A week after hitting the top of the Disney+ global chart, the fifth Descendants film is generating more conversation offscreen than on it.
Descendants: Wicked Wonderland claimed the No. 1 spot on Disney+ worldwide as of July 19, according to FlixPatrol, topping charts in 71 countries. It dethroned Avatar: Fire and Ash after just two days on the platform. But a viral press tour clip involving leads Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker has dominated the cultural oxygen around the project in ways the studio almost certainly did not plan.
During a joint ETalk interview, Baker was asked what the franchise had taught her about friendship. She responded with a line about "loyalty and trust," and Cantrall visibly rolled her eyes. The moment set off a chain reaction across TikTok and YouTube, with fan-made breakdowns generating millions of views.
The new installment breaks a 30-year record for Disney Channel's DCOM catalog, giving Descendants the most entries of any franchise with five films. It surpasses Halloweentown, High School Musical, and Zombies, each of which topped out at four. Directed by Kimmy Gatewood, the story picks up after Red and Chloe's time-travel mission inadvertently created a new villain, Maddox Hatter, played by Leonardo Nam. Rita Ora and Brandy return as the Queen of Hearts and Cinderella, while Awkwafina voices a new take on the Cheshire Cat.
Fan speculation around Cantrall and Baker ties back to Zombies actor Malachi Barton, who was rumored to have dated Cantrall before reportedly becoming involved with Baker. The theories began when fans noticed Cantrall had unfollowed Baker on Instagram. Neither actress has confirmed any falling out, and Disney has not commented.
What has changed since the premiere is Baker's position on the upcoming concert tour. On the Zach Sang Show, Baker revealed she was invited to join the 2026 Worlds Collide Concert Tour but turned it down. "I got the invite," she said, before adding, "It didn't fit. I never wanted to be a pop star or a singer." She explained she would rather be on set than on the road. The tour combines the worlds of Descendants, Zombies, and Camp Rock, running from September through February 2027. Barton is among the confirmed performers.
Cantrall, meanwhile, appears ready to let the music speak. On her official site, she described her upcoming EP Valley Girl Problems as capturing "everything I've experienced over the last year," including "the devastating heartbreak that came with losing some of the people closest to me." The nine-track project, produced by Tricky Stewart and written alongside Tayla Parx, arrives tomorrow via Republic Records in partnership with APG and Heroine Music. Its lead single, Carrie Bradshaw, dropped in April.
Speaking to On The Red Carpet before the premiere, Cantrall reflected on reprising Red: "I think I came back to this character having lived a lot of life in between filming 'Rise of Red' compared to this one, and I feel like I was able to bring kind of my own personal growth to the character." The phrase "personal growth" carries extra weight in context.
In 2024, Descendants: The Rise of Red debuted as Disney+'s most-watched original movie among kids and girls ages 6 to 11, generating over 9 billion lifetime views. That audience is old enough now to follow social media breadcrumbs. Disney has built a youth juggernaut that thrives on parasocial connection, and right now the real story is the one its stars are not quite telling.
Valley Girl Problems lands July 24. One way or another, the next chapter writes itself.
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