“Upside Down Magic” Review

The latest Disney Channel Original Movie to come to Disney Plus, has people thinking “Harry Potter” for tweens.  Upside Down Magic, which came out July 31, 2020 explores the possibility of what happens to students who might be considered different because they can’t perform spells like everyone else and because of a shadow magic being that challenged these students once before, now head professor Ms Knightslinger is determined to separate and eliminate those students her way.  Of course, that’s where the “UDM” class comes into place, taught by former UDM professor Budd Skriff.  The idea is to discourage said students from using all magic with hopes that their powers will go away, and they can return them to normal nonmagical lifestyles.  That was before, Nory, a bright-eyed magical girl whose dreams are too big to squash and when she discovers her best friend, “a flamer” is the latest victim of the shadow monster, it is up to her and her band of misfits to save the day on Founder’s Day and thus change the lives of all current and future UDM’s.

The film stars relative newcomers to the Disney Channel Family, including Izabela Rose as Nory in her debut full length film and ultimately with her emotional maturity and talent, one can definitely be on the lookout for even more movies even if just in the Disney Channel realm.  The one young actress who is more know is one of the fellow UDM’s actress, Alison Fernandez, who got her debut in the last season of Once Upon A Time.  In the new role, Fernandez’ sassy wit and humor made the cast chemistry that much tighter as a whole.  Other actors include Kyle Howard, who played the misfit UDM professor and head professor played by Vicki Lewis, who has played in several tv shows, including Modern Family and recently voiced a character on Doc McStuffins.

Upside Down Magic a fun movie for all ages and will have you laughing, crying and cheering for the underdogs, aka, the ones with the “upside down magic”.  It’s currently streaming via Disney + through any mobile platform.