RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The next generation of Disney sidekicks is getting some familiar faces.
Darren Criss , Sherry Cola and James Monroe Iglehart are among the latest stars joining Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story , a new music and dance-fueled movie expanding Disney’s wildly popular Descendants universe. And yes, their characters are exactly as fun as you’d hope: Criss is stepping into the role of Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio , Cola will play The Emperor’s New Groove villain Yzma, and Iglehart will once again channel Genie from Aladdin — the role that won him a Tony on Broadway.
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The new cast announcement also brings Hugo Ateo into the Emperor’s New Groove world as Kronk, Sean Yves Lessard as Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast , and Dan Bakkedahl as Yen Sid from Fantasia .
Hidden Heroes isn’t just assembling a dream team of Disney icons, though. The movie puts their descendants front and center, following the children of some of the most recognizable sidekicks in the Disney canon. The cast includes Dior Goodjohn as Jennie, the daughter of Genie; Momona Tamada as Zara, Yzma’s daughter; Jacob Rodriguez as Kronk Jr.; Eva Fossaceca Smedley as Meri, the daughter of Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty ; and Harry Jones as Lou, the son of Lumiere.
The premise takes the idea of the sidekick and gives it a Descendants -style upgrade. Within each fairytale, there is a portal that leads to a secret training facility known as Sidekick Academy, where the descendants of legendary companions are trained to become the next generation of partners to heroes. When two villains threaten the fairy tale world, the recruits have to step up themselves, without their famous parents or any other heroes to save them.
This announcement is a particularly exciting one as the Descendants franchise continues to be a major force for Disney. Descendants: Wicked Wonderland recently became the No. 1 movie on Disney+ globally during its first 10 days of streaming, while its soundtrack debuted at No. 1 on Billboard ‘s Kid Albums chart and No. 2 on the Soundtracks chart.
Now, instead of asking who the next Disney villain will be, Hidden Heroes is posing a much more important question: What happens when the sidekicks finally get to be the heroes?
Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story is coming to Disney Channel and Disney+.
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