#so you can argue that over the course of the movie mal gains a friendgroup and that's why she turns good

[kingchad]

What infuriates you the most with Descendants? From the plot to the characters.

I will say I do try and give it some leeway because at the end of the day, I am an adult who is obsessed with a series for children, and I recognize when you're writing a movie where the target demographic is like 5 - 13, you don't necessarily get as in depth into certain topics. Like, I wish that the allusions to abuse were handled more consistently and respectfully, but I also understand they were never going to get into it so I can respect the attempt that was made in D1.

However what really bugs me is Mal's character arcs, because she's the lead and is ultimately the character who most little girls watching the movie are meant to identify with and want to be like, but she really doesn't come across as a good friend or learn from others so much as independently decide that she has changed her mind. It's the worst for me in D2, because Uma is framed as the antagonist despite the fact that she's doing everything Mal did in D1. Obviously Uma was super popular with little girls (and everybody because she rules) so they pull back on it in D3, but I really don't think Mal's D2 arc is good at all.

I think a lot of Mal's character growth doesn't work simply because it all hinges on romance and I don't think Dove Cameron has any chemistry with Mitchell Hope (and I also truly believe Mal is a repressed lesbian LOL). In D1, everyone else decides to rebel against their parents because they discover something about themselves and realize they can be who they want to be on Auradon in a way they can't on the isle (Evie and Jay are the best examples, Evie is my favorite because she is able to discover something about herself and THEN enter into a romance, which is a lot better than finding yourself through romance, but still allows romance to be a part of the arc). On the other hand, Mal pivots because of a relationship that she doesn't seem that into, and then in D2 it falls apart because....she's not that into it lol. Like, she has nothing on Auradon (besides Ben) that she doesn't have on the isle, because she doesn't gain any hobbies or make any friends or even learn anything about herself that doesn't tie back to the romance. She has magic on Auradon, except the story frames magic as a bad thing and makes her give it up at the end of D2. And because the WHOLE TRILOGY hinges on Mal's growth as a character it makes a lot of the plot and conflict really contrived and frustrating to me.

I also wish they had a gay character but whatever Disney hates me

#i don't remember any of my tags it's been ages #ultimately a lot of the stuff that makes mal interesting in fandom makes canon sort of excruciating #because like. in the text of the world mal is not a lesbian #descendants was not written as a 'here is a story about a repressed lesbian and the ways in which that affects her life negatively' #it comes across like that! that's how i choose to read the movies! #but watching the movies as intended it's genuinely like what are they thinking #i will ALSO SAY. a lot of this comes down to confusing canon stuff too #based on the book canon (which at one point was meant to be tied to the movie but is now very clearly diverged) #the friendship of the core four is meant to be new at the start of d1 #so you can argue that over the course of the movie mal gains a friendgroup and that's why she turns good #and i believe that was meant to be the intention #HOWEVER. this is completely impossible to tell from the film #because the dynamic at the start of the film indicates theyve been friends for years #and i firmly believe for all movies. anything important about the plot of your film...should be in the film lol #if i have to turn to external sources to understand basic character beats you're doing it wrong #i definitely don't believe book canon has any bearing on movie canon at this point anyway #it's optional flavor text #*ask