Wizards of Waverly Place (DVD)

Lafferty, K. (Producer), Berendsen, D. (Writer), & Spiro, L. (Director). (2009). Wizards of Waverly Place: The movie [DVD]. United States: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

Interest Level: Ages 6 to 17
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Subjects/Themes: Family, Secrets, Wizards, Magic,
Running Time:  98 minutes
Rating: TV-G
 
Plot: Unknown to the rest of the world, wizards are real and live in the human world.  Only one child per family is allowed to inherit wizard magic.  Siblings in wizard families must practice their wizard skills and then compete to determine who will be the sole possessor of the family's powers.  The Russo family is just such a wizard family.  The father, Jerry, is a former wizard who gave up his chance of being a wizard in order to marry a mortal, the children's mother Theresa.  The three Russo children are Max, Alex, and Justin.  In the movie, the family goes on vacation to Puerto Rico.  Alex was going to stay home but she gets in trouble right before the rest of the family leaves and is forced to go.  Alex gets in a fight with her mother and ends up wishing that her parents had never meet which ends up coming true.  The siblings must band together a quickly find the Stone of Dreams but end up being double crossed by another wizard.  Desperate since Max has already disappeared, Alex and Justin compete in the wizard contest in order for one of them to gain full wizard powers and reverse the spell.  Alex ends up winning and wishing for everything to go back as it was which ends up rewinding time.

Personal Thoughts: I love this TV series and the movie was just as good.  There are many different characters for viewers to enjoy watching and possibly relate to.  Justin is the older brother, smart, and follows the rules more often then not.  Alex is sometimes a trouble maker because she uses magic to cut corners whenever possible, isn't interested in work or school, and is most interested in having fun.  Max is the youngest brother, is very naive, and easily confused.  The TV series and the movie are both funny and full of good lessons about right and wrong.  The movie follows the classic lesson of being careful what you wish for because you might just get it.  Alex is extremely interested in her own life over that of her family's.  She's struggling with wanting to be treated like an adult and be independent at the same time.  There's a little romance as the children try to help their parents fall in love again.  There's also a lot of humor from the different antics.  There are also chapter books based on the TV series and on the movie available.  A great family or tween movie.  No need to be familiar with the TV series to understand and enjoy the movie.  Definitely a Must See movie!

Awards/Recognition:
62nd Primetime Emmy Winner for Outstanding Children's Program (2010)
Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Children's Program (2010)
Golden Reel Nominee for Best Sound Editing (2010)

Website: Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place Website