Descendants: The Rise of Red

The Queen of Hearts launches a coup immediately after Red arrives at Auradon Prep, seizing control of the school and declaring herself the new ruler. This power grab appears to be driven by her long-standing rivalry with Auradon's leadership and her desire to expand her kingdom's influence. The Queen acts quickly while Uma is still adjusting to her new role as principal.

Red feels torn between loyalty to her mother and her own conscience. The Queen of Hearts orders her to carry out Cinderella's execution, and despite knowing it is wrong, Red feels compelled to comply to avoid disappointing her mother. This dilemma highlights Red's struggle to meet her mother's expectations while battling her own moral compass.

Red attempts to escape her mother's orders by using the time-traveling pocket watch crafted by her mentor Maddox Hatter. However, Chloe intercepts her during the escape attempt. Chloe is furious about the planned execution of her mother Cinderella, and this shared crisis forces the two reluctant allies together.

The pocket watch was crafted by Maddox Hatter, Red's mentor, and allows the user to travel through time. Red uses it in a desperate attempt to escape the Queen of Hearts' orders, but her first journey leads her directly to Chloe, who intercepts the escape. The watch takes them to Merlin Academy where they meet their mothers as teenagers.

Red and Chloe use the pocket watch to travel back in time to Merlin Academy, where they encounter teenage versions of their mothers, Bridget (the young Queen of Hearts) and Ella (the young Cinderella). Their goal is to prevent a prank that would turn Bridget into the infamous Queen of Hearts, thereby changing the future and averting the disaster that awaits them in the present.

Uliana, the sister of Ursula and leader of a gang of bullies, consumes Bridget's enchanted flamingo cupcakes. The magic within the cupcakes transforms her into a flamingo, causing humiliation and chaos. After a brief pursuit around the school grounds, Uliana falls into a fountain, which breaks the spell and restores her human form.

Red and Chloe successfully prevent the cruel prank that would have turned young Bridget into the villainous Queen of Hearts. By stopping this pivotal event, they alter the timeline, causing the Queen of Hearts to return to the present as a much friendlier, gentler version of herself rather than the power-hungry ruler they left behind.

While Red and Chloe succeed in creating a better present by preventing the Queen's transformation, their actions come with consequences. The stability of the time-space continuum is left in jeopardy, suggesting that meddling with the past has created unresolved issues that will have further implications. The ending leaves this danger unresolved, indicating ongoing consequences.

After Uma becomes principal of Auradon Prep, she extends an invitation to Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, to join the school in the next academic year. This decision reflects Uma's goal of fostering harmony with distant realms and giving students from villain-occupied territories a chance at education in Auradon. Surprisingly, even the Queen of Hearts agrees to let her daughter attend.

The pocket watch that enables time travel is crafted by Maddox Hatter, who serves as Red's mentor. Maddox Hatter is a character associated with the Wonderland universe, and his invention becomes the key tool that Red uses in her attempt to escape her mother's orders. The watch proves powerful enough to send Red and Chloe across different time periods.