Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Booboo Stewart, China Anne McClain, Mitchell Hope, Jadah Marie, Kylie Cantrall
The magic of Auradon is fracturing — and a new darkness is seeping in from the Isle, ancient and unstoppable. Descendants 4: Rise of the Shadows marks the franchise’s most powerful and dramatic chapter, plunging Mal and her friends into a battle that challenges everything they thought they knew about good, evil, and destiny itself.
After years of peace following Audrey’s fall, Queen Mal (Dove Cameron) has united Auradon and the Isle under one banner. But strange storms begin brewing around the barrier’s remains, casting shadows that twist the minds and hearts of Auradon’s citizens. Kindness turns cruel. Laughter becomes fear. Magic misfires, bending toward something dark and hungry.
The source reveals itself as the Shadow Queen — mother of Dr. Facilier, forgotten in history but feared in legend. Long imprisoned in the Isle’s deepest underworld, she rises with a single goal: to claim both kingdoms and restore fear as the ruling force. Her magic is unlike anything the heroes have faced — it crawls, whispers, and corrupts, awakening buried insecurities and turning friends against each other.
To stop her, Mal must forge the most unlikely alliance ever: heroes, villains, pirates, and VKs standing together for the first time.
• Evie (Sofia Carson) becomes Mal’s closest confidante, designing enchanted armor and wielding her own inner strength as she confronts the truth about her villainous lineage.
• Jay (Booboo Stewart) takes command of the united guards, struggling with leadership while resisting the Shadow Queen’s temptations.
• Uma (China Anne McClain) returns from the sea, fiercer and wiser, determined to protect the Isle and prove that her people deserve more than a legacy of villainy.
• Ben (Mitchell Hope) fights to stay himself as dark magic begins pulling him toward a corrupted destiny.
As the Shadow Queen spreads her influence, familiar Auradon icons fall under her spell — including enchanted objects, forgotten spirits, and descendants of villains who never found redemption.
Mal soon realizes the darkest truth of all:
the Shadow Queen’s magic is awakened by doubt — and Mal’s fear of becoming like her mother makes her the perfect target.
With breathtaking musical sequences, pulse-pounding battles, and emotional confrontations that redefine the meaning of good vs. evil, Descendants 4: Rise of the Shadows pushes every character to the breaking point. Friendships are tested, loyalties shift, and romances strain under the weight of prophecy and power.
In a final showdown where shadows clash with light, Mal discovers that true leadership isn’t about perfection — it’s about embracing every part of who she is, including the darkness she’s always feared.
Epic, emotional, and visually spectacular, Rise of the Shadows delivers the most mature, intense, and magical chapter in the series — proving that heroes and villains are not born…
they’re made by the choices they fight for.