Wicked Meets Alice In Wonderland In Disney's New Fantasy Movie Taking Over The U.S.

Disney has a new fantasy movie that’s taking over the world of streaming, and it’s a perfect combination of the best things about Wicked and Alice in Wonderland. While Disney is still mostly known for its animated content, with many of them found among the best movies of all time, the Mouse House has also found great success with live-action content. This has been mostly seen in its TV and streaming content, as has happened with the High School Musical and Percy Jackson franchises, for example.

Some franchises that had their start on Disney Channel have either been rebooted or have continued expanding on Disney+, where they have found a new audience. Such is the case for the Descendants franchise, which began on Disney Channel in 2015 with the movie of the same name. Descendants brought together musical, fantasy, and well-known villains and heroes from different Disney classics, with a focus on their children and their own adventures.

Descendants was very well received by critics and its target audience, who praised its concept, tone, characters, and catchy songs, and went on to become the first entry in a franchise. The world of Descendants has now expanded to animated shows, TV specials, video games, and novels, and it now has a total of five movies. Its latest release, Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, is taking over Disney+, and it’s bringing new life into the franchise.

Descendants: Wicked Wonderland Is Reviving The Descendants Franchise

Directed by Kimmy Gatewood, Descendants: Wicked Wonderland is a sequel to 2024’s Descendants: Rise of Red. As such, Wicked Wonderland reunites viewers with Red (Kylie Cantrall), the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe Charming (Malia Baker), the daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming. Wicked Wonderland sees them dealing with the consequences of their use of time travel in Rise of Red, as even though they saved their families, they inadvertently made way for the rise of another villain.

Among the things that have changed in the present is the fate of the Hatter family, with the Mad Hatter’s grandson, Maddox, now a villain wanting to get the pocket watch to control time and Wonderland. Red and Chloe team up to stop him, and they welcome some new and unexpected allies. Descendants: Wicked Wonderland was released on Disney+ on July 16, 2026, and it has mostly received positive reviews so far, though critics have pointed out its overstuffed cast and underdeveloped villain as weaknesses.

What most critics and viewers agree on is that Descendants: Wicked Wonderland has a strong soundtrack and is bringing new life into the franchise. Despite being a franchise that has been in constant expansion, the world of Descendants lost force due to the passing of Cameron Boyce (who played Carlos, the son of Cruella de Vil) and the arcs of the four main characters of the first movies being completed.

The new design of Wonderland, vibrant costumes, catchy songs, and the new lead characters have given the Descendants franchise the freshness it needs to continue expanding, and it feels like a perfect combination of Wicked (with its music and reimagined characters) and Alice in Wonderland thanks to their shared setting. Luckily, there are still plenty of classic Disney characters that the franchise can explore in this unique universe.

How Descendants Became One Of Disney’s Biggest Fantasy Franchises

Descendants arrived to fill the void left by the High School Musical trilogy, but it ended up becoming its own thing. Descendants mixed well-known characters with new ones with their own stories, appealing to both adults and younger viewers. Descendants also has a story that its target audience can relate to, as the “villain” main characters question their own identities, family legacies, and place in the world. Mixing these with music further gave Descendants that well-known and popular Disney style that has consistently captivated the audience.

What the Descendants franchise needed was a reinvention, new characters with exciting stories, reimagined classic characters, and a new look, and that’s exactly what Wicked Wonderland has brought. It’s to be seen if there will be more Descendants movies after Wicked Wonderland, or if the franchise will continue to branch out to other media, but it shouldn’t miss the momentum it has gained with this new movie.