Descendants 3 Review with Discussion Guide.
To Know Before You Watch:
Movie: Descendants 3
Rating: TV-G
Age Suggestion: 6+ because of some dark and potentially scary moments
Running Time: 2 hours (with commercials)
Where to Watch: Disney Channel
Release Date: August 2nd, 2019
Stars: 4 out of 5
Themes: Responsibility, Unity, Power of Choice, Working Together, Friendship, Good vs Evil, Love, Magic
Warnings: **Parents need to be aware that one of the four main character actors tragically passed away this summer due to on ongoing illness- there is a beautiful tribute to Cameron Boyce at the beginning and end of the movie. It might go over your child’s head- but be prepared to discuss it with them in a way that makes them feel safe.** There were some scenes that might freak out little ones, but this movie is a G rated Disney movie and has very few of those moments. Foster/Adoptive parents need to be aware that this is a movie that discusses kids making different choices than their parents well- but also has some reunion moments for characters separated from parents that could be triggering for your little one.
*Streaming on Disney Plus as of 4/20*
Quick Summary: Our villain kids turned heroes are entering a new year in Auradon, excited about welcoming a new batch of villain kids to the kingdom. We seem them bright eyed and excited about the future, unaware that something evil is brewing near by. Evil might not come from where you are most expecting it and the same can be said of goodness. Follow along as these characters come into their own leadership roles and learn that the only way to succeed is by working with people and facing problems face to face.
*Some might be tempted to skip viewing this because “It glorifies evil or makes bad guys good guys”. The theme throughout the series is that our choices are our own choices and wherever you come from you get to choose how you behave and what decisions you make. So yes, bad guys become good guys, but the series does not, in any way, glorify evil or suggest that evil and bad decisions/choices pay off well in the end.*
Descendants 3 Discussion Questions:
1) Who was your favorite villain kid? Who was your favorite hero kid in this movie?
2) How do you handle disappointment? What about when everyone disagrees with your opinion?
3) Who are people that you can depend on?
4) Do you have a friend who brings out the best in you and helps you be brave? Or who calls you out when you do something wrong? Like Evie does for Mal.
5) How do you see this chapter in your life playing out?
6) What are ways you can be nice to and make friends with difficult people?
**There are so many wonderful, really applicable, things explored in this movie that would be great to compassionately talk about.
-Fear of other people -Being able to make another choice even after you’ve made a bad one -Working with someone you disagree with -Talking things out face to face instead of making assumptions about people -How to handle it when people make bad decisions -Realizing that you’re stronger when you’re encouraging and working with other people
Descendants 3 Review: *Contains light spoilers*
We watched with a group that was around 10 yrs- 65 yrs and we all generally really enjoyed it.
-Similar to:
Descendants 1, Descendants 2 and The Grimm Sisters (YA Novels)
-Unique Qualities:
Each installment has gotten a little more big Disney broadway show. Half of us loved the big dance numbers and the other half wished they were a bit more tuned down. I lovvvvved them. But I also love musicals and cheesy Disney/ Halmark channel goodness.
The third movie was a lot more relevant socially and politically than either of the other two. It was all brought up in a really tasteful, Disney magic manner.
-Characters/ Acting:
-I’ve long been a fan of Dove Cameron. She leads the movie well. I love how they developed all the characters and gave them choices. Their choices have consequences but at the same time, they are able to fix their mistakes by making better choices.
-I am constantly blown away by the talent of these actors/ actresses and dancers! These leads are triple threats. Their acting, vocals and dancing are so amazing.
-It was so sad to see Cameron Boyce at first, but he did an amazing job and what a lovely, encouraging legacy. All of the things he was involved with in Disney and the thirst project were so well done.
-Kenny Ortega obviously did a marvelous job of crafting the world, character, and mood for the set and everyone on it.
-We were so impressed with Audrey’s character! There was a massively big range of emotions and a lot of character development. Her big transformation scene was so well done! Visually impressive and well acted.
-Story/ Script:
-Very in line with the High School musical series… the characters are relate-able. The writings good, leaning towards the cheesy, sappy side but still plenty enjoyable for adults watching with kids. As well as older kids who are still able to enjoy Disney channel.
-I truly felt that this movie, more so than the others, shared an incredibly timely message of inclusion and conflict management that is so important for our kids- and for us- to hear right now.
-Most third installments are pretty far fetched but I truly enjoyed this story arch and felt that it fit in well with the series as a whole. A great ending to the trilogy!
–Quality:
The quality is excellent. I felt like I was enveloped in the world and was watching a really well done Broadway musical come to life! There were some very visually impressive scenes. I really enjoyed the color coordination through the scenes and the costumes.
–Favorite Moments:
We loved Audrey’s transformation scene (especially her hair!). The engagement scene was fun. The VK day number at the beginning was one of my favorite. Seeing dancing suites of armor was amazing- I can’t imagine how difficult that was to coordinate and for the dancers to dance in. All the big dance/fight numbers were great! The ending was really an awesome ending for the trilogy while also leaving open the possibility of Disney revisiting the world of Auradon someday.
We were also extremely impressed with the beautiful tributes to Cameron Boyce at the beginning and end of the movie. They were so tasteful and sweet. It certainly made us tear up and pray for his family and friends again.
-Other:
I was surprised at how many moral lessons they fit so seamlessly into this movie. None of them felt forced and they were all so timely and important. Everyone views a movie and it’s morals/worldviews differently. But I was impressed with the deep Christian themes of choice, consequence, faith and hope I saw throughout the movie. I was much more impressed with this movie than I was expecting to be, and I had pretty high expectations to begin with.
–What to check out next:
Here are our reviews with discussion questions for several family movies/shows: Frozen 2; Mary Poppins Returns; Family Reunion; Ralph Breaks the Internet; Carmen SanDiego; You Vs Wild; The Nutcracker and the Four Realms; Christopher Robin; Hotel Transylvania 3; and The Incredibles 2.
–What to check out next in books:
We’ll leave you with this great quote from the end of the movie “To make the world a better place, we have to do it (work together) face to face”
Down The Hobbit Hole Blog and this Descendants 3 Review uses affiliate links, we only link products we think you’ll like and you are never charged extra for them. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. We also use cookies to gather analytics and present advertisements. This allows us to keep writing discussion questions and telling ridiculous dad jokes. Find our other reviews with discussion questions here. Our posts about faith here. And our posts about family stuff here.