Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie
Promotional poster
Genre	Fantasy comedy-drama
Written by	Dan Berendsen
Directed by	Lev L. Spiro
Starring	Selena Gomez David Henrie Jake T. Austin Jennifer Stone Maria Canals Barrera Steve Valentine Xavier Enrique Torres Jennifer Alden David DeLuise
Theme music composer	Keith Burgomaster
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	Kevin Lafferty Todd J. Greenwald Peter Murrieta
Cinematography	David A. Makin
Editor(s)	Matthew Colonna
Running time	98 minutes
Production company(s)	Pretty River Productions, LLC It's a Laugh Productions
Distributor	Disney-ABC Domestic Television
Release
Original network	Disney Channel
Original release	August 28, 2009 (2009-08-28)

Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie is a fun comedy-drama fantasy film from 2009. It was made for TV and is based on the popular Disney Channel Original Series Wizards of Waverly Place. Lev L. Spiro directed the movie. It was mostly filmed in San Juan, Puerto Rico in early 2009.

All the main actors from the TV show are in the movie. The story follows the Russo family on a vacation to the Caribbean. The movie first aired on August 28, 2009, on the Disney Channel in the United States. It was a huge hit, with 11.4 million people watching it! This made it one of the most-watched Disney Channel movie premieres ever at that time. The movie also won an Emmy Award in 2010 for Best Children's Program.

Movie Plot: A Magical Vacation Gone Wrong

The Russo family – Jerry, Theresa, and their kids Justin, Alex, and Max – are getting ready for a trip to the Caribbean. This vacation is supposed to be magic-free! In the Caribbean, they meet a former wizard named Archie. He wants their help to turn a parrot named Giselle back into a human. To do this, they need to find the Stone of Dreams. This stone can grant any wish or undo any spell. Jerry thinks finding the stone is too dangerous.

Alex's Wish and a New Reality

Later, Alex tries to use magic to get away from her family. Her mom, Theresa, catches her. They have a big argument, and Theresa grounds Alex. She also takes away Alex's magic. In a fit of anger, Alex wishes her parents had never met. She was holding a secret wand and spell book, and her wish comes true! This creates a new world where Jerry and Theresa don't know each other or their kids.

Fixing the Past

The kids try to get the spell book from Jerry. But in this new world, Jerry still has his wizard powers. He's also very carefree, like a teenager. Justin asks him what happens if a wizard wishes their parents never met. Jerry explains that the kids would slowly forget their past. Then they would disappear forever! He says they only have 48 hours to fix the spell. Jerry jokes that they should find the Stone of Dreams, which would also work.

Justin and Alex decide to find the Stone of Dreams. Archie guides them. Meanwhile, Max stays at the resort to watch their parents. Max, being the youngest, starts losing his memories first. He tells Jerry that Alex and Justin went to find the stone. Jerry is shocked because the journey is very dangerous. He agrees to help find them. Theresa joins them, thinking they are just looking for treasure.

The Race Against Time

Alex and Justin finally find the Stone of Dreams. But Giselle, the parrot, steals it! The kids then tell Theresa and Jerry the whole story. Theresa doesn't believe them at first. She can't imagine forgetting her own children. Jerry mentions that if one of the kids was a full wizard, they could reverse the spell.

Suddenly, Max loses all his memories and disappears! Theresa remembers him at the last second. She realizes the kids were telling the truth. Jerry takes Alex and Justin to an ancient battlefield for a contest. The winner will become a full wizard, and the loser will lose their powers forever. They can only use spells with earth, air, fire, and water. Alex and Justin have an intense battle, and Alex barely wins.

Alex is worried because Justin is now losing his memories. She tells him how much she looks up to him. Justin tells her he would never leave her, even though he doesn't know her. Then, Justin is also pulled into the vortex and disappears.

A Mother's Love and a Final Wish

Theresa goes back to the resort. She sees Giselle, now human, wearing the Stone of Dreams. Giselle admits she used Archie to get the stone. Archie manages to take the stone from her. He uses it to turn her back into a parrot. Then he gives the stone to Theresa.

Back at the battlefield, Alex feels hopeless. She thinks Justin should have won because he is a smarter wizard. She tries a spell and begs Jerry for help, but he says it's too late. Just as Alex gives up hope, Theresa appears with the Stone of Dreams! She used it to get to the battlefield. Jerry tells Alex she can wish for her brothers to come back and still keep her full wizard powers. But Alex makes a different wish: she wishes for everything to go back to how it was before.

The alternate reality disappears. Time rewinds to just before Alex made the wish. This time, Alex apologizes for her bad attitude and accepts her punishment. She happily reunites with Justin and Max, who remember their adventure. The Russo family then strolls along happily, together again.

Meet the Cast

• Selena Gomez as Alex Russo: The middle child of the Russo family. She's a bit rebellious and casts the spell that causes all the trouble.
• David Henrie as Justin Russo: Alex's older brother. He's responsible and has the family wand and spell book.
• Jake T. Austin as Max Russo: Alex and Justin's younger brother. He's a bit silly and absentminded.
• Jennifer Stone as Harper Finkle: Alex's best friend, who is a mortal (not a wizard).
• Maria Canals Barrera as Theresa Russo: The mom of the Russo kids. She wants a magic-free vacation.
• Steve Valentine as Archie: A former wizard who wants the Stone of Dreams to help his girlfriend.
• Xavier Enrique Torres as Javier: A friendly activities counselor at the resort. Alex has a crush on him.
• Jennifer Alden as Giselle: Archie's girlfriend, who was turned into a parrot.
• David DeLuise as Jerry Russo: The dad of the Russo kids. He used to be a wizard but gave up his powers.

Making the Movie

Filming Locations

Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie was mostly filmed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in February and March 2009. It was the second Disney Channel Original Movie filmed there. Hotel scenes were shot at the Caribe Hilton Hotel. The cave scene was filmed inside Cueva Ventana in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The ancient battlefield where Alex and Justin compete is actually the Castillo San Felipe del Morro in Old San Juan.

Movie Promotion

Selena Gomez recorded a cover of the song "Magic" for the movie's soundtrack. A sneak peek of the film was shown on Disney Channel in August 2009. A special "What's What Edition" of the movie also premiered later, showing behind-the-scenes information.

Movie Release and Reception

Premiere and Viewers

The movie first aired on Disney Channel on August 28, 2009. It was a huge success! It had 11.4 million viewers on its first night. This made it the most-watched cable TV movie of 2009. It was also the second-most-watched Disney Channel movie premiere ever at that time, after High School Musical 2.

Special Editions and Music

The "What's What Edition" of the movie came out on October 24, 2009. This version included fun facts and behind-the-scenes details while you watched.

The movie also had a great soundtrack. Selena Gomez talked about the songs, saying "Magic" ties into the movie. "Magic" was released as a digital single on iTunes and had a music video. It even reached number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart!

Home Release

The movie was released on DVD in the United States and Canada on December 15, 2009. It was an "Extended Edition" and even came with a replica of the Stone of Dreams necklace!

Awards and Recognition

The movie won some cool awards!

What About a Sequel?

There were talks about making a second Wizards of Waverly Place movie in 2010. However, in 2011, Selena Gomez said that the sequel would not be filmed. Later, one of the stars, Maria Canals Barrera, said she was hopeful it might still happen.

Even though a second movie wasn't made, the "Wizards" did return! They came back for a special TV event called The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex in early 2013.

Images for kids

• 

  Promotional poster

See also

In Spanish: Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie para niños