Disney's Descendants film franchise expands with The Pocketwatch Disney+ musical movie, will introduce Cinderella's rebellious teenage daughter Chloe.

by Thinus Ferreira

Disney has announced that it's expanding its Descendants film franchise with a prequel-set musical movie for its Disney+ video streaming service with The Pocketwatch as its working title.

The Pocketwatch will expand the world created by the Descendants with filmmaker Jennifer Phang set to direct as co-executive producer, with a script by Dan Frey and Russell Sommer, and will include 7 new songs and Disney classic songs.

The Pocketwatch will introduce Red, the teenage daughter of the Queen of Hearts, as well as Chloe, the teenage daughter of Cinderella, and Prince Charming from Cinderella.

The music- and dance-filled original movie from Disney Branded Television will see production designer Mark Hofeling return.

"With a captivating script and Jennifer Phang's directorial vision, we're setting a new high bar of creativity and imagination, with a movie that ups the ante on story, song and dance to entertain young viewers, their families, and the global fan base that grew up with the aspirational story of Descendants, says Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television, in a statement.

"We join them in anticipation as we prepare to deliver a great new entertainment experience to Disney+."

Jennifer Phang says "The Pocketwatch presents a delightful canvas with fantastical world-building. Musicals sparked my imagination when I was a kid and are a huge part of what drew me to filmmaking".

"I think that's because they have a way of conveying these lovely, nuanced ideas through song and expressive movement. I'm also always inspired by the diversity of families that exist all around the world. So I really jumped at the chance to craft a supercharged musical experience and explore some new, invigorating themes inside an expansive Disney universe."

According to Disney, the Descendants movies unfurled an imaginative mythology of two new lands, idyllic Auradon and ragtag Isle of the Lost, home to the teenage progeny of Disney's most iconic characters and notably, its most notorious villains. 

"The bold new story of The Pocketwatch returns to these lands and also takes audiences through the rabbit hole to the hostile unincorporated territory of Wonderland, a magical, mysterious place made famous in Alice in Wonderland."

"The expansive new story introduces Red, the whip-smart and rebellious teenage daughter of the Queen of Hearts and Chloe, the perfectionist and athletic daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming."

"In order to prevent an impending coup in Auradon - one that looms during the celebration of a new royal baby Red must join forces with Chloe to travel in back in time, through the White Rabbit's pocket watch, to stop an event that would lead to grave consequences."

Jennifer Rogers Doyle, senior vice president for franchise and integrated planning for Networks, Disney Media Entertainment and Distribution, says "The fan engagement and high demand for extensions of Descendants continues because viewers have a very special relationship with the core characters and not just because they love the way they look, but because they are relevant, heroic figures, and soon, they'll be invited to meet Red and Chloe."

How Disney South Africa failed to do due diligence with Disney Channel's Descendants 2 on DStv as far as communicating with the media went.

As far as South African TV critics and several journalists covering television are concerned, Disney South Africa messed up last week with its haphazardly executed media plan for Descendants 2, the first Disney Channel (DStv 303) made-for-TV movie for which The Walt Disney Company SA brought American stars to South Africa.

Disney South Africa's PR and media management didn't bother to tell TV critics, journalists and publications outside of Johannesburg that the Descendants 2 stars Dove Cameron, Cameron Boyce and Thomas Doherty would be flying to South Africa for a "red carpet cinema premiere".

Yet after a MultiChoice City headquarters visit at DStv that wasn't communicated as a basic media advisory either, and an evening Montecasino film premiere last week, Disney South Africa late on the Tuesday night bizarrely sent out just images of the stars posing in front of Disney's step-and-repeat Descendants 2 banner.

This was the very first time that multiple members of the Press Covering Television realised that not only were Descendants 2 stars for The Disney Channel actually in South Africa, but that they were in South Africa - past tense, and meaning opportunities to unlock mutual value, coverage and stories lost.

It was only late on Tuesday night long after the premiere banners were packed up that a lot of media realised that Disney South Africa did nothing to offer any interviews, more information, and in this instance couldn't be bothered to alert press about the talent visit that happened.

Then, presumably, Disney SA wanted TV critics and journalists to not just like, but to cover Descendants 2 and feel good about it.

"Good luck with that," snarked a longtime TV writer not based in Johannesburg on Whatsapp to me late last Tuesday.

"Didn't know, don't care," responded another newspaper TV critic when TVwithThinus reached out to ask several if they even knew beforehand that Disney would be bringing Descendants 2 stars for a media event.

It's not just media based outside of Johannesburg. At least two Johannesburg journalists working at newspapers and magazines covering television in South Africa this week told TVwithThinus they also didn't know. "Just bad," was one's response.

Why it matters and why it's striking, is that it marks the very first time that American Disney teen stars for a Disney Channel made-for-TV movie ever came to South Africa.

For Disney Channel it should be a very big deal but how it failed to communicate it and in the way it deliberately decided not to liaise and alert the media, it doesn't come across as if Descendants 2 and actual press coverage was a priority for Disney SA.

Disney acted like the Facebook friend having a birthday who can't be bothered to invite or just tell and warn, and then out of the blue shares photos afterward with "friends" who discover there was a party - but end up struggling to understand why they matter for that and how real the friendship is.

Even more ironic is when Disney South Africa's terrible Descendants 2 fail is compared with what M-Net for instance did in the same week.

Actress Kim Engelbrecht currently in the 4th season of The Flash jetted to South Africa last week and on Thursday M-Net also had media at an event similar to what Disney did at MultiChoice City where she did a media appearance (and interviews).

However, M-Net also very professionally organised phoner interviews with media across South Africa and alerted the national press covering television days beforehand that it would be happening and asked who wanted to partake, what media wanted, and scheduled it.

What makes Disney's bad The Descendants 2 "bubble world approach" so odd is that Disney South Africa is much, much better than this when it comes to letting the media know what is going on and what Disney is busy with.

Disney South Africa is usually very good at how it communicates, updates the media and primes the press about upcoming television, films and other roll-outs, but with Descendants 2 and the overseas talent making an appearance, it weirdly failed to communicate that it's happening - let alone trying to secure wider press coverage to try and get more viewer to actually tune in and watch.

I asked Disney what happened and Disney South Africa responded that the amount of time with the talent in South Africa was very limited.

That sadly doesn't explain why Disney SA couldn't just communicate that ahead of time - or in fact communicate anything about Descendants 2 that would have helped to manage expectations, to maintain existing public relations with media and to keep the press at the bare minimum, informed.

Disney also explained that it doesn't issue national communication regarding a talent tour until the talent are in the country, which was Tuesday.

At this point to give any more coverage to Descendants 2 or to tell about it would be giving the Disney film that The New York Times described as "colourful tuneful fluff" more exposure than what it or Disney South Africa deserves for this.

Apparently only kids in Johannesburg watch The Disney Channel on DStv, and apparently only Johannesburg media matter.

For Disney SA, the media that it works with wasn't good enough to know, respected enough to be involved, or valued enough to even be told about Descendants 2 beforehand. Yet they were considered good enough to be sent photos and captions for publication afterwards.

No word yet from Disney on whether there will be a Descendants 3 film on The Disney Channel.

If there is, and if some cast members were to visit South Africa, be assured that if you're media you will most likely be told on that day, and only if you're in Johannesburg.

Today's interesting TV stories to read from TV with Thinus - 20 October 2015

■ Disney is developing a Descendants sequel
The movie about the teenager of iconic Disney villains did so well globally The Walt Disney Company is doing another one with all the same on-air talent and crew.

■ The party is finally over for Empire.
It's viewership is still huge but the ratings now keep dropping weekly for the second season of Empire on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131).

■ The SABC and SABC Sport can't spell.
Aggressive SABC Sport lashes out, shows its incompetence to properly talk to people after using "hilites". Its "derogatory response" goes viral.

■ ANN7's 2nd South African of the Year Awards 2015 the "weirdest awards thing ever".
ANN7 (DStv 405) didn't want to invite media to the SATY2015 which turned out to be an embarrassing mess and "trending" after Jason Derulo asked South Africans if they can speak English.
"Guptavision" SATY's was a "local version of Great Leader-loving North Korean state television" says Daily Maverick.

■ Criminal case of alleged fraud opened against On Digital Media (ODM) and StarSat.
Shareholder Mergan Moodley alleges that On Digital Media executives and current owner StarTimes Media SA colluded defraud original ODM shareholders in the troubled pay-TV venture during the business rescue process the struggling operator is still in.


■ Shortlisting of candidates for SABC board set for next month.
Parliament's portfolio committee for communications could have a shortlist ready by November for three long-vancant seats on the unstable SABC board after minister of communications Faith Muthambi intervened to get rid of people who disagreed with the appointment of the matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng as COO.
- Meanwhile the ANC is on the verge of firing Faith Muthambi.
- Meanwhile Faith Muthambi and her spokesperson Mish Molakeng are completely silent on why Hlaudi Motsoeneng has not been suspended if he's facing a disciplinary hearing.
- ANC wants to use encryption of digital terrestrial television (DTT) set-top boxes (STBs) to "weaken MultiChoice's monopoly".

- Meanwhile parliamentary committee chairperson Joyce Moloi-Maropa has resigned over the chaos wrought by Faith Muthambi, but she doesn't want to talk about her resignation. She met "serious challenges beyond what I can carry" she writes in her resignation letter.


■ Primetime viewership in America has fallen another massive 8%
The outdated Nielsen measuring system simply isn't capturing all viewers watching TV and what they're watching and its damaging the American TV industry.


■ Latest AMPS: South Africa DStv viewership is up while SABC and e.tv ratings are down.
South African Audience Research Foundation: In total television remains unchanged, but "significant losses in viewership" for both the SABC and e.tv. SABC2 is "trending downwards", SABC3 is "okay". DStv has "grown significantly".
- Viewership of DStv BoxOffice has also "gone up significantly" while SA cinema attendance plunges.


■ Was the Consumer Protection Council's raid on MultiChoice in Nigeria too heavy-handed?
What exactly does the CPC want to do with the personal information of thousands of DStv subscribers that was seized last week in the raid on MultiChoice Nigeria's headquarters?

- Is politics and competitors involved in the raid on MultiChoice  since there's growing fear in the industry that rivals may be using the CPC to attack MultiChoice's market dominance?
- See photos from the raid on MultiChoice Nigeria as police and journalists went along.
- MultiChoice Nigeria was "engulfed in a rowdy scene" causing embarrassment to MultiChoice as shocked DStv subscribers were shut out.


■ Environmental affairs show 50/50 on the SABC wins 2 awards
at the Kudu Awards.

■ Cosatu calls the SABC's famously matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng "a leadership problem"
Controversial Hlaudi Motsoeneng is a leadership problem "the public broadcaster failed to handle" and that it shows "no leadership when you hear a COO say in public that he did not increase his own salary," says Cosatu.
- Meanwhile Hlaudi Motsoeneng warns the South African courts ...

■ Defiance seen on M-Net Edge (DStv 102) cancelled.
Science fiction show which became cheap is done after its 3rd season.

■ Rookie Blue seen on Universal Channel (DStv 117) cancelled after 6 seasons.
The Canadian TV cop drama produced by Shaw Media lost its executive producer anyway.

South Africa has telenovela fever.
The SABC, e.tv and M-Net's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) are all making local telenovelas - shows that's supposed to end. But then those that become popular are continued, robbing viewers of a definite ending because TV channels can't bear to lose something successful.

■ Shocker: Why your monthly pay-TV subscription keeps going up
While the relative price of TV sets, computers, audio equipment and everything else keeps dropping. With a graph.


TV TRANSFORMED
The New York Times has a special TV coverage section with all the articles in it really well worth the read:
■ From Wasteland to Wonderland - TV's altered landscape.
There's still a mountain of junk on TV but there's also a lot more dazzling television to watch.
■ Unwrapping the pay-TV TV bundle.
Be careful what you ask for - breaking down your pay-TV subscription to pay for just the channels you want will end up costing you the same, or more, while you get less content.
■ Watching for the programming apocalypse.
With the avalanche of TV programming and shows being made, is the TV bubble about to burst?
■ New twists for the TV plot
Viewers have watched so much television that they can guess plots now. It forces TV makers to change the way they structure plots and to become even more creative.
■ Social media takes TV back in time.
Social media is making TV more communal - the way it actually used to be.

BREAKING. MultiChoice opening The Disney Channel from 8 September to DStv Extra, DStv Compact subscribers for Descendants movie.

MultiChoice is opening The Disney Channel (DStv 303) to all lower-tiered DStv Extra and DStv Compact subscribers for 20 days from 8 September to co-incide with the broadcast of the new made-for-TV movie Descendants.

The Disney Channel will be unblocked on DStv from 8 to 28 September for Descendants that will be broadcast on Friday 18 September at 17:00.

The new musical telefilm revolves around the teenage offspring of fantasy Disney villains who are all living on the Isle of the Lost.

The high schoolers attending Auradon Prep must decide whether they're going to be "bad" like their infamous parents who include Cruella de Vil, Maleficent, Jafar and the Evil Queen or whether there's "good" in them.

Besides Descendants The Disney Channel is also rolling out the new third season of the telenovela Violetta from 21 September at 16:10, followed by the I Love Violetta companion show from Friday 25 September at 17:00 which is The Walt Disney Company Africa's first local South African production on the channel.

Other new Disney Channel content new premiere episodes of Jessie, Liv & Maddie, I Didn’t Do It and The Next Step as well as classic Disney movies like The Incredibles, Enchanted and The Princess Diaries.