True and the Rainbow Kingdom

True and the Rainbow Kingdom is an Canadian-American animated children's web series, produced for Netflix by Home Plate Entertainment, in collaboration with American artist duo FriendsWithYou, and Pharrell Williams' I Am Other. It is based on the artwork by FriendsWithYou.[1][2][3]

True and the Rainbow Kingdom
Genre	Fantasy Adventure
Created by	Jeff Borkin Samuel Borkson Arturo Sandoval III Bill Schultz
Based on	Artworks by FriendsWithYou (Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III)
Developed by	Mary Bredin Frank Falcone
Directed by	Mark Thornton & Todd Kauffman Harold Harris Jamie Whitney
Creative directors	Brandon James Scott (design) Yurie Rocha (production)
Voices of	Michela Luci Jamie Watson Daniel Pathan Eric Peterson Anna Bartlam Dante Zee Nicolas Aqui
Music by	Lorenzo Castelli Joe Coupal For Eggplant Steve D'Angelo Terry Tompkins
Opening theme	"She's True!"
Country of origin	United States Canada
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3 (including 2 standalone series)
No. of episodes	29 (including 10 additional episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Mary Bredin Frank Falcone Robin Frank Jeremy Larner Bill Schultz Pharrell Williams For Netflix Dominique Bazay
Producers	Erin Mackie Jiro C. Okada Supervising Producers Christina Rotsaert Nora Keely
Editors	Tom Berger Kelly Carlson Rajo Zakic
Running time	22 minutes
Production companies	Home Plate Entertainment Guru Studio
Release
Original network	Netflix
Original release	August 11, 2017 – present
External links
Home Plate Entertainment

The 10-episode first season of the series premiered on Netflix on August 11, 2017.[4] Two five-episode spin-off series, Season 2 True: Magical Friends and True: Wonderful Wishes, debuted on June 15, 2018.[5] A 4-episode second season of the series, called Mushroom Town, was released on Netflix on.[6] True Tunes was released on July 12 on Netflix. It consists of 8 new songs. Since it is broadcast as a TV show on Tiny Pop in the UK,[7] it's also broadcast on Discovery Family in the U.S. since June 8, 2020.

Plot

True and the Rainbow Kingdom follows True and her best friend Bartleby the Cat, as they help the whimsical citizens of the Rainbow Kingdom, a wondrous, colorful universe filled with delightful and fantastical citizens. True is the only one with the ability to activate the magical powers of The Wishes of the Wishing Tree, solve problems in the Rainbow Kingdom, and empower viewers with her imagination, mindfulness, and empathy.

Development and production

The series was originally announced in March 2013. Titled Wish Come True at that time after the eponymous designer toys by FriendsWithYou, it was planned to have 10 half-hour episodes in a season, as produced by Home Plate Entertainment.[8]

In June 2015, TVO has announced 5 new titles for their line-up of preschool series. Among them was True and the Rainbow Kingdom, and this time, it was announced to have ten 22-24-minute episodes in a season, and slated to be released in 2017. In the announcement, Pharrell Williams' I Am Other was also included in the list of companies.[1][2][3]

Characters

• True (voiced by Michela Luci): An 8-year-old strong heroine. True possesses a warm heart, a clever mind and boundless energy. She accepts every challenge head-on with a beaming smile. What makes True "truly" extraordinary is that she is the only one in the Rainbow Kingdom who can activate the Wishes’ special powers that unleash magical energy.
• Bartleby (voiced by Jamie Watson): True's funny cat sidekick, Bartleby, has a lot of bravado and the gift of gab. Only True, his best friend, knows he is actually a bit of a scaredy-cat. He is one opinionated kitty and provides a lot of commentary, which helps trigger True's creative problem-solving skills.
• Rainbow King (voiced by Eric Peterson): The lovable ruler of the Rainbow Kingdom, he is a kind, sympathetic and humble king. Though he possesses a wealth of knowledge, he shares his wisdom in riddles adding fun complexity to True's adventures. He will do anything to help True on her journey but he knows that "true" success is achieved when True solves problems all on her own.
• Zee (voiced by Dante Zee (season 1–2), later voiced by Nicolas Aqui (season 3-present)): Zee is True's buddy, an apprentice to the Rainbow King, and the wish keeper. One or two years older than True, Zee is a trained "Wishologist", which means he takes care of the Wishes and knows all about their strengths and powers. Once a problem arises in the kingdom, True seeks out Zee's advice and wish help in the Wishing Tree.
• Grizelda (voiced by Anna Bartlam): Grizelda is a self-centered young princess. Deep down she realizes she needs a friend like True. Although True tries to reach out to the Princess, Grizelda's self-absorbed ways can make that challenging; however, love in Rainbow Kingdom is unconditional, so True never stops trying. Grizelda is just someone who is a little selfish which only means she needs a little more love.
• Frookie: A dog and Grizelda's sidekick. Looks out for the difficult princess because he knows the inner Grizelda is not so bad.
• The Wishes: Non-verbal but highly expressive, the wishes communicate with goofy gestures and sweet sounds. Each one has a unique, big personality that complements or contrasts their power. The Wishes share a special bond with True but until they are called to action, they stay busy training with Zee. Each Wish is imbued with a special power that only True can "Spark".

Other characters

• Yetis - creatures that live in The Rainbow Kingdom and communicate in "Yeti-ish". There is, however, one word known to all Yetis that they'll greet you with accompanied by a big wave. This is a loud, friendly "HI!"
• Urg and Snick - A Yeti couple who live in Yeti Village located in The Never Ending Forest. As the only one who speaks “Yeti-ish” (aside from the Rainbow King), True usually acts as a translator for their Yeti friends.
• Grock, Yerck, and Floof - Urg and Snick's baby Yeti triplets. Grock and Yerk are girls and Floof is a boy. The whole family are close friends to True and Bartelby.
• Rainbow citizens
• Grizmos – Grizelda's sidekicks who act as her servants and live in a cave beneath her castle.
• Cumulo – a cumulus cloud whom True and Bartleby ride on to get around the Rainbow Kingdom.
• Glummy Glooma - The Rainbow King's gloomy cousin who prefers everything be gloomy, whether anyone likes it or not. He also acts as the Grand Marshal of Grabbleapple Fest, as it is his yearly duty to bring the grey clouds of Autumn and change the seasons.
• Little Helpers - little four-armed critters found all around The Rainbow Kingdom, keeping it running with their helpful duties.
• Mila - a little girl who is a citizen of Rainbow City. She has a giant pet stink critter named "Stinko", no longer stinky thanks to True, Bartleby, and the wishes. She is also friends with Rocky the Rock Critter.
• Rocky - a Rock Critter who's friendly with Mila, The Rainbow King, and True and Bartleby. Among them, True is the only one who doesn't speak "Rock-ish", though.
• Bingo Bango – a boombox shaped DJ who's a bit shy and soft-spoken, but rocks the house of any party with his music.
• The Wishing Tree – a very important tree standing atop the Rainbow Castle where Zee, the Wish Keeper/Wishologist studies the Wishes that live there. Wee wishes are brought to the tree by the Rainbow King who collects them from Wishing Heart Hollow in the Never Ending Forest. True and Bartleby go here to ask Zee for advice to solve a problem with the help of Wishes.
• Shadow and Silverclaw - masters of The Kittynati, an ancient tribe of cat ninjas. After being invited to train with the duo at The Black Tabby Dojo, Bartleby eventually trades in his Yellow Tabby Belt for his Red Tabby Belt, making him a true Ninja Cat and Kittynati.

Episodes

Season		Episodes		Originally aired
				First aired	Last aired
	1	10		August 11, 2017	August 11, 2017
	2	10		June 2, 2018	June 18, 2018
	3	9		May 3, 2019	August 30, 2019

Season 1 (2017)

The first season of the series, entitled The Rainbow Kingdom, was released on Netflix on August 11, 2017.[4]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written by	Neflix release date
1	1	"Super Duper Dance Party"	John Slama	August 11, 2017
True and Bartleby team up to get a dejected DJ back in the groove after Grizelda shakes his confidence on the day of the Rainbow King's dance party.
2	2	"Frookie Sitting"	Doug Sinclair	August 11, 2017
True and Bartleby get more than they bargained for when they agree to castle-sit for the Rainbow King and watch Frookie while Grizelda's away.
3	3	"Zappy Cling!"	John Slama	August 11, 2017
After mishandling Zee's powerful Zingy Zapper, an increasingly bulky Bartleby can't seem to stop objects from sticking to him.
4	4	"Zip Zap Zooooom!"	Tom K. Mason	August 11, 2017
Grizelda is determined to win the kingdom's first Great Rainbow Rally, but her self-centred driving throws the rest of the racers off course.
5	5	"A Royal Stink"	Doug Sinclair	August 11, 2017
It's up to True to rid the kingdom of a horrible smell when the Rainbow King goes away on family business and makes her Queen for a Day.
6	6	"Great Grizmos!"	MCM & Craig Young	August 11, 2017
Following Grizelda's orders, the Grizmos build the most dazzling tower in the kingdom, but due to so many crystals, her castle starts to sink.
7	7	"Little Helpers"	Carolyn Hay	August 11, 2017
The little helpers are so busy doing small jobs for everyone that some of the big tasks are falling between the cracks.
8	8	"Wishing Heart Hollow"	Dave Dias	August 11, 2017
The Rainbow King needs True's help with a situation involving water and giant plants but his Face Bubble message keeps breaking up.
9	9	"The Kittynati"	Diana Moore	August 11, 2017
Lead by a message mouse, Bartleby goes to the Black Tabby Dojo for ninja training so that he can earn his Red Tabby Belt.
10	10	"A Berry Big Mystery"	Diana Moore	August 11, 2017
Someone has been snatching up all the nummie berries in the Rainbow Valley so True and Bartleby search for the culprit.

Season 2 (2018)

The second season of True and the Rainbow Kingdom, entitled True: Magical Friends and True: Wonderful Wishes, was released as a standalone series on Netflix on June 18.[5]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written by	Original release date
True: Magical Friends
11	1	"Princess Grizbot"	Doug Sinclair	June 2, 2018
Grizelda's Grizmos build her a giant robot so she can keep the people of Rainbow Kingdom safe, but she's doing it for all the wrong reasons.
12	2	"Hino Tari Hullabaloo"	Tom K. Mason	June 2, 2018
Big problems arise when a too-busy True offers to watch a valuable egg for the Rainbow King, then puts Bartleby in charge of baby-sitting.
13	3	"Queens of the Day and Night"	Amy Benham	June 2, 2018
The Rainbow Kingdom comes to a standstill when the Day Queen and the Night Queen decide to stick the sun and moon together.
14	4	"True Switcheroo"	Doug Sinclair	June 2, 2018
After digging up a powerful crystal that smells like peppermint, True and Bartleby switch places and get trapped inside each other's bodies.
15	5	"Fee Fi Fo Frookie"	MCM & Craig Young	June 2, 2018
When Frookie and Bartleby get stuck inside a troll's twisty maze, True and Grizelda must work together to rescue them.
True: Wonderful Wishes
16	6	"The Living Sea"	John Slama	June 18, 2018
A day at the beach goes awry when sea blubbs begin beaching themselves due to the warming sea water, prompting True and Bartleby to investigate.
17	7	"Cosmic Sneeze"	MCM & Craig Young	June 18, 2018
Whenever the Rainbow King sneezes, everything in the kingdom changes colour. True and Bartleby must go on an epic journey to find the cure.
18	8	"Woo-Woo Sky Blubbs"	MCM & Craig Young	June 18, 2018
True helps Bartleby overcome his anxiety about sky blubbs as they help guide the family of the flying creatures back to their distant home in the chilly north.
19	9	"Wish Gone Wild"	Tom K. Mason	June 18, 2018
The kingdom is in danger of being completely erased when a fledgling Wish named Goway gets loose before he has learned to control his powers.
20	10	"Big Mossy Mess"	Jamie Whitney	June 18, 2018
When Bartleby brings home some special Zazoony Moss, it suddenly starts to grow like crazy, and it's up to True to stop its spread before the moss covers the entire Rainbow Kingdom.

Season 3 (2019)

The third season of True and the Rainbow Kingdom, entitled Mushroom Town and Wild Wild Yetis, was released on Netflix on May 3 and August 30, 2019.[6]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written by	Original release date
Mushroom Town
21	1	"Where's Cumulo?"	Heather Jackson	May 3, 2019
True didn't mean to hurt Cumulo's feelings, but now the little cloud is in hiding -- and is nowhere to be found when the Rainbow Kingdom needs her.
22	2	"A Snoozy Sleepover"	John Slama	May 3, 2019
When True invites her friends over for a sleepover, the Rainbow King accidentally "sleep-floats" away; True's wishes have to help bring him back down.
23	3	"True's Birthday Party"	Tom Berger	May 3, 2019
Everyone is cooking up thoughtful surprises for True's birthday -- even Grizelda -- but a sticky situation throws everything out of whack.
24	4	"The Big Green Bounce"	Tom Berger	May 3, 2019
On the day of the Maker Shaker Expo, Grizelda's machine goes berserk and turns the Rainbow Kingdom citizens into bouncy green bling-blings
Wild Wild Yetis
25	5	"Itty Bitty Yeti"	Steve Westren	August 30, 2019
A Birdaloo tells True and Bartleby that a baby Yeti is about to be born, but when word gets out the kingdom goes wild -- and only a wish can fix it
26	6	"Yeti Sitting"	Ashley Lannigan	August 30, 2019
True, Bartleby, and Grizelda agree to "yeti sit" the triplets, but it is more difficult than they thought.
27	7	"Mount Huffinpuff"	John Slama	August 30, 2019
The Yetis bring True and Bartleby to their secret splash park and they accidentally upset the volcano, Mount Huffinpuff.
28	8	"Scratch and Share"	Emer Connon	August 30, 2019
Two tribes of Yetis get into a big argument over who should get the Great Scratching Stick of the Neverending Forest.
29	9	"The Ni Ni Tree"	Tom Berger	August 30, 2019
The citizens don't understand Yeti traditions, and destroy their special lights. Meanwhile, Snik, True, and Bartleby journey deep into the forest to find the magical Ni Ni Tree.

True Tunes (2019)

On July 12, 2019,[9] A collection of 8 original True and the Rainbow Kingdom-themed music videos were released on Netflix under the title True Tunes, featuring re-imagined versions of classic kids' songs based around the world and characters of the show.

Specials

Moreover, a number of additional specials were released: the Valentines Day special TRUE: Happy Hearts Day, the Easter special TRUE: Wuzzle Wegg Day, the fairy-tale inspired special TRUE: Terrific Tales ,[10] the Halloween Special TRUE: Tricky Treat Day, the Christmas special TRUE: Winter Wishes, the Thanksgiving special TRUE: Grabapple Harvest,[11] the special TRUE: Rainbow Rescue,[12] and the special TRUE: Friendship Day.

Release

A sneak peek screening of the series was held on July 10, 2017 at a Pacific Theatres venue at The Grove at Farmers Market in Los Angeles. Among the attendees and guests were Frank Falcone, Bill Schultz, Pharrell Williams, the FriendsWithYou duo, Kelly Rowland, Christina Milian, and Tyga.[13][14] The series was premiered on Netflix on July 11, 2017.[4]

The second season began in production in 2017, slated to premiere in 2018.[14][15] Later, Netflix announced that the second season would be released two standalone titles, True: Magical Friends and True: Wonderful Wishes, on June 15, 2018.[5][16][17]

On September 28, 2017, another season of the series, which was scheduled to debut in 2019, was announced.[14][18] The season, entitle Mushroom Town, was released on Netflix on May 3, 2019.[6]

On May 18, 2018, Netflix launched Dance and Sing with True, a collection of music videos for remixes of songs from the show. On October 2, 2018, Netflix announced they will release specials and shorts.[19] Shortly after, they confirmed another season.[20]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2019	Kidscreen Awards	Best New Series[21][22]		Nominated
		Best Animated Series[21][22]		Nominated
	YMA Awards	Best Program, Animation – Preschool[23]		Nominated
2020	Daytime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Directing for a Preschool Animated Program		Nominated[24][25]

Merchandises and other media

As announced in February 2017, Home Plate Entertainment has appointed Brand Central in Los Angeles as the licensing agent of True and the Rainbow Kingdom.[26] In August 2017, it was announced that Toy State has become the master toy licensee of the property, with first products to be released in fall 2018.[15] In May 2018 announcement, more licensees, as brokered by Brand Central, were added. One of the newly named license holders was Chouette, which was given master publishing rights. The announcement stated that the products would be launched in fall 2018 in the United States, and in 2019 the rest of the world.[27][28]

References

1. Petski, Denise (June 30, 2015). "Netflix Adds Three New Animated Series For Preschoolers". Deadline Hollywood.
2. "Netflix Shores Up Its Original Preschool Slate With 3 New Shows". Cartoon Brew. July 1, 2015.
3. "Netflix Originals buys a preschool three-pack". Kidscreen. July 2, 2015.
4. "Netflix in August: What's new and expiring". USA Today. August 24, 2017. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
5. "Watch: 'True and the Rainbow Kingdom' Season 2 First-Look Trailers!". Animation Magazine. June 7, 2018. Retrieved 2019-06-12. The second season will be presented as two standalone titles: True: Magical Friends and True: Wonderful Wishes, each with five all-new episodes.
6. "Netflix's New Releases Coming in May 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. May 1, 2019. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
7. "True and the Rainbow Kingdom | Tiny Pop". www.tinypop.com. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
8. "TVO develops Wish Come True with Guru Studio and Home Plate Entertainment". Kidscreen. March 20, 2013.
9. https://www.animationmagazine.net/streaming/first-look-return-to-netflixs-rainbow-kingdom-in-true-tunes/
10. https://www.animationmagazine.net/streaming/netflix-returns-to-the-rainbow-kingdom-in-true-terrific-tales/
11. https://www.animationmagazine.net/streaming/true-and-the-rainbow-kingdom-returns-to-netflix-with-easter-special/
12. https://gurustudio.com/news/true-and-the-rainbow-kingdom-returns-to-netflix-with-new-special-true-rainbow-rescue/
13. "Photos: Home Plate Entertainment, FriendsWithYou, and Home Plate Entertainment Celebrated the Los Angeles Sneak Peak Screening Of "True and the Rainbow Kingdom"". LA Confidential Magazine.
14. "Netflix re-ups True and the Rainbow Kingdom". Kidscreen. September 28, 2017.
15. "Netflix names Toy State Master Toy Partner for Netflix Series 'True and the Rainbow Kingdom'". Animation World Network. August 23, 2017.
16. Walsh, Megan. "The Entire Family Can Enjoy These Movies & Shows Coming To Netflix In June". Romper.com.
17. "True and the Rainbow Kingdom Season 2 drops on Netflix this week". Hiddenremote.com. June 12, 2018.
18. "Netflix Secures 3rd Season of 'True and the Rainbow Kingdom'". Animation World Network. September 28, 2017.
19. "Netflix goes over the rainbow for more True". Kidscreen. October 2, 2018. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
20. "Netflix's 'True and the Rainbow Kingdom' S4 Wish Comes True on Netflix". Animation Magazine. October 3, 2018.
21. https://kidscreen.com/2018/12/12/nickelodeon-leads-kidscreen-awards-2019-noms/
22. https://kidscreen.com/2019/02/12/who-walked-away-with-a-2019-kidscreen-award/#:~:text=Sinking%20Ship's%20seven%20awards%20included,TV%20Movie%20category%20for%20SpongeBob
23. https://www.animationmagazine.net/top-stories/2019-yma-awards-of-excellence-winners-announced/
24. https://www.animationmagazine.net/events/daytime-emmy-nominees-elena-of-avalor-rapunzels-tangled-adventure-lead-toon-contenders/
25. https://www.animationmagazine.net/events/daytime-emmy-awards-dragon-prince-ask-the-storybots-last-kids-on-earth-win-key-animation-categories-for-netflix/
26. "Netflix's Netflix toon lands licensing agent". Kidscreen. February 1, 2017.
27. "Collectibles rule True and the Rainbow Kingdom's first range". Kidscreen. May 18, 2018.
28. "Netflix's 'True and the Rainbow Kingdom' Lights Up Licensing Program". Animation Magazine. May 21, 2018.

External links

• Official website
• True and the Rainbow Kingdom on Netflix
• True and the Rainbow Kingdom at IMDb