DARREN CRISS, SHERRY COLA AND JAMES MONROE IGLEHART JOIN THE CAST OF 'HIDDEN HEROES: A DESCENDANTS STORY'

Hugo Ateo, Sean Yves Lessard and Dan Bakkedahl Also Board the New Music-Driven Movie Coming to Disney Channel and Disney+

(BURBANK, Calif. - Aug. 18, 2026) Additional casting for "Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story" was announced today, including award-winning actor and singer Darren Criss as Jiminy Cricket from "Pinocchio," actress and comedian Sherry Cola as Yzma from "The Emperor's New Groove," Tony AwardⓇ-winner James Monroe Iglehart as Genie from "Aladdin," Hugo Ateo as Kronk from "The Emperor's New Groove," Sean Yves Lessard as Lumiere from "Beauty and the Beast" and Dan Bakkedahl as Yen Sid from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" in "Fantasia."

The music-and-dance-fueled movie coming to Disney Channel and Disney+ expands the "Descendants" universe and centers on the journey of the unsung heroes behind Disney's greatest adventures - the sidekicks!

The cast now includes:

· Dior Goodjohn ("Percy Jackson and the Olympians," "Poser") as Jennie, the daughter of Genie from "Aladdin"

· Momona Tamada ("The Baby-Sitters Club") as Zara, the daughter of Yzma from "The Emperor's New Groove"

· Jacob Rodriguez ("Tell Me Lies") as Kronk Jr., the son of Kronk from "The Emperor's New Groove"

· Eva Fossaceca Smedley ("Welcome to Flatch") as Meri, the daughter of Merryweather from "Sleeping Beauty"

· Harry Jones ("Bury Your Nephew") as Lou, the son of Lumiere from "Beauty and the Beast"

· Darren Criss ("The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story," "Maybe Happy Ending") as Jiminy Cricket from "Pinocchio"

· Sherry Cola ("Joy Ride," "Camp Rock 3") as Yzma from "The Emperor's New Groove"

· James Monroe Iglehart (best known for his Tony Award-winning role as Genie in the Broadway production of "Aladdin") as Genie from "Aladdin"

· Hugo Ateo ("Siren") as Kronk from "The Emperor's New Groove"

· Sean Yves Lessard ("Reginald the Vampire") as Lumiere from "Beauty and the Beast"

· Dan Bakkedahl ("Veep") as Yen Sid from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" in "Fantasia."

Hidden in the center of each fairy tale is a portal to a secret training facility where the descendants of legendary sidekicks are challenged to join the elite ranks of partners to heroes. When a villainous duo comes to Sidekick Academy, a group of fresh recruits must band together - without heroes, without parents - using only their new skills to save the fairytale realm before it's too late.

Directed by Jude Weng ("Only Murders in the Building," "Finding 'Ohana"), the script was written by Tamara Chestna, Eydie Faye and Emma Fletcher. Mark Ordesky ("ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires") and Jane Fleming ("ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires") are executive producers, alongside Gary Marsh and Chestna, who executive produced "Descendants: Wicked Wonderland." Louise Hradsky and Jeffrey Mortensen are the choreographers. The movie is produced by Disney Kids & Family.

The announcement comes on the heels of "Descendants: Wicked Wonderland" ranking as the No. 1 movie on Disney+ globally during its first ten days streaming (based on views July 17-27). The premiere also lifted the franchise library, driving a 400% increase in hours streamed to the other four movies during the week of July 20 alone.* The "Descendants: Wicked Wonderland Soundtrack" debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Soundtracks chart - and has reached 50.8M streams globally - with standout tracks "Perfect Princess," "Dancing with the Enemy" and "Mad-Wicked Wonderland." Fans can enjoy exciting products inspired by "Descendants: Wicked Wonderland," including a doll line from Mattel, costumes, apparel and books, available now.

Since the premiere of the first "Descendants" movie in 2015, the franchise has dominated youth entertainment, with each of the first three films ranking as the most-watched cable movie of their year. The franchise has amassed 1 billion hours of viewing across linear and streaming in the U.S. and 9.6 billion views on YouTube.** In 2024, "Descendants: The Rise of Red" debuted on Disney+ as the most-watched original movie among Kids and Girls 6-11.*** In the summer of 2025, "Descendants/ZOMBIES Worlds Collide: Concert Special" thrilled sold-out crowds in over 40 arenas across North America.

Following last year's huge success, Disney's "Worlds Collide Concert Tour" returns this year with 60 shows in North America, the U.K. and Europe, launching Sept. 25, 2026, in Palm Springs, California. The new arena spectacular features stars from the "Descendants," "ZOMBIES," and "Camp Rock" film franchises, including Malachi Barton, Liamani Segura, Dara Reneé, Mekonnen Knife, Hudson Stone, Swayam Bhatia, Kiara Romero and Alexandro Byrd. The "Worlds Collide Concert Tour" will also extend to the U.K. and Europe early next year, launching Feb. 6, 2027, in Dublin, Ireland.

Previous "Descendants" films and "The Descendants/ZOMBIES Worlds Collide: Concert Special" are now streaming on Disney+ and can be found in the "Descendants" Collection.

Cast Representation:

· Darren Criss - Gersh, Hyphenate Creative Management, Hansen Jacobsen et al.

· Sherry Cola - CAA, Stark Management, Ginsburg Daniels Kallis

· James Monroe Iglehart - Artists & Representatives

· Hugo Ateo - Eric Edwards at Lucas Talent

· Sean Yves Lessard - Connekt Creative Inc

· Dan Bakkedahl - Gersh Agency, The Characters Talent Agency

*Source: Internal Streaming Data.

**Source: Descendants 1 to 8/9/26 dates: Linear+Streaming = Nielsen Media Research from D1-8/9/26; Overall includes Movies, Shorts, Specials and episodes of specials and series that are Descendants-themed; Connected TV only - no mobile/tablet. YouTube = YouTube Analytics, includes Descendants content across Disney Channel Music and Disney Music Vevo Channels.

***Based on Nielsen data for month 1 performance on Disney+.

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