(Published Dec. 6, PDI-Entertainment)
A wholesome sitcom
By Oliver M. Pulumbarit
Contributor
Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” is a wholesome sitcom aimed at tweens and teens, a half-hour show about three young mages’ misadventures. This recent Emmy winner for Outstanding Children’s Program centers on the Russo siblings, who keep their magical abilities a secret from friends and customers of their New York-based sandwich place.
The mythology is simple: Former wizard Jerry Russo (David DeLuise) gives up his powers to marry a mortal woman, Theresa (Maria Canals Barrera), but their three kids developed magical gifts. The wizards-in-training are teens Justin (David Henrie) and Alex (Selena Gomez), and their young brother Max (Jake T. Austin).
Justin is the responsible, geeky child; he does well in school and is often instrumental in undoing mystic mishaps caused by his sister Alex.
Alex easily gets bored with magic training and often chooses the easy way out, so her spells usually backfire. Max, meanwhile, shows promise, an imaginative kid who sometimes helps out his older siblings in their magic-aided pranks.
However, only one of them can keep the powers and become a full-fledged wizard.
The effects-enhanced situations talk about family bonds without being cheesy. The sometimes-shaky father-child rapport, for example, is tackled in an episode where Jerry hesitatingly teaches his daughter flying carpet “driving” lessons.
In other episodes, selflessness is subtly discussed: Alex temporarily switches bodies with her mother in an episode to let Theresa experience a traditional “Quinceanera” party that she missed when she was a teenager.
The show’s fantasy-based trappings allow for a variety of situations. In a story that parodies Harry Potter, for instance, Justin is potentially the mightiest of the young sorcerer pupils in summer wizardry school. Also, the Russo kids once teleported to Mars for a research assignment, and even became part of a horror movie.
The Russo family’s ventures are told in mostly self-contained episodes. It’s mirthful and silly about rivalry and revelry, a show that can be appreciated by kids and grownups alike.
“Wizards of
No comments:
Post a Comment