First Look at Brandy’s Return as Cinderella for ‘Descendants: The Rise Of Red’

Disney fans eagerly await the release of Descendants: The Rise of Red, the next installment in the popular Descendants franchise featuring the teenage progeny of iconic Disney heroes and villains. Streaming for the musical begins on Friday, July 12, exclusively on Disney+, followed by a special encore Friday, Aug. 9, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel. Now, we have a first look at Brandy in character, playing Cinderella once again.

Per an official press release, the film follows “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.” A new ensemble of VKs and legacy characters, including Brandy as Cinderella, are joining this journey. It marks Brandy’s reprise of the beloved character for the first time since the film premiered in 1997.

The Moesha star made history as the first Black woman to star as a Disney princess in ABC’s Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. The film received critical acclaim for its diverse casting. The version featured a Philipino prince, a Black queen, and a white king. Whitney Houston starred as Cinderella’s fairy godmother.

Initially, Houston was set to star as Cinderella when she signed onto the project years before its release. However, she eventually aged out of the role. A longtime mentor of Brandy’s, she handpicked the “I Wanna Be Down” singer for the role. Brandy only agreed to the role under one condition: Houston star as her fairy godmother. The rest was history.

Cinderella was a hit with viewers, initially airing to 60 million households. It became ABC’s highest Sunday-night ratings in 10 years, earning bigger ratings than primetime shows such as ER and Seinfeld, which aired simultaneously on other networks.