Winx Club is an Italian animated television series directed, created, and produced by Iginio Straffi and his company Rainbow S.r.l.. It is part of the larger Winx Club franchise. The series is the first Italian cartoon to be sold in the U.S. Rainbow S.p.A. According to Iginio Straffi's website, "Winx Club is an action and fantasy show combined with comedic elements. In the mystical dimension of Magix, three special schools educate modern fairies, ambitious witches and supernatural warriors, and wizards from all over the magical universe.
Winx Club logo. 2009-present.
Plot
The story follows Bloom and her five best friends, Stella, Flora, Tecna, Musa and Layla/Aisha, and is situated mainly in the Magical Dimension and on Earth. They call themselves "The Winx Club" and go on countless magical and mystical adventures together. Throughout the story, they discover new evolved much stronger fairy transformations, unlock new secrets and even stronger magical powers, battle against the darkness and support Bloom as she tries to discover her true past, home world, and birth parents.
First season
Bloom, a supposedly ordinary girl from planet Earth, and her pet Kiko the Rabbit live a perfectly normal life in the city of Gardenia with her mother and father, until she stumbles upon Stella, a princess from the planet Solaria, who is in trouble. Coming to Stella's aid, Bloom discovers her dormant magical abilities when she dodges a group of monsters and attacks an ogre. Stella persuades Bloom to join Alfea, a college for fairies in the Magical Dimension. She agrees and leaves Gardenia and her parents. At Alfea, Bloom forms the "Winx Club", whose members are her four friends and roommates: Stella, and the three friends she meets at Alfea: Musa, Tecna, and Flora. Later in the series they encounter and befriend the Specialists: Brandon, Riven, Timmy and Sky, who also become their love interests. They also encounter their enemies, a trio of witches calling themselves the Trix: Icy, Darcy, and Stormy. They are witches from Cloud Tower, a college for witches and dark magic that is roughly equivalent to Alfea, and are in search of the vastly limitless energy and power of the Dragon Fire/Flame, which is supposedly in Stella's magic ring. However, they realize that the "Dragon Fire" is the very source of Bloom's magical strength and powers, which they try to steal from her. They make an army of decay which they sent to Red Fountain and Alfea. The witches from Cloud Tower join Alfea and together the defeat the Trix. During that time Bloom figures out that the Dragon Fire was in her the whole time. Bloom also begins to learn the secrets of her home world Domino/Sparks, birth parents, and magical abilities. Bloom is heartbroken by Brandon, who appears to be Prince Sky as he and the real Brandon switched identities, but she ends up forgiving Sky at the end of the season.
Second season
The Trix are sent to Lake Roccaluce, a place to turn evil minds pure and good. Bloom, Stella, Flora, Tecna and Musa discover a new fairy, Layla/Aisha, the fairy of waves and morphix fluids, from planet Andros/Tides and she becomes the sixth of the Winx Club. At an opening of the new Red Fountain Flora meets her love interest, Helia. Along with Layla there come lots of other magical, supernatural beings. The pixies, Lockette, Amore, Chatta, Digit, Tune and Piff. The Winx face a new enemy, Lord Darkar, who releases the Trix and makes them stronger. Bloom wants to know more about her birth parents-King Oritel and Queen Miriam- and her lost kingdom, but Darkar gives her a shadow virus. That virus turned Bloom evil and she began torturing Timmy. After Lord Darkar realizes that he needs more power to open the gateway to Realix, he instructs Avalon to turn Bloom evil once again. That is when he ditches the Trix and accepts Dark Bloom as his main witch. When they get to Realix, he tells Dark Bloom to give him the Ultimate Power. Unconsciously, she does so. In the end, it is Sky's mutually strong and true romantic love for Bloom that saves her and everybody else living...
Third season
Previously banished to the Omega Dimension, the Trix are able to escape with Valtor, an evil sorcerer partially responsible for the destruction of Bloom's home planet, Domino/Sparx. They choose to cooperate and plan to invade several areas in the realm of Magix and seek vengeance on those who imprisoned them, by stealing their exceptionally strong and powerful magical and mystical treasures and immeasurable power sources of each realm. With their newly strong and powerful Enchantix powers, Flora, Stella, Layla, Tecna, and Musa are able to use strong, incredible power and can miniaturize. Bloom, however, cannot miniaturize due to the fact that her Enchantix is not complete. The Winx begin their third and final year at Alfea, learning about their unique Enchantix transformations, acquired by selflessly sacrificing themselves for someone from their home world (or even everyone from every world, in what ends up being Tecna's case) and showing great courage in doing so. With no one from her home planet, Domino, to save, Bloom must acquire her Enchantix form and tremendous power on Pyros,the island of dragons. She also learns more about Domino, as well as the truth about where her birth parents, Oritel and Miriam,are.
Fourth season
Taking place after the events of Secret of the Lost Kingdom, The Winx are back at Alfea, but this time as the teachers. They learn about a new evolved fairy transformation and power called Believix, which can only be accessed when people in a non-magic world (such as Earth) start to truly believe in magic and fairies. Faragonda also teaches them that there are endless infinite stages of fairy evolution and transformation. The Winx Club also bump into the four Wizards of The Black Circle, a group of wizards who had trapped all of the fairies of Earth, and are back to get one they unknowingly left behind. The Winx girls and Specialists have to track the Wizards of the Black Circle to Gardenia, Bloom's Earth hometown, and save the last terrestrial Earth fairy, Roxy-the fairy of animals- while trying to get people on Earth to believe in magic once again by helping the Winx Club to touch peoples heart and inner feelings.
Change in licensing
In the United States, the license for 4KidsTV expired in 2007, and Rai Due sought out a new partner.
In early January 2011, it was announced that Keke Palmer will be playing the voice of Aisha, who is also known as Layla. In late March 2011, Molly Quinn announced she will be voicing Bloom. Josh Keaton announced that he will voice Valtor. Ariana Grande announced on 22 May via Twitter that she will be voicing minor villain Princess Diaspro in the new dub. Romi Dames has also announced that she will voice Musa and Helia will be played by David Faustino. Elizabeth Gillies is playing Daphne and Matt Shively is playing Sky. The first special's broadcast revealed that Amy Gross is voicing Stella, Alejandra Reynoso is voicing Flora, and Morgan Decker is voicing Tecna.
According to Micheal's Winx Club Website, the second movie Winx Club 3D Magical Adventure is scheduled to be aired in spring 2013. To coincide with the movie, a McDonald's promotion is currently scheduled to appear in April 2013.
Fifth season
The Winx Sirenix
Sirenix is the main fairy transformation of the season after Harmonix. Season five, titled "Beyond Believix",the Winx embark on a mission to achieve Sirenix, a water based transformation that is strong and powerful enough to defeat the evil Tritannus and the Trix. There are two new evolutionary fairy transformations in this season: Harmonix and Sirenix. the The Book of Sirenix gave them Sirenix Boxes, and much stronger Harmonix powers. Before they achieve Sirenix, they must find the Gem of Self-Confidence, Gem of Empathy, and the Gem of Courage. Unfortunately, there is a dark and evil curse upon Sirenix that left Bloom's older sister, Daphne, a disembodied spirit without a physical body when she had used its tremendous power to defend herself. Daphne was the last fairy to achieve Sirenix's ocean/sea-based transformation and enormous power until the Winx Club gain full access to Sirenix, and cross the gate into the infinite ocean itself. Finally, the Winx gain Sirenix after activating the source of the power in Lake Roccaluce. Unfortunately, the Trix gain dark Sirenix with the help of Tritannus and plan to defeat the Winx Club.
Sixth season
Season six has been confirmed to be co-produced by both Rainbow S.r.l and Nickelodeon. A third movie and a sixth season, airing both in 2013, as well as possibly more seasons since Rainbow mentioned that the fifth and sixth seasons will be beginning of taking Winx Club to "another level." Iginio Straffi has said that the series will continue at least through 2014, which means that Winx Club will have aired for 10 years.Their going to have this transformation c cybrix.
Fairy transformations and forms
In the first season, everyone is endowed their regular Winx/fairy form. This basic form usually consists of a sparkling and glittering cropped top and a sparkling, glittering miniskirt or mini-shorts. However, some Winx/fairy forms consist of sparkly dress or a full piece suit, which are clear examples of Flora and Tecna's Winx/fairy forms. Also, they usually, but not always, bear some sort of accessory on their arms such as wristbands, arm warmers or gloves. They also sometimes wear a matching hair ornament such as a tiara and their hair is occasionally tied while in this form. They also don boots or, most often, heeled shoes and sprout a pair of small, membranous, fluttering wings. It should be noted that Winx fairies cannot cover long distances and they are incapable of agile flight (see picture of the characters with their pixies). It is not the most powerful form, as it only allows a fairy to use basic attacks; but in a special case like Bloom, she can unleash her dragon flame which happens to be very intense; as seen in the final battle between Bloom and Icy in the first season.
In the second season, they get their second evolutionary fairy transformation and magical power, Charmix. They earn their Charmix by accomplishing something that helps them to get in touch with their true selves. They still wear their sparkly, glittery regular Winx/fairy outfits, but now they have a pin on their chest with a small gem and a small purse or waist bag that sits on the side of their miniskirt or mini shorts. However, in Flora's case, she has a shoulder bag and not a waist-bag like the others do.
In the third season, they get their Enchantix, which is their full-fledged fairy form. In their Enchantix form, the girls have much larger fairy wings that are much more sparkly, glittery, and elegant, which enable them to fly higher and longer distances and cleave through strong windstorms, as well out-fly predators and opponents. They also have a fairy dust vial, situated around their neck, usually suspended by a choker that contains and keeps sealed their fairy dust of tremendously powerful healing and spell-breaking properties. Bloom also uses her fairy dust vial to keep the tremendously powerful, magical essences of other worlds stored inside of it, as shown in, The Omega Mission when the Winx and the Specialist's are boarding the ship for flight back to Alfea. An Enchantix typically consists of above-the-elbow translucent gloves and barefoot sandals. They wear a very short dress or a small top with a miniskirt or mini shorts. Their hair grows longer and is elaborately arranged in loose tresses and high bunches; Tecna has a razored bob and Musa wears extremely long pigtails. A fairy earns her Enchantix by saving someone from her home world, with a great sacrifice on her part (excluding Bloom and Tecna- Bloom willed herself into her Enchantix and Tecna gave herself up for all of Magix, though that does include her home planet of Zenith). It should be noted that one does not actually have to be on one's home world when doing this. Enchantix is said to be 'the maximum or final fairy form that leads a fairy to her infinite energy' in the third season; but because the Winx didn't know about them yet, they manage to achieve Believix and Harmonix, which are even more powerful than Enchantix. Headmistress Faragonda is said to have already reached her Enchantix level.
In the fourth season, all of the Winx move on to their Believix, entering a more advanced fairy stage with larger wings and additional powers, including the ability to make people believe in fairies, hence the name. The form is earned by making a human believe in fairies. All six Winx girls become Believix fairies at the same time by convincing Roxy, the last fairy of Earth, to acknowledge the existence of fairies and subsequently embrace her own being. In their Believix form, they have three new types of wings with special powers. There is Speedix (much faster wings), Zoomix (short-distance teleportation), and Tracix (visions into the past and, possibly, future). A Believix outfit usually consists of a cropped top and a miniskirt or pants. The girls wear socks and heels and their hair is usually tied. They often wear fingerless gloves. Also, Believix powers have two new sub-transformations (Gifts of Destiny) added; Lovix (which gives them ice powers) and Sophix (which gives them the powers of plant and nature).
In the fifth season, the Winx evolve to Sirenix fairies; a power that enables a fairy to accelerate and use its magic properly underwater. Apart from the other seasons, the Winx got their Harmonix powers from their sirenix guardians, thus, not making the girls perform a specific 'task' to gain a new power. The wings get much smaller,(compared to Enchantix or Believix wings) but makes fairies accelerate faster underwater. They get much stronger and more powerful than ever (more than Believix). The Winx Club fairy outfits all look the same, only with minor changes and shades of colors. Their hair is tied with several hair bands and accessories (minus Tecna). The outfits are all the same, all girls are in a high low dress.(short in the front, long in the back). They wear heeled barefoot sandals, made of two ribbons attached around the feet and legs. When they cross the infinite ocean they got stronger wings and colored hair. Underwater purple, steams above and it is currently unknown whether the curse of Sirenix will affect the Trix or the Winx. There is a curse that left Daphne in her current state making this a dangerous transformation.
Characters
- Main article: Bloom
- Bloom is the fairy of the dragon flame.
- Main article: Stella
- Stella is the fairy of the shining sun.
- Main article: Flora
- Flora is the fairy of nature.
- Main article: Musa
- Musa is the fairy of music.
- Main article: Aisha
- Aisha is the fairy of waves.
- Main article: Tecna
- Tecna is the fairy of technology.
Broadcast history
In Italy, where the series was created, it has been broadcast on Rai Due since January 28, 2004. In the United States, it was licensed and dubbed into English by 4kids Entertainment and was broadcast on Fox's programming block 4Kids TV beginning on June 19, 2004, with a preview episode airing on May 22, 2004. 4Kids TV continued its initial run until September 22, 2007, airing all three seasons. Winx Club was added back to the 4kids TV schedule on April 12, 2008 and was aired up until December 27, 2008. On July 18, 2009, reruns of Winx Club then aired on the CW's programming block CW4Kids until July 17, 2010. Cartoon Network aired Winx Club in 2005 on their afternoon block Miguzi. Another English dub produced by Cinelume in association with Rai Due has been broadcast in Singapore, season 4 in Australia, and is featured as an alternate English language track on several European DVD releases.
Nickelodeon acquired the rights to the franchise in 2010 and is currently producing a new English dub in Los Angeles. Nickelodeon started airing the series with four-one hour specials summarizing seasons one and two. The first special aired on June 27, 2011, the second one "Revenge of the Trix" was aired on August 2, 2011, the third one "The Battle for Magix" aired on September 18, 2011 and the fourth one "The Shadow Phoenix" aired on October 16, 2011. The third season, "Winx Club: Enchantix", was aired on Nickelodeon from November 14, 2011 to December 26, 2011. The fourth season, "Winx Club: The Power of Believix", aired on Nickelodeon from May 6, 2012 to July 29, 2012. The fifth season, "Winx Club: Beyond Believix", premiered on Nickelodeon on August 26, 2012 and its season finale will air sometime in late 2013. The fifth season aired the show's first ever Christmas special which aired December 9, 2012.