
Along with her acting profession, Cantrall is also a singer. She has published many singles and regularly shares how she creates songs, such as in a recurrent TikTok series where she writes a song in 10 minutes.
Dara Reneé as Uliana
Dara Reneé plays Uliana, Ursula’s younger sister, and Uma’s aunt. Uliana constantly torments everyone around her in an attempt to outdo her older sister Ursula’s villainy.
Reneé made her acting debut in 2018, as Savannah in the Disney Channel original film Freaky Friday. Reneé appeared as Kourtney in the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, which concluded its final season in 2023, after a recurring appearance on Black-ish’s fifth season.
Reneé is a composer as well as an actress and singer. She wrote an original song for the third season of HSMTMTS called “Here I Come” and often shares peeks of her music on social media.
Reneé said that playing McClain’s aunt was extremely significant to her. “The first time I ever met China Anne McClain, I was in an autograph-signing line for A.N.T. Farm at a mall in California,” Renee told me. “She was really nice. She remarked I looked stunning. something was the first time a role model had stated something to me, therefore I kept it with me.”
“When I met her on set, she exceeded my expectations,” Reneé said. “China Anne McClain is a true angel on Earth. I’ll say it for the folks in the back since she treated me so well. She’s incredibly dear to me, and I’m very thrilled to be her aunt. She’s a really cool individual who is literally lovely on the inside and out.”
Ruby Rose Turner as Bridget
Ruby Rose Turner plays Bridget, the younger version of the Queen of Hearts that Chloe and Red encounter after going back in time. Though Rita Ora portrays the Queen of Hearts as a monster in the current day, her younger self Bridget is shown to be really lovely. It is stated that a significant incident in her life led to her being cruel.
Turner began her career on sitcoms like Fuller House and Game Shakers before appearing in the Disney Channel comedy Coop and Cami Ask the World, opposite Dakota Lotus. The series aired for two seasons before concluding in 2020.
Morgan Dudley as Ella
Morgan Dudley plays Ella, a younger version of Cinderella, with whom Chloe and Red encounter when they journey back in time.
Descendants: The Rise of Red is one of Dudley’s first lead roles after participating in Netflix films like The Prom and A Tourist’s Guide to Love. She also has experience in theater, having previously played Frankie Healy in Broadway’s Jagged Little Pill in 2021, according to Playbill.
Rita Ora as the Queen of Hearts
Rita Ora plays the adult Queen of Hearts, the wicked queen of Wonderland, and Red’s demanding mother. During Red’s orientation at Auradon Prep, she executes a prank that causes complete mayhem.
Ora is most known for her singing career, with singles such as “Let You Love Me” and “Black Widow,” but she has also acted in many films, including the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu. She has also acted as a judge on many popular television series, including The X Factor and The Masked Singer.
Cantrall described having Ora as her onscreen mother as “surreal” after being a long-time listener of her music. “She’s this pop star boss woman, so I think she was able to bring that aura to the Queen of Hearts character,” Cantrall told me. “Just witnessing her flip that switch into villain mode was so fascinating to see her professionalism. I look up to her in a variety of ways.”
“She’s definitely not mean like the Queen of Hearts at all,” she remarked, adding that she also offered her some motherly advice offscreen. “She offered me fantastic guy advise in her small British accent. She’s saying, “Boys are a waste of time.” ‘Do not trust them.’ I’ve been holding onto it ever since.”
Paolo Montalban as King Charming
Paolo Montalban, like Brandy, reprises his role in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1997 television film, but this time as King Charming. Along with Cinderella, he lords over Cinderellasburg and is the father of Chloe and Chad.
Baker said it was extremely enjoyable to explore the royal couple’s new home in Descendants: The Rise of Red. “Cinderellasburg was never included in [the original films]. It’s a whole new world to discover and explore, which I find really enjoyable. As you watch the film, you are sucked into it. It seems very vivid on television. So I believe it was a lot of fun to play with, which is why I’m so eager for people to see it.”
Brandy as Cinderella
Brandy reprises her role as the Disney princess in the Descendants film, having previously played Cinderella in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1997 television picture of the same name. (Baker admits that she isn’t the same Cinderella as in the ’90s rendition, hinting to a “multiverse” scenario.) In addition to being Chloe’s mother in the film, she is also Chad Charming’s mother from the original Descendants series.
Baker claimed that everyone was star-struck when they saw the Moesha actress, referring to her first day on set as “Brandy Day.” Though she was “geeked out” about meeting her at first, she stated that they hit it off immediately.
“She was just so lovey-dovey, and she hugged me right off the bat,” Baker told me. “She held my hand during most of this procedure. She just gave me the finest advise on keeping real and grounded. She has such a fantastic presence on set that she pulls everyone back to reality. So she is an OG for a reason.
