1 of 5 | Rita Ora, seen at the March Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Los Angeles, stars in “Descendants: Wicked Wonderland.” File Photo by Chris Chew/UPI | License Photo
Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, on Disney Channel Thursday at 8 p.m. EDT and Friday on Disney+, fulfilled Rita Ora and Brandy Norwood’s dreams of a duet together. They sing “The Girl I Used to Be” together.
The Descendants series is about the children of famous Disney villains. Ora, 35, plays the Queen of Hearts and Norwood, 47, plays Cinderella, whose daughters lead the latest musical adventure.
In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, the recording artists said they had wanted to sing together since they joined the franchise in Descendants: The Rise of Red.
“I want to be that girl again, just keep singing with Rita,” Norwood said.
Ora said she met Norwood early in her recording career, in which Norwood has been established since the ’90s.
“I think that it was long overdue,” Ora said. “It was awesome to see us come as one and be in this movie more together.”
Wicked Wonderland follows the ending of Rise of Red in which the Queen’s daughter, Red (Kylie Cantrall) and Cinderella’s daughter, Chloe (Malia Baker) went back in time and changed Wonderland.
In Wicked Wonderland, the descendants realize not all the changes were positive, so venture into the warped Wonderland to fix it. Red sings a duet with Luis Madrigal (Alexandro Byrd), son of Luisa from Encanto.
“You see all the sparks,” Cantrall, 21, said. “It’s like the butterflies on a first date. That dance is the perfect portrayal of what they’re both feeling inside, and getting to be lifted around and live my Dancing with the Stars fantasy was very fun.”
Byrd, 26, admitted to struggling with some of the choreography in their duet, “For Once In My Life.”
“We’re tripping on roots and rocks and trees and everything,” Byrd laughed.
Cantrall goes solo for “Who I Am” later in the film. At that point, she and Chloe are at odds about how to restore Wonderland.
“I think Red needed her ‘If Only’ moment,” Cantrall said, referring to Dove Cameron’s song in the original Descendants. “Everything’s crashing down. I’m stuck in this hedge maze and I’m trying to figure out who I am amongst all the noise and all the pressure I’m getting hit with from every angle.”
“Who I Am” becomes a duet with Pink, Red’s younger sister who was created by the changes in the timeline. Liamani Segura plays Pink.
“It’s the first moment in the film where Red realizes like wait, I do need my little sister,” Liamni, 17, said. “Pink obviously being the person that she is with the biggest heart, she’s like oh my gosh, I’m there for my sister.”
Chloe duets with Max Hatter (Brendan Tremblay), son of the Mad Hatter (Leonardo Nam), in “Heartless.” The daughter of a princess and son of a villain bond over their struggles.
“They need to go to therapy for sure,” Baker, 19, joked. “That said, ‘Heartless’ came out of it which I’m so proud of.”
Maddox sings his first song about how much he enjoys being “Bad” in Wicked Wonderland. Hired only as a speaking actor in The Rise of Red, Nam, 46, said he studied Ora and Norwood’s demeanors for his first musical number.
“That, to me, shows that even after all these years that you care,” Nam said. “I learned from the best.”
Liamani also got to sing the closing credits song, a cover of 98 Degrees’ “True to Your Heart” from Mulan.
“It feels so O.G. nostalgic like how the old Disney movies have the good songs at the end for when the credits were rolling,” Liamani said.
The descendants perform “Dancing with the Enemy” on the Wonderland chessboard. For Byrd, the checkered squares helped learn the choreography.
“The choreographers taped out in the dance studios for rehearsals the squares of the chessboard so it just translated perfectly to when we got there,” Byrd said.
For Baker, the squares were more restricting.
“I think it honestly made it harder,” Baker said. “If you mess up a little dance move, you’re either hoping that they’ve cut before you get a chance to or you gotta do it again.”
While the Descendants films highlight the new generation of Disney characters, they have also given Ora and Norwood new fans. The recording artists have enjoyed introducing those fans to their music.
“I love when seven-year-olds and eight-year-olds know us,” Norwood said. “Two yesterday was with their parents.”
Ora has only been recording since 2012, but has already seen her fans evolve.
“When I go outside and I see kids, they really come and run up to me,” Ora said. “Seeing them grow and hoping that they grow with us, it’s just such a blessing.”
Brandy receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Singer, songwriter and actress Brandy sits next to her star during an unveiling ceremony honoring her with the 2,839th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on March 30, 2026. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
