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Did you love or hate Alex Russo? | Episode 30: Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie
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Pack your wand and some sunscreen, we’re going on wizard vacation! Join us in paradise for an episode all about Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie 🪄🦜💎
Let's discuss:
– Alex and Justin’s relationship was the glue of this film ❤️
– Did Alex deserve to win the family wizard competition? 🤔
– Which cast members have their own podcast now? 🎙️
All that and more in this episode!
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie was released in 2009 in between seasons 2 and 3 of the Wizards of Waverly Place show. It stars Selena Gomez, David Henrie, Jake T. Austin, Maria Canals-Barrera and David DeLuise. You can watch it now on Disney+!
Welcome to Once Upon A DCOM Podcast where we rave (and sometimes roast) classic DCOMs! We're rewatching every single Disney Channel Original Movie.
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Transcript
Theme Song and Character Opinions
00:00:00
Speaker
Do you want to know what my favorite part about this TV show was? What? The theme song. It's really good. It's really good theme song. And also, like, I should mention that I didn't actually watch this show, but I did, like, when the theme song would come on, I was like, oh, heck yeah, this show's great. And then the show would go and I'd be like, meh.
00:00:18
Speaker
Yeah, I think, unpopular opinion, i just didn't like Alex. I love Selena Gomez, but I hated the Alex character. Contrarily, I think she was the only one I liked. of course.
Introduction to Once Upon a DCOM
00:00:35
Speaker
Welcome fellow Disney Channel babes, whether you're from the nostalgic 90s or the awkward odds or you're giving Gen Z, we're glad that you're here. I'm Gabriella and I'm Natalie and this is the podcast where we rave and sometimes roast classic Disney Channel original movies. You're listening to Once Upon a Decom.
00:00:55
Speaker
Hello and welcome back to Once Upon a DCOM. My name is Gabriella and I'm here with my friend Natalie. How are you today? I'm so f freaking good. How are you? great. i really, really had a lot of fun watching this movie.
00:01:10
Speaker
Did you really? That's good to hear. Yes!
Overview of Wizards of Waverly Place Movie
00:01:13
Speaker
I enjoyed it so much. So we are talking today about the movie Wizards of Waverly Place, the movie, which came out in 2009, and it was not quite the end, but kind of in the middle of the popular Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Place.
00:01:29
Speaker
So we talked about a little bit, but Natalie, you did not really watch this show, right? I have seen enough episodes to understand. And like, I've seen like, I'm pretty sure I've seen at least so maybe three episodes from every season. So like, I get it But no, I didn't like religiously watch this show.
00:01:48
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Like we know enough, but it's not like one of our nostalgic favorites. Right. Like I know at some point she was in love with a werewolf and that people are still upset about that for some reason.
00:01:59
Speaker
Yeah, he was cute too. I wanted them together.
Premiere Viewership and Film Details
00:02:02
Speaker
Sure. So a few things you can know about Wizards of Waverly Place, the movie. It had a premiere of 13.6 million viewers, making it the second most watched Disney Channel original movie next to High School Musical 2.
00:02:17
Speaker
I love that. whoa i mean i guess i shouldn't be surprised people really liked this show yeah it was filmed mainly in san juan puerto rico which they chose because of its cheapness for the budget which they had learned from princess protection program which was filming around the same time i love that Yeah.
00:02:37
Speaker
And the tagline is family vacations can be tricky. Not one of Disney's best, but not one of their worst. The tagline or movie? ah Yes to both.
00:02:49
Speaker
Correct. Okay, great.
Russo Family Dynamics and Magic Rules
00:02:51
Speaker
So how about you recap for us today what happened in this crazy movie? For sure. So first, a little bit of background on these characters from the series in case somebody out there doesn't know.
00:03:03
Speaker
So Jerry and Teresa Russo have three kids, Justin, Alex, and Max. Jerry used to be a wizard, but he gave up his magic when he fell in love with Teresa, a mortal, but he is still teaching his three kids magic.
00:03:17
Speaker
So one day the kids will compete for who of the three of them gets to keep all of their magic as an adult, because apparently only one wizard in each family can have magic or something like that.
00:03:27
Speaker
I don't know. There's probably better explained in the series, but that's Anyway, it is such a dumb rule. No, it's such a dumb rule. Like they're born with magic and they don't get to keep it. I appreciate the fact that, you know, they thought out this world and I'm sure that it would make more sense had I watched the series. But yeah, anyway, I mean, I watched enough.
00:03:46
Speaker
I don't think it makes sense. Like you're born with magic and you train your whole life and then it just all goes away. Like you're immortal if you don't win the competition, like you're done, which I guess does make Jerry's decision to give up his powers that much more impactful because like he won the competition and then still gave it up.
00:04:05
Speaker
But like at that point, like, can it go to one of your siblings that lost? Homie, I don't know. That's not what this movie is about. Okay. Okay.
Vacation Trouble and Magic Ban
00:04:12
Speaker
um just saying. Okay. So the Russo family is preparing to go on vacation and Alex has kind of like weaseled her way out of it and is instead going to stay with her best friend Harper while everyone else is in the Caribbean.
00:04:24
Speaker
But then Alex disobeys her parents, does some magic stuff. There's a train involved. And her mom says, nope, now you're coming with us so that I can keep an eye on you. um Also, she declares absolutely no magic on this vacation because she is over it.
00:04:38
Speaker
So they head to an all-inclusive beach resort, but the vacation is being ruined by Alex constantly complaining and all of the kids constantly wanting to use magic instead of just hanging out with the family and actually enjoying vacation.
00:04:51
Speaker
And while they're sightseeing, the kids decide to mess with a really crappy street performer magician. And in the process, the magician confronts them for being real wizards. He figures it out real fast. It's not subtle at all.
00:05:04
Speaker
um He says that he used to be one too, but he lost in his family's competition. And also, his parrot used to be a human but was transformed into a bird for some unnamed reason.
00:05:15
Speaker
It's fine, whatever.
Street Magician and Stone of Dreams
00:05:17
Speaker
He asks if they will help him turn the bird Giselle back into a human by finding the Stone of Dreams, which has the power to reverse any spell and is supposedly on this island.
00:05:27
Speaker
But Jerry, the dad, says it's too dangerous and they leave. Later, Alex uses a forbidden spell in anger and she wishes that her parents had never met so that she wouldn't have such an overbearing mom.
00:05:40
Speaker
Instantly, Jerry and Teresa don't know each other and they don't remember their kids either. Since Jerry's never met Teresa in this alternate reality setting, he still has magic and proves to have this very carefree attitude about using it.
00:05:54
Speaker
The kids ask for his help if, completely hypothetically, this alternate reality situation happened. And he tells them that the stone of dreams would work, but they'd better act fast because the kids will gradually forget their past until they disappear forever if this isn't fixed.
00:06:10
Speaker
So ticking time bomb. Very back to the future. Very back to the future. Justin and Alex find Archie, that's the street magician, and his bird, and they go in search of the stone.
00:06:21
Speaker
Little brother Max stays behind to watch the parents, but as Max starts to lose his memory, Jerry, Teresa, and Max decide, we should probably go after the stone too, just help out if we can.
00:06:32
Speaker
I should also mention that Teresa has no idea about magic or what's going on, and she just thinks that they're treasure hunting for fun. And she's willing to go along with it because she thinks Jerry is hot.
00:06:44
Speaker
Alex and Justin find the Stone of Dreams, but the bird Giselle steals it. In a last-ditch effort, Jerry says that a full wizard could attempt to break the spell, but in order to be a full wizard, you have to win your family's competition.
00:06:57
Speaker
Teresa thinks they've all lost their minds and runs back to the resort. As Max disappears completely in a weird tornado situation, Justin and Alex decide they don't have any other choice.
Alex and Justin's Magic Competition
00:07:08
Speaker
They compete in a magical arena for the family's magic. And even though Justin has studied and prepared for years while Alex has slacked off, Alex wins. As Justin disappears completely, Alex begs for help for what to do.
00:07:21
Speaker
She tries some spells, but they don't work. And Jerry tells her she might just have to accept that this is the new reality. Meanwhile, Teresa has returned to the resort and sees a woman wearing a fancy stone as a necklace.
00:07:33
Speaker
And somehow she instantly knows that it's the bird in human form. I don't know why. um She confronts her and with help from Archie, she steals it back. Back at the wizard arena, Teresa has used the stone to wish herself there and passes the stone off to Alex.
00:07:48
Speaker
Alex wishes that everything would just go back to the way that it was. And in an instant, she's back to the moment before she cast the forbidden spell She tells her mom that she loves her, accepts her punishment for her bad behavior, and vows to spend the rest of the family vacation fully focused on family.
00:08:05
Speaker
The whole family reunites, and while the parents remember absolutely nothing, the kids all know what happened. And hopefully, they learned a little lesson about listening to their parents, because it's a very clear theme in this.
00:08:17
Speaker
And that's the movie. Yay. So as far as be careful what you wish for movies go, it was 50 times better than you wish, in my opinion. for sure. Much more
Lesson on Consequences and Magic World
00:08:28
Speaker
entertaining. For sure. And I guess we're diving straight into discussion because I wanted to talk about this trope, the be careful what you wish for trope.
00:08:36
Speaker
Yeah, sure. I don't have an answer to this question, so we're going have to brainstorm together. But like, why is this specific message so prevalent in children's movies? Yeah.
00:08:47
Speaker
I think because kids are not good at thinking about the consequences or the future of the things that they do. And so it's just a lesson that kids have to learn through trial and error.
00:08:58
Speaker
But when you add magic, it's more fun. That's my guess. That's fair. That makes sense. It's just always to me, like i was sitting here thinking about it was like, why is this always a thing? And it always involves magic.
00:09:09
Speaker
And I'm sitting there going like, no one's ever in this situation. Like kids don't have to worry about wishing these bad things. would happen because they don't have magic. But I guess, yeah, it's just to, it's just to exemplify the point.
00:09:21
Speaker
Yeah. I think it's to teach them the moral lesson. Cause like we as adults have talked about before, like in the you wish episode and even like minute men where we're like, Oh, is there something you would go back and change in your life? And we're like, well, no, cause even though I didn't like that thing that happened, it led to this other good thing or this lesson I learned in Kids don't think like that.
00:09:39
Speaker
They're always like, oh, if I just got rid of this one problem, everything would be better. And they have to at some point learn, like, no, the bad things that happen are also going to lead to good things that happen. And this is just like a fun way to teach them that lesson, maybe.
00:09:52
Speaker
don't know. I guess. Yeah. Or maybe there's a secret world of magic out there that we don't know about. And they just really need to be warned in case they come across it. OK, excellent point. Like, OK, in this world,
00:10:05
Speaker
They do not seem to care at all.
Magic Secrecy Unrealism
00:10:08
Speaker
They're always like, oh, magic secret. Don't tell people about it. They're doing magic everywhere, constantly, in full view of everybody. This is another trope in all movies that involve a magic universe somehow, is that they just like the the whatever you want to call muggles, mortals, whatever the term is.
00:10:26
Speaker
They're all idiots. Like they just accept things and don't question it. And it it always bothers me. I'm like, they're not that dumb. They would notice. Like they would notice.
00:10:36
Speaker
Like you don't see the I especially notice this when they were turning the bird or sorry, they were turning the human back into the bird. And I'm like looking in the background. I'm like, there's people playing in the pool. There's people literally walking by as they're having this conversation.
00:10:50
Speaker
She is spitting out feathers. Her nose turns into a beak and she becomes a bird. And nobody, nobody looks over and goes, what's happening? Yeah.
00:11:01
Speaker
And like, I can kind of get it when Archie's doing his magic performance and Max makes him fly with the balloon because it's like, oh, they think it's a trick. Like, okay. But yeah, there's so many times that just like when the nachos get bigger right in front of the waitress's eyes. Or they turn the waitress into a dog.
00:11:16
Speaker
Yeah. You're thinking going to say nobody's going to notice? Especially the waitress when you turn her back. Like she's going to remember that. Right? Yeah. There's no consequences. And part of me is like grateful for that because they didn't take themselves too seriously. You could just focus on what the movie actually about.
00:11:33
Speaker
But it does just bug me. Anytime that this happens, like I at least appreciate in Harry Potter that they have the like memory reversal spells and they talk frequently about how they have to do that to muggles all the time.
00:11:45
Speaker
This is just like, nah, mortals are just idiots. They just don't see it. Yeah. Like in the e the first time I noticed it very beginning, she's like doing the subway thing and then reverses to go the other direction and the subway just goes the other direction.
00:12:00
Speaker
And all those people standing on the platform are like, huh, that's weird. The train's going in the other direction. And nobody does anything about it? I have so many questions. Yeah, me too.
00:12:11
Speaker
The magic system in this universe is not fully developed, or at least not in the movie. Maybe it's better the show. It does not make sense to me. So in what ways do you feel like the movie kind of differed from the show? Does it feel like more intense or mature? Did this work as a movie? What do you think?
Sibling Dynamics and TV Special Feel
00:12:27
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Like, i from what I remember from the show, it's very fun and light. And there's always like a lesson, right? Because Alex is always doing something wrong, getting in trouble, and that gets fixed because she learned some lesson. Mm-hmm.
00:12:39
Speaker
That's definitely present in this movie, but, like, this was way deeper. Specifically, like, the sibling relationship stuff was actually really beautiful, in my opinion.
00:12:49
Speaker
Like, I thought, like, ah I don't know the actors' names, but Selena Gomez and the guy. David Henry. Thank you. I think that c Selena and David did a beautiful job, really, like...
00:13:01
Speaker
digging deep into that relationship and like their scenes in the jungle where they're like trusting each other and being like, oh usually I would tease you, but you know, I shouldn't do this because I'm your brother. I'm supposed to protect you. And I shouldn't do this because like, I should be there for you. And that was really sweet moment.
00:13:17
Speaker
But I think that the movie was so deep and so good because we had the past, however many seasons of the show to like, really dig into it and like want that right and then this movie came out we're like oh yeah like that hit that scratched the itch we were looking for i agree with you when it comes to the alex and justin dynamic i think max continues to be an unnecessary character outside of comic relief fair but he's just so sweet he is sweet and he does have a bit more maturity in this movie than in the show he's fine but i agree with you completely on the justin alex dynamic i feel like their friendship and the way that it grows like they keep learning the lesson over and over again because in the show they have to learn that a lot as well um but every time it gets a little better and they get to the resolution like a little quicker and
00:14:12
Speaker
I really appreciated seeing them, like especially at the end when Alex wins the competition. Like Justin is defeated, but like genuinely happy for her and he wants to help. And even when he forgets that they're siblings, he's like, I don't know who you are, but I want to be here for you.
00:14:27
Speaker
Oh, that moment. It's so sweet. It's so sweet. yeah well and then And Jerry, the dad, says to her, like, hey, you know, you have the stone of dreams. You can wish that you're still the wizard in the end. You know, like, you can wish your brothers back, but just not change how the competition went.
00:14:45
Speaker
And she says, no, I don't want that. Like, I want to have, like, a fair chance later on. um And so, like, she gives Justin, like, a second chance to try and win it in the future. Do you think Alex should have won, like, in this movie? Do you think it should have been her Justin?
00:15:00
Speaker
Um, I mean, like the, the obvious answer is it should have been Justin, right? He would have known what to do or whatever and all that. But I think it was an excellent choice that she won because one, it's what the audience would have wanted. It's, you know, this is for all intents and purposes, her show.
00:15:18
Speaker
and two, it it allowed that really sweet moment of her being like, I won, I did it. I don't know how to do this by myself. I should, like, I need my family.
00:15:29
Speaker
Mm hmm. Yeah, which is beautiful. I also like that it showcased that magic, especially as whimsical as it is, requires like innovative thinking and yeah creative thinking.
00:15:41
Speaker
And Justin knew all the correct spells and Alice had less to work with, but she utilized what she had really well. I mean, she used that same mud puddle spell like eight times to great effect.
00:15:52
Speaker
and And she has all these beautiful, unique, creative spells that you'd never expect to see. And that's ultimately like what you want from a wizard is someone who can think on their feet. It's like book smart and creativity smart are different, but both are so valuable.
00:16:06
Speaker
h Yeah, I agree with that. How do you think the movie would have ended if Justin had won? Would he just know what to do? Honestly, no. think he likes to think that he would know what to do, but he would probably get to that situation and freak out just as much.
00:16:22
Speaker
Yeah. So what did you... well Well, let's break it down. We jumped ahead to discussion, but like, what did you actually think of this movie? Oh, yeah, I forgot about that part. I really enjoyed it.
00:16:33
Speaker
I thought it was super fun. To be honest, I love the setting of being in the Caribbean. Like, it took us to a new place, very different from New York. And, you know, again, like, summer movie. ah here We keep doing this.
00:16:45
Speaker
what is – what we – All these summer movies in a row. So I just enjoyed the setting. i thought the characters were really funny. Except for Max, who was fine.
00:16:57
Speaker
He was funny. Yeah. Yeah. I will not take this Max slander. um don't even like the show that much and I won't accept that. I don't know. He just kind of gets on my nerves. So anyways, that's not the point. Like he was fine at this and I really liked the dynamic between the parents. Watching them yeah fall in love again was the cutest thing and they were so hysterical.
00:17:21
Speaker
And yeah, loved all of it. Like I really don't have much critique other than like obviously there's cheesy moments. Obviously the CGI is you know, not great. um But I enjoyed it.
00:17:32
Speaker
We'll get into this later, but someone talked about how the CGI was really believable at the time, so Oh, well, maybe at the time. Not now. Not now.
00:17:44
Speaker
Yeah, what what do you think? It's, you know, it's well-written, it's fun, it's also, like, one of those movies where you're like, yeah, I don't need to see that again.
Character Necessity Debate
00:17:55
Speaker
Oh, I would maybe watch it again for fun. I like that I got the chance to rewatch it as an adult because of the podcast, you know. That's fair. I enjoyed Archie talking to his bird and thinking about how much improv that probably was. That was fun.
00:18:10
Speaker
Okay, but actually, did we need Archie and Giselle? Like, in a way, yes, and in a way, definitely not. They could have written it so you didn't need him.
00:18:22
Speaker
Yeah. In my opinion. Correct. I think it was more to, I think, I think his purpose was multi-layered, right? I think mainly it was for the, hey, I know where the stone is, come with me.
00:18:37
Speaker
And like the Giselle plot was to cause a wrench in the plans. But I also think it was really prominent that he said like, I used to be a wizard and I lost my family competition. And now he's like...
00:18:50
Speaker
living under a bridge. I'm assuming. I don't actually know that. But like, you know. He's doing terrible street magic for tourists on an island that he does not appear to be from and he does not look happy. Right.
00:19:05
Speaker
I tried to think about it. Like, truly, I broke it down for myself and I was like, ugh, Could they do the movie without Archie? Ultimately, they could have written it without him, but I think you're right. It is better with him because of all the different factors you mentioned. Like if you try to pull him out of it, you take a lot of away.
00:19:21
Speaker
a lot of lessons, a lot of like small pieces of world building that make up the difference over time. Maybe, okay, here's what I think.
00:19:31
Speaker
We could have done it without Giselle, but kept Archie as just like their guide. But we didn't need the bird. And maybe Archie just takes the stone and is like, finally, and like runs away.
00:19:45
Speaker
we don't need Giselle. I think she's irrelevant. Sure. Yeah. I think that's where I land. I want to know that backstory, though. I'd like a spinoff movie. Oh, yeah. I mean, I'm curious.
00:19:56
Speaker
What the heck? And she's so mean to him. Yeah. and And he still, when she turns back... so Spoiler alert, I guess, if you haven't watched this movie. But she turns back into a bird. And then he just, like, takes her home with him again?
00:20:09
Speaker
Like... Why did she was so mean to you and explicitly said she was going to leave you? And then you turn her into a bird and you're like, okay, we're friends again. know. It was a little creepy. I'm like, are you still dating the bird?
00:20:21
Speaker
Like, what the heck? Yeah, it was it was a choice. That guy needs a hug and some therapy. Definitely therapy. Okay, last question. How does it compare to other Disney Channel shows that got movies such as like the Lizzie McGuire movie and the Hannah Montana movie?
00:20:39
Speaker
How do you feel like it compares to those?
Comparison to Other Adaptations
00:20:41
Speaker
Didn't watch Hannah Montana, never seen the Hannah Montana movie. So I don't know about that. But we know the Lizzie McGuire show was everything and the Lizzie McGuire movie was everything plus 10,000.
00:20:54
Speaker
So I think that this pales in comparison to Lizzie McGuire movie because like it but how how could nothing could stand and in the way of that being a great movie. I agree. I feel like I did see Hannah Montana and the movie.
00:21:06
Speaker
And even still, I can say the Hannah Montana movie and the Lizzie McGuire movie felt much more cinematic. I think they were both released in theaters. Maybe not Lizzie McGuire, but it should have been if it wasn't.
00:21:17
Speaker
Whereas this felt more like a TV movie. It was just on a lower scale, a lower budget. I think it was just as enjoyable for me as like a adaptation of a TV show.
00:21:29
Speaker
Like I saw the transition pretty well, but... So ultimately, yeah I agree with you. It just ki pales in comparison to those two. Yeah. It's also, this just felt like an extended episode with more camera angles to me.
00:21:43
Speaker
Like you said, it didn't really feel cinematic like a movie. It felt like like an extended TV special. Yes. And I think like with all three of these examples, it's good that they went off set to a different location yeah because the few parts that are done in the natural set for the TV show look weird when adapted to a movie format.
00:22:02
Speaker
Like the little bit that they did in the sub shop and like in Lizzie McGuire, like at the house and Hannah Montana at the house. Like it just feels wrong when you're making a movie in like a sitcom stage. You know what I mean? Yeah.
00:22:14
Speaker
Yeah. But once you get out of that, it's better. Yeah. oo Well, do you want to hear what the public thought?
Audience and Critic Ratings
00:22:21
Speaker
I do. Yeah. So we went over to Rotten Tomatoes to check out what the rest of the world thought about this movie.
00:22:29
Speaker
First of all, no tomato meter for this, which is like the critic score. There were only three critic reviews. And from my understanding, only one of them was actually from... relatively when this movie came out and everything else was more recent but anyway the washington post said at the time while the storyline is a bit expected this is disney after all and siblings must get along while parents devotedly love them it's the kids acting and surprisingly believable special effects which make the film work surprisingly believable special effects i would say no but the rest of it verbatim quote
00:23:06
Speaker
And then the audience rating was 67%. That about right. Yeah, but like more on the positive side, which is just kind of, I guess, I...
00:23:19
Speaker
I keep making it sound like it's a bad movie. It's not a bad movie. It's just like, I don't know. It doesn't give DCOM vibes. It gives literal Disney Channel movie, not Disney Channel original movie. Does that make sense?
00:23:32
Speaker
Yeah. I feel like that's the best way you could have possibly described it Yeah. So I'm just like, it feels like it doesn't belong in this podcast, which is just strange thing to say, but that's how I feel.
00:23:43
Speaker
Anyway, here is what some of our peers, our regular everyday humans said about this podcast.
Criticism of Character Portrayal
00:23:50
Speaker
Said about this podcast. I would love to know what they're saying about the podcast. Yeah. Leave a like a rating and review, please.
00:23:56
Speaker
Um, so this person said a flawless adaptation that manages to preserve the integrity and identity of the series while also deepening the characters and the world they inhabit.
00:24:08
Speaker
I agree with that. Yeah. This next one says, well acted and very satisfying for fans of the show with many twists and turns and an interesting plot. True. True. I have nothing else to say.
00:24:21
Speaker
um And then we have a bit of a turn in the positivity. So prepare yourself for this one. It's a little bit long, but I felt the need to include everything. An altogether horrible, apparently heartwarming film where some moronic kids break rules oh and cry about how stupid they are.
00:24:40
Speaker
Alex, portrayed by Selena Gomez, is utterly non-convincing as a girl who loves her parents and seems to be a depiction of the shallow, stereotypical teenage delinquent who always makes the wrong choice in any situation whatsoever.
00:24:54
Speaker
The main character, Alex, is completely flat and the point she makes is much too preachy anyways. Justin, her brother, is also a thick hyper... Whoa, hello.
00:25:06
Speaker
Hyperbolically? Yes. Hyperbolically exaggerated character in terms of smartness and personality. Max is almost worse than Alex. Even in the story, he seems too idiotic to even be a real character.
00:25:21
Speaker
Horrible acting, storyline, and characters is an aspect that is frequently recurring in the Wizards of Waverly Place TV show and movie. And I'm being generous here.
00:25:33
Speaker
Oh my gosh. Yeah. I mean, they really held back. Yeah, well, that's true. Yeah, he could have said more. Or she. I don't know the identity of this person.
00:25:44
Speaker
um Yeah. Whoa, that was a lot. appreciate that they really fleshed out why they didn't like it. Yeah, I mean, they... They knew how they felt. They were not unclear. Yeah.
00:25:56
Speaker
Okay, Gabby, where are they now? Yes, this is
Cast Career Updates
00:26:00
Speaker
so much fun. This is a really great group. All right, so we're starting off with our leading lady, Selena Gomez, of course.
00:26:07
Speaker
ah Guys, prepare yourself. She's like another Zendaya. So buckle up. ah So this movie came out right around the time that her music career was also taking off. So Selena was simultaneously running like a music career and an acting career while on the Disney Channel and branching out.
00:26:25
Speaker
very rare in the Disney world. So she was a part of a band called Selena Gomez and the scene, which was like a pop band signed with Hollywood records from 2008 to 2012. ah She continued acting in various Disney projects, including wizards on deck with Hannah Montana, which is a mashup of a bunch of different shows.
00:26:42
Speaker
I'm sorry. What wizards on deck with Hannah Montana. So it's a mashup of wizards of Waverly place, Suite Life on deck and Hannah Montana. I have never heard of this. What? Okay. Have you heard of That's a Suite Life of Hannah Montana?
00:26:56
Speaker
Yes. I knew. I've seen that multiple times. I used to own it on VHS. That's amazing. That's a throwback sentence. Okay. It's that, but different. What? I did not know they did another one. Uh-huh.
00:27:10
Speaker
It was great. You should watch it. That's not what this segment is about, but you just like rocked my world. Okay. There you go. Yeah. She also completed the Wizards of Waverly Place show with season four. And then she returned for the Wizards Return, Alex vs. Alex, where she played both herself.
00:27:28
Speaker
Well, not and herself. where she She both played herself and herself. And herself. She both played regular Alex and evil Alex. She also starred alongside best friend at the time, Demi Lovato in Princess Protection Program, which is funny because this movie actually came out as like a preview right before that movie released on TV, which was kind of cool.
00:27:51
Speaker
Nice. Yeah, so after Disney, Selena had some breakout roles, including Ramona and Beezus, Monte Carlo, which is such a fun movie if you haven't Such a good movie.
00:28:03
Speaker
Oh, I love it. it for the first time this year. who You did? What? I know. my gosh, everyone go watch Monte Carlo. That's a great, if you're looking for movies that give a DCOM feel, but slightly more grown up, that's a movie for you.
00:28:18
Speaker
perfect description and that's exactly where she was going but then she took a hard left turn and did spring breakers uh and she also starred as mavis in hotel transylvania which was some voice acting for her pretty cool selena continued her acting and musical career for years to come but her next major role came in 2021 when she starred alongside steve martin and martin short in the popular murder mystery comedy only murders in the building which is still going on. I think they're filming like season five right now, which is pretty cool.
00:28:51
Speaker
One of yeah my favorite shows of all time. It's so great. But I feel like season one is the best season. um i like season two. ri Really?
00:29:02
Speaker
Yeah, I do. That's so interesting to me. That's my least favorite season. What? What? Yeah, I love one and I love three the best. Interesting. Watch Only Murders in the Building. It's so good. And what an interesting concept of like Selena being so young and vibrant and all that with like these two old brilliant comedy actors. Like it's just such a trio.
00:29:24
Speaker
Yes. Anyways. Yeah, so that's what she really came back with in her acting career. Most recently, though, she's returned to Disney for the revival show Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, where she is reprising her role of Alex, which is super fun.
00:29:40
Speaker
Nice. Additionally, she served as an executive producer for the critically acclaimed Netflix series 13 Reasons Why... which dealt with a lot of mental health, which Selena's always been very open about. um And I'm going to get into that in a moment here because she also launched a beauty line called Rare Beauty in 2020.
00:30:00
Speaker
And the focus was on inclusivity and self-acceptance. And it's been widely praised for its diverse range of products and messaging about mental health, um which, like I said, is an area she's been very vocal about, especially in light of her own struggles with anxiety and depression.
00:30:14
Speaker
She also has done a lot of advocacy work reflecting on her experiences with lupus, a disease that she was diagnosed with in 2014, and she's very open about it and how it affected her career and personal life.
00:30:26
Speaker
She's also become increasingly active on social media, using her platform to spread awareness about important social and political issues. And personally, most recently, she became engaged to Benny Blanco in December of 2024,
00:30:40
Speaker
they had a decade-long friendship i think they met on the disney channel uh which eventually became a romantic relationship and then he just recently proposed like i said in december and i think they made it like public on the golden globes pretty sure he just appeared on jimmy fallon with her so that's a fun and exciting new update for her cute yeah and that's our girl selena Next up, we have David Henry, who played older brother Justin.
00:31:06
Speaker
His second most notable role, other than Wizards, was, quote, son in How I Met Your Mother. I think eventually it's revealed his name is Luke, but ah for a while he's just like the future son of one of the main characters.
00:31:20
Speaker
don't know. I've never seen that show. you What? That's actually surprising to me. I know. Yeah, I would like to eventually, but haven't seen it. Wow. Well, yeah, he he is very much on that show. He was a big a big part of it, however, a very small role.
00:31:36
Speaker
Interesting. Is he the son of the main, main character? Yeah. That's not a surprise. It's Ted. It's the son of Ted. It's not like a reveal. Well, he's credited as son.
00:31:46
Speaker
So I figured maybe his name was a reveal. I wasn't sure. um don't know his name. Okay. It might be Luke. Anyways, moving on. He had a role in the Disney Channel original movie Dadnapped, co-starring with Emily Osment from Hannah Montana. So we'll see him again on that.
00:32:01
Speaker
ah He made a guest appearance as himself in two episodes of Jonas, which is kind of funny. He appeared in the film Little Boy in 2015, drama set during World War II.
00:32:13
Speaker
He also starred in The Secret Life of the American Teenager in 2012. In addition to acting, Henry began focusing more on his career as a writer and director. He made his directorial debut in 2018 with the film This Is The Year, coming-of-age comedy about a teenager trying to win over a girl during a summer road trip.
00:32:32
Speaker
that's cool. He wrote, directed, and starred in it, so he kind of got to expand his ah talents beyond just acting. He is also back reprising his role of Justin in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place next to Selina.
00:32:45
Speaker
So that's cool. Nice. Yeah, finally, he has taken a lot of time away from work to focus on his personal life and family. In October of 2016, he made headlines when he proposed to former Miss Delaware, Maria Cahill.
00:33:01
Speaker
Cahill? Maria Cahill, I think. Cahill. Cahill. She was Miss Delaware in 2011. Anyways, they were married in 2017 and they have three children, two girls and a boy. And also i found this tidbit interesting. He's a practicing Catholic and he appears in the meditation and prayer app hollow, which I get constant notifications for, but I've never seen him in it.
00:33:25
Speaker
That's so funny. Well, nice. Yeah. And that's David Henry. Okay, then we have Jake T. Austin, who played younger brother Max Russo. He starred in ABC Family's The Fosters from 2013 to 2015 before leaving voluntarily before the third season and being recast with actor Noah Centino?
00:33:47
Speaker
Centineo. Anyways, he's known for his role in To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Yes, I was going to say. Noah in To All the Boys Loved Before. Very handsome man. Yep. Jake also competed on Dancing with the Stars. There we go. Check.
00:34:01
Speaker
He spends a lot of his time doing charity work, ah working with Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club of America, and the Starlight Children's Foundation. And he stopped acting in 2020 and focuses on most of his charity work and political advocacy.
00:34:16
Speaker
He does have an Instagram, but there are no posts on it. He does have 2 million followers, though. So, um you know, if you want to go add to that number, ahead. Papa Wolf King. I love it.
00:34:29
Speaker
Then we have Maria Canales Barrera. Is that how you say that? Teresa Russo? sure don't know. All right. Well, she plays the mom, Teresa Russo. She continued her acting in lots of things, including the acclaimed TV show, Cristela, The Big Bang Theory, and Fuller House.
00:34:46
Speaker
She's returned to reprise her role as well in a cameo in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. We have seen her before as Mitchie's mom in Camp Rock, which was exciting. She is married to fellow actor David Barrera.
00:34:59
Speaker
Barrera. Anyways, and has two daughters. And ah this woman has not aged in 20 years. No, she has not. I have seen her in things recently and she's stunning. She looks exactly the same.
00:35:14
Speaker
Mm hmm. Yeah. Finally, we have David DeLuise, who played dad Jerry Brousseau. He has so many acting credits, including some fun ones like Third Rock from the Sun and Gilmore Girls, which, to be honest, I don't remember him on Gilmore Girls, but apparently he was it. He was, um, uh, what's name?
00:35:36
Speaker
Uh, Luke's sister's husband's brother. Oh! No. Is it TJ? TJ's brother. He's TJ?
00:35:47
Speaker
No, he's TJ's brother. oh okay. I'm like, that guy doesn't even look like him. No, no. It's TJ, right? That's his name? TJ is the...
00:35:58
Speaker
The sister's husband, yeah. Yes, but he's like in like, i don't know, a handful of episodes where he's TJ's brother and he's just as much mess. Okay, that's why i didn't recognize him.
Wizards of Waverly Pod and Cast Involvement
00:36:09
Speaker
I'm like, TJ's a big character. I would have recognized Okay. Okay, okay. Anyways, he has mostly turned to directing work, mainly focusing on Disney Channel, including Lab Rats and the Thundermans, which is cool.
00:36:22
Speaker
And he is also returning to Wizards Beyond Waverly Place to reprise his role. fun fact he's a podcaster he has a podcast called wizards of waverly pod that he hosts with jennifer stone who played alex's best friend harper where they talk about their experiences on the show and i actually just saw a clip from this on tiktok yesterday with them talking about how um apparently selena was supposed to be in camp rock but then she talked them into casting demi instead but cute
00:36:53
Speaker
Well, yes and no, because she was like, you should cast Demi because she hasn't had her big break yet and like whatever. But Selena was supposed to be the name, like the reason that everybody wanted to watch it.
00:37:04
Speaker
And she was going to be co-starring with um the one that she ended up doing the cinder another Cinderella Stray with. He's Zac Efron's voice in the first high school school. Yes, my boy. What's his name? Yes, my bestie, my homie, my good time boy. Drew Seely.
00:37:21
Speaker
Drew Seely. Yeah. So anyways, it was supposed to be Drew Seely and Selena Gomez, and she was the name. But then when she got demicast, they were like, oh, Drew isn't a big enough name. We're going to nix him and hire the Jonas Brothers so that they're the name.
00:37:37
Speaker
it's kind of sad. I mean, I love how Camp Rock turned out. But you know I love Drew Seely. Yeah, and he like never really got his big break. I guess another Cinderella story, but that wasn't that big. So that's a little sad.
00:37:53
Speaker
Wow. But their podcast is really fun. Yes, I've listened to it a little bit. And this podcast, in case you forgot, is a part of Podco. It's produced by them, which is the company that was started by the actress. I forget her name. I think it's also Jennifer. Christy Carlson Romano.
00:38:09
Speaker
That's the name. Anyways, she was in – ah Sorry. She was in ah Even Stevens. She was also in Cadet Kelly. We've talked about her before. She started this company, Podco, and they do a bunch of these rewatch podcasts with the original stars. So Wizards of Waverly Pod is a part of that company, which is super cool. So cool.
00:38:30
Speaker
And then even though I didn't include Harper because she was only in this movie for about five seconds, just for fun, ah Jennifer Stone left acting and went into nursing school. She's testified before the Senate about the importance of diabetes research, and she currently works as an emergency room nurse in California.
00:38:46
Speaker
What the heck? I love that. Yeah. In addition to doing this podcast. Yeah. Queen. Yeah. So way to go, everybody. a plus. yeah You're all doing great. Yeah.
00:38:57
Speaker
Gabby, I would say this was a pretty magical episode,
Next Episode Teaser: Luck of the Irish
00:39:01
Speaker
wouldn't you? Maybe perhaps next week will be even more magically delicious. Oh my gosh.
00:39:09
Speaker
I know why you just did that now. Because we messed up. we Wait, wait, wait. Let me do my outro. Go for it. So yes, magically delicious. And that is a hint.
00:39:21
Speaker
um I should explain. We have a list of every DCOM ever made and we use a random number generator to figure out what we will be watching for the next episode. However, if you didn't know, it's leprechaun season.
00:39:36
Speaker
It's past Labyrinth season. It feels so bad. Let me do my outro. By which I mean that St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner and or just happened depending on when this episode comes out slash we are recording this late and we forgot.
00:39:55
Speaker
However, promised, we are ignoring our list this week and we are handpicking the luck of the Irish as our watch. I cannot wait for this one. I am so mad that we messed up.
00:40:11
Speaker
It's because we moved to this every other week schedule. And so when we were prepping, I wasn't thinking like, oh, my gosh, it's almost St. Patrick's Day because we were too far behind. And, oh, guys.
00:40:22
Speaker
It's fine. Yes, it'll still be great. It'll just still be fantastic. and You know, we could have pretended and people would never know. They'd never know. That's true. Yeah. So, you know, another opportunity for you to wear green and drink a beer.
00:40:35
Speaker
So we're really just helping you extend the holiday. Can I tell you what I did on St. Patrick's Day, which is a holiday that already passed? Sorry. I'd love to know. I held a green party.
00:40:46
Speaker
And so we had green and pink foods and we watched Wicked. That was my St. Patrick's Day. I think that counts. Yeah. Yeah.
00:40:57
Speaker
I love it. Any whom, we're going to watch Luck of the Irish and it's going to be great and we're going to live all our leprechaun magically delicious dreams. I have a feeling this is going to be like a fever dream movie. Like I remember loving it, but I just have this weird sense that I'm going to watch it now and be like,
00:41:13
Speaker
what the heck is this? I watch this every year, so I know it. Oh, I am ready. Oh, you know it. Okay. Well, I'll be the one that's like, oh my gosh, next week. I will come with my little top hat, my tiny shoes and my horrible Irish accent.
00:41:31
Speaker
I vaguely remember something about potato chips, so I'll come with potato chips. Oh yeah, potato chip factory. That's there. Bring your potato chips, your beer, and your green for our episode in two weeks. Unless you're underage. Okay, love you, bye.
00:41:45
Speaker
Thank you all so much for listening to this episode of Once Upon a DCOM. Like what you just heard? Leave us a rating and review. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at onceuponadcom.podcast and share this podcast with your Disney-loving friends.
00:41:59
Speaker
A big thanks to Gabby for editing this whole podcast together. Thanks, Fran. And don't forget to subscribe because there's always a new episode on the way. This is Gabriela. And Natalie. Signing off with a sprinkle of pixie dust. And a whole lot of nostalgia.