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This article is an overview of the series and its characters. For information about events in the series, see: Timeline (Winx Club).
Winx Club is an animated fantasy/adventure series created by Iginio Straffi, a former comic book artist. It is produced by Rainbow SpA, a studio co-owned by Straffi and Viacom, in co-production with RAI and Nickelodeon (also owned by Viacom). The series has also spawned three feature-length movies and multiple spin-offs, including a live-action adaptation aimed at young adults.
In 2010, Winx Club was revamped when Nickelodeon began co-developing new seasons of the series. Nickelodeon's parent company, Viacom, became a co-owner of Rainbow SpA the following year. Iginio Straffi has continued to work with Nick on both Winx and new shows. Almost a decade after their collaboration started, Straffi commented in a 2019 interview: "the know-how of Rainbow and the know-how of Nickelodeon are very complementary."
Synopsis
“Winx Club is a modern fantasy saga revolving around six fairies and their adventures. The protagonists Bloom, Stella, Flora, Aisha, Tecna and Musa live their daily life on Magix world, among lessons, loves, quarrels and moments of strong friendship. At any moment, when needed, they can transform into super-heroines, ready to defeat evil and save who is in danger.”
“In this animated fantasy, a girl named Bloom befriends a band of fairies, then follows them into the secretive and dangerous "Magical Dimension." Fun adventures and cool new friends are only part of what's great about being a fairy. The universe is so magical!”
Development Stages
- Main article: Concepts/Winx Club
The pilot episode for Winx Club was finished in 2001, originally called "Magic Bloom". The first sketches for the pilot were drawn by Iginio Straffi himself in 1999. When the pilot episode was screened for test audiences, Straffi found that they did not like its medieval-inspired look. He asked for help from designers to redesign the characters.
In this first draft of Winx Club, the girls were to be younger. Bloom, Stella, and Tecna's appearances were kept relatively unchanged, but Flora's and Musa's appearances were much different. Flora originally had light purple hair and glasses, while Musa had short green hair. All of the characters' fairy forms are different as well.
After the first season began production, the series' name was changed to "Winx, Just Fairies" in 2002, and then to "Winx Club" in 2003. Iginio Straffi based the title on the English word "wings".
Timeline
Season 1
- Main article: Season 1 (Winx Club)
The Winx Club in Season 1.
From left to right: Flora, Stella, Musa, Tecna and Bloom.
An ordinary girl from Planet Earth, Bloom lives a perfectly normal life in the city of Gardenia until she meets Stella, a Princess from the planet Solaria, who is in trouble. Going to Stella's aid, Bloom discovers her magical powers. Stella persuades Bloom to join Alfea, the best fairy school in all the realms.
In Alfea, Bloom forms Winx Club, whose members are her four friends and roommates - Stella, Musa, Tecna, and Flora. Later, they encounter and befriend the Specialists - Brandon, Riven, Timmy, and Sky, who will also become their love interests (minus Flora as hers comes in the next season.) The Winx Club members also encounter a trio of witches from Cloud Tower - Icy, Darcy, and Stormy, who are known as Trix. Trix are in search of the power of the Dragon's Flame and their ruthless pursuit lead to many encounters and battles with Winx Club. Bloom also begins to learn the secrets of her planet, parents, and powers.
Season 2
- Main article: Season 2 (Winx Club)
The Winx Club in Season 2 with their newest member, Aisha.
After their summer vacation, the Winx Club returns to Alfea to begin their second year. They meet a new fairy, Aisha, who asks for their help in rescuing her Pixie friends held hostage by Lord Darkar. Lord Darkar is actually the "Shadow Phoenix" who wants to take control of the magical realm. In order to do so, he has to find out where the Pixies' Village is in order to steal the four pieces of Codex which open the portal to the Realm of Relix, where the Ultimate Power can be found. The Trix also meets Lord Darkar and serves him. Meanwhile, Winx Club learn how to obtain their Charmix. A "new teacher" arrives in Alfea and turns Bloom into Dark Bloom to serve Lord Darkar. With Dark Bloom's help, Lord Darkar opens the portal to the Realm of Relix. All seems lost. In the last moment, Sky confesses his true feelings towards Bloom, which changes Dark Bloom back to her normal self. Bloom then heals everyone and defeats Lord Darkar. After the battle, Bloom and the others go back to Alfea and celebrate. Aisha also joins Winx Club while Stella has a big fashion deal going on.
Season 3
The Winx uniting in an Enchantix Convergence.
- Main article: Season 3 (Winx Club)
The Winx Club begin their third year at Alfea and learn about Valtor, the new villain for Season 3. He is an evil wizard trying to destroy the Winx and conquer Magix with the Trix's help. The Winx earn a new transformation; Enchantix. With Enchantix, water stars, and fairy dust, they are able to destroy Valtor and regain peace in the Magic Dimension.
Season 4
- Main article: Season 4
The Winx Club, calling out "Winx Believix!" with their new member, Roxy.
The Winx Club is back! Now they will have to reach the Believix level, a new transformation that grant the ability to make someone believe in magic. In addition, Believix also gives 3 additional wings to make the form more powerful: Speedix (speed enhancement), Zoomix (teletransportation), and Tracix (travel through time). They will also meet the Wizards of the Black Circle, a group of villains who are after the last fairy on Earth, in order to gain full power. Winx Club will have to find her protect her from the the Wizards, but they have to go unnoticed. In order to live on Earth, they will open a pet shop named Love & Pet and meet Roxy, a girl who works at the Frutti Music Bar. Soon they will find out that Roxy is the last fairy on Earth! In the process, Roxy is able to discover her powers, and believing in herself and in Winx Club, will turn into a fairy and will help Winx Club drive away the Wizards and rescue the imprisoned fairies. However, they now have to face the fairies of Earth and their Queen Morgana, who are seeking revenge on humans for not having believed in them: this has made them weaker and they have been imprisoned by the Wizards. Winx Club are forced into an uneasy alliance with the Wizards as they now race to save humanity. Will the Winx Club prevail?
Season 5
- Main article: Season 5
The Winx Club in Season 5.
The Winx Club are back. This time the Winx will have their journey underwater and will have to face a new dreadful villain, Tritannus. He was a normal triton who was mutated into a powerful monster caused by pollution. His main goal is to rule all the world by entering the Infinite Ocean!
The Believix power is not strong enough underwater, as the Believix wings are useless when they become wet hence the Winx start a challenging quest to get the ancient Sirenix power and become Ocean Fairies.
Wonderful sea creatures such as the Selkies will help the fairies in this “Underwater Mission”. Will the Winx manage to save the Magic Dimension? Will they prevent Tritannus from becoming the evil Emperor of the Infinite Ocean?
Season 6
- Main article: Season 6
The Winx Club in Season 6.
A new witch named Selina attends Cloud Tower. She owns an evil book called the Legendarium and through it she is able to make legends come true. The Trix take over Cloud Tower and make it fly, then order Selina to summon legendary creatures out of the Legendarium and unleash them against the schools of the Magic Dimension. Bloom leads the Winx against the witches, but the Winx, excluding Bloom, accidentally lose their powers: will the Winx manage to get their fairy powers back and save the schools of the Magic Dimension, threatened by the legendary creatures? Comedy, action, friendship, romance, in a new exciting adventure for the Winx Club fans... and everyone else!
Season 7
- Main article: Season 7
The Winx Club and Faragonda in Season 7.
Each fairy animal has a special talent, necessary for the balance of the Magic Universe. The Winx will discover this, while facing two new dreadful villains and getting new amazing transformations along their journey!
Winx Club series 7 carries on the theme of recent Winx releases by carrying a strong environmental message. In this adventure the fairies discover the real importance of the rare Fairy Animals, which they must save from Kalshara, an evil shape-shifter and her clumsy brother, Brafilius. The theme of endangered animals recurs throughout the series as the Winx establish an Animal Rescue Park on Earth, where they look after vulnerable animals such as pandas and tigers. The girls also undertake missions in the Magic Dimension and Earth to raise public awareness about the animal cause. This builds to their final mission – to discover the ultimate power of the Fairy Animals, which can give control over all the animals of the Magic Universe.
Season 8
- Main article: Season 8
It's the night of the shooting stars on Magix and the Winx are ready for a magic party at Alfea. But a little creature called Twinkly reaches them after a long journey, bringing an urgent message: they are the only ones who can save the stars!
Following their little new friend, the Winx will set off on a cosmic adventure guided by the Lumens, creatures that generate magic stardust. Thanks to them, the six fairies will get a new amazing light-based transformation to fight against unpredictably mysterious threats that are endangering the Magic Universe.
Will they beat the shadows that loom over the stars? And who is hiding behind all this?
Winx Club: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom
- Main article: Winx Club: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom
Winx Club in Movie 1.
At Alfea College, Stella, Aisha, Flora, Musa, and Tecna all graduate and become fairy guardians of their home planets. Since the witches destroyed Bloom's home planet, she must watch graduation from the sidelines. Daphne, Bloom's sister, tells Bloom that there is still hope of saving their parents. Together the Winx travel to Domino to find King Oritel's sword and revive Bloom's birth parents and the entire planet. This is no small feat, especially with evil sorceress on their glittery heels.
Winx Club 3D: Magical Adventure
- Main article: Winx Club 3D: Magical Adventure
Winx Club in Movie 2.
Reunited with her birth parents, Oritel and Marion, Bloom discovers what it is like to live as a princess of Domino. Adding to her joy at being with her parents is the upcoming Princess Ball, which Sky has asked Bloom to attend with him! But Bloom's happiness is short lived when Sky is forbidden by his own father to escort her. Meanwhile, the evil Ancestral Witches who had once destroyed Domino join forces with the Trix - Icy, Darcy, and Stormy - to erase all positive magic from the Magic Dimension. To reverse the effects of the Witches' devastating reign of darkness, the Winx and the Specialists must travel to the cursed city of Avram and come face to face with the Trix and the Ancestral Witches. Only by defeating the witches can the Winx restore the positive magic in the entire dimension and regain their own powers.
Winx Club: The Mystery of the Abyss
- Main article: Winx Club: The Mystery of the Abyss
Winx Club in Movie 3.
Characters
- Main article: Winx (Group)
The Winx act as the titular group of protagonists for the series. Consisting entirely of fairies attending the Alfea School for Fairies, the Winx are led by Bloom, the lead protagonist out of the group, and act as the Magic Dimension's Guardian Fairies after their heroic exploits have saved it on multiple occasions.
Bloom
- Main article: Bloom
As stated earlier, Bloom is the leader of the Winx Club. She is the Fairy of the Dragon Flame as well as its current Keeper. Initially, she lived under the care of her foster parents, Mike and Vanessa, until she discovered her dormant magical powers after coming to the aid of another fairy, Stella. After arriving at Alfea, she gradually discovered the source of her powers to be the the ancient Dragon's Flame which, while powerful, often makes her the target of various villains.
She is the princess of her birth planet, Domino, and the sole survivor of its destruction at the hands of the Ancestral Witches. Her biological parents are Oritel and Marion, the king and queen of Domino respectively. Bloom also owns a blueish gray bunny named Kiko. Her bonded companions include Lockette: the Pixie of Portals, Serena: Gatekeeper of Domino's Ocean Gate, and Elas the unicorn. Her fairy pet is Belle the sheep. Lastly, Sky, the Crown Prince of Eraklyon, is her fiancé.
Stella
- Main article: Stella
Stella is the Fairy of the Shining Sun. She is a talkative student who often gets average or below average grades thanks to her disdain for schoolwork, but she always pulls through with the help from her friends. She tends to be spontaneous and dislikes extensive planning, but she is able to recognize when her help is needed. Stella is also infamous among the Alfea community for blowing up the Alfea Potions Laboratory during her first year, which led to her expulsion.
She is the sole princess of the planet Solaria, being the daughter of its king, Radius and former queen, Luna. Her bonded companions include Amore: the Pixie of Love, Illiris: Gatekeeper of the Solarian Ocean Gate, and Shiny the Shinygreed. Her fairy pet is Ginger the poodle. Brandon, Prince Sky's loyal squire, is Stella's fiancé.
Flora
- Main article: Flora
Flora is the Fairy of Nature. She is a very kind-hearted and sensitive girl with a passion for nature and life. This passion of hers causes her room to resemble a greenhouse often and has allowed her to understand the voice of nature itself. Happy and introverted, she is always a sweet, loyal friend that does not believe in hurting others or the environment, especially as the latter case has been shown to bring her physical harm in later seasons.
Flora comes from the planet Linphea. Her bonded companions include Chatta: the Pixie of Gossip, Desiryee: Gatekeeper of Linphea's Ocean Gate, and Amarok the Magiwolf. Her fairy pet is Coco the cat. Her boyfriend is Helia, grandson (or nephew) to the Red Fountain headmaster, Saladin.
Musa
- Main article: Musa
Musa is the Fairy of Music and, as such, loves all forms of music, especially classical. Although she tries to put up a tough front by isolating herself or by acting either pessimistic, snarky or more tough, Musa is a very loyal and caring friend. She is also very emotionally vulnerable, which she tried to hide with a tough exterior until softening thanks to the presence of her friends. However, despite the support she got from her friends and boyfriend, Riven, she still remains somewhat insecure.
Musa hails from the planet Melody. Her bonded companions include Tune: the Pixie of Manners—later replaced by Cherie: the Pixie of Weather—Sonna: Gatekeeper of Melody's Ocean Gate, and Critty the Quillcat. Her fairy pet is Pepe the bear. Her boyfriend is Riven, who breaks up with her in Season 6 and returns in Season 8.
Tecna
- Main article: Tecna
Tecna is the Fairy of Technology. She is always logical and rational, and initially had trouble expressing her emotions. As such, she speaks in a technical, matter-of-fact manner, which is reflective of her extreme intellect, especially concerning technology and mathematics. She also enjoys playing video games. Though she may act cold and rational at times, Tecna always tries to do the right thing for the sake of those around her.
Tecna comes from the planet Zenith. Her bonded companions include Digit: Pixie of Nanotechnology—later replaced by Caramel: Pixie of Super Strength—Lithia: Gatekeeper of Zenith's Ocean Gate, and Flitter the Techsquirrel. Her fairy pet is Chicko, the chick. Her boyfriend is Timmy.
Aisha
- Main article: Aisha
Aisha is the Fairy of Waves with her primary source of power being Morphix. Debuting in Season 2, Aisha meets the Winx Club when she needs their help in rescuing the pixies from the main antagonist of the season, Lord Darkar. She is very athletic and has a love of all sports. As such, Aisha is the most physical of the Winx and her skills even match those of the Specialists, who are trained to be more physically adept at fighting and other things. She is also emotionally vulnerable due to her upbringing, which has also made her into more of a skeptic compared to the other Winx girls. Because of her responsibility and determined nature, Aisha also sometimes acts as either the group's leader whenever Bloom is away or co-leader directly under Bloom.
She is the daughter of Andros' king, Teredor, and its queen, Niobe, making her its sole princess. Her bonded companions include Piff: the Pixie of Sweet Dreams, Lemmy: Gatekeeper of Andros' Ocean Gate, and Squonk the Cry-Cry. Her fairy pet is Milly the rabbit. Initially, Aisha was engaged to the late Nabu, but her current boyfriend is Nex.
Roxy
- Main article: Roxy
Roxy is the Fairy of Animals, as well as the youngest and weakest Winx girl. She is a somewhat moody tomboy who loves caring for animals. Roxy knows countless facts about wildlife, even being able to identify bugs by their scientific names. She is very headstrong, a bit stubborn, and reserved. Roxy grew up in Gardenia with her father Klaus and her dog Artu. She works as a bartender at her father's bar.
Roxy debuts in Season 4. The Winx are sent to Earth to protect Roxy from the Wizards of the Black Circle, who want to capture her and harness her powers. After learning that she is a fairy, Roxy adamantly tries to maintain her normal life, but later comes to accept her magical identity. She becomes the Winx Club's seventh fairy and joins the fight against the Wizards. By the end of the season, it is revealed that her estranged mother is Morgana, Queen of the Earth Fairies, making Roxy their crown princess.
- Main article: Specialists (Group)
The Specialists are a group of students who attend an all-boys school near Alfea known as the Red Fountain School for Heroics and Bravery. Several Specialists have become the boyfriends of the Winx girls.
Sky
- Main article: Sky
The Crown Prince and sole heir to the throne of his homeworld of Eraklyon. Sky often feels stifled by his position as it tends to force him into sacrificing his own personal happiness and freedom with constant royal training. Despite this though, he has a strong sense of duty to his people, so he endures whatever he dislikes or even causes him great distress so long as it means he will become a suitable ruler in the future. He also acts as the leader of his squad of Specialists.
Sky was once engaged to Diaspro, the princess of a nearby kingdom, purely to ensure the prosperity of Eraklyon, but he later broke off the engagement due to his relationship with Bloom, to whom he is currently engaged.
Brandon
- Main article: Brandon
Sky's squire and best friend, a great swordsman and ladies' man. Much like Stella, Brandon can be self-centered, silly and easy-going, but remains loyal and protective when it comes to his friends and loved ones. However, unlike Stella, Brandon maintains good grades at Red Fountain and is even one of the top students in his class next to Sky.
In earlier seasons, Brandon acts as a serial flirt and jokester, constantly trying to woo as many girls as he can, until he and Stella formed a relationship together. Ever since then, he has remained fiercely loyal to Stella, renouncing his flirtatious ways, and has become more serious. Currently, he and Stella are engaged.
Timmy
- Main article: Timmy
Acting as the group strategist, Timmy tends to act like a geek sometimes, as his fondness for technology and robotics stems from him being from a long line of scientists. Timmy can be bashful and chicken-hearted but also level-headed and resourceful, which has helped him maintain his status as the brains of his squad of Specialists. In more recent seasons, he has become much braver and more involved in battles, where he showcases his skills as the group's marksman. He is also Tecna's boyfriend.
Riven
- Main article: Riven
The stubborn maverick of the group who carries himself as a lone wolf. With a knack for sports and combat coupled with his overly competitive personality, Riven sees himself as Sky's rival and often tries to outdo the prince to prove himself as a more capable leader for his squad of Specialists. He is very prideful of his skills and pragmatism, and is quicker to anger and confrontation than his fellow Specialists; opting to "punch first and ask questions later." Though he settles down as the series progresses, Riven's confrontational attitude is still at the forefront of his character.
Riven is, by definition, a chauvinist, due to his initial hostility and mistrust towards women as a result of his mother abandoning him when he was a child and later manipulation at the hands of villainesses like Darcy and Mandragora. Despite this, he learns to trust women more, made evident by his friendship with the Winx and his relationship with Musa, but his personality still proved troublesome with the latter. His relationship with Musa was very on-and-off until it led to a more permanent breakup in Season 6, which also resulted in Riven quitting the Specialists and leaving to better himself. By Season 8, he has returned to his place on his squad of Specialists and over time, after some hardships, he got back together with Musa.
Helia
- Main article: Helia
The most mature of the group, Helia showcases many talents like his affinity for the arts and his skills as a great pilot. He is the grandson (or nephew) of Saladin, the Headmaster of Red Fountain, but despite this, Helia originally dropped out of Red Fountain a year before his debut to pursue the arts. He later returns by Season 2, believing that his initial leave was a simple act of rebellion.
Helia is also a pacifist; preferring to restrain his enemies over hurting them, which can be seen with his choice of weapon, the Laser String Glove. He is a notable romantic, spending his free time dabbling in art and poetry, and is typically not shy about being direct with his opinions. However, he tends to only speak when he feels it is necessary, so he is usually portrayed as quiet. He is also Flora's boyfriend.
Nabu
- Main article: Nabu
Only son to the wealthiest family on Andros, Nabu was initially engaged to Aisha as part of an arrangement made by her parents, the king and queen without his knowledge. This prompted him to run away from home to Magix to see what his new fiancée would be like under the alias "Ophir" until he was caught by her and her friends. Eventually, Nabu fell for Aisha and the two dated for awhile until Nabu proposed in Season 4.
Nabu is a kind-hearted young wizard with a wide array of magical skills that range from invisibility to teleportation. Fun-loving and headstrong, Nabu displays a friendly, laid-back attitude which stems from his desire to enjoy his newfound freedom due to spending most of his childhood isolated from society. He is also a quick thinker, which helps him adapt to his constantly-changing environments, both in and out of battle. Patient, honest and kind, Nabu enjoys acting as a mediator for his friends, which helped him form an especially strong friendship with Riven, who is arguably the most difficult person to get along with out of the group. However, Nabu can also be reckless, as showcased by his running away from home upon hearing of his arranged marriage, and confrontational as, once he gets into a battle, he will not let up until he is either knocked out or his enemy is either defeated or has fled.
Unfortunately, Nabu's life was cut short when he sacrificed himself to save his friends and the Earth Fairies from the Wizards of the Black Circle. By Season 5, it is made clear that Nabu has died.
Nex
- Main article: Nex
A Specialist (former paladin by Season 8) who wields the Halberd of the Wind, Nex is Thoren's closest friend. Hot-headed and arrogant, Nex tends to act like a showboat and a flirt. He is easily agitated by those who appear more skillful than him and will often try to show them up to prove his own worth to those around him. As such, Nex appears like he is always looking for contests of skill, which can make him seem immature for his age, even more so when it comes to girls as most of his initial interactions with the Winx consisted of him trying to show off in attempts to flirt with them.
While he displays some negative personality traits, Nex can be courageous and caring when the time calls for it, even to those who do not like him. He is also fun-loving as he genuinely enjoys a challenge and does not let himself get needlessly upset when he loses friendly competitions, as he may even compliment whoever beat him. He can also be rather shy when it comes to girls as seen when he falls for and later begins dating Aisha as he often stutters around her and tries to pick himself up when he speaks his earnest feelings without meaning to, showing how shy he can be.
- Main article: Paladin
The Paladins are a group of warriors who specialize in handling magic weapons similarly to the Specialists. As of Season 6, only two paladins were introduced; both of which became Daphne and Aisha's respective love interests. In the case of Nex, he later becomes a Specialist by Season 8.
Thoren
- Main article: Thoren
A paladin who wields the Earthquake Hammer, Thoren is Sky's estranged cousin. Unlike Sky, Thoren is more gentle and passive. Initially more skittish, Thoren was scared by many things as a child, which unfortunately led to an incident that caused Sky to believe he had abandoned him during an ambush that later acted as fuel for Sky's animosity towards him.
Thoren, on the other hand, was jealous of Sky for his more daring heroism, which caused him to view himself as a coward. As a result, Thoren wishes to be helpful and as he often tries to help people with their issues even when he barely knows them, like in the case of the Winx throughout Season 6.
Thoren also forms a relationship with Daphne, Crown Princess of Domino and Bloom's elder sister. Despite only knowing her for what seemed like a short time, he and Daphne are wed by the Season 6 finale.
The Trix
- Main article: Trix (Group)
As the most recurring villains in the series, this trio of witches is considered to be its main antagonists. The Trix (Icy, Darcy and Stormy) were initially senior witches who all attended the Cloud Tower School for Witches and acted more as rivals to the Winx before graduating to full-on villainy during the latter half of Season 1. Since then, the Trix have gone on to aid or even be aided by a majority of the series' other antagonists such as Darkar, Valtor (twice), Tritannus, Selina and even Brafilius.
The Trix act as the main antagonists of Seasons 1 and 6, and are minor antagonists for Seasons 2, 3, 5, the last few episodes of Season 7 and halfway through Season 8.
Lord Darkar
- Main article: Darkar
Lord Darkar acts as the main antagonist of Season 2. Also known as the Shadow Phoenix, a being created as the evil opposite to the Great Dragon, Darkar strives to obtain the complete Codex as it would allow him entrance into the fabled realm of Relix where the Ultimate Power is held. After releasing the Trix from the Fortress of Light and granting them the Gloomix power-up, he has the witch trio collect the Codex for him, causing him to eventually set his sights on Bloom, whose status as current Keeper of the Dragon Flame made her the final key in obtaining the Ultimate Power. Unfortunately for him, however, his plans are foiled at the very last moment and he is destroyed in a powerful convergence by the Winx.
Valtor
- Main article: Valtor
Valtor is the main antagonist of Seasons 3 and 8. Born as a creation of the Ancestral Witches from a corrupted spark of the Dragon Flame, Valtor was trained by them to become the most devastating wizard to exist. Prior to the events of the series, Valtor aids in the destruction of Domino but is defeated by its rulers, Oritel and Marion, and hauled off to the Omega Dimension to spend eternity frozen in ice. However, he is released prematurely by the Trix, who were also banished to Omega and, from there, Valtor begins to exact his revenge and conquer the Magic Dimension.
With the Trix as his allies (or underlings with how he treated them), Valtor went on to pilfer numerous realms of their strongest spells, tomes and magical artifacts, growing in strength as a result. All the while, Valtor planned to exact his revenge on Bloom for being the sole surviving offspring of the two who defeated him and sought to make her life, as well as the lives of the Winx, miserable before crushing them himself. He is ultimately defeated by Bloom by having his own spark of the Dragon Flame snuffed out by her, but inexplicably returns years later somehow unharmed.
Wizards of the Black Circle
- Main article: Wizards of the Black Circle
The Wizards of the Black Circle, also known as the Fairy Hunters, are the main antagonists of Season 4 and consist of four wizards named Ogron, Anagan, Gantlos and Duman.
Unlike other antagonists that have appeared in the series, the Wizards of the Black Circle have long since achieved their goal in dominating the Earth Fairies; wiping them out in an event known as the Great Fairy Hunt, and have stripped the Earth of its magic in the process. By Season 4, the Wizards have realized they have made a grave mistake in their plans as there still exists one last Earth Fairy. Initially, they mistake the Last Earth Fairy to be Bloom, unaware of her true origins until their ambush fails, and move on to hunting down Roxy once they realize it is her.
They spend the season trying to clip Roxy of her wings to ensure their dominance but later go into hiding once the Earth Fairies are freed from the imprisonment they put them under. By the end of the season, Duman is slain by Nabu and the three remaining wizards are frozen during a battle against the Winx and Nebula before falling into the bottommost crevice within Omega.
Tritannus
- Main article: Tritannus
Tritannus is the main antagonist of Season 5. As one of the twin princes to the Triton Throne of Andros, Tritannus always felt resentment and jealousy toward Nereus, his better-loved brother. His sour attitude ultimately ends up helping Nereus be crowned by their father, Triton King Neptune, which pushes Tritannus over the edge, prompting him to attack his family on the day of Nereus' coronation in the hopes of killing both him and Neptune so he could take the throne for himself. However, he is quickly subdued, unmasked and disowned before being taken to the Prison of Andros as per his father's orders. While in prison, he meets the infamous Trix, escapes with them and learns that he can absorb and convert pollution into powerful dark magic.
With his newfound powers and companions (one of which he ends up dating), Tritannus steals the power of the Guardian Selkies to open an Ocean Gate into the Infinite Ocean where the Emperor's Throne lies. In his attempts to activate it and become Emperor of All Oceans, Tritannus captures and tortures Daphne, bestowing her Sirenix powers to the Trix, and tries stealing the seals of the Pillars of the Infinite Ocean; all of which backfires horribly, resulting in his defeat and later banishment to Oblivion.
Selina
- Main article: Selina
Selina is one of the main antagonists of Season 6. She happens to be a childhood friend of Bloom's (possibly her only friend) and initially trained under Eldora, the Fairy Godmother, to become a fairy herself. Together, they discovered the Legendarium, a book capable of bringing the legends contained in it to life. Additionally, an evil wizard by the name of Acheron was trapped in it. Selina, coaxed by Acheron's promises of power, became a witch after accepting his offer. Christened as the Witch of Snakes, Selina ran off from Gardenia to one day free her new master from within the Legendarium.
To make this a reality, Selina enrolls herself into Cloud Tower and takes the Trix's invasion as an opportunity to directly work under them in exchange for whatever power they could acquire. By the end of the season, after she is discarded by Acheron, Selina renounces her evil ways, returns to Eldora's side and becomes a fairy once more.
Acheron
- Main article: Acheron
Acheron is the other main antagonist of Season 6. He is a wizard who created the Legendarium but became trapped in it. One day, he convinces Selina to work for him by promising her great powers in exchange for freeing him. He is freed at the end of the season but is defeated by Bloom.
Kalshara
- Main article: Kalshara
Kalshara is one of the main antagonists of Season 7. She is the sister of Brafilius and has the ability to shape shift at will. At the end of the season, Kalshara dies by falling into a bottomless pit in the Magix Underground World.
Brafilius
- Main article: Brafilius
Brafilius is one of the main antagonists of Season 7. He is the brother of Kalshara and is clumsy. At the end of the season, Brafilius befriends the animals of the Magix Underground World.
Details About the Show
Magic Winx Charmix
Winx Club was created by the Italian comic artist Iginio Straffi. The show's animation studio, Rainbow SpA, is co-owned by Straffi and the American company Viacom. Viacom is also the owner of Nickelodeon, which co-developed the fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons of the show (as well as the TV specials).
From the beginning of the show's development, Iginio Straffi planned to only produce three seasons. He outlined the show's overarching story to conclude with the third season. However, he had to change his plans after the show became internationally popular around 2007. Profits from the Winx series were singlehandedly financing the company's other projects. Straffi was compelled to continue the show to keep the Rainbow studio afloat; in a later interview, he stated that "without the Winx, Rainbow probably wouldn't exist right now."[1]
Starting with the fifth season, Iginio Straffi changed the show's target demographic to a younger audience. Some fans have incorrectly blamed Viacom (co-owner of Rainbow since 2011) for this decision, when it was actually Straffi who chose to aim the show at younger children. Reflecting on this, Straffi said in 2019: "Nowadays, it's very difficult to get a 10-year-old to watch cartoons. They all go for the live-action... When your [new] target is 4-to-8, your story cannot have the same level of complexity as the beginning seasons of Winx... The fans of the previous Winx Club say on social media that the new seasons are childish, but they don't know that we had to do that."[2]
Also since the fifth season, Straffi has taken a step back from focusing on Winx as much as he did in its early years; when asked if he was bored of the show, he replied, "Let's just say I've moved onto other projects."[3] At Rainbow's request, Nickelodeon assembled a team of prolific crew members to work on the show in 2010. The Nick staff had ample experience in writing for the audience that Straffi was looking for; Winx writers like Janice Burgess, Adam Peltzman, and Jeff Borkin had worked in Nick's preschool division for many years.
For the new seasons' music, Nickelodeon's lyricist McPaul Smith and composer Peter Zizzo collaborated with the Italian team. Zizzo, a Grammy Award winner, was the composer and writer for many individual songs including We Are Believix and Way of Sirenix. Viacom also cast new American voice actors to record their brand-new episodes at the Atlas Oceanic studio, near Hollywood. Ariana Grande (Diaspro), Liz Gillies (Daphne), Matt Shively (Sky), Daniella Monet (Mitzi), and other Nickelodeon stars lent their voices to the characters. This marked the first time that English audio tracks were used to animate the show's characters, rather than the Italian voices.
In 2014, Rainbow went through a period of financial issues. Their high-budget animated film Gladiators of Rome lost tens of millions at the box office, and Viacom Italy was devalued by millions as a direct result of their stake in Rainbow. This led to budget cuts for the seventh season of Winx Club, which had been announced by Nick and Rainbow in April 2014. The 3D computer-generated segments and Hollywood voice actors, both of which were highlights in the previous two seasons, were deemed too costly to keep using. The season eventually premiered in June 2015 on Nickelodeon Asia. This would be the last season to be animated with the characters' original designs, as well as the last season of the main series until almost half a decade later, in 2019.
An eighth season premiered in 2019. The show was completely redesigned for these episodes, with the characters appearing much younger in order to appeal to an even younger target audience. No major plot points from the previous episodes were carried over. Behind the scenes, most of the essential crew members from prior seasons were not called back for this season. When asked if she would be continuing in the eighth season, Elisa Rosselli (singer for almost every Winx song since 2007) stated in an interview, "No, I didn't get a call."[4] This season is also notably the first without involvement from art director Simone Borselli, who was responsible for the finalized character models used from seasons 2-7.
Broadcast History
In Italy, the series was broadcast on Rai Due from January 28, 2004 until April 7, 2014. The series was moved to Rai Gulp from July 27, 2014 onwards, starting with the fifteenth episode of Season 6. For the eighth season, which began on April 15, 2019, the series was again moved to Rai YoYo, a preschool channel.
In 2011, the American company Viacom became a co-owner of Rainbow S.r.l. and Viacom's Nickelodeon co-developed new seasons of the show. Viacom cast American voice actors to record the show at the Atlas Oceanic studio, near Hollywood. Nickelodeon U.S. premiered the series on June 27, 2011, beginning with four-one hour specials summarizing seasons one and two. Seasons 3 and 4 were re-recorded by the Hollywood actors and aired from 2011 to 2012.
The brand-new seasons 5, 6, and 7, co-produced with Nickelodeon, aired soon after. Season 7 made its world premiere on Nickelodeon Asia on June 22, 2015. Nickelodeon UK aired it next, on July 4, 2015. It was later aired on Rai Gulp (September 21, 2015) and Nick Jr. in the United States (January 10, 2016). For this season, both the CGI segments and the Hollywood voice actors from the previous two seasons were considered too expensive at a time when Rainbow was undergoing financial difficulties. As a result, the season was done entirely in 2D animation, and English voice actors from the dubbing facility DuArt were hired. This was also the last season to be animated with the characters' original designs.
The series has been aired in over 150 countries, mostly on Nickelodeon's various international outlets. Despite being heavily inspired by Japanese animation, Winx Club has not been aired in Japan, as foreign production companies must pay for their shows to be given airtime there. The spin-off World of Winx was dubbed in Japanese, the first time the characters ever received official Japanese voices.
Other Media
Publications
An ongoing monthly comic book series based on Winx Club has been published since 2004. Its storyline is divided into seasons to follow the animated series, but it usually contains new stories. Some of the comic series' elements, like the Stones of Memories, made their debut in the comics years before appearing in the TV series.
A CGI feature film, Winx Club: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom, was announced in late 2006, and released on 30 November 2007. Internationally, it was mainly released direct-to-video. The plot of the film revolves around Bloom's origins, and takes place after the events of the third season. The official website for the film covers several markets, with release dates and other information.
At the Licensing Expo 2008 in New York, Rainbow announced the production of a second film, slated to premiere in 2010. It was later announced in spring 2010 that it would be titled Winx Club 3D: Magical Adventure and it would be Italy's first-ever movie in stereoscopic 3D, with a release date of October 29. A 10-minute promo reel was shown at the Giffoni Film Festival in July.
Theater
In September 2005, the "Winx Power" musical show began in Italy. After a successful tour in Italy, it also expanded to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal. November 2008 also saw the launch of "Winx On Ice", an ice show starring Carolina Kostner. At the 2019 Giffoni Film Festival, Rainbow held a "Rainbow Day" event where the Winx performed a show together with Riccardo Frascari as "JJ", from Rainbow's other show Club 57.
Video Games
Winx Club games have been released for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Wii, and Microsoft Windows. Most of the Winx Club games are published by Konami; Winx Club: Believix in You was published by Namco Bandai Games.
There are currently many video games based on Winx Club:
- Winx Club (Windows, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance)
- Winx Club: Quest for the Codex (Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance)
- Winx Club: Join the Club (PlayStation Portable)
- Winx Studio (Windows)
- Winx Club: Mission Enchantix (Nintendo DS)
- Winx Club: Secret Diary 2009 (Nintendo DS)
- Dance Dance Revolution: Winx Club (Wii)
- Winx Club: Your Magic Universe (Nintendo DS)
- Winx Club: Believix in You (Nintendo DS)
- Winx Club: Love & Pet (iOS)
- Winx Club: Rockstars (Nintendo DS)
- Winx Club: Magical Fairy Party (Nintendo 3DS)
- Winx Club Card Game (iOS)
- Winx Party (iOS)
- Winx Club: Puzzle Pets (iOS)
- Winx Club: Memory Game (iOS)
- Winx Club: Bubble Winx (iOS)
- Winx Card Jigsaw (iOS)
- Winx Sirenix Magic Oceans (iOS)
- Winx Club: Winx Sirenix Power (iOS)
- Winx Club: Winx Fairy School (iOS)
- Winx Regal Fairy Story (iOS)
- Winx Club: Mystery of the Abyss (iOS)
- Winx Club: Saving Alfea (Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS)
- Winx Club - Mythix Fashion Wings (iOS)
- Winx Club: Alfea Butterflix Adventures (iOS)
Merchandise
In Europe, the first-ever Winx Club dolls were made by the Italian company Giochi Preziosi and sold only in Italy. The first line was the Season 1 Dolls, which included the five original Winx, Sky, Brandon, and the three Trix. Giochi Preziosi would continue to make toys for the second and third seasons. For the fourth season and beyond, European dolls were made by Witty Toys.
Italian candy manufacturer Ferrero has distributed plastic Winx figurines as prizes inside their Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs. In Singapore, bags, clothing and similar items are available.
In 2011, Nickelodeon announced that JAKKS Pacific would be their toy partner for brand-new Winx Club toys. JAKKS made a wide variety of dolls, playsets, and Halloween costumes that were designed in collaboration with Viacom and Nickelodeon Consumer Products.
Many books, some including activities and toys, based on the show have been released. In Europe, Tridimensional publishes Winx books along with magazines for other Rainbow shows like Club 57. In the United States, Random House started publishing English-language Winx Club books.
DVD Collection
In Italy, Mondo Home Entertainment released the first two seasons with both Italian and English audio tracks, the English audio being Cinélume's dub. In 2007, 01 Distribution released the third season on DVD, but these discs contained the Italian audio only. Later, 01 Distribution re-released the first and second season on DVD without the English soundtrack. Tridimensional also released the first three seasons of the show on Italian newsstands along with the Winx Club magazine. These releases contained the original English, Italian, and French audio. The third season release contained Dutch audio as well, and the fourth season contained only Italian audio. Box sets of all four seasons were released by Tridimensional with the same amount of volumes and content that were released separately on newsstands.
In North America, the entire first season of the Winx Club, first released on 12 July 2005, was available as a five-disc collection until 2008. The first DVD of the second season, "Layla and the Pixies", was released in 2007, and the second volume, "Battle for the Codex", came out in September 2007, and both are still available. The first DVD of the third season, "The Princess Ball", was released on 27 January 2009, however, the release of the other half, Fire & Flame, was suspended.
Paramount Home Entertainment, owned by Viacom, has released many DVDs for the show. The first was The Secret of the Lost Kingdom Movie in August 2012, which contained seven episodes from Season 4 as well as the first movie. The next was Believe in Magic in October, which contained the next seven episodes from Season 4. Four DVDs encompassing the entire fifth season were released from March 2013 to January 2014: The Power of Sirenix, Tales from the Sea, Peril in the Magic Dimension, and Peace in the Infinite Ocean. Paramount released the sixth season over four volumes as well: Bloomix Begins, The Search for Eldora, Mythix Fairies, and Winx Forever. A box set of all four DVDs, The Complete 6th Season, was available in November 2015. Paramount also released the second movie in 2013, with a bonus disc of seven episodes from Season 5.
In Singapore, Turkey, and Hungary, the third season (as well as the first two) was released with unedited English audio (Cinélume's dub) in four and six volumes respectively; the latter containing Italian audio as well. Also, the fourth season is available in Turkey with English audio spanning six volumes. In Brazil, the first two seasons were released with unedited English subtitles and audio in sixteen volumes.
Trivia
- According to Iginio Straffi, some aspects of Winx Club were inspired by animes from the 1970s-90s, notably the transformations and early character designs. In a 2011 interview, he listed the animes Grendizer, Mazinger, and Lady Oscar as influences.
- Also according to Iginio Straffi, the show's magic schools were inspired by the rivalry between the real-life universities of Oxford and Cambridge.[5]
- Even though Winx Club premiered in January 2004, most copyright dates in copyright notices start with 2003. This is due to the "Winx Club" name being chosen in 2003 when the first season was wrapping up production.
- On February 2, 2018, Winx Club was mentioned on Season 34, Episode 105 of Jeopardy!. The category was "Join the TV Club" and the answer was "Tinker Bell would feel right at home with Bloom, Flora & company in Winx Club, a group of these beings", and the correct question was "What are fairies?"
- In a 2017 interview, Iginio Straffi stated that he originally intended for Winx Club to finish with its third season. For the additional seasons made afterward, he made sure each had a specific theme related to it. For example, the fifth season is based on the oceans and pollution.
- Iginio Straffi wanted to make a live-action version of Winx Club for many years (as early as 2011), but he was only familiar with animation up until this point. To get some experience with live-action shows, he produced Nickelodeon's Club 57. He then started production on Fate: The Winx Saga, which will follow the same general story as the first three seasons.
Trailers and Promos
Logos
References
External Links
- Official English Winx Club Site
- Official Italian Winx Club Site
- Official English YouTube Channel
- Official Italian Youtube Channel
- Official Facebook Page
- Official Instagram Page
Winx Club on Wikipedia
