Wizards Beyond Waverly Place continues the story of the Russo family years after the classic Disney Channel series – and in some ways, repeats it. Years have passed since brothers Alex (Selena Gomez), Justin (David Henrie) and Max (Jake T. Austin) competed in the Wizarding Contest, with Justin now living a quiet life with his non-magical family. That is until Alex appears with a young wizard as chaotic as before and asks his brother to take the girl in and train her.
Wizard Beyond Waverly Place reviews suggest it’s a fun blast of nostalgia, with hilarious Disney Channel antics. Wizard Beyond Waverly PlaceThe cast is tasked with doing justice to the original characters, who also play their own role in the story of the new Russian generation. It will hardly escape the attention of 2000s Disney fans, who frequently rewatched it Wizards of Waverly Place that there are several delightful Easter eggs and callbacks to the original, some of which are included in the story itself and the cast structure.
The Wizards of Waverly Place episode with Aunt Megan sets up a parallel Russian generation
The Wizards Of Waverly Place “Retest” Episode Lines Up The Russian Kids With Their Father, Aunt, And Uncle
Interestingly, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place duplicated an important plot from Wizards of Waverly Place about the Russos’ father, Jerry (David DeLuise), and his brothers. In Season 2, Episode 3, “Retest”, Alex, Justin and Max are told that they have an aunt they have never met, whose presence is suddenly necessary due to a technicality of the Wizard Competition. Jerry won the competition of his generation, but chose to give up his powers to marry his mortal wife, Theresa (Maria Canals-Barrera). Jerry then chose to give his powers to his brother Kelbo (Jeff Garlin), alienating them both from his sister Megan (Carrie Genzel).
The older generation of Jerry, Megan and Kelbo perfectly reflects the younger generation of Justin, Alex and Max.
When the children meet Megan, they discover that she is sarcastic, carefree and bitter. Everyone makes a point of saying that the aunt is very similar to Alex, while there is a long joke from Megan saying that Max reminds her of Kelbo. The ironic parallels are not lost on anyone: the older generation of Jerry, Megan and Kelbo perfectly reflects the younger generation of Justin, Alex and Max. In both cases, there is a studious brother, a rebellious sister and a goofy brother.
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place introduces Billie, Roman and Milo as the new Alex, Justin and Max
The Wizards Of Waverly Place Revival Is Doing The Same Plot With Justin’s Kids
Fast forward a few years to Wizards Beyond Waverly Placeand Justin has two sons, Roman (Alkaio Thiele), in elementary school, and Milo (Max Matenko), in elementary school. Roman bonds with his father over his love of learning, is skeptical of every new magical discovery, and is generally the more uptight older brother. Milo is imaginative and funny, believing in monsters before he even knows that wizards exist and planning to prank his substitute teacher. All they need is for Alex to hand them Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown), a sassy personality who naturally clashes with Roman, as an homage to Alex and Justin’s dynamic.
Justin is quick to point out the correlation between Billie and Alex, while Alex begins to describe Billie’s problem with authority that has led to her being kicked out of several schools and homes. In this case, their similar personalities are the driving force behind the story when Alex is likely to be attracted to her and part of the reason Justin is willing to give her a chance. However, Roman and Milo’s personalities are also familiar – albeit variations on their father and uncle – creating a poetic reprisal of the old family dynamic.
Three Generations of Russians in Wizards Of Waverly Place Explained
Wizards Of/Beyond Waverly Place shows different family dynamics and stories comparing generations
The purpose of the single incident with Aunt Megan is quite evident, serving as a lesson to younger Russians about how they could let magic destroy their family. Why there can only be one family wizard was an enduring mystery to Wizards of Wavery PlaceThe point is that these are the rules of the world that can have a negative effect on families. Alex, Justin and Max are together in this episode and the series finale and are still on good terms with each other in revival.
Billie, Roman, and Milo offer even more interesting insight when the lessons aren’t so clear. The boys are not threatened with losing magical powers to her; she is also essentially their adopted sister, who has only recently entered their lives. How Billie disrupts the existence they have lived so far, their different arguments and how they will inevitably remain together as a found family is an entirely new story for the new generation. Yet Wizards Beyond Waverly Place may be challenged to return to the previous iteration of this subplot, showing how all the Russians are still learning from it.