Written by Laura Jayne
Bringing Characters to life: ‘Descendants’
Possibly one of my favourite aspects of this job is the creativity that fuels it – with each character or theme comes new games, activities, and new costumes/wigs/make-up to explore! So, when new films and television shows are released with the potential to inspire new party themes, I love getting to be a part of the process of putting it all together.
Descendants is one of the newest franchises that you may not yet have heard of, but is soon to be releasing its 3rd film of the series. It tells the story of the children of all of the evil villains we know and love (The Evil Queen, Cruella De Vil, Jafar, and Maleficent), who have all been banished for their parents crimes, but are invited to civilization by Ben (the son of Belle and the now human Beast) for a second chance, to see if they can possibly prove they are more than the potential villains their parents have moulded them to become. Despite being based around these traditional characters, the film is so contemporary in its ways, making it very appealing to the modern generation of young viewers. The music and dance numbers in the film are particularly impressive and are what I will admit makes it a guilty pleasure for me!
When the opportunity came from Jayne to help work to put a party together based on this film series, I naturally jumped at the chance, and got brainstorming ideas for ways to bring it all to life. One of the exciting parts for me was that this film appeals to both younger as well as slightly older children, so the dance element especially could be incorporated for the children who wanted to perform just like their favourite characters do!
I was inspired by the film’s characters to put a spin on traditional party games, such as “Freezin’ like a Villain”, a play on the title of a song from the film and the classic favourite, musical statues. This lets the children create poses as their favourite characters from the film, and it’s amazing to see their confidence grow as they play with their friends and peers. One of the integral parts of the films plot is Mal’s spell book, so I got creative with an old book I found at a charity shop, cut out the centre block of pages and painted Mal’s signature dragon plaque on the front. As an optional alternative to pass the parcel, the book is passed round the circle, and once the music stops, the child holding it uses our bespoke, hand-made wand to create a bit of magic to open it and take a treat from inside.
We are very lucky as a company to be provided with some incredible quality costumes and wigs, as authenticity is hugely important to us all when it comes to our parties and events. Mal’s signature leather jacket and Evie’s beautiful ensemble are fantastic, so I love taking the time to put together appropriate makeup to match the high-quality costumes we get to perform in.
So, if you’ve never heard of Descendants, you’ve got some time to catch up before the next film is released! And if your little one is a fan, then get in touch to book your very own Descendants themed party package!
