As the adventures in Disney Dreamlight Valley continue with a steady stream of new characters, both players and developers at Gameloft should be mindful of the fact that Disney’s pool of animated characters isn’t endless. Looking ahead, the game might eventually need to draw from properties beyond Walt Disney Animation and Pixar Studios. Rather than gravitating towards high-profile live-action franchises like Star Wars or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it could be more fitting to embrace something that stays true to the essence of Disney—enter the Descendants franchise.
Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMs) and other animated series from Disney Channel offer a treasure trove of content that players of Disney Dreamlight Valley are sure to recognize and appreciate. These titles often include fantastical elements, making them a more suitable match for Disney Dreamlight Valley than non-fantastical live-action shows like Hannah Montana. Among the most successful DCOM franchises stands Descendants, which seems like an ideal choice for an addition to Disney Dreamlight Valley’s roster.
Descendants is a story that centers around the offspring of some of Disney’s infamous villains. The main characters include Mal, daughter of Maleficent; Evie, the Evil Queen’s daughter; Jay, the son of Jafar; and Carlos, Cruella DeVille’s son. These kids, originally isolated on the Isle of the Lost, get an opportunity for redemption when Prince Ben, the offspring of Belle and the Beast, invites them to join Auradon Prep, an elite school on the mainland. As Mal and her friends navigate their new lives, they face pressure from their parents to uphold their villainous heritage, but they ultimately choose the path of good. The franchise boasts three main movies, with a prequel, Descendants: The Rise of Red, that premiered on Disney+ in the summer of 2024.
Fans of Disney Dreamlight Valley can draw parallels between the redemption arcs of Mal and company with the game’s similar theme of transforming villains. In the game, players have the autonomy to decide whether to guide the villainous residents towards a better path. The alignment between these stories makes Descendants an especially apt candidate for the game, enhancing its core theme of redemption.
For those who might hesitate at the thought of incorporating live-action elements or characters with existing counterparts in the game, Descendants elegantly sidesteps these issues. By utilizing the animated series, Descendants: Wicked World, the game could source character designs that align with its existing aesthetic rather than attempting to translate live-action into animation, which could otherwise lead to awkward character depictions.
Moreover, some characters from the Descendants universe already have familial ties in Disney Dreamlight Valley. Jafar has appeared in the game through the A Rift in Time Expansion Pass, and Maleficent is expected to join with the Storybook Vale expansion’s second chapter this summer. Both are based on their original lore, quite apart from their Descendants narratives. Establishing a separate Descendants realm in the game could neatly differentiate these versions and create new storytelling opportunities.
While Disney Dreamlight Valley leans heavily on beloved characters from Disney and Pixar’s animated films, there’s a compelling case for sprinkling in a bit of Descendants magic. This strategy maintains the game’s identity while breathing fresh life into its world, signaling a promising direction for future updates.
