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Wizards of Waverly Place: Supernaturally Stylin'

Score: 80%
Rating: G
Publisher: Walt Disney Home
                  Entertainment

Region: 1
Media: DVD/1
Running Time: 90 Mins.
Genre: Family/TV Series/Comedy
Audio: English (Dolby Digital Surround)
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Features:

  • Fashionista Presto Chango!: Wardrobe Behind-the-Scenes

Disney Channel's series Wizards of Waverly Place, now in it's second season, centers around a magically adept family and how they handle living among everyday people. The Russo's own a small sandwich shop and pizzeria in New York City, where the three children are secretly tutored by their father and mother in the use of magical energies and items. The hilarity ensues when the children, always trying to one-up one another, inevitably use a new spell or item in some manner other than it was meant to be used and then must scramble to correct whatever problems they have caused without giving away their secret to the world.

Being a Disney Channel original series, it is no surprise that the show revolves around the children. The main character, Alex Russo (Selena Gomez), and her two brothers, Justin (David Henrie) and Max (Jake T. Austin), are trying to be as natural as possible while dealing with their supernatural abilities. They must contend with issues relating to school, dating and fashion just like all the other children. The Wizards of Waverly Place: Supernaturally Stylin' DVD features four episodes that deal with or relate to fashion, from a wizardly standpoint, of course. The DVD features one episode from Season 1 (Credit Check, Ep. 18) and the first three episodes of Season 2 (Smarty Pants, Beware Wolf and Graphic Novel). Though characters are persistent throughout the series, each episode is a self-contained story, therefore there is no feeling of being left hanging by not having the entire season's episodes included.

The show itself is quite cute, even from a more mature standpoint. The acting, like many Disney Channel series, is a bit over the top, but the cast of characters, including David DeLuise (son of Dom DeLuise) as the father, Jerry Russo, pulls it off in a pleasing and easy to watch manner. The issues covered are also similar to other Disney series, presenting somewhat intriguing moral dilemmas in a fun fashion, tailored for the targeted audience. However, in the case of Wizards of Waverly Place, there are some hidden gems for the parents watching along with their children. For instance, in Credit Check, Jerry begins the episode by describing a new spell to the children. The spell is called "Freeze Frame" and, Jerry points out, it was supposedly invented by a Dr. Jay Geils. This is an obvious reference to the rock band of the 80's and their album and hit song.

In the end, Wizards of Waverly Place is exactly what it sets out to be, another fun show that doesn't take itself too seriously, yet manages to deal with common moral and ethical issues in a light and often unique manner. This DVD is a good introduction to the series for newcomers and a nice addition to the collection of existing fans. However, if you are a big fan of the show, I might suggest waiting on the release of the full season, assuming Disney eventually plans on such a release.



-The Mung Bard, GameVortex Communications
AKA Buddy Ethridge

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