16 Wishes

16 Wishes is a 2010 Canadian-American television film starring Debby Ryan and Jean-Luc Bilodeau, which premiered on June 25, 2010 on Disney Channel and July 16, 2010 on the Family Channel. The film was directed by Peter DeLuise. The film was the most watched cable program on the day of its premiere on the Disney Channel. In addition, 16 Wishes introduced Debby Ryan to new audiences, such as the contemporary adult audiences since the movie received high viewership in the adults demographic (18-34). The film was the second most watched program on cable on the week 16 Wishes premiered.

It was the second film to be released on the Disney Channel in 2010 that was not promoted as an "Original Movie" (after Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars) and is a co-production between Disney Channel, Family and Canadian production company Marvista Entertainment. In other countries, it is advertised as Disney Channel Original Movie. It was planned to have its UK premiere on November 19, 2010 on Disney Channel UK, but was replaced with Starstruck, which had already been shown in May. It was shown in December 2010 in the UK.

Plot
Abigail Louise "Abby" Jensen (Debby Ryan) has been planning for her sweet 16 ever since she was a little girl. On the inside door of her bedroom closet, she keeps a list of secret wishes that she wants to come true. When the big day finally arrives, she excitedly adds her sixteenth and final wish to the list: a photo of Logan (Keenan Tracey), her crush.

Then begins the first of many unusual occurrences, each including visits from a peculiar woman, Celeste (Anna Mae Routledge). She first appears as an exterminator when the Jensen's house gets overrun by wasps from a nest in their attic that has been building up for 16 years. The Jensen family are unable to go back into their house until the wasps are exterminated, however Celeste manages to extract Abby's wish list from the house.

Abby's best friend, Jay Kepler (Jean-Luc Bilodeau), appears and offers Abby a jacket to wear over her pajamas, as she is unable to go back into her house to change. When Abby reaches into Jay's jacket pocket, she finds a birthday present for her from Jay. It is a necklace with a half of a heart saying "BFF". Jay has the other half which he uses as a charm on his key ring. As Jay and Abby go to their bus stop, a delivery truck pulls up, and Celeste comes out dressed as a mail woman and gives a package to Abby. When Abby opens it, she discovers 16 candles and a matchbox. Unwilling to ride the bus to school, Abby lights the first candle and wishes for a new car, the eighth wish on her list. However, her first wish, meeting Joey Lockhart (Joel Semande), the hottest celebrity, is fulfilled. Abby then realizes that the candles correspond to her 16 wishes on her list and that they're each coming true every time a candle is lit.

Celeste later says that after midnight all wishes will then become permanent. Abby lands the attention of Logan, gets a Ford Mustang she's always dreamed of, she gets back at her lifelong nemesis, Krista Cook (Karissa Tynes) by beating her in a volleyball match, then getting elected as Student Body President, even though she didn't sign up for the elections. Also, she is suddenly fashionable, athletic, and popular.

During classes, Abby remembers that she needs the perfect dress for her 16th birthday party and decides to go out and buy it, together with Jay, who agrees to pay for it. They are followed by Krista, who decides to see where Abby's sudden good luck comes from, and when Jay drops his wallet she takes it. She also convinces the store clerk that they are not going to buy anything (saying they are children) and are just wasting her time. The clerk believes her and kicks them out. While in the changing room, Abby uses the ninth candle and makes a wish to be treated like an adult, which instead, makes her an adult. This turns for the worse for Abby as it results in her not being allowed to attend high school anymore, and no one at school remembers her, not even Jay. Her parents also buy her a new apartment and leave her to live on her own. On top of that, Abby now has a landlord who demands his rent and is unemployed; not having gained many marketable skills since she turned into an adult.

Regretting her wish, Abby tries to look for a solution by going through her wishlist, though none of them are useful. Abby goes to Krista's Sweet 16 and convinces Jay that they are best friends by showing him the birthday present he gave her which restores his memories of her, though, Jay can't help her. Desperate, Abby seeks the aid of Celeste, who is also unable to help her. Celeste then explains that there are several rules of magic, and one of them is that a wish cannot be undone. Abby eventually finds a loophole through the rules, seeing as how her last wish was a picture of her crush, glued on with gum, which seems to act as a "barrier" between the picture and the rules. She switches the picture for a picture taken that morning of her and wishes she could go back to that morning.

Abby's life then goes back to normal, along with some dead wasps in the process. Abby then throws her wishlist away and gives her money to Mike, saying that he needs a REAL guitar. Abby goes outside finding Krista carrying posters saying 'Vote For Krista'. She and Krista reconcile after Krista tells Abby why she hates her (Back in the 3rd grade, Abby and Jay made a pact to be best friends forever, leaving Krista out, though up until that point, Krista and Jay had been best friends). Abby and Krista stop competing and work together to make the person who truly deserves to be Student Body President: Jay. Then at Abby and Krista's sweet sixteen party, Krista and Logan become a couple, while Mike's talent is revealed when he sings really well at Abby and Krista's party. When Jay asks about Abby's wishlist, Abby says that she has everything she could possibly want. Abby and Jay then share a kiss. It then shows Celeste (dressed as a waitress) turning into a fairy and she flys away- as her work is done. The couples- Abby and Jay with Krista and Logan- then dance together at the party. Then at the end the bloopers come out and it also shows Abby singing at the party while dancing with Jay and Celeste.

Cast

 * Debby Ryan as Abby Jensen
 * Jean-Luc Bilodeau as Jay Kepler
 * Anna Mae Routledge as Celeste
 * Karissa Tynes as Krista Cook
 * Keenan Tracey as Logan Buchanan
 * Joel Semande as Joey Lockhart
 * Cainan Wiebe as Mike Jensen
 * Patrick Gilmore as Bob Jensen
 * Kendall Cross as Sue Jensen
 * Jesse Reid as Theodore Hope
 * Brenda Crichlow as Miss Duffy
 * Patricia Isaac as Snooty Sales Woman
 * Gary Jones as Principal Smith

Production
The school in which some of the scenes were filmed is Walnut Grove Secondary School in Langley, British Columbia.

Soundtrack
16 Wishes is a soundtrack album by the film of the same name, released on June 15, 2010 by Marvista Entertainment.

Reception
The movie garnered over 5.6 million viewers in its first showing. The film went on to become the most watched cable program on the day of its premiere on Disney Channel. The Sunday airing of the film on received over 4.0 million viewers.