Secret Society of Second-Born Royals: New Disney+ Movie Leaves the Door Wide Open for Sequels — Grade It!

Andy Swift
·3 min read

Are we sure Prince Harry didn’t ghostwrite this one?

Secret Society of Second-Born Royals, which is now streaming on Disney+, follows five younger siblings of heirs to various thrones, led by Princess Sam (Andi Mack‘s Peyton Elizabeth Lee). These young royals think they’re being shipped off to summer school, only to discover that they’ve been recruited by a top-secret organization to defend the royal families from any number of international threats. Oh, did we mention they all have super powers? They do!

Trained by a bespectacled professor named James Morrow (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist‘s Skylar Astin), the second-borns work to hone their respective powers — invisibility, persuasion, etc. — all while bonding with one another as unlikely teammates. But trouble arises when Edmond (V-Wars‘ Greg Bryk), a traitorous former member of the Secret Society, breaks free from his 10-year imprisonment, vowing revenge on the woman who locked him away.

Here’s where things start to get a little spoiler-y, so if you don’t want to know any of the big twists, you might want to turn back now. Ready? OK, here we go: It’s soon revealed that not only was Edmond responsible for Sam’s father’s death, but he killed him in order to take the throne… because he’s Sam’s uncle! Needless to say, Sam isn’t thrilled that her mother — the head of the Secret Society of Second-Born Royals (“It’s a mouthful, we know!”) — didn’t think to share any of this information.

Edmond’s final assault comes on the day of Sam’s sister’s coronation, naturally, but the Secret Society is prepared to take him on. That is, until they discover that one of their own, a seemingly friendly princess named January (Once Upon a Time‘s Isabella Blake-Thomas), has been working with Edmond the whole time. He apparently agreed to get rid of January’s older sibling in exchange for her assistance.

Though the Secret Society is able to defeat and recapture Edmond, January manages to slip away, leaving the door very much open for a sequel. In fact, the last shot of the movie is of Professor Morrow walking away as the kids’ private jet takes off in search of their former ally. In fact, the second-borns aren’t even formally inducted into the Secret Society until shortly before takeoff. The movie might as well have slapped a “To be continued…” at the end.

Unlike most of today’s young-adult fare, Secret Society of Second-Born Royals is not — we repeat, not! — based on a book series; it’s an original concept conceived by the film’s writing team. That said, the movie is more than happy to acknowledge moments in which it it bears resemblance to well-established franchises like The Avengers, and even Batman.

Did you enjoy your first mission with the Second-Born Royals? Would you like to join them for a sequel? Vote in the poll below, then drop a comment with your full review of the movie.

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