The true star who rose out of Disney's 'Descendants' franchise with significant fame was Dove Cameron. After having her own show with 'Liv & Maddie' (she played both lead roles), a series that was actually designed around her, Dove went on to act in various other Disney projects. But after that, she turned to Broadway, modeling, and music.
The thing is, another significant presence in the 'Descendants' films was that of Sofia Carson, who played Evie. Not only did all of the cast members sing and dance, but Sofia had a couple of songs all to herself. And after the third film was finished, she headed off in a different direction than Dove and, arguably, the rest of the cast, too.
Her first-ever Disney role was in 'Austin & Ally' back in 2014, but once Sofia became Evie, her opportunities seemed to expand. She acted in a TV film, a direct-to-video film, and had a voice role in a couple of episodes of cartoon 'Spider-Man.'
But her next project was a departure from Disney, in a film that went a bit deeper in some ways. It was also a film that went straight to streaming (on Netflix) in 2020. 'Feel the Beat' cast Sofia as April, a dancer on Broadway who messes up and thinks she's ruined her chances at a true dance career.
The film may not have been a huge critical success, but it was a fun follow-up to 'Descendants' fans who wanted to see more of Sofia Carson dancing. Only this time, she wasn't in fairytale garb as a villain-turned-heroine. Instead, she was a different kind of dancer with a different kind of supporting cast. She also acted alongside Rex Lee, of 'Entourage' and 'Young & Hungry' fame.
And after that, Sofia's next role put her mid-pandemic in 'Songbird,' another direct-to-film project. But this time, the project was produced by Michael Bay and joined by stars like Demi Moore, KJ Apa, and Alexandra Daddario, among other stars. It wasn't a critical success, but it's proof that Sofia has more range than just being a Disney villain.
Besides that, Sofia's also set to star in the upcoming 'Purple Hearts' film, says Deadline. The project is a YA romance that pairs Sofia with Charles Melton (of 'Riverdale') but also casts Carson as the lead writer and singer for the soundtrack.
That's not surprising of course, given that Carson has already performed songs for various projects and released 11 singles and four soundtrack albums. Oh, and she was also in a video with J Balvin, one with Sabrina Carpenter, and even Shawn Mendes. She's not the only star to turn to music, either; China Anne McClain has some pipes, too.
TBH, with everything she's done so far, it's hard to predict where Sofia will go next, but Disney fans are happy to be along for the ride.