Twitches (film)

Twitches

Promotional poster
Written by Melissa Gould
Dan Berendsen
H.B. Gilmour
Randi Reisfeld
Directed by Stuart Gillard
Starring Tamera Mowry
Tia Mowry
Kristen Wilson
Patrick Fabian
Jennifer Robertson
Pat Kelly
Jessica Greco
Jackie Rosenbaum
Arnold Pinnock
Karen Holness
Jessica Feliz
David Ingram
Kathryn Haggis
Theme music composer John Van Tongeren
Original language(s) English
Production
Producer(s) Kevin Lafferty
Running time 86 minutes
Distributor Disney-ABC Domestic Television
Budget $20 million
Release
Original network Disney Channel
Original release October 14, 2005 (2005-10-14)
Chronology
Followed by Twitches Too (2007)
Website movies.disney.com/twitches

Twitches is a 2005 Disney Channel Original Movie, is based on the popular Twitches book series published by Scholastic Press. Produced by Broomsticks Productions Limited, the film stars Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry as Alexandra Fielding and Camryn Barnes, respectively. On its premiere night, Twitches scored over 7 million viewers. The movie drew 21.5 million viewers in four airings on its first weekend and was the week's most popular cable program. A sequel, Twitches Too, aired on October 12, 2007, as a part of Disney Channel's Hauntober Fest.

Plot

In the magical land of Coventry, the royal witch Miranda gives birth to identical twin daughters on the night of Halloween. The sisters are named Apolla and Artemis after the Olympian twins Apollo and Artemis, the gods of the Sun and Moon, respectively; in accordance with their namesake, Apolla wears an amulet in the shape of the sun and Artemis wears an amulet in the shape of the moon. Their father Aron DuBaer, a powerful warlock, transfers the entirety of his magical powers to protect them from an evil entity known as the Darkness and is killed in the process. Karsh and Ileana assume the task of protecting the twins and flee to a non-magical dimension known as Earth to give them up for adoption. Apolla is adopted by a wealthy couple who name her Camryn Elizabeth Barnes, while Artemis is adopted by a single mother and is named Alexandra "Alex" Nicole Fielding. Alex grows up to be an night owl and stays up until the moon sets, writing about the chronicles of magical twin sisters, unaware that her stories are true. She shares a single bedroom with her close friend Lucinda, after her mother passes away a few months prior to her 21st birthday. Meanwhile, Camryn is a passionate artist and a lark, who wakes up at sunrise to sketch realistic pictures; unbeknownst to her, the images she creates are of Miranda and her homeland Coventry. She is spoiled and outgoing, unlike her quiet and reclusive sister; however, the duo share the traits of kindness and intelligence.

On their 21st birthday, Camryn and her best-friend Beth decide to shop, while Alex tries to look for a job. After Karsh and Ileana manipulate Alex into entering the store where Camryn is trying on clothes, the sisters finally encounter each other. Although Camryn is overjoyed to discover Alex, the latter flees the store, prompting the former to grasp her hand. As their magic is released, they discover that they share a sisterly bond and attempt to understand each other. Karsh and Ileana reveal themselves to the twins and inform them about their magical background, after which Alex realizes that her stories about Coventry are true. According to an old prophecy, the sisters are responsible for extinguishing the Darkness and restoring Coventry. As she has the gift of knowledge, Alex refuses to help fulfill the prophecy because her stories end with death. Camryn manages to convince Alex to stay, assuring her that they are unstoppable together, and the two practice their magical powers as they bond. They dub themselves Twitches, deriving the name from the words twin and witches.

In the meantime, Miranda senses that her daughters are alive and informs their uncle Thantos, whom she married after Aron's death. The Darkness arrives at Alex's apartment, but the sisters manage to transport themselves to Coventry, and the experience overwhelms Camryn. Despite her sister's pleas, she decides that she does not want to venture further into their destiny. She leaves to participate in her costume birthday party on Earth. Alex, determined to help Coventry without her sister, reunites with Miranda and meets Thantos, who informs her that if Camryn is alone, she is powerless against the Darkness. At her party, due to the gift of sight, Camryn realizes that Thantos is responsible for the Darkness, and she escapes to Coventry after Karsh and Ileana sacrifice themselves to help her. As she reveals her uncle's crimes to Miranda and Alex, Thantos arrives and admits to killing his brother Aron in an attempt to acquire wealth and power. The twins combine their magic of light and love to destroy him and restore Coventry, simultaneously reviving Karsh and Ileana. They then celebrate their birthday on Earth, alongside Miranda and Camryn's adoptive parents, David and Emily.

Cast

Production

Casting

Originally, Tia was supposed to play Camryn and Tamera was supposed to play Alex, but the two wanted their roles to be switched. For the first few days of filming, the cast and crew had a hard time telling Tia and Tamera apart.

Filming

Special effects were used in conjunction with green screens to help simulate the magic tricks shown throughout the movie - the transitions between Earth and Coventry, the moon and sun put on the same horizon, and, with the aid of a wind machine, the visualization of the Darkness' presence.

Release and reception

Broadcast

When the movie first aired on Disney Channel on October 14, 2005, it was viewed by 7 million viewers.[1] In four subsequent airings during its first weekend, the movie drew a total of 21.5 million viewers.[2]

Critical response

Due to an insufficient number of reviews, review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes lacks a score for the movie. Audience reviews were mostly positive with 65% of 23,971 users giving the film a positive review, with an average rating of 3.4 out of five.[3]

Sequel

A sequel, Twitches Too, premiered on October 12, 2007 in the US, October 26, 2007 in Canada, and November 2, 2007 in the UK.

Notes

  1. ↑ Umstead, R. Thomas (21 October 2007). "Disney Scares Up Viewers". Multichannel News. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  2. ↑ Levin, Gary (26 October 2005). "Disney finds place for tweens". USA Today. Archived from the original on 30 October 2005. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  3. ↑ "Twitches (2005) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
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