Before you all go rolling your eyes, remember that we were all kids once and that we enjoyed shows that our parents thought were stupid, silly, or infantile. The difference with me is that I still enjoy shows that are stupid, silly or infantile as long as my six-year old daughter gets some fun out of them. Disney on TV over the recent years has delivered a lot of ‘silly’ shows to our kids, which is why so many of them are fans of Hannah Montana. Admittedly I’ve watched “Hannah Montana” with my daughter and as goofy as the show is, I really like it. And the recent movie was actually VERY good as far as family fare goes. Another show that is popular with the young’uns is “Wizards of Waverly Place” which involves a lot of cheesy magic. I’ve watched several episodes with my little girl and while it is VERY silly, I still actually kinda think it’s funny. The main premise involves a family of Wizards living in the ‘real world’, but keeping their powers hidden. Think of a simplified Harry Potter.

Well, actually the mom (Maria Canals Barrera) is a mortal… it’s the rest of the family that has powers. Dad (David DeLuise) owns a sandwich shop, while siblings Alex (Selena Gomez), Justin (David Henrie) and Max (Jake T. Austin) just try to make it through their days in school.

“The Wizards of Waverly Place” has garnered some Emmy Awards and is just popular enough to warrant Disney’s decision to make a TV Movie. They didn’t go the route of the theatrically released “Hannah Montana Movie”, but the fan base while strong, is decidedly smaller. Still, a smaller budget does not equal any less quality. The movie, which follows the Russo’s on a family vacation, is actually quite funny and we enjoyed the heck out of it. It offers all of the same magical craziness that the series has, but threatens the family with a ‘spell gone wrong’ that may wipe them out of existence.

This is a great family movie, something that isn’t offered all that much anymore. Even Disney sometimes hits us with things like the “Cheetah Girls” which I would never let my daughter watch, but this is a much different style movie. It’s fun, funny and shows a loving family… for a change. Good messages pervade this series… even though my mother-in-law thinks it evil cause of the witchcraft, just as she does Harry Potter. (She’s wrong though…)

Disney is now releasing the movie on DVD, complete with a collectible ‘Mood’ keychain that my daughter loves. There’s also one special feature which is gives a little behind the scenes feature where you can learn a little about the special effects, stunts and such. Not a lot in the way of features, but it felt like enough.

“Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie” shouldn’t be expected to be a blockbuster style film, but it definitely a nice heart-warming family film.

Directed by: Lev L. Spiro
Starring: Selena Gomez, David Henrie, Jake T. Austin, Jennifer Stone, Maria Canals-Barrera, Steve Valentine, Xavier Torres, Jennifer Alden, David DeLuise
Extras: Insider’s Exclusive – On Location
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1); Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Disney
Release Date: 12/15/2009
MPAA Rating: TVG
http://www.DisneyDVD.com/Wizards

We'll give Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie a B-.