Wizards of Waverly Place
 |
| Wizards of Waverly Place | |
|---|---|
| File:Wizard of waverly place logo.PNG | |
| Created by | Todd J. Greenwald |
| Starring | Selena Gomez David Henrie Jake T. Austin David DeLuise Maria Canals-Barrera Jennifer Stone |
| Opening theme | "Everything is Not What It Seems" by Selena Gomez |
| Country of origin |  |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 25 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Todd J. Greenwald Peter Murrieta |
| Running time | 22 min. approx. |
| Original release | |
| Network | Disney Channel |
| Release | October 12, 2007 – present |
Wizards of Waverly Place is a live-action Disney Channel Original Series which premiered on October 12, 2007 on Disney Channel.[1] The series focuses on the three Russo children who, on the surface, seem to be normal teens, but are actually wizards in training. The Russo children will compete within their family to be the best wizard later, and he or she that wins the magic tournament will get to keep their powers as an adult. On April 9, 2008, it was announced that Wizards of Waverly Place would return for a second season in 2008. [2]
Premise
The show centers upon Alex Russo, her older brother Justin, and their younger brother Max. The three live with their Caucasian father, Jerry, and their eccentric Latina mother, Theresa. Jerry was a wizard when he was young and was able to keep his powers, since he proved to be the better wizard (better than his brother). However, it is said that wizards cannot marry non-wizards, so Jerry gave up his powers to marry Theresa. Alex often gets into trouble by using magic unsupervised, and learns lessons and morals that span among friends, family, and school. When they reach adulthood, the three will compete to see who gets to keep their adult powers.
A DVD release entitled Wizards of Waverly Place Wizard School is to be released July 29. This is the first volume of the series.
Cast
- Selena Gomez as Alex Russo, a young wizard in training. She is the middle child and the only girl, often being overshadowed in school and in wizard training by her brother, Justin. She is a trouble-maker (including making everyone forget Justin and letting Justin's dog loose) and often tries to skip her wizard training. She is often grounded at times for using magic without permission. Her best friend is Harper Evans, and the two usually are bullied and fight with queen bee, Gigi.
- David Henrie as Justin Russo, the oldest child in the Russo family. He's smart, loves school, and enjoys sports; he is a fan of the Mets and the Jets. He is not popular, and Harper (Alex's best friend) has a crush on him. He knows more about magic than his younger siblings, he often gets mixed up with Alex's crazy spells, he's a horrible rhymer in spells, and he resembles his Uncle Ernesto.
- Jake T. Austin as Max Russo, the youngest in the family. He is not that smart in school or Wizard Training, often doing unpredictible things, and sometimes gets in trouble. He is also friends with Josh Ray.
- David DeLuise as Jerry Russo, Justin, Alex, and Max's father. He runs the family's sandwich shop, and trains the Russo kids in magic. He beat his brother to keep his powers, but chose to give them up to marry Theresa, who isn't a wizard.
- Maria Canals Barrera as Theresa Russo, Jerry's wife and Justin, Alex, and Max's mother. She isn't a wizard but knows all about the magical world. She helps run the sandwich shop.
- Jennifer Stone as Harper Evans, Alex's best friend. She doesn't know about the Russo kids' magical abilities, which often makes her confused about some of the Russo's crazy antics regarding their secret. She repeatedly tells Alex that she thinks Justin is cute.
Casting
Gomez, Henrie, Austin and Canals all had roles in another Disney Channel series. DeLuise and Stone have never, although Stone will soon. The writers originally struggled with naming the characters; there were originally supposed to be two children: Jordan (later Justin) and Julia (later Brooke, then Alex), but that was changed after Austin was hired. Jennifer Stone plays Harper, Alex's best friend.
Recurring characters
- Elaine (Amanda Tepe) is the recurring character with the most appearances. She appears in almost every episode, playing a random character who speaks with a boring drawl. Jobs she has held include department store manager, waitress, frozen yogurt store manager, hotel maitre'd, security guard, and the information desk lady at Volcano Land, and the art museum security guard, which is her latest job. At Volcano Land it shows that she may know something about magic herself due to that volcano land is a wizard theme park that only wizards can obtain access to. In the episode, New Employee, her name tag says Amanda. However in Art Museum Piece she is known as Elaine.
- Gertrude "Gigi" Hollingsworth (Skyler Samuels) is Alex's rival. She has tried to embarrass Alex ever since they were in kindergarten when Gigi spilled juice on Alex's mat during naptime and said Alex had an "accident." Another one of Gigi's targets is Alex's best friend, Harper. Gigi invited Harper to her annual tea party with the purpose of crowning her as the biggest loser at the tea. She has appeared in the episodes, Crazy Ten Minute Sale and Alex's Choice.
- Miranda Hampson (Lucy Hale) is Justin's goth girlfriend. She really likes Justin - according to Alex, she "brightens from tragic to gloomy when they're together" and wants to kiss him. She is very fond of the color black and hates Corporate America. Harper believes that the reason Justin is dating Miranda is that Miranda looks very much like her. She has appeared in the episodes, First Kiss and Pop Me and We Both Go Down. However, in recent episodes, Justin and Miranda seem to have broken up because Justin tries to impress other girls, Kari, by joining the school's baseball team in The Supernatural and Millie, an employee at the Sub Station in Credit Check. These episodes could have been produced before Justin and Miranda started going out though, because Disney doesn't air the episodes in order.
- Frankie (Paulie Litt) is Justin's rival. He seems to have a crush on Alex and Harper, and he is often seen scamming Justin and Max. Although he is just a child, Frankie seems to have the personality of an old time Italian gangster. Frankie has a similar personality to Stanley in That's So Raven and Rico in Hannah Montana. They are all short in height, they seem to have a crush on the female main character, and they are seen scamming the male main character. He has appeared in the episodes, New Employee and Curb Your Dragon.
- Riley (Brian Kubach) is Alex's crush in I Almost Drowned in a Chocolate Fountain and The Supernatural. He is on the Baseball team, and likes Alex just as much as she does him. He appears to be at Alex's level in most school subjects, such as Spanish. He also appears to be Justin's friend.
| Cast | Character | Season 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Amanda Tepe | Various | 8 |
| Lucy Hale | Miranda | 2 |
| Brian Kubach | Riley | 3 |
| Skyler Samuels | Gigi | 2 |
| Heather Trzyna | Wannabe #1 | 2 |
| Paulie Litt | Frankie the Answer Man | 2 |
| Wayne Federman | Mr. Laritate | 2 |
| Bryant Johnson | Matt | 1 |
| Jack Plotnick | Pocket Elf | 1 |
| Daryl Sabara | T.J. Taylor | 1 |
| Kelsey Sanders | Wannabe #2 | 2 |
| Jim Wise | Mr. Malone | 1 |
| Malese Jow | Ruby Donahue | 1 |
| Candace Brown | Genie | 1 |
| Octavia Spencer | Dr. Evilini | 2 |
| Ian Abercrombie | Headmaster Crumbs | 2 |
| Sara Paxton | Millie | 1 |
| Jeffrey Christopher Todd | Jeffrey | 1 |
| Juila Duffy | Ms. Angela | 1 |
Episodes
| Season | Ep # | First Airdate | Last Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 21 | October 12, 2007 | August 31, 2008 |
| Season 2 | October, 2008 | 2009 |
Spells
| Spell | Effect | First User | Episode(s) Featured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgebonoutoosis | Duplicates the user's desired object | Alex Russo | Crazy Ten Minute Sale |
| McCreary Time Reary | Rewinds time for a few seconds; Wizards can sense when it is used while non-magical humans just have a case of Deja Vu | Justin Russo | First Kiss |
| Take this girl with the skills of a bench, and turn her into a serving wench | Changes a waiter with no skills into a professional server | Alex Russo | New Employee |
| Take this girl who's a great serving wench, and give her back the skills of a bench | Changes a professional server into a waiter with no skills | ||
| Stop all the racket, I'll wear a jacket | A jacket appears on the user | Disenchanted Evening | |
| Commakus Pancakus | Conjures a stack of pancakes | ||
| Transportium Nextorbitorium | Transports you to another planet (It has only been used for Mars) | ||
| Some people are a gem, some people are a rat, to learn who's who, give me the ear of a bat | Transforms your ear into a bat's ear and gives you a bat's hearing | Alex's Choice | |
| Some are evil, some are kind, but now all must speak their mind | Forces someone to say their thoughts out loud | Alex's Choice & Wizard School Part Two | |
| Animosa Espinosa | Transforms a human into an animal | Curb Your Dragon | |
| Huminosa Espinosa | Transforms a human who's been turned into an animal back into a human | ||
| Murrieta Animata Murrieta Animata Grande |
Animates an object Animates an object and makes its size lifelike |
Max tried but failed Alex Russo |
Pop Me and We Both Go Down & Alex's Spring Fling |
| Garibay Imobilitay | Unanimates an object that's been animated (only if the animated object hasn't already developed emotions) | Alex Russo | |
| Levitatus Liquidatus | Levitates any Liquid | Max tried but failed | Potion Commotion |
| We are now small and teeny weeny, take us inside to see the genie | Brings you inside a genie's lamp | Justin Russo | Justin's Little Sister |
| We are now small and teeny weeny, we are done visiting the genie | Brings you out of a genie's lamp | ||
| Mailius Spontanious (name of person or place) | Sends any object or person to the person or place mentioned in the spell (The Wizard Mail code) | Alex Russo | Wizard School Part One & Alex in the Middle |
| From your chin to your toes, an elephant trunk grows | Grows an elephant trunk on a human | Wizard School Part One | |
| Scritty Politty NoQuitty | Controls someone to not quit something they don't want to do | Dr. Evilini | Wizard School Part Two |
| Tomnunane Kinesis | Moves objects and defies the law of gravity to your liking (charming an object) | Justin Russo | The Supernatural |
| Cerebellum Erasus | Erases everybody's mind in the area where the spell is being performed, including wizards | ||
| Dehidratus Lugatis Apus Escapus | Drains flood and turns sea chimps that were originally humans back into humans | Alex Russo | Alex in the Middle |
| Threemetris Mobetrus | Transports someone/something ten feet from where it is | Justin Russo | |
| Cranium Revolvis | Makes people's heads rotate a full 360 degrees | Kelbo Russo | |
| Cashmearus Appearus | Zaps a sweater on you | Alex Russo | |
| Transfiguration Spell | Transforms items or creatures into other items or creatures; spoken in various forms | Justin Russo | Report Card |
| You haven't acted with any responsibility, say goodbye to your magical ability | Takes away any wizard's magical powers | Headmaster Crumbs | |
| Gialsjay Timesday | Freezes time for as long as you can hop/walk/run with one leg (Dr. Jay Gials, the inventor of this spell, only had one leg) | Justin Russo | Credit Check |
| Transferra Identica | Switches two people's bodies | Jerry Russo Alex Russo |
Quinceanera |
| Pictures of Faces, Return to your places (Place and Time) | To return a painting or pictures back into its rightful place | Alex Russo | Art Museum Piece |
| Go through, Mo Through | Charms a Person or Object to pass through solid objects | Justin Russo | |
| Frames of Figures Step Out of your Pictures | Brings people in pictures out of them and gives them life | Alex Russo |
Spell Improvisation/Make-'em-up Spells
| Spell | Effect | Who Used It |
|---|---|---|
| Satisfy my empty belly, make me a peanut butter and jelly | Turns the one saying the spell into a PB&J sandwich | Max Russo |
| Although I like such tasty snacks, I'd rather have my brother Max | Turned Max, who was a PB&J sandwich, back into a human | Alex Russo |
| I'm old enough to hang with actress/model/spokeswoman Ruby Donahue, so get me into "Night of the Halloween Sorority Party Disaster 2" | Got Alex literally into "Night of the Halloween Sorority Party Disaster 2" | |
| We've had enough of all this fear, so hurry up and get us outta here | Got Justin and Alex away from the masked villain in the movie | Justin Russo |
| I'm scared of what might happen next, so take us back to the Mondoplex | Got Alex and Justin out of the movie and back to the theater lobby |
Additionally, in the episode Disenchanted Evening, there were spells used by T.J. Taylor in which no incantation was given.
Also, in the episode Pop Me and We Both Go Down, Alex uses the animation spell, "Murietta Animata", to animate the trophy man. However in the ending she animates the trophy man and uses "Grande" on him which makes him grow like in Alex's Spring Fling with Calico Woman so basically, she uses both "Murietta Animata" and "Murietta Animata Grande" in both episodes Pop Me and We Both Go Down and Alex's Spring Fling.
Other Magical Items/Creatures
| Item/Creature | What It/They Do(es) | Who First Introduced It | What Episode(s) It Is Shown in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wii-Wand | A wand used for standard magic such as opening portals, making objects disappear, and levitating objects as well as an e-Mimic Feature plus is an MP3 player that will hold a gillion songs. It is also somewhat slippery in which case the user can use the included saftey strap. | Max Russo Justin Russo |
Crazy Ten Minute Sale |
| Crystal Ball | A glass ball in which a wizard looks into so they can see the future | Jerry Russo | First Kiss |
| Pocket Elves | These little creatures live in gold and silver eggs and can help you in any subject. The way you recieve them is by Wizard Mail which shoots an egg which you'll have to catch by a baseball mit. They are addicted to chocolate and if they bite you, you'll be addicted to chocolate temporarily as well. | Jerry Russo The Pocket Elf Who Specializes in History and Use of Pocket Elves |
I Almost Drowned In a Chocolate Fountain |
| Serving Wench | A person/witch who's a profesional server in the Wizard Medieval Food Corporation | Justin Russo | New Employee |
| Cinnamon Charm | A cinnamony charm that charms authority figures to let other people do stuff they're not supposed to do | T.J. Taylor | Disenchanted Evening |
| Brownie Decharm | The cocoa powder in the brownies stops the previous charm | Justin Russo | |
| Flying Carpet | A carpet used for magical air transportation; a carpet license is required to fly anywhere without supervision | Alex Russo Jerry Russo Theresa Russo |
You Can't Always Get What You Carpet |
| Magic Broom | Another method of magical air transportation that allows a wizard to fly, but at super slow speeds, which is why most wizards use carpets | Theresa Russo | You Can't Always Get What You Carpet (unseen but mentioned) |
| Wizard Mail | Primary method of sending mail between wizards. You write a message, put it in a bottle, cork it, and send it off in a shoot | Max Russo Justin Russo |
Alex's Choice |
| Magical Scent Bottles | Magical bottles with wizardly scents, shaped like mini perfume bottles | ||
| Wizard Internet Shopping/World Wide Wiz Web (WWWW) | A wizarding network you can buy wizardly items/creatures on special laptops | Alex Russo | Curb Your Dragon |
| Dragons | Magical creatures that blows fire and have wings; can be diguised and owned as household pets | Con-Wizard | |
| Cubiks | Wizard money used for magical items/creatures | Alex Russo | |
| The Power Hat | A hat you must wear for a week so your wizarding powers don't go out of control when your powers start to kick in. | Jerry Russo | Potion Commotion |
| Emotion Potions | Potions that if you drink, will make you feel the desired emotion; if two people drink the same potion, they will feel the same emotion towards each other | Jerry Russo Justin Russo | |
| Genie Genie Lamp |
A con-wizard that grants you three wishes. They live in golden lamps that don't look like everyday lamps. You can take those wishes away if you press the "Reset" button. Wizards can go inside the Genie's lamp to visit and observe the Genie. | Jerry Russo Justin Russo The Genie |
Justin's Little Sister |
| Wiz Tech | Wiz Tech is a summer school for wizards and witches in training | Justin Russo | Wizard School Part One & Wizard School Part Two |
| Twelve-Ball | A wizard game played with 2-12 balls. To hit the balls, you need two gold double-sided paddles. Every few seconds, a hand throws in another ball. The winner of any twelve-ball tournament would win a "Heavyweight Champion"-type belt. It is played on a dodecahedron-shaped table. It is a little like ping pong. | Dr. Evilini Jerko Phoenix Justin Russo | |
| Wizard Instant Parcel Service (WIPS) Wizard Mail Key |
Secondary way to send mail between wizards. You use a special key and open a portal within mid-air and then say Mailus Spontanius and the place or person where you want to send your mail. | Jerry Russo | Wizard School Part One, Wizard School Part Two, & Alex in the Middle |
| Talking Lock Charm | When you talk to it, the lock will talk to you | Dr. Evilini The Lock |
Wizard School Part One |
| The Troublemaker's Cage | When a person zaps you into a cage, it is because you are a troublemaker and you are locked in | Alex Russo Dr. Evilini | |
| Discipline Bucket | A huge bucket with spongewater to punish someone | ||
| Messenger Fish | A fish that can carry someone's messages | Dr. Evilini The Fish |
Wizard School Part Two |
| Emotiscope | Allows a wizard to see someone's inner emotions | Kelbo Russo Alex Russo |
Alex in the Middle |
| Opera Gum | When eaten, it gives the chewer the voice of an opera singer while singing | Kelbo Russo Justin Russo | |
| Leprechaun Answer Blower | When blown, a bubble comes out with a yes or no answer to the previously asked question | Kelbo Russo Max Russo | |
| Sea Chimps | They are little pets for wizards that come in a packet and you don't have to feed them or play with them | Alex Russo | |
| Guinea Pigs | Although regular animals, they are used for certain items and codes | Jerry Russo | Report Card |
DVD Releases
Wizard School, is a 4 episodes DVD, already listed in Amazon.com, to be released in July 29, 2008 in the US.
| Name | Included Episodes | US Release Date | Plot | DVD Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School | Wizard School Part 1, Wizard School Part 2, Curb Your Dragon, Disenchanted Evening | July 29, 2008[3] | Learn the spells used in the series so far! |
Production
iTunes released the pilot episode as a free download on October 5, 2007, and on October 12, 2007 iTunes required it to be purchased. It first aired in Canada on October 26, 2007, airing on Family Channel, and first aired on Disney Channel UK on November 3, 2007. On its premiere night, it received 5.93 million viewers.[4]
The tag lines in advertisements are "They've got the power!", "Three typical teens, where everything is not what it seems" and "Being a teenager can be tricky."
It was one of the many shows affected by the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. Just shortly after the show's premiere, the writing was halted due to the strike.[5] They are currently producing finished scripts of new episodes.
David Henrie has confirmed that he has written an episode for Season 2.
Main Settings
The show is primarily set on the Waverly Place street in Manhattan.
- Waverly Sub Station is the Russo Family's sandwich shop. All three kids work and hang out there. It resembles a typical New York City Subway station.
- The Magic Lair is where the Russo kids have magic class with their father. Often, the freezer is used as a portal between the Waverly Sub Station and the Russo home
- The Loft is where the Russo family lives. It is also connected to the magic lair and the Waverly Sub Station.
- Waverly Place is outside of the Waverly Sub Station. Mainly, the pedestrian-only alleyway is shot and Waverly Place is only shot on certain occasions like in the episode First Kiss, prior to the crystal ball scene.
- Tribeca Prep is the school that Justin, Alex, Max, and their friends attend.
- The Black Cauldron is a magic potion store and is also found at the W.W.W.W
Around the World
Wizards of Waverly Place is broadcast on the following stations around the world:
References
- ^ "Premier of Kids and Family Sitcom "Wizards of Waverly Place" ... "Friday, [[February 15]] on Disney Channel"" (Press release). Disney Channel Media Net. September 6, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
premiere episode, "Crazy Ten Minute Sale,"
{{cite press release}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ Disney Channel MediaNet
- ^ Amazon.com: The Wizards of Waverly Place: Wizard School: Todd J. Greenwald: Movies & TV
- ^ Top Ratings
- ^ http://hollywoodstrike.blogspot.com/2007/11/wga-strike-updated-strike-affected-show.html
External links
Categories:
- Articles needing cleanup from June 2008
- Cleanup tagged articles without a reason field from June 2008
- Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from June 2008
- 2000s American television series
- 2007 television series debuts
- American children's comedy series
- American television sitcoms
- Disney Channel shows
- Family Channel shows
- Television series by Disney
- Television shows set in New York