GLOBAL SUPERSTARS BRANDY AND RITA ORA JOIN THE DISNEY+ ORIGINAL MOVIE "THE POCKETWATCH," THE NEWEST INSTALLMENT IN THE "DESCENDANTS" MEGAHIT FRANCHISE

Brandy Returns to her Role as Beloved Heroine Cinderella and Ora Portrays the Villainous Queen of Hearts in the upcoming movie from Disney Branded Television

The Pair Join Previously Announced Cast Members China Anne McClain, Kylie Cantrall and Dara Reneé

All-Star Cast Also Includes Malia Baker, Ruby Rose Turner, Morgan Dudley, Joshua Colley and Melanie Paxson

BURBANK, Calif. (Nov. 21, 2022) Today, Disney+ announced that talented multi-hyphenate performers Brandy and Rita Ora will journey to the fantastical kingdom of Auradon in "The Pocketwatch" (working title), the latest installment in the music-driven megahit "Descendants" franchise from Disney Branded Television. Brandy will return to the role of Cinderella, which she first played in Walt Disney Television's iconic 1997 version of "Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella." Ora, who starred in "Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight" series and was most recently cast alongside Jamie Foxx and Robert De Niro in the upcoming "Tin Soldier," will portray the villainous Queen of Hearts of "Alice in Wonderland" fame.

Ora and Brandy join previously announced cast members China Anne McClain (Disney's "Descendants 2" and "Descendants 3"), Kylie Cantrall (Disney's "Gabby Duran and the Unsittables") and Dara Reneé (Disney's "High School Musical: The Musical: the Series").

Also being added to the talented cast are Malia Baker ("The Babysitter's Club"), Ruby Rose Turner (Disney's "Coop and Cami Ask the World"), Morgan Dudley ("Jagged Little Pill" on Broadway) and Joshua Colley ("Senior Year"). In addition, fan favorite Melanie Paxson ("Dealbreakers") will reprise her role as Fairy Godmother from the previous "Descendants" movies.

Cast breakdown is as follows:

· Brandy as "Cinderella," the classic Disney character, who is elegant, warm, good-hearted and diplomatic.

· Rita Ora as the withholding, tyrannical "Queen of Hearts," who rules over the kingdom of Wonderland with an iron fist.

· Kylie Cantrall as "Red," the rebellious 16 year-old daughter of the Queen of Hearts. Red knows she'll never get the Queen's approval, so she finds ways to provoke her mother and stir up trouble.

· Malia Baker as "Chloe," the cheerful 16 year-old daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming, who is book smart and athletic, but her privilege makes her somewhat naive about the real world.

· China Anne McClain returns as "Uma," daughter of the infamous sea-witch Ursula, a role she previously played in "Descendants 2" and "Descendants 3." Strong and fierce, Uma always fights for what she thinks is right.

· Dara Reneé as "Ulyana," the younger sister of Ursula. She's a teen sea-witch and mean-girl bully with eight wicked tentacles and a crew of lackeys.

· Ruby Rose Turner as "Bridget/Young Queen of Hearts," who is sweet-natured, bubbly, generous, and the complete opposite of her grown-up self.

· Morgan Dudley as "Ella/Young Cinderella," who is blunt, pragmatic and has a bit of a chip on her shoulder about being forced to work for her wicked stepmother.

· Joshua Colley as "Hook," one of Ulyana's sycophants, a rich kid with a hoop earring and a shiny hook where his left hand should be. His arrogance is only surpassed by his vanity.

· Melanie Paxson returns as "Fairy Godmother," the wise and kind headmistress of Auradon Prep, who appeared in all three "Descendants" movies.

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 "The Pocketwatch" 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."

The expansive new story finds polar opposites Red and Chloe crossing paths at a momentous celebration in Auradon when unexpected chaos breaks out. In order to prevent an impending coup, they must join forces to travel back in time, via a magical pocket watch created by the Mad Hatter's son, to stop an event that would lead to grave consequences.

Lauded filmmaker Jennifer Phang ("Advantageous," "Half-Life," "Foundation," "The Flight Attendant") is the director and co-executive producer of "The Pocketwatch," 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").

About Disney+

Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, along with The Simpsons and much more. In select international markets, it also includes the general entertainment content brand, Star. The flagship direct-to-consumer streaming service from The Walt Disney Company, Disney+ is part of the Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution segment. The service offers an ever-growing collection of exclusive originals, including feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. With unprecedented access to Disney's long history of incredible film and television entertainment, Disney+ is also the exclusive streaming home for the newest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. Disney+ is available as a standalone streaming service, as part of the Disney Bundle in the U.S. that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, or as part of Combo+ in Latin America with Star+, the standalone general entertainment and sports streaming service in the region. For more, visit disneyplus.com, or find the Disney+ app on most mobile and connected TV devices.

About Disney Branded Television

Disney Branded Television encompasses the creative storytellers and production and content marketing teams responsible for Disney-branded television series, movies and other programming spanning live-action, animated and unscripted formats. The group fuels the Disney+ streaming platform and Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior linear networks with content geared toward kids, tweens, teens and families, with stories that are imaginative, aspirational and reflective of their world and experiences. Recent projects include "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series," "Monsters at Work," "The Mysterious Benedict Society" and "Marvel's Spidey and his Amazing Friends." Disney Branded Television has created some of the most iconic and award-winning properties and franchises, including Peabody Award winners "Doc McStuffins" and "The Owl House"; Emmy Award winners "Big City Greens" and "Elena of Avalor"; the beloved "Mickey Mouse" cartoon shorts plus the Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) franchise, comprised of more than 100 titles.