Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story Adds Darren Criss As Jiminy Cricket, Sherry Cola As Yzma, And More

The next chapter in Disney's "Descendants" franchise shifts the focus to the children of famous fairytale sidekicks, and now TVLine has learned which actors will be portraying the adults in their lives — both good and bad.

"Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story" has cast Sherry Cola ("Good Trouble," "Camp Rock 3") as Yzma, the potion-brewing villain from 2000's "The Emperor's New Groove," while Hugo Ateo ("Siren") will portray Yzma's lovable henchman Kronk.

In a fun bit of Disney synergy, the Genie from 1992's "Aladdin" will be played by James Monroe Iglehart, who previously originated the same role in Disney's "Aladdin" stage musical on Broadway. He even took home a Tony Award for his performance in 2014.

More famous Disney characters will be brought to life by Darren Criss ("Glee"), playing Jiminy Cricket from 1940's "Pinocchio"; Dan Bakkedahl ("Veep") as Yen Sid, the titular spell caster in the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" portion of 1940's "Fantasia"; and Sean Yves Lessard ("Percy Jackson and the Olympians") as Lumiere, the musical maître d' from 1991's "Beauty and the Beast." Lessard is the second actor to portray Lumiere in the "Descendants" universe, following Jan Bos in "Descendants 2."

Unlike previous installments in the "Descendants" franchise, which primarily focused on the children of princes, princesses, and villains, this next movie shifts the spotlight to the offspring of those characters' sidekicks.

Here's what to expect from "Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story," according to Disney's official synopsis: "Hidden in the center of each fairy tale is a portal to a secret training facility where the descendants of legendary sidekicks are challenged to join the elite ranks of partners to heroes. When a villainous duo comes to Sidekick Academy, a group of fresh recruits must band together — without heroes, without parents — using only their new skills to save the fairytale realm before it's too late."

As previously reported, those "fresh recruits" include Dior Goodjohn as Jennie, daughter of the Genie from "Aladdin"; Momona Tamada as Zara, daughter of Yzma from "The Emperor's New Groove"; Jacob Rodriguez as Kronk Jr., son of Kronk from the same movie; Eva Fossaceca Smedley as Meri, daughter of Merryweather from 1959's "Sleeping Beauty"; Harry Jones as Lou, son of Lumiere from "Beauty and the Beast"; and Kyra Wong, Connor Wong, and Rhys Dawkins as the Potts Siblings, descendants of Mrs. Potts from the same movie.

The official "Descendants" account shared the above photo of the cast on the set of "Hidden Heroes," giving us our first look at the franchise's next generation in action. Directed by Jude Weng, the movie is expected to premiere on Disney Channel and Disney+ sometime in 2027.

What are your early thoughts on these castings? Drop 'em all in a comment below.