Winx Club
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| Winx Club | |
|---|---|
First season title screen from the 4Kids Entertainment version |
|
| Format | Animated series |
| Created by | Iginio Straffi |
| Country of origin | |
| Language(s) | Italian, English, USA English, German, Spanish, French, Polish, Greek, Turkish, Finnish, Swedish, Welsh, Dutch, Korean etc. |
| No. of episodes | 78 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | Approx. 22 min each |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | RAI |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original run | June 19, 2004 – September 22, 2007 |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
| Common rating | |
|---|---|
| Australia | G |
| Canada | C8(formerly G) |
| United States | TV-Y7 FV (E/I) |
Winx Club is a 2004 Italian animated fantasy/adventure series created by Iginio Straffi and produced by Rainbow S.p.A.. The seventy-eight episode series is marketed toward children between the ages of six and fourteen[1] but after its international release has also gained popularity with teenagers and adults, and spawned a franchise of toys, books, clothing and DVDs. The series is expected to culminate with the release of a CGI feature film, Winx Club – Il Segreto Del Regno Perduto set to be released to Italian theaters on November 30, 2007.
Contents |
An ordinary girl from the planet Earth, Bloom lives a perfectly normal, happy life in the city of Gardenia, until the day she meets Stella, a princess from the planet Solaria. Coming to Stella's aid, Bloom discovers that she has fire magical powers. Stella tells Bloom all about Alfea, the best school for fairies in all the realms, and Bloom finally starts her adventure. At Alfea, Bloom forms the Winx Club, which consists of herself, Stella, and their three friends and roommates: Musa, Tecna, and Flora. The Specialists, Brandon, Riven, Timmy, and Sky, are introduced a little later and quickly become the girls' good friends and love interests. The trix, Icy, Darcy, and Stormy, are witches from Cloudtower, the witch equivalent to Alfea, who are on a quest for the power of the Dragon Fire and Stella's magic ring which ties their fates inexorably with the Winx Club's. Bloom also begins to learn the secrets of her past and that things are not what they seem to be.[1]
The Winx girls begin their second year in Alfea after summer vacation. They meet a new fairy, Layla ,who requests their help in rescuing her pixies. Lord Darkar is holding a group of pixies hostage to find out where the Pixies' Village is. He is after the four pieces of the Codex (one each in Pixie Village, Red Fountain, Cloudtower, and Alfea) which open the portal to the Realm of Realix where the Ultimate Power is. Darkar is actually the Dark Phoenix who wants to take control of the magical realm. Later he gets Bloom in his clutches and uses her to summon the Realix. The girls also meet another Specialist, Helia and sparxs fly between him and one of the other girls.
Banished to the Omega Dimension, the Trix release and escape with Valtor ("Baltor" in the 4Kids version), a sorcerer partially responsible for the destruction of Bloom's home realm, Sparx, and cooperate on plans to invade several areas in the realm of Magix and seek vengeance on those who imprisoned them, stealing each realm's magic treasure and power source. The Winx Club begin their third year in Alfea and learn of their unique Enchantix transformations which are acquired by exhibitions of courage and selflessness.
Rainbow has announced the production of a computer generated feature film, Winx Club - Il Segreto Del Regno Perduto (The Secret Of The Lost Kingdom) set to be released in Italy in November 30th, 2007. The plot of the film is unknown but is expected to take place after the events of the third season and revolve around Bloom's origins.[2] It will be distributed by Tristar Pictures. The movie will be broadcast in the UK on February 18th, 2007.
A trailer is available at http://www.winxclubthemovie.com
In September 2005, the "Winx Power" Winx Club musicals began in Italy. During the show, the stories are based on the second season of Winx Club, with the addition of another character (Melissa), a young terrestrial girl who in the beginning does not believe in the existence of the Winx. Both brand new songs and songs already used for the animation series are used in the musical.
Cast for 2005:
Melissa: Melissa Marcheto
Bloom: Mary Dima
Stella: Sara Marinaccio
Flora: Claudia Alfonso
Musa: Erika Iacono
Tecna: Annamaria de Matteo
Layla/Aisha: Karima Machehour
Icy: Dania Mansi
Darcy: Valentina Beretta
Stormy: Rari lo Cicero
Sky: Giacolmo Bia
Brandon: Luca Peruzzi
Riven: Manuel Ferruggia
Timmy: Daniele Cauduro
Helia: Ettore Romano
Darkar: Paolo Carta
Cast for 2006:
Melissa: ?
Bloom: Francesca Colapietro
Stella: Sara Marinaccio
Flora: Claudia Alfonso
Musa: Erika Iacono
Tecna: Annamaria de Matteo
Layla/Aisha: Karima Machehour
Icy: Dania Mansi
Darcy: Valentina Beretta
Stormy: Sabrina Orlando
Sky: Popy Archetti
Brandon: Davide Leso
Riven: Francesco Palazzo
Timmy: Daniele Cauduro
Helia: Daniele Greco
Darkar: Germano Aledda
Cast for 2007:
Melissa: ?
Bloom: Francesca Colapietro
Stella: Sara Marinaccio
Flora: Claudia Alfonso
Musa: Erika Iacono
Tecna: Annamaria de Matteo
Layla/Aisha: Vhelade
Icy: Dania Mansi
Darcy: Valentina Beretta
Stormy: Sabrina Orlando
Sky: Popy Archetti
Brandon: Davide Leso
Riven: Francesco Palazzo
Timmy: Daniele Cauduro
Helia: Daniele Greco
Darkar: Germano Aledda
Due to a successful run at the box office, the musicals are now on tour in the Netherlands, Called Winx club on tour, or winx club theater tour show.
Cast members for the first version of the show:
Bloom: Thirza Solcer
Stella: Martine Hauwert
Flora: Joyce Van Berkel
Musa: Irene Borst
Tecna: Amber Van Hardeveld
Layla: Charida Jonckhart
Icy: Tanja de Nijs
Darcy: Joyce Stevens
Stormy: Laurie Reijs
Sky: Ferry de Graaf
Brandon: JJ Van Zon
Riven: Robert Lissone
Helia: Pim Veulings
Timmy: Henry Schuurman
Faragona: Irene Moors
Griselda: Anatevka Bos
Daphne: Joyce van Berkel
Understudies:
Yvette de Wilde
Anatevka Bos
Ferry de Graaf
Anouk van Kooijk
Cast members for the new version:
Bloom: Janneke Voet
Stella: Sanne Brandt
Flora: Joyce Van Berkel
Musa: Fione Yauw
Tecna: Tess Hofkes
Layla: Salome Mayland
Icy: Rosalie de Jong
Darcy: Laura Burgmans
Stormy: Yvonne van den Erenbeemt
Understudies:
Lissane van Veen
- See also: List of minor Winx Club characters
Bloom: She discovered her dormant magical powers after coming to the aid of another fairy, Stella. Bloom has a strong personality, she always cares about others. She always helps her friends and cannot imagine how it would be without them. Bloom is the leader and she is always the person that has good ideas and that is full of love. Not long after arriving at Alfea, she discovers her powers of fire come from the ancient Dragon's Flame, which she is the seventh known guardian of. She comes from, and is the princess of the planet Venoninata (Sparx in the 4kids version).
Stella: She is a talkative student who often gets average or low grades, but always pulls through with the help from her friends. She is often spontaneous and doesn't like to plan things out, but she knows when the other fairies really need her help. Stella is also infamous amongst the Alfea horses for blowing up a laboratory (trying to invent a new shade of pink [in the 4kids version]) and being kept back a grade, thus she is a year older than all the other Winx Club fairies. She has the power of the Sun and the Moon because her mother represents the moon and her father, the sun. She is from, and the princess of, the planet Solaria.
Flora: Flora is a very kind-hearted and sensitive girl with a passion for nature and life. Happy, introverted, and sensitive, she is always a sweet, loyal friend, and doesn't believe in hurting others or the environment. She has many plant-based hobbies, and as a result, her room resembles a greenhouse. She has the power of Nature, which allows her to use plants in her attacks and natural predators to exterminate pests. She comes from the planet Linphea/All Green Fairyland (or "5th Moon of Marigold" in the 4kids version).
Musa: Musa loves all forms of music, and although she tries to put up a tough front, isolate herself, and is often pessimistic, she is a loyal and caring friend.Musa is a princess of a planet called Melody . In spite of her laid-back nature, Musa has the best grades of the entire Winx Club except Tecna. She is pale, Asian in appearance, with blue-black pigtails and blue eyes. She has the power of Music, and she gets her energy from all kinds of music. She comes from the planet Melody (or "Harmonic Nebula" in the 4kids version).
Tecna: Tecna is always logical and rational, and initially had trouble expressing her emotions. She speaks in a technical and a matter-of-fact manner. She enjoys playing video games and pulling apart hardware, as she is extremely intelligent and strong in technology and mathematics. She can act cold and rational at times, but always tries to do what's right. She has the power of Technology and can control everything provided by Technology. She comes from the planet Zenith (or 3rd Vector of the Binary Galaxy in the 4kids version).
Aisha: Aisha ("Layla" in some other languages like English, Turkish, Dutch, etc.) is the Princess of Andros ("Tides" in the 4Kids version). She has a restless, rebellious, and wild nature. Aisha is a good athlete, fighter, dancer, and wind-raider rider. She is also a feminist, and thus opposes Riven, a chauvinist. She has the power of Fluids, and has the ability to manipulate a pink fluid called "Morfix" to take on any form she chooses. She joins the Winx Club in season two.
The Trix are an evil trio of teenage witch sisters who attended the Cloudtower School For Witches, which rivals Alfea. They are the enemies of the Winx Club.
- Icy: The leader and middle of the trio, her name refers to her powers of ice. She is quite charismatic. She despises Bloom and is most competitive with her in the first season. In the second she is more spiteful towards Stella. She thinks she is the most powerful of the three and the most beautiful. She has long, white hair tied up high on her head. She wears blue.
- Darcy: The eldest of the trio, Darcy works with all forms of darkness, as her name suggests ("Darcy" meaning "Dark One"). She is the smartest of the Trix. She enjoys tormenting "pathetic pixies." In season one, she is most aggressive towards Musa. She has long, dark brown hair. She wears purple.
- Stormy: The youngest of the trio, her powers involve wind, storms, and weather. She has the shortest temper of the group and is prone to violent outbursts. She is most aggressive towards Musa in season 2. She has purple, short curly and quite fuzzy hair that looks like a storm has been through it. She often doesn't think before she does something.
Season 1: The Trix (Icy, Darcy, and Stormy)
Season 2: Lord Darkar, and The Trix
Season 3: Evil Wizard Baltor, and The Trix- until the end of The Spell of the Elements
The Specialists are a group of students who attend an all-boys school near Alfea, Red Fountain School For Specialists. Several Specialists have become the boyfriends of the Winx girls.
- Sky: The prince of Eraklyon, he feels stifled by his position. He has medium blond hair. He is Bloom's boyfriend. As he loves Bloom, he refuses to marry Princess Diaspro, the girl of his parents' choice.
- Brandon: Sky's squire, a great swordsman and ladies' man. He has short brown hair. He is Stella's boyfriend.
- Timmy: He acts as the geek of the group sometimes, from a long line of scientists. He has short ginger hair. He is Tecna's boyfriend. He is shy, sweet, and smart.
- Riven: A lone wolf, very competitive and good at sports. He has short red spiked hair. He is a chauvinist; he and Aisha, a feminist, are in opposition. He is Musa's boyfriend.
- Helia: An artistic student, he is a great pilot and a pacifist, although his grandfather, Saladin, is the Headmaster of Red Fountain. He has long black hair tied into a loose ponytail. He is also very romantic and shy about directly speaking about his feelings. He is very good at laser string glove and tries to help everyone with it. He is Flora's boyfriend.He was the top student in Redfountain until he decided to quit and dedicate his life to nature and poetry. He has rejoined Redfountain now.
The Realm of Magix is an alternate universe where most of the series unfolds. It is an enchanted and highly technologically-advanced universe of hospitable planets populated by fairies, witches, heroes, and monsters.
The Alfea School for Fairies is a young girls' boarding school for fairies in training. All of the Winx girls met and resided here and had a close relationship with its headmistress, Ms. Faragonda. At Alfea, fairies learn to fight evil, help their planets, or, in many cases, become queens of their planets.
The Cloudtower School for Witches is a young girls' boarding school for witches in training, and for most of Season 1, it was the residence for the Trix witches. At Cloudtower, the witches learn about witchcraft.
The Red Fountain School for Heroes is a boys' boarding school for the next heroes, one forest away from Alfea. It teaches fighting and the use of technology. The Red Fountain boys are taught how to go on dangerous missions and to fight for their respective planets. Red Fountain and Alfea have a close relationship, and Miss Faragonda and Saladin have a long history that involves Bloom's past.
The original Italian version of the Winx Club was dubbed by Cinelume Film Video for international distribution by Rai International, but was later redubbed by US-based 4Kids corporation which modified the show to make it more suitable for an American audience. The original dub is commonly referred to as being the "UK" (which is ironic, because the UK airs the 4Kids version) or "Rai English" version and is primarily screened in southeast Asia, including Singapore and Malaysia, while the 4Kids version is more common in English-speaking countries in the West (although Australia airs the 4Kids version, while New Zealand airs the other version).
While the 4Kids version contained the same basic plot and characters as the original versions, it was altered to appeal to an American audience. To accomplish this, 4Kids altered the dialog to include references to pop culture, fashion, and other issues familiar to pre-teen audiences. Expressions and idioms were added or changed to their American equivalents, and extra narration was added to explain situations or to put a different slant on them. Music was added or changed to make scenes seem more lively or upbeat.
In addition to altering the series to make it more familiar to domestic viewers, 4Kids also altered several scenes or plot elements. An example is located in the 10th episode of the 2nd season, "Crypt of the Codex" (Original English version)/"Reaching for the Sky" (4Kids version). Timmy aims his weapon at the Trix (who are stealing Red Fountain's Codex) but loses hope and is unable to bring himself to fire; his hesitation results in Tecna calling him a coward (the source of much of Tecna's frustration with Timmy that season). In the 4Kids adaptation, Timmy cannot fire because he is under the influence of a magic spell, and Tecna leaves to get help. Other changes include a general weakening of romantic elements contained within the show.
Since its Italian premiere on January 28, 2004, on Rai 2 in Italy, Winx Club has been broadcast on six continents.
- In Romania, it aired on TVR2.
- In the U.S., it aired on the FoxBox, later 4Kids TV, block on most FOX stations between 2004 and 2007. Reruns were previously seen on Cartoon Network; Americans can still view the show online at 4Kids' website.
- In Wales on S4C (uncut version with Welsh soundtrack) it airs at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays.
- In Australia (Public TV), Network Ten airs it on its Toasted TV block.
- In Canada, it airs on YTV.
- In Brazil, it airs on SBT, Cartoon Network, and Boomerang.
- In Indonesia, it airs on Lativi.
- In Israel, it airs on ערוץ הילדים (The Kids Channel).
- In Finland, it airs on MTV3 (channel information link now unavailable)
- In United Kingdom, it airs on the Pop Girl channel; previously, it had aired on GMTV and Nickelodeon UK.
- In India, it airs on Cartoon Network and Pogo.
It is also broadcast on cable and satellite networks in U.S., Latin America, Brazil, and Spain.[5] In Australia , Southeast Asia,[6] the Philippines[7], India and Taiwan, Winx airs on the local Cartoon Network version. In Benelux and Scandinavia, it is shown on Nickelodeon.[8]In Germany, Winx Club is shown on RTL II (Seasons 1-2) and Nick (Seasons 1-3). In Belgium it is aired on VT4, in Hungary on RTL Klub and in Poland on ZigZap.
The version that has been edited by 4Kids and voiced with their voice actors airs in almost all English-speaking countries that have aired the show, with only a handful of exceptions (India, Singapore and New Zealand); in most other countries, the unedited version airs. In The Netherlands, Jetix wanted to show the USA version on tv. But Nickelodeon was first and bought the original version.
In the United States, 4Kids Entertainment holds the licensing rights to the series and has licensed the Winx Club name and image to an assortment of children's apparel and books. Toys such as dolls made by Mattel and a card game created with Upper Deck Entertainment are available at mass merchandisers like Wal-Mart and Toys R Us.
In Europe, Italian candy manufacturer Ferrero has started to distribute plastic Winx figurines as prizes in their Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs.
In Singapore, there are Bags, Clothing etc. Many Items are coming out right now.
In Italy, The Winx are being sponsored by a water bottle company.
Winx Club has been made into video games for the Playstation 2, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and PC, all published by Konami.
Winx Club video games include:
- Winx Club (Game Boy Advance)
- Winx Club (PC & PS2)
- Winx Club: Join the Club (PSP)
- Winx Club: The Quest for the Codex (DS & GBA)
In North America, the entire first season of the Winx Club is available as a five-disc collection. The first of the series, Winx Club Volume 1 Welcome to Magix, was released on July 12, 2005.The first dvd of season two was releashed in 2007 with the second volume of the season coming out to dvd in September of 2007.
In Europe, various DVD releases of the show are available in several different languages, and mostly cover the show up to its 2nd season. The Italian DVDs of the first two seasons, in particular, also feature the less-broadcast English dub (DVDs were also released for season 3 with just an Italian soundtrack).
In Australia, Magna Pacific has released Winx Club DVDs of the entire first and second season of the 4kids dub, while in Singapore, Vinci has distributed DVDs of the first 2 seasons of the original English dub.
- ^ a b Rainbow S.p.A.. Winx Club. Retrieved on 2006-11-15.
- ^ Rainbow S.p.A.. FEATURE FILMS. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
- ^ Rainbow S.p.A.. Winx Power Music Show. Retrieved on 2006-11-15.
- ^ Winx Club On Tour. Winx Club On Tour. Retrieved on 2006-11-15.
- ^ Before airing on the Cartoon Network, it had aired on Telecinco in Spain.
- ^ In Singapore, it was also broadcast over-the-air on MediaCorp TV12 Central kids' block, and Ntv7 had aired it in Malaysia.
- ^ In the Philippines, it airs on ABS-CBN.
- ^ In terrestrial, TV2 airs it.
- Official website Available in (German), (English), (Spanish), (French), (Italian), (Dutch), (Portuguese), (Turkish), (Greek), (Polish), (Korean).
- Rainbow Creative Entertainment website
- Official Winx Club Movie Website (Italian) (Dutch) (English)
- Pixie Fun (Italian), (Dutch)
- Magix Club (Catalan), Template:Un icon
Broadcaster websites
- New 4Kids Winx site
- Nickelodeon Winx Club at Nickelodeon (UK)
- Description CN's Winx Club at Cartoon Network (USA)
- YTV Winx Club at YTV
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| Winx Club Fairies | Bloom | Stella | Musa | Flora | Tecna | Layla |
| Other Characters | Trix | The Specialists | School Teachers | School Students | Lord Darkar | Baltor |
| Seasons | Season One | Season Two | Season Three |
| General | Episodes | Monsters | The Realm of Magix | Video Games | Enchantix |
Categories: Wikipedia articles needing copy edit from March 2007 | All articles needing copy edit | Children's ITV television programmes | Animated television series | Fox network shows | Italian television series | Italian animation | YTV shows | Fantasy television series | Winx Club | 2004 television program debuts | 2007 television program series endings
