Rainbow Continues to Chart a Colorful Course

Rainbow started out with the dream of creating stories to engage and enthrall audiences all around the world. Thirty years on, it has certainly achieved this, with a diverse portfolio of content for the whole family, which it distributes to more than 150 countries, with titles that have proven their lasting power to create global and evergreen franchises.

Its first production was Tommy & Oscar, telling the adventures of 10-year-old Tommy and his friend Oscar, a shapeshifting alien who dines on musical notes. When he accidentally lands on Earth, he and Tommy set off on countless escapades, exploring the planet and tracking down musical experiences while fighting the evil businessman Caesar. A global success, it ran for two series plus a full-length movie.

In 2004, Rainbow launched Winx Club, recounting the heroic exploits of Bloom, a teenage girl from Earth who discovers that she is a fairy with extraordinary powers, and her new fairy friends. A resounding success, it has notched up eight animated seasons co-produced with Rai, three theatrical movies, four made-for-television movies, two World of Winx animated series co-produced with Netflix, two seasons of the number one Netflix original live-action series Fate—The Winx Saga and a robust merchandising program. A new era of enchantment begins with the forthcoming reboot.

The company is also very proud of its latest Netflix hit, Mermaid Magic, which is currently making a splash worldwide.

The Rainbow Group owns multiple creative touchpoints, including Bardel Entertainment, an Emmy Award-winning Canadian studio renowned for its CGI and VFX animation services, and Colorado Film, a territory leader in live-action production. Its recent journey has seen Rainbow CGI evolve into Italy’s premier 3D animation and VFX production powerhouse for both television and cinema. Beyond production, Rainbow excels in distribution, talent scouting and licensing and merchandise programs, with over 500 active licenses.

With Mermaid Magic, Rainbow wanted to push the boundaries of animation quality for TV and create an immersive visual feast for viewers. It also wanted to feature strong and brave female heroes. The aim was to have gripping, emotional storytelling to captivate audiences of all ages. The series has magic, mystery and humor woven in with richly developed characters who have relatable and inspiring journeys. It also features contemporary values, with the underwater setting making a fitting backdrop for themes of ecology and protection of the marine environment. The team on board to make this happen includes head writers Rich Burns and Nancy Cohen, known for their work on Spirit Riding Free, and Guy Bar’ely, who has worked on Minions: The Rise of Gru and Kung Fu Panda 3.

Mermaid Magic debuted in first place in Netflix’s kids’ TV series category and has become the most-viewed show in more than 50 countries, including the U.K., France, Germany, the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Mexico and Brazil, as well as Singapore, South Africa and Turkey.

The Winx brand, meanwhile, has been celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The show features a blend of adventure, friendship and magic. From the start, Winx Club has encompassed aspirational global values such as diversity and inclusion, and its inspirational girl empowerment storyline and strong, stylish and brave characters have endeared it to generations of young girls. Comedy also plays a large part in the Winx world to add to its appeal, and music is a key theme, too, with more than 100 original songs produced since its inception.

The show has grown into a global phenomenon, with a legion of devoted fans. The Winx Club community has generated over 20 billion views of Winx Club content on YouTube, where its official channel is available in 15-plus languages and offers more than 1,000 videos with a plethora of new releases planned each month, and more than 35 billion views of Winx Club-related videos on TikTok. Loyal fans who have followed the franchise since launch and are now in their 20s still feel a strong bond and an emotional attachment to the series, and it continues to attract new fans to the original series and through the live-action series Fate—The Winx Saga.

Rainbow is excited about the potential for further growth for Winx Club with the CGI-animated reboot, set to air globally on Rai and Netflix in 2025. The reboot features contemporary storytelling and top-flight visual effects. With a new twist and some new secrets, the series will finally reveal how Bloom joined the other Winx to form the Winx Club. In a coming-of-age story, she and the other fairies find out how to become more powerful and, most importantly, how to save the magic dimension from the dark forces who want to take control over it.

Building on the celebrations of the 20th anniversary, Rainbow is planning some magical activities around the release of the reboot next year, including special launch events in select key cities. Fans will be able to immerse themselves in the Winx Club world with an array of new products from a host of new partners on board, from fashion and makeup to toys, playsets and accessories.

Another veteran brand getting new life is Gormiti. The series Gormiti—The New Era, a co-production with Giochi Preziosi, is set for release this fall. It will premiere on Rai 2, Rai Gulp and RaiPlay in Italy, RTVE’s Clan TV in Spain, Gulli in France and then in the rest of the world. The live action adds a whole new dynamic to the pop culture hit, giving viewers relatable heroes while ramping up the energy levels for a pulsating adventure that—coupled with its CGI effects—gives the series a sensational feel.

The world premiere of the new series proved a huge success at an exclusive Rainbow event held at the 54th edition of the Giffoni Film Festival in July, along with a masterclass given by Rainbow’s founder, Iginio Straffi.

With further promotional activity planned for launch, Gormiti—The New Era looks set to emulate the success of its predecessor and wow a new generation of kids with its high-energy storylines. The mix of live actors and animation also doubles the opportunities for licensees.