Brandy is once again stepping into Cinderella's glass slippers - and this time, she's making sure Whitney Houston's legacy travels with her.
"Descendants: Wicked Wonderland" premieres on Disney Channel tonight, July 16, with Brandy reprising her role as Cinderella for the third time since her groundbreaking, history-making turn in 1997's "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella," where she starred alongside Houston, who played her Fairy Godmother.
Ahead of the premiere, Brandy shared a heartfelt Instagram post alongside co-star Rita Ora, who returns as the Queen of Hearts. "Some crowns become even more beautiful when they are shared," she wrote, reflecting on their years-long creative partnership across the "Descendants" franchise. She also paid tribute to Houston and producer Debra Martin Chase, crediting their original 1997 film with proving that "fairy tales belong to everyone."
In a separate interview, Brandy described what returning to the role means to her now, decades later. "It means everything to me because I feel like I'm doing what she would want me to do," she said, "which is live this beautiful life, doing what I love to do, and still carrying out her legacy, my legacy, in a positive way. In an inspirational way."
The emotional through-line continued on set, where Brandy said watching 17-year-old co-star Liamani Segura sing Houston's "Run to You" brought her to tears. "I lost it," she recalled. "I couldn't stop crying. Rita held me."
Brandy also brought her daughter, Sy'rai, to the film's red carpet premiere this week. "Descendants: Wicked Wonderland" streams on Disney+ starting July 17.
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