Since their conception, there have been countless iterations of classic fairytale characters. Their stories have inspired numerous films following their adventures. In 2011, ABC Network premiered Once Upon A Time, a series that followed the idea of what would have happened had the Evil Queen gotten her happy ending. The show took some aspects of the original fairytales and mixed them with the Disney stories, creating a magical world that can be dangerous. The series brought the fairytale characters from their world into a realm without magic, fusing the two universes.
Meanwhile, in 2015, Disney Channel premiered Descendants, the first of a trilogy. Descendants followed the children of known characters, focussing on Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay, children of villains coming from the Isle of the Lost. Due to the nature of sharing characters, the two franchises share some things in stock, but other aspects remain different.
Similar: Character Origins
The characters from Once Upon A Time and Descendants both stem from Brothers Grimm stories and Disney classic films. Several iterations of these characters existed before the ABC drama or the Disney Channel Original Movies. Both franchises include characters from the original stories, such as the Evil Queen, Belle and the Beast, Maleficent, and more. However, both franchises also place a substantial focus on the next generation. In Descendants, it is the children, Mal, Evie, Carlos, Jay, and Prince Ben, who take the lead. In Once Upon A Time, Emma Swan, daughter to Snow White and Prince Charming, and Emma's son, Henry, start the story of trying to break the curse on Storybrooke.
Different: Backstories
Descendants appears to exist in a future continuation of the Disney films. That is not true for Once Upon A Time. The television show takes great detail and care in flashbacks revealing the true nature of events in everyone's lives previous to the Dark Curse.
In their version, Regina is not jealous of Snow White's beauty but hates Snow for revealing her relationship with Daniel to her mother, Cora. Cora quickly killed Daniel after hearing the truth from Snow, and Regina held a grudge for years.
Similar: Growth And Change
"Evil isn't born, it's made." The quote from Once Upon A Time also shows how much the villains have developed from beginning to end. Regina, Zelena, and Rumple were not born evil and did not plan on that journey. However, they grew to understand their wrongdoings and tried to change. In Descendants, Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay are told to steal Fairy Godmother's wand and use it to free the villains on the Isle of the Lost. But, when they had possession of the wand, Mal realized she did not want to be a villain, and she and her friends, who had all grown to like Auradon, decided against the plan.
Different: Location
In Descendants, Mal's voice over at the opening of the movie makes it sound as if the world from the original fairytale films had been transformed into the United States of Auradon. The world remained the same, just updated and changed to prevent similar evil acts from occurring again. Once Upon A Time has a vastly different situation. The fairytale world the characters had grown up in, the Enchanted Forest, was a separate dimension, and Regina's Dark Curse ripped everyone from their home and to a world without magic, existing in Storybrooke, Maine.
Similar: Hope For Happiness
Prince Ben and Henry Mills share hope for happy endings and positive futures. Ben's first proclamation is to allow the children from the Isle of the Lost to join Auradon Prep. He sees a future where Ben slowly brings the children to Auradon, giving them a chance at a better life.
Although Henry's situation is different, he does have similar desires. Henry devotes all his time in the first season to break the curse on Storybrooke. During season three, Henry was declared "the truest believer." In season five, Henry worked to help people complete their unfinished business to escape the Underworld and move on.
Different: Tone
For all that they share, Once Upon A Time and Descendants have drastically different tones. Once Upon A Time is a dark series, following the Evil Queen getting revenge on Snow White years after Snow caused the love of Regina's life to die. Regina's revenge plot not only stripped everyone from the Enchanted Forest but wiped their memories and had them relive the same day every day for twenty-eight years, which was when Emma broke the curse. In the series, characters are evil and cruel, participating in vile acts at any given moment. Descendants did not share the same tone, most likely due to its Disney Channel nature. Instead, Descendants did actively try to make a point about good versus evil, using empathy rather than violence.
Similar: Parent/Child Relationships
Scarily, in a lot of ways, they are quite similar. Regina Mills did not have a loving relationship with her mother, Cora. Neal Cassidy had several years of problems stemming from Rumple's attachment to the Dark One dagger. Henry tells Emma that Regina does not treat him well when they first meet. Several moments throughout the series show negative parental relationships. In Descendants, Lonnie is surprised to find that Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay's parents do not act as if they love their children. Instead, they are used to being yelled at.
Different: Multiple Identities
In Once Upon A Time, it is rare for anyone to have just one identity. For example, Rumple is not only Rumplestiltskin but also Beast from Beauty and the Beast, and the Crocodile from Peter Pan. Due to the several Dark Curses and memory changes, characters have lived under other identities.
The show also includes a complicated family tree, as nearly every main character is somehow related, and some are related in more ways than one. The Descendants series does not have these details, which allows it to be easy to follow.
Similar: Ending
The conclusion to the Descendants trilogy has Mal finally use Fairy Godmother's wand to take down the barrier around the Isle of the Lost, allowing everyone to explore both places. Such an ending had been a long time coming, and it was a massive moment for the trilogy to reach that point. In Once Upon A Time, there is one final curse cast. Regina uses a spell to bring everyone from every world together in a re-created, massive Storybrooke. Both series end with everyone coming together in hopes of having a happier and better future.
Different: Adult Villain Redemption
Maleficent, Evil Queen, Jafar, Hades, and Cruella de Vil do not have clear redemption arcs by the conclusion of the franchise. As Maleficent remains a lizard by the trilogy's last moments, it appears she has yet to open her heart. But, Once Upon A Time takes great care in creating redemption arcs for its villains, most notably Regina Mills. Regina began as the first villain in the series and eventually transformed into a well-trusted hero. Others so well recognized Regina's transformation that they voted for Regina to remain the leader. Snow White even crowned Regina in the location she had first interrupted her wedding to Charming, showing just how far they had come.