The Descendants film franchise premiered in July 2015, and fans quickly became obsessed with the family dynamics between some of Disney’s biggest villains and their respective kids.

Dove Cameron, for one, played the role of Mal, whose mom was Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, played by Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth.

“You know, it’s funny, we’ve played mother and daughter so many times now that it’s almost like a running joke,” Dove told TheWrap in August 2021, joking about the amount of times the duo has worked together. “It’s like, ‘Whose rider? Who has it in their contract that the other one has to be in the other musical project that they’re doing?’ It’s so silly. Also it’s in my rider, actually.”

Kristin chimed in, adding, “I tell her all the time — and she knows that this is how I feel — I did not have children, I didn’t choose to do that. But if I had had children, that’s it right there.”

Since the first Descendants movie was Sofia Carson‘s first major role, the actress was nervous stepping foot on set for that first day. Hocus Pocus star Kathy Najimy played her character’s mom in the movies.

“It was a little scary going into a project like Descendants with Kenny Ortega directing, Kristin Chenoweth, Kathy Najimy. Even my costars — Booboo Stewart had been in Twilight; Dove who had her series on the channel for forever; my dear Cameron who has had the most incredible career,” the Purple Hearts star told Teen Vogue in February 2020. “The first day on set we were shooting the opening number ‘Rotten to the Core.’ My mom flew in and I remember having the biggest case of butterflies in my stomach, but it was magical. As much as the movie is a fairy tale, even shooting it felt like a fairy tale. To be a part of something with The Walt Disney Company where I get to play the daughter of a heritage character — to play like a real-life Disney princess, it was so surreal.”

Of course, these aren’t the only parents who appeared throughout the Descendants films. Scroll through our gallery for a complete breakdown. 

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