‘Descendants: Wicked Wonderland’ Premieres in Los Angeles With Big Energy, Brand-New Villains, and Major Nostalgia

The VKs and HKs have officially returned, and this time, they’ve completely upended the fabric of time.

On Tuesday night (July 14), Disney Branded Television hosted the spellbinding world premiere of Descendants: Wicked Wonderland at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The star-studded event brought out franchise staples and a vibrant new generation of fairytale offspring, all gathering to fete the highly anticipated fifth installment of the global mega-franchise ahead of its July 16 debut on Disney Channel and July 17 release on Disney+.

Following the time-traveling antics of 2024’s Descendants: The Rise of Red, the new film explores the fragile nature of “happily ever after.” While Red (Kylie Cantrall) and Chloe (Malia Baker) initially think they’ve fixed history by making the Queen of Hearts nice, they quickly realize that altering the past carries heavy consequences. Enter Maddox Hatter (Leonardo Nam), the brilliant but villainous son of the Mad Hatter, who throws Wonderland into pure chaos.

Stepping into a multi-billion-stream franchise that has defined a generation of youth culture since 2015 can be daunting, but the film’s newcomers revealed they were met with immediate warmth on set.

“It’s an honor, it’s a privilege, it’s a blessing,” Alexandro Byrd, who joins the universe as Luisa Madrigal’s son, Luis, told Celeb Secrets on the carpet. “Descendants is such an iconic franchise with such beautiful themes, it’s just so incredibly well-established. Going into it, you can get a little nervous ’cause you just don’t know what to expect. But Kylie and Malia and the others that were already a part of this franchise welcomed us with open arms.”

Kiara Romero, stepping into the boots of Captain Hook’s daughter, Hazel, echoed that sentiment. “Of course it’s nerve-wracking, but Disney welcomed me with open arms,” Romero shared. “I felt so supported from all the executives, from our director Kimmy Gatewood, from Kylie and Malia. They really paved the way for us, and I felt like I could step into this role with confidence knowing that I had their support.”

RELATED: Liamani Spills On Sisterly Love with Kylie Cantrall & Honoring OG Disney Royalty in “Descendants: Wicked Wonderland” 

For Liamani Segura, who plays Red’s new sister, Pink, joining the legacy meant honoring those who came before. “I remember feeling a bit nervous to come into a franchise that’s so loved and so respected by so many people around the world,” Segura admitted. “It’s what they grew up on. So I felt, oh, wow, we have some really big shoes to fill, you know? Cameron Boyce, Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson… all of them are just so incredibly talented.”

Ultimately, Segura noted that the grandeur of the production eclipsed the nerves: “I felt more excited than nervous because this film feels so new and big and elevated… The dancing, the singing, man, you’re not gonna wanna miss it.” She also noted a fast bond with her onscreen sister, Cantrall, saying, “I literally enjoyed every moment on set with her, and it was never a dull moment. We always had our girly combos, hitting up Crafty together.”

Beyond the time-bending stakes and standard-setting choreography, Wicked Wonderland leans heavily into meaningful identity, self-acceptance, and cultural representation.

“Playing a Latin character like Luis… it just filled my heart, because I feel like Luis and I are the same guy,” Byrd explained. “Latin families are just all about family, and loving your family, your faith, and your friends.”

Romero similarly managed to weave her own heritage directly into her character’s aesthetic, creating an intentional Easter egg for eagle-eyed fans to look out for. “There are so many details in my costume that will probably go unnoticed,” Romero teased. “One very important one to me is I got to put in one of the tokens—there’s pirate charms, but there’s also the Taino sun which represents Puerto Rico. So I got to bring a part of my heritage, my culture, into Hazel, and that is so special.” 

Naturally, it wouldn’t be a Descendants movie without massive, gravity-defying musical numbers. Emmy Award-winning choreographer Emilio Dosal spilled that he drew from his roots to elevate the film’s sonic and visual landscape.

“I think it’s ‘Did You Hear About,'” Dosal told us when asked about his favorite piece of choreography from the movie. “Naturally, the roots of that song are laced with both hip-hop and then they have Latin roots set in there. So naturally when you hear the song, my immediate thing is like, ‘All right, well, the Puerto Rican side is coming out, baby, here we go.’ I learned a lot from Eddie Torres Jr. and all the people in New York… Gaining that knowledge and bringing it to this song, it felt like a full circle moment.”

Dosal also hinted at an intense, high-stakes visual feast during a track titled “Dancing with the Enemy,” which features the core cast facing off against an ensemble of living chess pieces. “We created a really powerful aesthetic where we put our dancers to one side who are our chess pieces, and we put our cast to one side, and it felt like a full-on battle to the end,” Dosal explained. “When I see the cast doing that choreography against the chess pieces and it’s that back and forth, you could feel the tension.”

With billions of streams, massive arena tours, and an intensely loyal fanbase tracking its every move, the Descendants universe has proven once again that its grip on youth culture is tighter and more imaginative than ever. Wicked Wonderland doesn’t just return viewers to a beloved world; it honors the legendary foundation laid down over a decade ago while fearlessly expanding its borders for a new generation.

Between the dizzying, high-stakes choreography, deep-cut Disney Easter eggs, and a remarkably talented cast that brings genuine heart and representation to the screen, this chapter is the ultimate testament to why we keep falling down the rabbit hole. 

Descendants: Wicked Wonderland is available to watch on both Disney Channel and Disney+! Make sure to watch our interviews with the cast below and don’t forget to let us know if you’re loving the movie by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecrets.