''Twitches'' is a 2005 Disney Channel original movie, based on the '' Twitches'' book series published by Scholastic Press. Produced by Broomsticks Productions Limited, the film stars
Tia Mowry
Tia Mowry is an American actress. She first gained recognition for her starring role as Tia Landry in the sitcom '' Sister, Sister'' (1994–1999), opposite her twin sister Tamera Mowry. The sisters then starred together in the Disney Channel Or ...
and
Tamera Mowry
Tamera Darvette Mowry-Housley (née Mowry) () (born July 6, 1978) is an American actress, television personality, and former singer. She first gained fame for her teen role as Tamera Campbell on the ABC/ WB sitcom '' Sister, Sister'' (opposite h ...
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
, the royal witch Miranda gives birth to identical twin daughters on Halloween night. The sisters are named Apolla and
Artemis
In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...
sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
and
moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
, respectively; in accordance with their namesakes, 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 WarBurton, a magical couple and friends of the family, assume the task of protecting the twins and flee to a non-magical dimension known as
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
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 a 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
Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. Larks have a cosmopolitan distribution with the largest number of species occurring in Africa. Only a single species, the horned lark, occurs in North America, and only Horsfield's bush lark oc ...
, 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 the twins' 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 encounter each other for the first time since their infancy. Although Camryn is overjoyed to discover Alex, the latter flees the store, prompting the former to grasp her hand, causing a burst of energy. 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 the only ones capable of vanquishing 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, a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsThantos, 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, Camryn discovers that she used to draw a face in the Darkness and learns from it that Thantos is responsible for the Darkness, and she escapes to Coventry after Karsh and Ileana sacrifice themselves to help her. As she reveals their uncle's crimes to Miranda and Alex, Thantos arrives and admits to killing his brother Aron in an attempt to acquire wealth and power. Thantos then takes Miranda with him and goes on a rampage around the castle. The twins combine their magic of light and love to vanquish him and restore Coventry, simultaneously reviving their mother Miranda, Karsh, and Ileana. They then celebrate their birthday on Earth, alongside Miranda and Camryn's adoptive parents, David and Emily.
Cast
*
Tia Mowry
Tia Mowry is an American actress. She first gained recognition for her starring role as Tia Landry in the sitcom '' Sister, Sister'' (1994–1999), opposite her twin sister Tamera Mowry. The sisters then starred together in the Disney Channel Or ...
as Alexandra "Alex" Nicole Fielding / Artemis DuBaer
*
Tamera Mowry
Tamera Darvette Mowry-Housley (née Mowry) () (born July 6, 1978) is an American actress, television personality, and former singer. She first gained fame for her teen role as Tamera Campbell on the ABC/ WB sitcom '' Sister, Sister'' (opposite h ...
as Camryn "Cam" Elizabeth Barnes / Apolla DuBaer
*
Kristen Wilson
Kristen Wilson (born September 4, 1969) is a former American actress, best known as Miranda DuBaer in '' Twitches'' and '' Twitches Too'' and as Lisa Dolittle in the films ''Dr. Dolittle'', '' Dr. Dolittle 2'', and '' Dr. Dolittle 3''.
Early li ...
as Miranda DuBaer, the twins' mother and Queen of Coventry. Remarries Thantos for the sake of Coventry.
* David Ingram as Aron DuBaer, the twins' father. Killed by his own brother, Thantos.
*
Patrick Fabian
Patrick Fabian (born December 7, 1964) is an American film, stage, and television actor. He is known for his role as attorney Howard Hamlin in ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022). His film roles include '' End Game'' (2006), ''The Last Exorcism' ...
as Thantos DuBaer, the twins' evil uncle and step-father. Marries Miranda after Aron's death. Revealed to be the one who controls The Darkness.
*
Jennifer Robertson
Jennifer Robertson (born November 24, 1971) is a Canadian actress, writer, and comedian. She is known for her starring role as Jocelyn Schitt in the CBC Emmy Award-winning sitcom ''Schitt's Creek'' (2015–2020), for which she was nominated fo ...
as Ileana Warburton, one of the twins' guardians. She watches over Camryn.
* Pat Kelly as Karsh Warburton, one of the twins' guardians. He watches over Alex.
*
Jessica Greco
Jessica Greco (born June 26th, 1980) is a Canadian actress and comedian best known for playing Karen Thurston, the dead teenage daughter of a chemical factory worker, in the 1997 television adaptation of the ''Goosebumps'' book '' Welcome to Dead ...
as Lucinda Carmelson, Alex's best friend. Alex lives with her after her mother's passing.
* Jackie Rosenbaum as Beth Fish, Camryn's Best Friend.
*
Arnold Pinnock
Arnold Pinnock (born 1967) is a Canadian actor who is perhaps best known for his appearance as Paul Greebie, Casey's guidance counselor, in ''Life with Derek''.
Pinnock was born in Birmingham, England. His career began with sketch comedy at Toro ...
as David Barnes, Camryn's Father.
* Karen Holness as Emily Barnes, Camryn's Mother.
* Jessica Feliz as Nicole Carmelson, Lucinda's younger sister who loves Halloween.
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
Production for the film began in June 2005, entirely shot in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
. Special effects were used in conjunction with
green screens
Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a visual-effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two images or video streams together based on colour hues ( chroma range). The technique has been used in many fields to r ...
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
Broadcast
When the movie first aired on Disney Channel on October 14, 2005, it was viewed by 7 million viewers. In four subsequent airings during its first weekend, the movie drew a total of 21.5 million viewers and was the week's most popular cable program.
Home media
Twitches was released on Disney, in America in 2008 and in Romania in 2009
Sequel
A
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
, '' Twitches Too'', premiered on October 12, 2007 in the US, October 26, 2007 in Canada, and November 2, 2007 in the UK.