Descendants Movies in Order: All Five Films and the Specials

Watch the Descendants movies in this order: Descendants (2015) → Descendants 2 → Descendants 3 → The Rise of Red → Wicked Wonderland (2026). There are five released feature films as of September 23, 2026. If you are including the animated Royal Wedding special, put it after film 3 and before The Rise of Red.

That is enough for a first movie marathon. The extra shorts are optional, and Wicked World is a different title from Wicked Wonderland—one is a series, the other is film five.

All five Descendants movies in release order

Release order introduces the original Villain Kids before moving to Red and Chloe. These are release years, not dates within Auradon’s fictional history.

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The original trilogy: Descendants, Descendants 2 and Descendants 3

The first three films follow Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos, the children of Disney villains. Their numbered titles make this part straightforward: start with the unnumbered 2015 original, then continue through 2 and 3. A collection labelled “the trilogy” refers to these three films; it does not include the later Red and Chloe movies.

The Rise of Red and Wicked Wonderland

What should you watch after the original trilogy?

If you want to move directly to the next feature, choose The Rise of Red. It shifts the focus to Red, the Queen of Hearts’ daughter, and Chloe, Cinderella’s daughter. The change in lead characters is not a reboot of the film list: this is the fourth installment in the same franchise.

You may encounter the name The Pocketwatch in older casting announcements. That was the working title of The Rise of Red, not a missing movie between the trilogy and Red’s story. The released title is the one to search for.

Has Descendants 5 been released?

Yes. Descendants: Wicked Wonderland premiered on Disney Channel on July 16, 2026, followed by Disney+ on July 17. Disney’s premiere announcement gives those dates, and its Disney+ guide to the fifth film identifies it as the fifth film and a continuation of The Rise of Red.

There is no separate required film between The Rise of Red and Wicked Wonderland. The Royal Wedding belongs earlier, after Descendants 3.

Can I start with The Rise of Red?

You can use it as an entry point to Red and Chloe’s adventures if those are the characters you came for. The earlier trilogy gives you the history of Auradon and returning characters, so it is the better choice for the full franchise experience. Either way, watch The Rise of Red before Wicked Wonderland: the fifth film follows the consequences of their previous adventure.

Descendants viewing order with the optional extras

Want the films and the main story extras in one list? Follow this sequence. The bold entries are the five features; every entry marked optional can be skipped for a movie-only marathon.

1. Descendants (2015).
2. Wicked World, both seasons — optional animated shorts, before film 2.
3. Descendants 2 (2017).
4. Under the Sea: A Descendants Short Story — optional live-action short.
5. Descendants 3 (2019).
6. The Royal Wedding (2021) — optional animated special. This is the extra to choose if you want to follow Mal and Ben after the trilogy.
7. The Rise of Red (2024).
8. Shuffle of Love: A Descendants Short Story (2025) — optional musical scene tied to The Rise of Red.
9. Wicked Wonderland (2026).

These are convenient viewing breaks, not a scene-by-scene timeline. The Descendants/ZOMBIES Worlds Collide: Concert Special is separate music viewing and does not need a story slot.

Disney’s franchise history places Wicked World between the first two films and The Royal Wedding after the trilogy. A service might file the wedding under “movies,” but it is still an animated special, not Descendants 4.

Shuffle of Love adds a musical scene involving Bridget, Red and Chloe. Watch it after The Rise of Red for context; it does not bridge a missing feature-length sequel. Music videos, holiday clips and the Worlds Collide concert are extra viewing, not homework for understanding the five films.

Does chronological order change the movie list?

For a first watch, keep the movies in release order. The Rise of Red uses time travel, but a trip into the characters’ past does not make it the best opening film. Its earlier events are presented as part of Red and Chloe’s later adventure.

Keep Wicked Wonderland after The Rise of Red. Watch each time-travel story as a complete film rather than moving its earlier-set scenes ahead of the original.

Choose the right title in your library

Search for Disney’s Descendants and the complete subtitle. The drama The Descendants (2011) and the game The First Descendant are unrelated.

For streaming, check your local Disney+ catalogue first, including its Descendants collection. Access to individual films and shorts can vary by country; the US, UK, Canadian and Australian menus do not have to be identical for the viewing order to stay the same.

Does Hidden Heroes belong in the list yet?

Not in the released-film marathon. Disney announced Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story in August 2026 as a new film about the children of Disney sidekicks. That announcement is separate from the five films already released; do not mistake its title for another name for Wicked Wonderland.

Planning another family-film marathon? Our Sonic movie guide also shows where a spin-off series fits between the films.