‘DESCENDANTS: THE RISE OF RED’ (FORMERLY KNOWN AS ‘THE POCKETWATCH’) ADDS PAOLO MONTALBAN TO THE CAST OF THE DISNEY+ ORIGINAL MOVIE

March 22, 2023

Paolo Montalban has been added to the cast of “Descendants: The Rise of Red” (formerly known as “The Pocketwatch”), the latest installment in Disney Branded Television’s music-driven mega-hit “Descendants” franchise, it was announced today by Disney+. Montalban will portray King Charming, Cinderella’s (Brandy) husband and Chloe’s (Malia Baker) dad, who is as much in love with Cinderella as he ever was. He previously played Prince Charming opposite Brandy’s Cinderella in Walt Disney Television’s iconic 1997 movie “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.”

Montalban joins previously announced cast members Kylie Cantrall (Disney’s “Gabby Duran and the Unsittables”) as Red, Malia Baker (“The Babysitters Club”) as Chloe, Brandy (“Queens”) as Cinderella, Rita Ora (“Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight”) as “The Queen of Hearts,” China Anne McClain (Disney’s “Descendants 2” and “Descendants 3”) as Uma, Dara Reneé (Disney’s “High School Musical: The Musical: the Series”) as Uliana, Ruby Rose Turner (Disney’s “Coop and Cami Ask the World”) as Bridget/Young Queen of Hearts, Morgan Dudley (“Jagged Little Pill” on Broadway) as Ella/Young Cinderella, Joshua Colley (“Senior Year”) as Hook, Melanie Paxson (“Descendants” franchise) as Fairy Godmother, Jeremy Swift (“Ted Lasso”) as Principal Merlin and Leonardo Nam (“Westworld”) as Maddox Hatter.

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The “Descendants” movies unfurled an imaginative mythology of two new lands, idyllic Auradon and the 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 “Descendants: The Rise of Red” 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.”

“Descendants: The Rise of Red” follows the story of Red, the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe, Cinderella’s perfectionist daughter. When the tyrannical Queen of Hearts incites a coup against Auradon, polar opposites Red and Chloe must join forces and travel back in time to undo the traumatic event that set Red’s mother down her villainous path.

Lauded filmmaker Jennifer Phang (“Advantageous,” “Half-Life,” “Foundation,” “The Flight Attendant”) is the director and co-executive producer of “Descendants: The Rise of Red,” and the script was written by Dan Frey and Russell Sommer (“Magic: The Gathering”). Returning to the franchise is production designer Mark Hofeling (“Descendants,” “Zombies,” “High School Musical”). Suzanne Todd (“Noelle”) and Gary Marsh are executive producers and the casting directors are Alexis Frank Koczara and Christine Smith Shevchenko (“The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers”).

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Michele Atwood Founder & Editor-in-Chief, The Main Street Mouse
Michele Atwood is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Main Street Mouse, one of Florida's leading Disney and theme park news sources since 2010. A credentialed Disney Partner and media professional, Michele serves as a theme park contributor and insider for Fox 35 Orlando and WDBO radio covering Disney and Central Florida attractions. Michele has also contributed to the Orlando Sentinel, WESH 2, and Spectrum News 13. Michele is the published author of four books — "Moving to Main Street U.S.A.," "How Many Sleeps Till Disney?," "How Many Sleeps Till Disneyland?" and "Daydream Believing: Confessions of a Grown Up Princess" and is co-owner of the House of Mouse Expo and Lost Princess Apparel. With over a decade of hands-on coverage of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and Central Florida theme parks, Michele brings firsthand expertise and media access to every story she covers.



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