The Isle of the Lost Author Melissa de la Cruz Talks Disney Fanfic and Which Villain’s Makeup Is on Fleek
At the end of Disney classics like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Sleeping Beauty, we know that the princes and princesses all lived happily ever after—but what about the villains? We thought that most of the big baddies were not-so-dearly departed before the movies’ credits rolled, but according to author Melissa de la Cruz’s new book, The Isle of the Lost, they didn’t die.
King Beast of Auradon (i.e., land of all the good guys) banished the villains and their minions to a faraway island surrounded by an impenetrable dome 20 years ago, and—the horror!—they had children. Those villainous offspring are now teens, with four of them being at the forefront of this story: Mal, daughter of Maleficent; Evie, daughter of Evil Queen; Jay, son of Jafar; and Carlos, son of Cruella de Vil.
Did those bad apples fall far from their evil trees? Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out for sure. But we got the lowdown from the author herself on what went into creating the novel, which is the first in a new series and is also the prequel to the upcoming live-action movie Descendants, premiering on the Disney Channel this year.
The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel (B&N Special Edition)
Hardcover
$16.19
$17.99
The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel (B&N Special Edition)
Hardcover
$16.19
$17.99
Did you re-watch any of the Disney movies as research for the book? Did you notice anything different this time around?
I did! I watched them all—Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Cinderella. I’d always been a huge Disney fan, so I knew the movies pretty well; but it was interesting to watch from a research perspective. I didn’t realize that most of the villains were, um, completely destroyed in the end of the movies—Evil Queen and Cruella fall off cliffs, Maleficent is reduced to a puddle of green! So I had to figure out how to bring them back, hence the line in the book, “To live without magic was a sentence worse than death, and some of the [villains] were brought back from death, only to be placed on this island, so they would know.” I thought that was pretty funny.
Was it daunting writing about these established characters—Beauty, Beast, Maleficent, Genie, Evil Queen, the seven dwarfs, and the rest of the gang—that people already know so well?
Definitely! I wanted to do them all justice. In fact, I was a bit paralyzed in the beginning, because I’ve always wanted to be part of the Disney universe. I wrote Michael Eisner a letter when I was in college after seeing The Lion King. It was a fan letter to an entertainment company because I loved their storytelling so much. But once I realized I could play, I started to loosen up and breathe new life into the characters. I got to write the ultimate Disney fan fiction.
Do you have a favorite Disney villain?
I always loved Maleficent. She’s so fabulous! She’s gorgeous and wears a cape and looks great with horns. What more do you want? Also, her lipstick game is on fleek. Heh. But seriously. Maleficent is awesome, and also doesn’t everyone relate to her anger? Who isn’t annoyed when you don’t get invited to a party? I’m way past middle school, but when I hear about a party I didn’t get invited to, I still feel hurt and irritated. Enough to curse a kingdom? Who knows?
Any of the Auradon residents you’re particularly partial to?
I love Prince Ben, the son of Beast and Belle. He’s such a good kid, and I love characters who have it all but somehow it’s not enough. Just because you’re handsome and rich and princely does not mean you have no problems. I have a lot of sympathy for those born into privilege. It’s so much harder to prove yourself if your parents have already accomplished so much.
Maleficent obviously thinks she’s the biggest baddie on the Isle of the Lost, but do you really think she’s the worst of the worst? Which—if any—of the other villains could outdo her?
Cruella is pretty frightening, and she and Carlos have a much more distant relationship than Mal and Maleficent. I think I’m more scared of Cruella, the vanity and the furs and the hysterical rages.
We see in the book that the children of these iconic villains actually might possess some good qualities deep down—do you think the villains themselves have some redemptive qualities too? Will we get to see those in the book series?
I think the villains are a little misunderstood. Yes, they have selfish and terrible motives, but mostly they are acting from a hurt and wounded place. Will they be redeemed? I can’t say yet what the future will bring! I signed a contract!
Where will the next book in the series pick up—where the prequel left off? Where the movie leaves off? Somewhere else altogether?
I think the next book will pick up after the movie and also after the digital animated shorts that are scheduled to air. It’s a multiplatform property—with the book, the TV movie, and the animation. So the story will take all that into account. But I can say the new book will introduce a host of fun new villain kids!
Who’s your favorite Disney villain from Isle of the Lost?
Did you re-watch any of the Disney movies as research for the book? Did you notice anything different this time around?
I did! I watched them all—Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Cinderella. I’d always been a huge Disney fan, so I knew the movies pretty well; but it was interesting to watch from a research perspective. I didn’t realize that most of the villains were, um, completely destroyed in the end of the movies—Evil Queen and Cruella fall off cliffs, Maleficent is reduced to a puddle of green! So I had to figure out how to bring them back, hence the line in the book, “To live without magic was a sentence worse than death, and some of the [villains] were brought back from death, only to be placed on this island, so they would know.” I thought that was pretty funny.
Was it daunting writing about these established characters—Beauty, Beast, Maleficent, Genie, Evil Queen, the seven dwarfs, and the rest of the gang—that people already know so well?
Definitely! I wanted to do them all justice. In fact, I was a bit paralyzed in the beginning, because I’ve always wanted to be part of the Disney universe. I wrote Michael Eisner a letter when I was in college after seeing The Lion King. It was a fan letter to an entertainment company because I loved their storytelling so much. But once I realized I could play, I started to loosen up and breathe new life into the characters. I got to write the ultimate Disney fan fiction.
Do you have a favorite Disney villain?
I always loved Maleficent. She’s so fabulous! She’s gorgeous and wears a cape and looks great with horns. What more do you want? Also, her lipstick game is on fleek. Heh. But seriously. Maleficent is awesome, and also doesn’t everyone relate to her anger? Who isn’t annoyed when you don’t get invited to a party? I’m way past middle school, but when I hear about a party I didn’t get invited to, I still feel hurt and irritated. Enough to curse a kingdom? Who knows?
Any of the Auradon residents you’re particularly partial to?
I love Prince Ben, the son of Beast and Belle. He’s such a good kid, and I love characters who have it all but somehow it’s not enough. Just because you’re handsome and rich and princely does not mean you have no problems. I have a lot of sympathy for those born into privilege. It’s so much harder to prove yourself if your parents have already accomplished so much.
Maleficent obviously thinks she’s the biggest baddie on the Isle of the Lost, but do you really think she’s the worst of the worst? Which—if any—of the other villains could outdo her?
Cruella is pretty frightening, and she and Carlos have a much more distant relationship than Mal and Maleficent. I think I’m more scared of Cruella, the vanity and the furs and the hysterical rages.
We see in the book that the children of these iconic villains actually might possess some good qualities deep down—do you think the villains themselves have some redemptive qualities too? Will we get to see those in the book series?
I think the villains are a little misunderstood. Yes, they have selfish and terrible motives, but mostly they are acting from a hurt and wounded place. Will they be redeemed? I can’t say yet what the future will bring! I signed a contract!
Where will the next book in the series pick up—where the prequel left off? Where the movie leaves off? Somewhere else altogether?
I think the next book will pick up after the movie and also after the digital animated shorts that are scheduled to air. It’s a multiplatform property—with the book, the TV movie, and the animation. So the story will take all that into account. But I can say the new book will introduce a host of fun new villain kids!
Who’s your favorite Disney villain from Isle of the Lost?