Maleficent is back - this time in the hands of another actress, following Angelina Jolie's spellbinding turn in the 2014 Disney movie. Now, Kristin Chenoweth will embody the powerful fairy queen.
Best known for directing Michael Jackson's final "This Is It" tour and the Disney Channel's three "High School Musical" films, Kenny Ortega is hoping to repeat his success with the new Disney Channel TV movie, 'Descendants'.
"Because Angelina Jolie had just done the big Disney epic, huge movie for Disney, and so we knew we didn't want to go down that path. She did such a marvelous job, you know, she was so dark and delicious and breathtaking and just immediately I thought of the humor and fun and musicality that Kristin (Chenoweth) could bring to this."
"And it was yes, automatic yes, and then pairing her up with Kathy Najimy and Wendy Raquel Robinson, Maz Jobrani, I mean, the four of them as the villains are a scream," said Director Kenny Ortega.
Casting is, of course, crucial to Ortega.
"When you have 30 days to shoot a musical and three weeks to rehearse it in, you want to make sure you're showing up with kids that have imagination, that are brave, that are fearless, that are not afraid of embarrassing themselves in order to get to the end result, that are going to bring something to the day and not just sit there waiting for you to guide and steer and direct."
"I'm so lucky I had that with 'High School Musical' and it's why 'High School Musical' and 'Descendants' is so soulful and full of spirit is because the young people in these projects really participated in the making of these projects. They really brought their passion to the projects," Kenny Ortega said.
"Descendants" also has its share of singing and dancing.
"So, yeah we're kind of - not only are the dance numbers conceived and the music selected - or lyrics selected to move the story forward, but even the genre of music, what kind of music is going to work best in this moment to help tell the story, and so it's not that we're trying to have a big variety or trying to be clever, but in fact we've picked these songs because we feel that they really kind of work best in context with the movie," Kenny Ortega said.
"Descendants" premieres on the Disney Channel this Friday, July 31.
