Winx Club: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom explained

Winx Club: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom
Native Name:
Director:Iginio Straffi
Producer:Iginio Straffi
Cinematography:Corrado Virgili
Layout Artist:Vincenzo Nisco
Distributor:01 Distribution
Paramount Pictures (US)
Runtime:88 minutes
Country:Italy
Language:Italian
Budget:€25 million[1]
Gross:$18,523,991[2]

Winx Club: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom (Italian: Winx Club - Il segreto del regno perduto) is a 2007 Italian animated fantasy film directed and co-written by Iginio Straffi. It is an adaptation of the animated television series Winx Club, taking place after the events of the first three seasons.

The film was released in Italy on 30 November 2007, by 01 Distribution. It was released theatrically from the same date onwards in select regions. In the United States, the film premiered direct-to-television on Nickelodeon on 11 March 2012, following the channel's parent company Viacom becoming a co-owner of Rainbow S.p.A..[3] [4]

Plot

Six mysterious individuals, Bloom and her friends, her best friends, Flora, Stella, Musa, Aisha and Tecna, are searching for Bloom's birth parents, King Oritel and Queen Marion. They seek the help of Hagen, the blacksmith who crafted Oritel's powerful sword. Sneaking into Hagen's castle, they are mistaken for intruders. Faragonda, an old friend of Hagen's, intervenes, and they return to Alfea empty-handed. Despite Bloom's plea for assistance, Hagen confesses his inability to help, leaving Bloom feeling guilty for her friends' futile efforts. She flees in tears to avoid confronting them.

Most of the third-year fairies at Alfea, including the Winx (except Bloom), graduate and become guardian fairies of their home planets after obtaining their Enchantix powers. Bloom, with her incomplete powers, stays behind, watched over by Sky, who consoles her and encourages her to continue her quest despite Hagen's discouragement. Their tender moment is interrupted by the sudden arrival of a mysterious girl. The following day, Bloom departs for Earth to stay with her adoptive parents. Despite appearing content, her discomfort on Earth is evident to Mike and Vanessa, who recognize her true belonging in the Magical Dimension. That night, Bloom has a dream of her sister Daphne, who provides hope by revealing that their parents are still alive and shares vital information about the Book of Fate.

The next morning, Bloom is surprised by her friends gathering at her house to celebrate her birthday. United, they agree to support Bloom's plan, reinforcing their unbreakable bond of friendship. Bloom's renewed hope triggers the activation of Oritel's sword, drawing attention from the dark forces of the Obsidian Circle. Troubled by this, the three Ancestral Witches employ Mandragora to investigate and eliminate the source.

Meanwhile, the team journeys to Domino, guided by Daphne's mask and memories. Upon reaching the mountain where the Book of Fate is hidden, they encounter the Roc, a mystical guardian of the library. A mishap with the Specialists awakens the Roc, causing chaos, but the girls ultimately manage to safely land the creature, ensuring their progress continues.

Inside the library, Bloom and her friends meet Bartelby, Oritel's spirit scribe, who reveals the Book of Fate. They learn that Bloom's parents were part of the Company of Light, fighting against the Ancestral Witches. However, crucial pages detailing their fate are missing. Bartelby prophesies the salvation of Domino by six legendary warriors and the freeing of Oritel's sword by a king without a crown. Celebrating this revelation, Riven falls under Mandragora's control.

Alfea is then attacked by Mandragora, who gains insight into Bloom before vanishing. After restoring Alfea, the group heads to Pixie Village in search of a way into the Obsidian Circle. Guided by Lockette, they approach the gateway. Mandragora intervenes, pitting Riven against Sky and endangering Musa.

The girls are forced to face their worst fears, and Bloom sees a vision of what happened to her birth parents: Oritel was pulled into the Obsidian Circle by the Ancestral Witches while Marion absorbed herself into the sword in order to be with him. To Bloom's horror, she sees her father frozen in stone, the same fate for all inhabitants of her planet. All the fairies then wake up from their trances, only to come face-to-face with the Ancestral Witches, who severely weaken the Winx except Bloom. They force Bloom to make a choice between destroying the sword and saving her adoptive parents or taking the sword and letting Mandragora kill them, as seen in an image. Luckily, Bloom sees through the illusion and places her trust in the boys, while they are still fighting Mandragora, unleashing the power of the Dragon Flame.Outside, Riven recalls all what he and Musa have been through together. Regaining his sanity, he lifts her up and they kiss. Meanwhile, chasing after Mandragora, Sky arrives moments later to aid a struggling Bloom and takes the sword, but supposedly dies, as only a king can wield the sword.

Eventually Bloom's Dragon Flame also succumbs under the darkness of the Obsidian Circle and is ready to give up when Daphne reminds her that she is not alone. She puts on the mask, and Daphne joins with her to destroy the Ancestral Witches. However, Mandragora returns and the Ancestral Witches use her body as a host and begin to strangle Bloom to death, but Sky reawakens and stabs Mandragora with Oritel's sword, allowing Bloom to use the power of the Dragon Flame on Mandragora, destroying both her and the entire Obsidian Circle, and freeing everyone. Sky explains that he is now the king of Eraklyon, and his coronation was the night he left Bloom at Alfea. With Domino restored to its former glory, Oritel is freed from stone, placing Marion back in human form; Bloom's Enchantix power is complete, and she is finally reunited with her birth parents.

At a party afterwards, Oritel and Marion promise Bloom that they will never leave her again. Mike and Vanessa are also there and are greeted by a hug from Bloom. Oritel begins the traditional dad-daughter dance, but lets Bloom dance with Sky, who proposes to her. She delightfully accepts, and as they kiss, Bartelby appears by the Book of Fate, telling the audience that the prophecy has been fulfilled; Bloom is now a guardian fairy and there is a new Company of Light - the Winx.

In the final scene, it is revealed the Ancestral Witches have not been destroyed. Instead, they were freed with the destruction of the Obsidian Circle and are finding new hosts to take over and destroy the Winx. They are shown with their direct descendants, the Trix, cackling madly. This is a cliffhanger leading to the second film.

Voice cast

The actors in the English versions are uncredited.

CharacterItalianEnglishJapanese
Dubbing Brothers (2008)Atlas Oceanic/Nickelodeon (2012)
Bloom Ryoko Shiraishi
Stella Becca Ordonez Aoi Yūki
Flora Mamiko Noto
Musa Sarah Sido Sayumi Suzushiro
Tecna Sabrina Weisz Akari Kitō
Aisha Yuriko Yamaguchi
Kiko
Prince Sky Ryōta Suzuki
Brandon TBD Kōichi Yamadera
Helia Junya Enoki
Riven Hiro O-shima
Timmy TBD Kenjiro Tsuda
Tune Akari Kitō
Chatta Ryoko Shiraishi
Zing Jessica DiCicco
Livy Chinatsu Akasaki
Piff Ikue Otani
Digit Gemma Donati Michie Tomizawa
Amore Chinatsu Akasaki
Lockette Mamiko Noto
Belladonna TBD Grey DeLisle
Liliss Candi Milo
Tharma Laraine Newman
Mandragora Melodee M. SpevackCarolyn Lawrence
Miss Faragonda Kari Wahlgren
Inspector Griselda Susanne Blakeslee
Professor Wizgiz Luigi Ferraro Dee Bradley Baker
Professor Palladium Mitchell Whitfield
King Oritel Josh Keaton
Queen Marion Grey DeLisle
Daphne TBD Elizabeth Gillies
Mike James Patrick Stuart
Vanessa April Stewart
Hagen Terrence Stone Victor Brandt
Lord Bartelby Michael Bell
Narrator
Icy TBD Larisa Oleynik

Soundtrack

Winx Club: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom
Type:Soundtrack
Artist:various artists
Released:November 16, 2007
Length:26:07

Elisa Rosselli sings the first six songs on the soundtrack. Natalie Imbruglia sings the film's ending song, "All the Magic".

Distribution

A live-action dance show was performed to promote the film at the 2007 Rome Film Festival.[5] In the first week of showing, the film was distributed in 665 cinemas and had 420,000 viewers. It received 1,979,972 euros ($3,074,695.84 US)[6] in its opening week, and ended its run with five million euros in revenue.[7] It was released on DVD in Italy in March 2008.

The movie premiered on Nickelodeon in America on March 11, 2012.[3] All of the dialogue was re-recorded with the voice actors from the 2011 Winx Club revival. This version was released as a two-disc DVD set on August 7, 2012, by Paramount Pictures. The second disc included seven bonus episodes from the TV series. In October 2013, Nickelodeon released a line of DVDs called "Holiday Gifts from Nickelodeon," including a special Christmas edition of The Secret of the Lost Kingdom that came with a Winx Club coloring book, poster, and stickers.[8]

Sequel

On October 29, 2010, a sequel, , was released in Italy.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Winx fairies head to Cannes. Italy Magazine. 2016-07-21. 2018-07-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20180714164604/http://www.italymagazine.com/italy/winx-fairies-head-cannes. live.
  2. Web site: Winx Club: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom - Box Office Mojo . 2018-01-15 . 2023-10-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231024173847/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl789480705/weekend/ . live .
  3. Web site: Nickelodeon commercial: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/9czzeRPIaQo . 2021-12-15 . live. Nickelodeon. 24 February 2012.
  4. Web site: Viacom takes stake in Rainbow. Variety. 4 February 2011. Vivarelli. Nick. 20 September 2020. 1 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180801094407/https://variety.com/2011/tv/news/viacom-takes-stake-in-rainbow-1118031575/. live.
  5. Page Moved - UC Press: Journals . Film Quarterly . March 2008 . 61 . 3 . 40–45 . 10.1525/fq.2008.61.3.40 . 2009-09-25 . 2012-02-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120226185021/http://caliber.ucpress.net/doi/abs/10.1525/fq.2008.61.3.40 . live . Forgacs . David .
  6. [Il Messaggero]
  7. http://cinema.castlerock.it/film_incassi.php Film, schede film, prossime uscite, film nelle sale, archivio film
  8. Web site: DVD Review: 'Holiday Gifts From Nickelodeon: Winx Club - The Secret of the Lost Kingdom Movie'. November 14, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131116112958/https://momandmore.com/2013/11/winx-club-holiday.html. 2013-11-16.