90 Fun Facts About Descendants 2

Who directed Descendants 2?

Kenny Ortega. His first Descendants film had drawn more than 12 million viewers within a week of its premiere, so Disney Channel brought him and its two writers back for the sequel.

In Descendants 2, Uma's crewman Gil is the son of which Disney villain?

Gaston. It is Gil who spots King Ben in disguise on the Isle, dropping a hint about his father's famously thick neck before running off to tell Uma.

Which big broadcast network joined Disney Channel in airing the Descendants 2 premiere?

ABC. Disney owns it, and for the first time put a channel movie out on six of its networks at once, with Freeform, Disney XD and the two Lifetime channels joining in.

At the start of Descendants 2, Mal puts a spell on her hair, turning it what colour?

Blonde. It is part of the princess image she keeps up by magic; back on the Isle she has it dyed purple again and greets the mirror with the words 'There I am'.

In Descendants 2, Carlos's dog starts talking after eating what?

A truth gummy. Mal made it so that Carlos could tell the girl he liked how he really felt; the dog snatched it first and started blurting out blunt truths instead.

In Descendants 2, Dizzy is the daughter of which of Cinderella's stepsisters?

Drizella. Dizzy spends her days sweeping the floor of her grandmother Lady Tremaine's salon, and says the old tyrant has simply gone from wicked stepmother to wicked grandmother.

In Descendants 2, Harry, Uma's first mate, is the son of which villain?

Captain Hook. Harry carries a hook of his own, and when he pockets the money a young hairdresser has just earned, Mal asks if he is still running errands for Uma or gets to keep what he steals.

In Descendants 2, what is the name of Carlos's dog, who gains the power of speech?

Dude. Once he can talk he says exactly what he thinks, beginning with an order to scratch his rear, and it is he who blurts out that Ben has been captured.

In Descendants 2, whom does Carlos want Mal's help to ask to the Cotillion?

Jane. The Fairy Godmother's daughter is so busy with the decorating committee that she takes his first attempt as a wish to skip the dance, but he gets the question out in the end.

In Descendants 2, Uma offers to free Ben if Mal beats her at what?

Arm wrestling. Uma wins, and her price for Ben is the Fairy Godmother's wand, handed over to her by noon the next day.

In Descendants 2, what do Carlos and Jay use to make a replica of the Fairy Godmother's wand?

A 3D printer. The fake buys just enough time: Uma hands Ben over before she spots the forgery, and the friends then have to fight their way past her pirates.

In Descendants 2, who catches Carlos and Jay leaving for the Isle and insists on joining Ben's rescue?

Lonnie. Mulan's daughter threatens to tell the Fairy Godmother unless they take her; she had been kept off Jay's team because its rule book called for men, and he ends up making her captain.

At the Cotillion in Descendants 2, Ben stuns everyone by announcing he will destroy what?

The barrier. Uma has him under a spell, and bringing down the magic wall that keeps the villains on the Isle is the gift she has him promise her in front of everyone.

In the finale of Descendants 2, Mal fights Uma in the water by transforming into what?

A dragon. Uma has turned herself into a giant sea creature with tentacles for legs, and the two only stop when Ben dives into the water between them.

In Descendants 2, what item from her mother does Uma use to transform in the water?

A seashell necklace. Its magic swells her into a giant in the water, and when Ben stops the fight she hands back his ring, refuses his offer of a place in Auradon and swims away.

In Descendants 2, what does Mal hand over to the Fairy Godmother once she and Ben reunite?

Her spell book. Evie had told her it belonged in the museum, and it was Ben's discovery of it at their picnic that started the quarrel which sent Mal back to the Isle.

According to China Anne McClain, which part of Descendants 2 was added after the script she first read?

The final tease. Uma surfaces in the credits to warn that the story is not over, and the first film's stars said its own closing moment had not been in the original script either.

At the Cotillion in Descendants 2, which gift from Ben is unveiled to show his love for Mal?

A stained-glass window. Ben had it made with Mal's own green eyes, and seeing it tells her he had loved the girl from the Isle all along, not the perfect princess she had been playing.

In Descendants 2, how does Mal break the spell that Uma has cast over Ben?

With true love's kiss. Earlier she and Evie had joked that it 'works every time', and it does: Mal tells Ben she loves him, kisses him, and the spell is gone.

When China Anne McClain was cast as Uma in Descendants 2, which character was she already voicing in the franchise's animated spinoff?

Freddie. She is the daughter of the voodoo villain Dr Facilier, and once McClain was busy playing Uma her sister Lauryn took over the character's voice for the second season.

Which star provides the voice of Uma's mother in Descendants 2?

Whoopi Goldberg. The casting was revealed on her own talk show, The View, two days before the premiere; her sea witch is heard shouting from the kitchen and seen only as a tentacle.

Which first-film character is only talked about in Descendants 2 because Sarah Jeffery sat the sequel out?

Audrey. The script packs her off on a spa holiday with the three good fairies; Jeffery came back for the third film, in which Audrey steals Maleficent's scepter and turns villain.

In Descendants 2, Mal's mother Maleficent is still stuck in the form of which small creature?

A lizard. At the end of the first film she shrank to a size that matched the love in her heart, and six months on a reporter is still asking Mal whether her mother has changed back.

Descendants 2 was filmed mostly in Vancouver and which other British Columbia city?

Victoria. The production went there for Hatley Castle, the turreted mansion that plays Auradon Prep, a building film crews like so much that it is also Professor Xavier's school in the X-Men films.

In Descendants 2, how is Evie making so much money at Auradon Prep?

Designing Cotillion outfits. Doug keeps her accounts, and works out that in a few years she could buy herself the castle she once expected a prince to provide.

In Descendants 2, what do Mal and Evie mix up at the salon as a diversion for Ben's rescue?

Smoke bombs. Evie makes five of them from chemicals she finds at the salon, and it is one of them, thrown down in the middle of the sword fight, that lets the friends get away from Uma.

Which new series had its world premiere on Disney Channel immediately after Descendants 2?

Raven's Home. The That's So Raven sequel was given the best lead-in the channel had: the film's premiere was its most-watched telecast since the first Descendants two years earlier.

In Descendants 2, which duet do Mal and Evie sing in their hideout when Mal says she is staying on the Isle?

Space Between. Evie offers to stay behind as well, Mal will not let her, and the song is their promise that the friendship will hold wherever each of them ends up.

Which song was released as the lead single from the Descendants 2 soundtrack?

Ways to Be Wicked. It opens the film, but only in Mal's head: she pictures herself and her friends handing spelled apples round Auradon Prep until the whole school turns wicked, then snaps back to a crowd of reporters.

Which actor portrays Gil, one of Uma's pirate crew, in Descendants 2?

Dylan Playfair. He had planned on a hockey career, playing junior hockey in British Columbia before he turned to acting, and was announced for the part as a newcomer.

Which Descendants 2 song do Evie, Jay and Carlos sing to teach Ben how to blend in on the Isle?

Chillin' Like a Villain. Ben is far too polite to pass for an Isle kid, so the three coach him to slouch, scowl and stop saying thank you, and he ends the lesson by picking all their pockets.

Which Descendants 2 song did its songwriter say 'was never in the script', with Hamilton among its influences?

It's Goin' Down. The standoff between Mal's friends and Uma's pirates was written as plain dialogue until the director and Disney Channel's music chief asked for a big number of chants and counter-melodies.

The Descendants 2 soundtrack includes covers of two songs from which animated Disney film?

The Little Mermaid. The cast sing Kiss the Girl together, and China Anne McClain takes Poor Unfortunate Souls alone, the showpiece of the sea witch who is her character's mother.

In Descendants 2, Uma waits tables at what kind of eatery run by her mother on the Isle?

A fish and chip shop. Uma waits on its grumbling customers with her pirate crew looking on, and it is where Mal is told to come alone if she wants the captured Ben back.

In Descendants 2, which title is Mal due to receive at the Royal Cotillion?

Lady of the Court. Her friends then let slip what everyone else already knows: going to the Cotillion with Ben is treated as being engaged to be engaged, which is news to Mal.

In Descendants 2, where is the Royal Cotillion held?

Aboard a ship. The setting matters to the plot: once the spell on Ben is broken, a furious Uma has only to leap over the side to be back in her element.

Three songs on the Descendants 2 soundtrack come from which animated spinoff series?

Descendants: Wicked World. The three are Better Together, Evil and Rather Be with You, the last sung with Lauryn McClain, who had joined the series when her sister left it to film this movie.

Which actor plays Harry, Uma's first mate, in Descendants 2?

Thomas Doherty. A year before filming began he was waiting tables in Edinburgh, newly graduated in musical theatre; Disney then made him a singing pirate.

Before Descendants 2, the actor who plays Harry starred as Sean Matthews in which Disney Channel series?

The Lodge. His character in the British musical drama wants to be a professional mountain biker, so he had to take intensive lessons in the sport before filming.

The actor who plays Harry in Descendants 2 dated which co-star from 2017 to 2020?

Dove Cameron. On screen her Mal and his Harry are enemies who trade threats in a hair salon; off screen the two were a couple for almost four years.

The actor who plays Gil in Descendants 2 also plays the hockey player Reilly in which Canadian comedy series?

Letterkenny. The part drew on real experience: he had played junior hockey before acting, and casting directors keep putting him on skates, from Gordie Howe's son to The Mighty Ducks.

Anna Cathcart, who plays Dizzy in Descendants 2, went on to play Kitty in which Netflix film series?

To All the Boys. Kitty is the heroine's little sister, and the part outgrew the films: in 2023 the character was given a spin-off series of her own, XO, Kitty.

Before Descendants 2, Anna Cathcart starred as Agent Olympia in which children's series?

Odd Squad. When agents Olive and Otto leave to run a precinct of their own at the end of season one, her Olympia is plucked early from the training academy to fill the gap.

In Descendants 2, which childhood nickname from Mal does Uma still resent?

Shrimpy. Gil recalls that Mal coined it when she told Uma she was not big or bad enough for her gang, and Uma throws him out for saying the name again.

In Descendants 2, Dizzy works for her grandmother at which salon on the Isle?

Curl Up & Dye. Lady Tremaine keeps her granddaughter sweeping and scrubbing there, and the shop does not open until midnight, as Mal remembers only when she turns up early for a makeover.

Which Descendants 2 prequel novel appeared in May 2017?

Rise of the Isle of the Lost. Melissa de la Cruz's novel shows how Uma became a pirate captain and gathered her crew, then sends her racing Mal for a lost magic trident.

In the Descendants 2 prequel novel, Uma sets out to seize whose lost trident?

King Triton's. His granddaughter Arabella had taken the trident without asking and lost control of it, and the book becomes a race between Uma and Mal to reach it first.

Which Saturday Night Live comedian voices Carlos's talking dog in Descendants 2?

Bobby Moynihan. His voice helps the rescue: when Mal offers Uma a fake wand in exchange for Ben, the pet speaks on cue as proof of its magic, and Uma takes the forgery for the real thing.

Besides directing Descendants 2, which other job did its director do on the film?

Choreographer. Dance came first for him: long before he directed anything, he staged the numbers in 1980s films including Dirty Dancing and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

At which event in August 2015 was a Descendants sequel first announced?

D23 Expo. The first film ends with Mal telling the audience the story is not over, and Disney proved her right at its own fan convention about two weeks after the premiere.

The castle that plays Auradon Prep in Descendants 2 also serves as a mansion in which superhero film series?

X-Men films from X2 onward used the same Canadian landmark, Hatley Castle, as Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. It has stood in for Auradon Prep since the first Descendants film.

Years before Descendants 2, Cameron Boyce and China Anne McClain both played children in which Adam Sandler comedy?

Grown Ups cast them in 2010 as Keithie Feder and Charlotte McKenzie, 11-year-olds from two different families, long before they squared off as Carlos and Uma.

The opening number of Descendants 2 has Mal and friends proclaiming their villainy; what does the scene turn out to be?

A dream sequence opens the film, and the song's music video had its world premiere at the Radio Disney Music Awards months before the film aired.

Uma's mother never fully appears in Descendants 2; which part of her pokes out of the kitchen door instead?

A tentacle is all viewers ever see of her. The rest of the time she is only heard, screaming from the kitchen of the restaurant where her daughter waits tables.

Which Beauty and the Beast servant appears in Descendants 2 as the butler of Auradon's royal family?

Lumière appears in human form, played by Jan Bos, rather than as the enchanted candelabra of the animated film.

When Mal returns to the Isle in Descendants 2, Dizzy restores her hair to which signature colour?

Purple returns along with some new bangs, undoing the magic makeover Mal had put herself through to look the part of Ben's girlfriend.

Booboo Stewart, who plays Jay in Descendants 2, was already known as Seth Clearwater in which blockbuster film series?

Twilight cast him as Seth in Eclipse, the third film, and he returned for both parts of Breaking Dawn before joining Disney's villain kids.

The actress who plays Mal in Descendants 2 won a Daytime Emmy for playing twins in which Disney Channel sitcom?

Liv and Maddie had her play both title roles at once, and the sitcom's run ended in 2017, the same year the sequel premiered.

Which Descendants 2 song, Uma's showpiece with her pirate crew, was released as the soundtrack's second single?

What's My Name later reached number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the film's own director shot its music video.

Carlos, the tech whiz of Descendants 2 with a pet dog, is the son of which Disney villain?

Cruella de Vil's son arrived in Auradon terrified of dogs, until a campus mutt won him over and became his pet.

Which Disney villain is only heard in Descendants 2, yelling down at her granddaughter Dizzy in the salon?

Lady Tremaine stays out of sight until Descendants 3, when she finally appears on screen to say goodbye as her granddaughter leaves the Isle.

In Descendants 2, the classmate who blackmails Jay and Carlos into taking her to the Isle is which heroine's daughter?

Mulan's daughter threatens to tell on them unless she can come along, and by the end of the film Jay has put her in charge of his team.

In Descendants 2, why is a skilled swordswoman at first turned away from Jay's Auradon Prep fencing team?

The rulebook bars girls from the team, a rule Chad Charming is keen to see enforced, until Jay finds a way round it at the end of the film.

Before swimming away at the end of Descendants 2, what does Uma hand back to Ben?

His ring had gone to Uma when the bewitched Ben declared himself hers; handing it back is her last act before she leaves.

While holding Ben captive in Descendants 2, Uma turns down which offer from him?

An invitation to Auradon is what Ben extends after hearing how bitter she is at never being chosen; she says she will find her own way there.

Uma, the pirate leader introduced in Descendants 2, wears her hair in long braids of which colour?

Turquoise box braids top a look in the same shade, right down to her leather jacket and eye shadow.

What is the name of the pirate vessel that serves as headquarters for Uma's crew in Descendants 2?

Lost Revenge is where her pirates and Mal's gang square off, first in a rap battle on deck and then with swords.

In Descendants 2, how does Mal travel back to the Isle after her falling-out with Ben?

On a motorbike, in fact: the enchanted bike was a present from Ben, so his own gift is what carries her away from him.

In Descendants 2, Uma gives Mal until when to bring the wand in exchange for Ben?

Noon the next day is the deadline, which sends Jay and Carlos hurrying back to Auradon to make a fake.

Doug, Evie's boyfriend in Descendants 2, is the son of which of the Seven Dwarfs?

Dopey's son plays in the Auradon Prep band, and unlike his famously silent father he has plenty to say for himself.

China Anne McClain, the Uma of Descendants 2, first became a Disney Channel star as Chyna Parks in which series?

A.N.T. Farm ran from 2011 to 2014, and McClain sang its theme song, Exceptional, as well as playing the lead.

Before playing Carlos in Descendants 2, Cameron Boyce starred as Luke Ross in which Disney Channel comedy?

Jessie gave him his first starring role and ran from 2011 to 2015, ending in the year the first Descendants film arrived.

Sofia Carson, the Evie of Descendants 2, starred a year earlier in which Disney Channel remake of a 1987 comedy?

Adventures in Babysitting paired her with Sabrina Carpenter and was billed as the 100th Disney Channel Original Movie.

The director of Descendants 2 also made which Halloween cult favourite, first released in cinemas in 1993?

Hocus Pocus underperformed at the box office, as his debut Newsies had a year earlier, before both films found devoted cult followings.

Which song closes Descendants 2, as the cast dance at the Cotillion once Mal and Ben are reunited?

You and Me brings the whole cast together for the last dance, and the track went on to debut at number 20 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.

On which daytime talk show was the voice of Uma's mother in Descendants 2 revealed, two days before the premiere?

The View broke the news on 19 July 2017, a late reveal for a character who is heard in the film but never fully seen.

Keegan Connor Tracy, Ben's mother Queen Belle in Descendants 2, played which character in Once Upon a Time?

The Blue Fairy, also known as Mother Superior, was her recurring role from 2011 to 2018, so for a while she was playing two fairy-tale figures at once.

The writing duo behind Descendants 2 also wrote which Julia Roberts romantic comedy released in 1999?

Runaway Bride was one of the biggest hits for Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott, whose writing partnership lasted 33 years.

Kara Saun, costume designer of Descendants 2, was runner-up on the first season of which reality show?

Project Runway made her name in 2004, although she finished second, and she went on to dress the first three Descendants films.

After China Anne McClain was cast as Uma for Descendants 2, which relative took over her animated voice role?

Her sister Lauryn voiced the part for the second season, and the two had long performed together in the family group McClain Sisters.

Which bestselling author wrote the prequel novel about Uma's early feud with Mal, published before Descendants 2?

Melissa de la Cruz, known for Witches of East End, has written Disney's Descendants tie-in novels since before the first film aired.

Singer Jeff Lewis, credited on the closing song of Descendants 2, sings for the character played by which actor?

Mitchell Hope plays the young monarch, but Lewis has supplied the character's singing voice since Did I Mention in the first film.

Which pop star sang on the first Descendants album, an outside guest the makers chose not to repeat for Descendants 2?

Shawn Mendes was hired to widen the first film's reach; for the sequel, Disney Channel's music chief said the cast alone gave him "enough arrows in the quiver".

On which television dance competition did the Descendants 2 cast perform songs from both films in May 2017?

Dancing with the Stars welcomed the four leads on 1 May 2017, when they paired the sequel's new single with Rotten to the Core from the first film.

Jay, the star athlete of Descendants 2 who once stole for his father's store, is the son of which villain?

Jafar became a pawnbroker on the Isle, and his son used to steal the stock for him before swapping thieving for sport in Auradon.

In Descendants 2, how does Uma's crew react when the TV news shows Mal's glamorous life in Auradon?

They throw food at it, with a jealous Uma going first and ordering the rest of the crew to join in.

After playing Uma in Descendants 2, China Anne McClain starred as Jennifer Pierce in which superhero series?

Black Lightning followed in 2018, and Variety had already named her one of its 10 TV stars to watch for the role a month before the Disney film aired.

Shortly before Descendants 2 aired, the actress behind Mal played Amber Von Tussle in which television musical event?

Hairspray Live! aired on NBC in December 2016, weeks after the Disney sequel finished shooting, and her performance drew praise.

The actor behind Harry in Descendants 2 went on to play Max Wolfe in the reboot of which teen drama?

Gossip Girl returned on HBO Max with him in the cast, and he followed it with a lead role in the 2022 film The Invitation.

Booboo Stewart reunited with the director of Descendants 2 for which Netflix series, first released in 2020?

Julie and the Phantoms cast him as Willie, with his old Descendants boss directing and executive producing the series.