Descendants: The Rise of Red owes everything to Brandy’s take on Cinderella

polygon.com:

Disney launched a new chapter in the Descendents universe with Descendants: The Rise of Red, which continues the immensely popular Disney Channel Original Movie franchise about the kids of popular Disney heroes and villains. But the most important thing about this new movie is that it canonically makes Brandy’s Cinderella the official Cinderella of the Descendants universe. Which I’m taking to mean that Disney acknowledges the 1997 made-for-TV adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella is superior to any other version of the story.

That’s as it should be, because1997’s Cinderella is by far the best adaptation of the fairy tale out there. (I did the math on this.) It’s a wonderful movie in general. Its legacy looms large: Every zany, bright Disney Channel Original Movie musical out there owes one to Robert Iscove’s take on the legend.

Iscove’s Cinderella isn’t a DCOM itself — it’s a made-for-TV adaptation that aired on ABC’s Wonderful World of Disney programming block. The movie first premiered to mixed reviews, but over time, “Brandy Cinderella,” as it’s known, has become a classic. This Cinderella took an approach that’s still rare in fantasy movies and shows, which often lean on one specific aesthetic: Vaguely Medieval Europe, with rough armor and dark stone castles. But Cinderella isn’t just a fantasy, it’s a fairy tale. The beautifully whimsical set design and costumes celebrate that, with bright colors, eye-popping textures, and bold patterns.

Iscove took a completely race-blind approach to casting. Brandy Norwood plays Cinderella. The royal family is mixed-race, with Paolo Montalban as Prince Christopher, Whoopi Goldberg as Queen Constantina, and Victor Garber as King Maximillian. The entire cast is stellar: Bernadette Peters is an amazing stepmother, and Veanne Cox and Natalie Desselle, who play the stepsisters, have impeccable comedic timing. It can be a little over-the-top at times, but all in a way that fits the genre. They all fit splendidly