It was bound to happen. Given the runaway success of the Harry Potter franchise, eventually somebody was going to do a parody or develop a TV show featuring teen and pre-teen wizards. And the odds were that it would be somebody like Disney.
The Disney Channel added "Wizards of Waverly Place" to its line-up in the fall of 2007, and it's since become one of their most popular live-action sitcoms. The audience, of course, is the same age as the young wizards-in-training. Parents in this show are marginalized, as usual--perhaps even more so, because the kids' father, Jerry (David DeLouise) was once a wizard but had to give it up in order to marry a feisty Latina named Theresa (Maria Canals-Barrera). But Canals-Barrera and DeLouise, son of famed comedian Dom DeLouise, do a good job of keeping some semblance of parental authority despite their exceptional kids, and they make their limited air-time count. The show's twist (and the complication) comes because only one wizard can emerge from each family, and when the three Russo siblings reach adulthood they'll have to compete in order to see who gets to stay a wizard and who reverts to being mere mortals. In other words, they could have called this show "The Ultimate Sibling Rivalry."
The main character is Alex Russo (Selena Gomez), a pretty teen who's pretty good at slacking. She leaves her stuff all over the house, and spends more energy avoiding work than it would take to actually do it. Then there's her geekier older brother, Justin (David Henrie), who's as conscientious as can be, and the mischievous youngest sibling Max (Jake T. Austin), who's sometimes content to just sit back and watch with amusement.
Though "Wizard School" was a two-parter that aired as the 13th and 14th episodes the first season, it's probably appropriate that Disney decided to lead with it on this first DVD release. For one thing, the episode has a little fun with the Harry Potter films--right down to the geeky Harry Potter glasses that all of the students are required to wear with their "black bathrobes." It also establishes the kids as wizards just as quickly as the first episode, which found Alex replicating herself so she could get a shopping advantage. But it's also one of the broadest comedies from the first season. The other episodes included on this release are "Curb Your Dragon" (Episode 8) and "Disenchanted Evening" (Episode 5).
"Wizard School" Pts. 1&2
Justin is stoked to go to a summer school for wizards known as Wiz Tech, but when Alex does something irresponsible with magic again, their parents insist that she join her brother. This over-the-top two-part episode features Octavia Spencer as Dr. Evilini, a teacher who hopes to take promising wizard Justin to Volcanoland after he wins a 12-ball competition and somehow drain his powers and transfer them to herself, so she could be the most powerful wizard of all. The set looks like a Hogwart's send-off, complete with Dumbledore lookalike, and while the star-shaped ping-pong table is cool, there are more nerds here per square foot than anywhere on TV. No wonder it gives Alex the creeps just to be there.
"Curb Your Dragon"
Guilt over losing Justin's dog many years ago prompts Alex to try replacing it. But she buys an enchanted dragon that's disguised as a beagle, and because the little guy is a fire-breather they try to hide it and tell their parents it's a lost dog, which requires that they put up posters. Shades of "Air Bud," the dragon seller (Taylor Negron) claims the little guy and decides to enter it in a local dog show, which means, of course, that the kids have to find a way to get their dragon-dog back. Alex gets wind of the teacher's evil scheme and tries to foil her. Meanwhile, in a stupid subplot, a woman dressed like a salad (Robyn Moran) is handing out vegetarian leaflets in front of the Russo's Sub Station, driving away all their business.
"Disenchanted Evening"
Wizard powers become a barometer for that ever-popular game kids play: who's got the coolest (i.e., most permissive) parents. Alex gets jealous when she meets a young wizard named T.J. (Daryl Sabara) whose parents let him use magic anytime and anyplace he chooses. So she schemes to have him drop a hint or two, to maybe influence her parents. Max, meanwhile, struggles to complete a school project about Mars.
It's worth mentioning that the set is a cluttered nest of primary colors, and that distinctive scene segues involve a split-second music video style visual of the cast that has nothing to do with the plot. Other than that, "Wizards of Waverly Place" has the same three-act structure and pacing as most half-hour comedies. As kid-pitched sitcoms go, this one doesn't have the same level of writing or even acting as Disney's "Hannah Montana," but the characters grow on you, and the scripts will certainly appeal to the target audience on a number of levels.
It was bound to happen. Given the runaway success of the Harry Potter franchise, eventually somebody was going to do a parody or develop a TV show featuring teen and pre-teen wizards. And the odds were that it would be somebody like Disney.
The Disney Channel added "Wizards of Waverly Place" to its line-up in the fall of 2007, and it's since become one of their most popular live-action sitcoms. The audience, of course, is the same age as the young wizards-in-training. Parents in this show are marginalized, as usual--perhaps even more so, because the kids' father, Jerry (David DeLouise) was once a wizard but had to give it up in order to marry a feisty Latina named Theresa (Maria Canals-Barrera). But Canals-Barrera and DeLouise, son of famed comedian Dom DeLouise, do a good job of keeping some semblance of parental authority despite their exceptional kids, and they make their limited air-time count. The show's twist (and the complication) comes because only one wizard can emerge from each family, and when the three Russo siblings reach adulthood they'll have to compete in order to see who gets to stay a wizard and who reverts to being mere mortals. In other words, they could have called this show "The Ultimate Sibling Rivalry."
The main character is Alex Russo (Selena Gomez), a pretty teen who's pretty good at slacking. She leaves her stuff all over the house, and spends more energy avoiding work than it would take to actually do it. Then there's her geekier older brother, Justin (David Henrie), who's as conscientious as can be, and the mischievous youngest sibling Max (Jake T. Austin), who's sometimes content to just sit back and watch with amusement.
Though "Wizard School" was a two-parter that aired as the 13th and 14th episodes the first season, it's probably appropriate that Disney decided to lead with it on this first DVD release. For one thing, the episode has a little fun with the Harry Potter films--right down to the geeky Harry Potter glasses that all of the students are required to wear with their "black bathrobes." It also establishes the kids as wizards just as quickly as the first episode, which found Alex replicating herself so she could get a shopping advantage. But it's also one of the broadest comedies from the first season. The other episodes included on this release are "Curb Your Dragon" (Episode 8) and "Disenchanted Evening" (Episode 5).
"Wizard School" Pts. 1&2
Justin is stoked to go to a summer school for wizards known as Wiz Tech, but when Alex does something irresponsible with magic again, their parents insist that she join her brother. This over-the-top two-part episode features Octavia Spencer as Dr. Evilini, a teacher who hopes to take promising wizard Justin to Volcanoland after he wins a 12-ball competition and somehow drain his powers and transfer them to herself, so she could be the most powerful wizard of all. The set looks like a Hogwart's send-off, complete with Dumbledore lookalike, and while the star-shaped ping-pong table is cool, there are more nerds here per square foot than anywhere on TV. No wonder it gives Alex the creeps just to be there.
"Curb Your Dragon"
Guilt over losing Justin's dog many years ago prompts Alex to try replacing it. But she buys an enchanted dragon that's disguised as a beagle, and because the little guy is a fire-breather they try to hide it and tell their parents it's a lost dog, which requires that they put up posters. Shades of "Air Bud," the dragon seller (Taylor Negron) claims the little guy and decides to enter it in a local dog show, which means, of course, that the kids have to find a way to get their dragon-dog back. Alex gets wind of the teacher's evil scheme and tries to foil her. Meanwhile, in a stupid subplot, a woman dressed like a salad (Robyn Moran) is handing out vegetarian leaflets in front of the Russo's Sub Station, driving away all their business.
"Disenchanted Evening"
Wizard powers become a barometer for that ever-popular game kids play: who's got the coolest (i.e., most permissive) parents. Alex gets jealous when she meets a young wizard named T.J. (Daryl Sabara) whose parents let him use magic anytime and anyplace he chooses. So she schemes to have him drop a hint or two, to maybe influence her parents. Max, meanwhile, struggles to complete a school project about Mars.
It's worth mentioning that the set is a cluttered nest of primary colors, and that distinctive scene segues involve a split-second music video style visual of the cast that has nothing to do with the plot. Other than that, "Wizards of Waverly Place" has the same three-act structure and pacing as most half-hour comedies. As kid-pitched sitcoms go, this one doesn't have the same level of writing or even acting as Disney's "Hannah Montana," but the characters grow on you, and the scripts will certainly appeal to the target audience on a number of levels.
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