Descendants: The Rise of Red - I should’ve known this was never about me

Uma is now the new principal of Auradon Prep. To make Auradon a better place, she orders the opening of the border between Auradon and Wonderland and invites Princess Red to join the school. Princess Red’s mother, the Queen of Hearts, is the ruler of Wonderland. The demanding Queen has controlled her daughter's life in every possible way. The rebellious princess has been defying her mother, engaging in activities that are strictly forbidden.

At the welcoming ceremony, Uma greets Princess Red and the Queen of Hearts. Uma's vision is to bring change to the school by embracing students from diverse backgrounds. However, the Queen of Hearts' true intention is to sabotage the ceremony. Using her magic, she throws the event into chaos and takes Cinderella hostage.

Princess Red, refusing to obey her mother's commands, seeks to undo the damage. Remembering the pocket watch she possesses, a device capable of time travel, she activates it, intending to rewind just a few minutes. However, she accidentally pulls Cinderella's daughter, Chloe, into the time travel journey, and they are transported back several decades. They arrive in the time when Ella (Cinderella) and Bridget (the Queen of Hearts) were still students at Merlin Academy (formerly Auradon Prep). Although not friends, Princess Red and Chloe share the common goal of saving their mothers. They decide to work together, aiming to guide the young Queen of Hearts away from her path to evil. Posing as exchange students, they enroll in the academy to observe and influence their mothers' younger selves. They are struck by the stark contrast between the young, kind, and approachable Bridget and the tyrannical Queen she would become.

Uliana, Ursula's younger sister, accidentally transforms into a flamingo after eating Bridget’s cupcake. Overhearing Uliana's plan for revenge, Red and Chloe resolve to intervene. Learning that Uliana intends to use spells from a forbidden spellbook, they attempt to steal it first. After a struggle, they manage to acquire the book but are unable to open it. Uliana steals it back, only to be instantly frozen by a protective enchantment on the book. With their unwitting intervention successful, Red and Chloe return to the present, moments before the Queen of Hearts unleashes chaos. Events initially unfold as they did before, leading Red and Chloe to fear their plan has failed. However, to their relief, the Queen of Hearts does not turn malevolent. Instead, she sends heart-shaped bubbles floating over the audience. They have successfully turned a chaos into a happy ending.

This demonstrates that goodness resides within everyone. Even someone as seemingly wicked as the Queen of Hearts can possess inherent good qualities. Something in her past transformed an innocent girl into a ruthless queen. While we may not possess the power of time travel like Princess Red, it raises the question: can we influence positive change in others within the real world? Is there a different kind of magic we can employ to help guide people towards goodness?