Review: Secret Society of Second-Born Royals

Peyton Elizabeth Lee in Secret Society of Second-Born Royals

Secret Society of Second-Born Royals on Disney+ is a superpowered adventure with royal children. But only the second born royal children. The first born go on to become kings and queens, while the second born learn how to save the world.

Secret Society of Second-Born Royals features Sam (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) just as she’s about to see her older sister, Princess Eleanor (Ashley Liao), become queen. Sam is a rebel in rock band with Mike (Noah Lomax).

Sam is forced to go to summer school. Summer school turns out to be training camp for second-born royals as they discover they have powers and what their super powers are. The powers range through invisibility, harnassing great flocks of insects, super sight/hearing, and commanding others, to stealing whatever power someone else has. The instructors have their own powers, too.

The teacher is James (Skylar Astin), but – surprise – Sam’s mother Queen Catherine (Elodie Yung) is also a teacher. James makes a throwaway comment that he has a boyfriend – which I guess is supposed to count as gay representation by Disney.

Skylar Astin, Niles Fitch, Isabella Blake-Thomas, Olivia Deeble, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, and Faly Rakotohavana in Secret Society of Second-Born Royals
The kids are (L to R) January (Isabella Blake-Thomas), Matteo (Faly Rakotohavana), Tuma (Niles Fitch), Sam, and Roxana (Olivia Deeble).

Before long the group of new trainees is pressed into duty chasing down a bad guy, Inmate 34 (Greg Bryk). Obviously you send a bunch of kids who haven’t finished training to catch the baddest guy in the land.

I can see how this plot would appeal to tween and teen viewers. However, I found it much less than perfect. Some of the young actors were not in top form. Talents like Niles Fitch, Skylar Astin and Elodie Yung saved the film from acting quicksand. It wasn’t a terrible film, but it sure wasn’t a great film.

Secret Society of Second-Born Royals was directed by Anna Mastro. It isn’t from a comic book, but rather based on an original story. Alex Litvak and Andrew Green wrote the script.

Poster for Secret Society of Second Born Royals

Check out the trailer.

Does this Disney+ film look good to you?

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