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Cast: Selena Gomez, Jake T. Austin, David Henrie
After arguing with her mother during a family trip to the Caribbean, teenage wizard Alex Russo (Selena Gomez) wishes aloud that her parents had never met -- only to be shocked when her wish turns into reality. It's up to Alex and her spell-casting brother Justin (David Henrie) to locate a mystical Stone of Dreams that can reverse the curse.
Based off the Disney channel hit TV series the movie pretty much sticks to the formula of success but it is also a bit different as well. The story is simple, when Alex Russo makes a simple wish, it nearly ruins her family vacation. Her family is torn apart in an instant, and it's up to her to get them back together. The film starts off slow at first with a bit darker theme than the series but as the story unfolds the adventure and laughs follow as well as the family moments you have come to expect. The cast is fantastic but you expect that since the TV show is full of the same group of great young actors. One of the differences I noticed here compared to the series is they had the use of more outdoor shots and different camera angles as well which gave it all a much fuller look, after watching this then going back to the series you can really see the difference in production values but that is to be expected. I thought this was one of the better Disney channel movies, the visuals were not ground breaking but they were pretty good considering and the scenery was beautiful as well. Selena Gomez is a wonderful young actor and I see a bright future ahead of her as long as she doesn't fall into a lot of what many others her age have. This is a film the kids will love and watch over and over but even if you are not a kid but enjoy a nice little adventure film then I recommend giving this a shot, Wizards of Waverly Place is a cute,sweet and often funny adventure film that is truly entertaining. Also as a bonus the DVD contains the extended version of the film that contains footage the Television version did not have.
Released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
**** Out Of *****