TV Talk at TCA: Go behind the scenes of latest Disney’s ‘Descendants’ premiere party
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PASADENA, Calif. — No two Hollywood premieres are alike but often they are lavish affairs, the swankiest wedding reception you’ve never been invited to, only more extensively themed and entertaining. After all, Hollywood knows how to put on a show, whether it’s on screens — big or small — or in person.
Wednesday night on the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, Disney hosted the world premiere of its latest “Descendants” film, the fourth live-action movie in a series that began back in 2015.
“Descendants: The Rise of Red” debuts today on Disney+ and will get a linear airing on Disney Channel at 8 p.m. Aug. 9.
More a reboot of the movie franchise than a pure sequel — only two characters carry over from previous films — “Descendants” continues to follow the adventures of the children of Disney heroes and villains in the kingdom of Auradon.
Returning characters include Uma (China Anne McClain), daughter of Ursula from “The Little Mermaid,” a reformed Villain Kid (or VK) who’s the new principal of Auradon Prep, stepping in for the Fairy Godmother (Melanie Paxson). There’s also a brief tribute to actor Cameron Boyce, who played Carlos in the first three “Descendants” films before dying from complications from epilepsy in 2019 at age 20.
Uma invites the rebellious daughter, Red (Kylie Cantrell), of the Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora, “The Masked Singer”) from forbidden Wonderland, to attend Auradon Prep.
This leads the Queen of Hearts to embark on a vengeful spree of destruction stemming from a childhood prank that involved Cinderella. (Brandy Norwood and Paolo Montalban reprise their roles as Cinderella and Prince Charming, respectively, from the 1997 ABC version of “Rodgers Hamerstein’s Cinderella” that aired on “The Wonderful World of Disney” and featured musical staging and choreography by Pittsburgh native Rob Marshall.)
Red and Cinderella’s daughter, Chloe (Malia Baker), travel through time to try to keep the Queen of Hearts from turning evil, singing and dancing along the way to a rap and hip-hop soundtrack of original tunes.
Disney took over two mammoth soundstages, spending untold thousands of dollars to stage the premiere event.
The screening took place on Stage Five while Stage Four, where ABC’s “Home Improvement” was filmed, was used for the post-screening party.
Keeping with the “Rise of Red” theme, Stage Five’s floor was covered in red carpet with chairs — red cushioned seats, black metal backs — zip-tied together to form dozens of rows of seating with capacity for several hundred guests.
The audience was treated to free bottled water, popcorn and Red Vines as they were surrounded by red drapery that hung from the rafters to the stage floor.
Costumed red guards stood silently as sentinels as the audience entered the makeshift theater but as the lights went down they marched to the front of the space and began an elaborate dance routine, synced to images on the movie theater-size screen, before Disney Branded Television president Ayo Davis addressed the film’s stars and guests, including media and “influencers.”
After the film concluded — kids will like it, parents may tolerate it, it ends with hints of a sequel to come — everyone exited Stage Five and headed to the after-party at Stage Four, which was again decked out in red with hearts projected on the red draperies hanging along the walls.
Larger-than-life images of the “Rise of Red” stars greeted attendees as they entered the stage, which had food stations (sushi, pasta, sliders, dessert table) set up around the perimeter with a large bar, DJ booth and dance floor in the middle of the cavernous space.
Activities included photo stations where attendees could get photographed in front of three different backdrops, a bank of makeup stations where many of the girls in attendance could be found and a display of costumes from the film with dolls in matching wardrobes on display under glass.
And because it’s possible to run into a Pittsburgher anywhere, it was a treat to finally meet Bethel Park native Joe Serafini in person. I’ve interviewed him a few times over the run of “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” so when I recognized him at the “Descendants” premiere I had to say hello. Now living in New York, he’s back in Los Angeles for a quick visit with boyfriend and “HSM” co-star Frankie Rodriguez.
Hallmark+ to launch
Hallmark Channel will launch a new streaming service, Hallmark+, in September, replacing Hallmark Movies Now. The cost will rise from $6 per month ($60 when paid annually) to $8 per month ($80 when paid annually) and will include a member benefits program: monthly $5 Hallmark Gold Crown Store coupons, free unlimited e-cards, rewards for shopping and surprise gifts.
Hallmark+ will have new programming exclusive to the platform, including the September premiere of scripted series “The Chicken Sisters” starring Lea Thompson and Wendie Malick and a slew of unscripted shows including holiday lights showcase “Ready, Set, Glow!” hosted by Wes Brown and acting competition show “Finding Mr. Christmas” hosted by Jonathan Bennett. Hallmark executives see Hallmark+ as a way to bring together what’s previously been disparate, generally disconnected businesses: the card stores and the TV channels.
“Our viewers are our shoppers and our shoppers are our viewers,” said Hallmark CEO Mike Perry. “We see this as an opportunity to expand our storytelling and align all of our brand touchpoints.”
Perry said the launch of Hallmark+ will not impact the availability of Hallmark’s live linear streaming channels on rival streaming service Peacock.
The latest in Hallmark’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” movie series, “A Tale of Three Letters,” debuts tonight at 9 on linear cable’s Hallmark Mystery.
Garris to exit WTAE
Channel 4 will soon be on the hunt for a new weekend morning anchor: Tom Garris, who joined WTAE in 2021, announced on his social media feeds Wednesday that he’s leaving the station July 24 for a weekday anchor job at Hearst sister station WMUR-TV in Manchester, N.H.
Channel surfing
New reality series “The Braxtons,” an update of We TV’s “Braxton Family Values,” debuts at 9:30 p.m. Aug. 9 on We TV and streaming on ALLBLK. … Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick joins The CW’s “Inside the NFL” (9 p.m. Aug. 30) as an analyst. … MeTV Toons, available in Pittsburgh on over-the-air low-power Channel 61.1, will celebrate Bugs Bunny’s birthday on July 27 with a marathon of episodes and a new one-hour special, “Hare’s to Bugs! A Bugs Bunny Celebration” (10 a.m. July 27).