kenny ortega

Legendary Handprints—Kenny Ortega

Kenny Ortega first began designing dances on the small screen, choreographing music videos for Olivia Newton-John and Madonna and quickly moved on to bigger productions. In 1980, he choreographed the dance sequences for the musical film Xanadu, working with legendary dancer and director Gene Kelly. He continued choreographing such hits as St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), …

See more
Descendants 3

How to Maximize Your Descendants 3 Viewing Experience

By Zach Johnson The Villain Kids have been enchanting millions of fans ever since Descendants debuted on Disney Channel in 2015. With the third installment in the hit franchise premiering Friday at 8 p.m., we spoke with Jennifer Rogers Doyle, Senior Vice President, Brand Development and Integrated Planning, Disney Channels Worldwide, to discover how to …

See more
Descendants 3

Descendants 3 Director Kenny Ortega Talks About Being on the Good Side of Evil

By Beth Deitchman Director Kenny Ortega has always been surrounded by heroes, sometimes even literally. As a young boy, Ortega’s bedroom was filled with wood cut-outs of Disney characters that his father, an artist with a love for Disney animation, created for him. But for Ortega, there was something unmistakably captivating about Disney villains. “Although …

See more
Kenny Ortega

Descendants 2 Director Kenny Ortega’s Secrets to Building a Hit Disney Franchise

By Beth Deitchman He was the “playmaker” for Disney Channel’s much-loved High School Musical trilogy, but since 2015, director/choreographer/executive producer Kenny Ortega has had his head in a different game. Today, Descendants 2 premieres on an unprecedented six channels at once—a testament to the popularity of the Disney Channel Original Movie Descendants, which introduced the …

See more

Talking Disney’s Descendants with Kenny Ortega

Villains. They’re some of the most notorious (and entertaining!) characters in the Disney lexicon. But have you ever wondered what happened to our favorite Villains after the “happily ever after”? The latest summer sensation from Disney Channel, the live-action musical adventure Disney’s Descendants, aims to answer that very question… In the idyllic kingdom of Auradon, …

See more