Winx Club: The Mystery of the Abyss

Winx Club: The Mystery of the Abyss (Italian: Winx Club - Il mistero degli abissi) is a 2014 Italian computer-animated film based on the television series Winx Club. It is the third film based on the show, following 2007's The Secret of the Lost Kingdom and 2010's Magical Adventure. It was directed and produced by series creator Iginio Straffi, who also co-wrote the film with Giovanni Masi.

Winx Club: The Mystery of the Abyss
Theatrical release poster
Directed byIginio Straffi
Produced byIginio Straffi
Written byIginio Straffi
Giovanni Masi
StarringLetizia Ciampa
Perla Liberatori
Domitilla D'Amico
Ilaria Latini
Gemma Donati
Laura Lenghi
Music byStefano Switala
Production
company
Distributed by01 Distribution
Release date
  • 4 September 2014 (2014-09-04)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryItaly
LanguageItalian
Budget€12 million[1]

After the release of the first Winx Club movie, Iginio Straffi stated that the Rainbow studio was "counting on" making second and third Winx films.[2] In 2010, it was announced that Viacom (the eventual co-owner of Rainbow and owner of Nickelodeon) would provide the resources necessary to produce the film.[3] The Mystery of the Abyss was animated using Autodesk Maya and other programs over a period of two years.[4]

The film takes place after the fifth season of the animated series.[1] It follows the Winx fairies as they work to bring balance back to the Infinite Ocean after the Trix, a trio of witches, team up with a nymph named Politea to find a pearl and destroy the source of the fairies' power. The film's release was timed to coincide with the series' tenth anniversary. The film was first released by 01 Distribution in Italy on 4 September 2014.[5] It was shown in theaters across Europe, while most international releases were televised or direct-to-video.

Plot

The Trix witches are in the Infinite Ocean, unsuccessfully trying to harness the power of the Emperor's Throne. They end up accidentally summoning the cursed nymph Politea and engage in a battle with her. Politea informs them that the throne will only empower the true emperor, Tritannus. The witches make a deal with Politea to return Tritannus from his prison in the Realm of Oblivion, which is only possible with the vital force of a young prince. Once they free Tritannus, the Trix plan to convince him to retrieve the mystical Pearl of the Deep, which will free Politea from her curse so she can help the Trix.

The Trix travel to Gardenia to attack Bloom and her fiancé, Prince Sky. The two manage to hide, but the Trix capture Bloom's pet rabbit, Kiko. The Trix render Sky unconscious after he tries to rescue Kiko. The Trix bring Sky to the Infinite Ocean and tie him to the Emperor's Throne. The Trix and Politea cast a spell and Tritannus appears in front of them. Politea leaves, warning the Trix not to tell Tritannus anything about her. After Tritannus gains his consciousness, Trix leader Icy helps him regain his memory. He tells them that a powerful nymph, Omnia, has hidden the Pearl of the Deep. Tritannus and the Trix head towards Omnia's cave.

At Alfea College, Bloom's friends agree to help her journey to the Infinite Ocean to save Sky. They discover that Tritannus has sealed every gateway to the ocean except for the Oblivion Portal. The Winx enter the portal and are led through a dangerous dimension. Bloom wakes up in an empty void, where a dark illusion of herself appears to tell her that she has abandoned Sky. When Bloom eventually realizes that she is inside the Realm of Oblivion, she wakes the other Winx. They break free from the dimension with a convergence spell.

The Winx hurry towards the Emperor's Throne, where they fight Politea. Sky gains consciousness and tells them to visit Omnia, who tells them that the Pearl of the Deep has been hidden in the Coral Barrier. They arrive at the barrier to find the Trix and Tritannus, who grabs the pearl and leaves the Winx trapped in the barrier. The girls escape through a tunnel and hurry back to the throne, where Politea appears in front of Tritannus and snatches the pearl from him. She sits on the throne, revealing that she fooled the Trix and will not follow through on their deal.

The Trix try to fight Politea, but she hypnotizes them and Tritannus. Sky breaks free from the throne and Bloom's bonded selkie, Serena, snatches the pearl from Politea's hand. She gives the pearl to Bloom, who uses it in a convergence spell to destroy Politea. Later, Omnia uses the pearl's energy to heal Sky. The friends return to Alfea, where Sky wakes up and asks what happened to the Trix and Tritannus. The Winx explain that the Trix have fled, Tritannus is once again banished to the Oblivion, and the pearl is back where it should be. Bloom and Sky share a kiss.

Voice cast

Production

In November 2007, Iginio Straffi stated that Rainbow was "counting on" producing a trilogy of Winx films,[2] and that the movies would be given theatrical releases if the box office response to The Secret of the Lost Kingdom was positive.[6] In 2010, it was announced that Viacom (the eventual co-owner of Rainbow and owner of Nickelodeon) would provide the resources necessary to produce a new Winx Club film along with brand-new seasons of the show.[3]

The Mystery of the Abyss was animated using Autodesk Maya and other programs over a period of two years.[4] Around 400 people worked on the film at the Rainbow CGI studio in Rome.[4] The Rainbow team drew around 112 preparatory sketches to design the 34 three-dimensional sets and 167 character models that were rendered for the production.[1] The completed film contains a total of 113,221 key frames, made up of over 6 million layers.[1] Each animator was able to produce between 0.5 and 5 seconds of animation a day.[4] 70 minutes of music, including four original songs, were recorded for the film.[4]

Reception

Box office

In its opening weekend, Winx Club: The Mystery of the Abyss grossed $972,838 in 328 theaters across Italy, ranking No. 3 at the box office and averaging $2,966 per venue.[5] The film made $469,301 in its second weekend, finishing seventh, and then $240,575 in its third weekend, finishing tenth.[5] At the end of its run, Box Office Mojo recorded that The Mystery of the Abyss had grossed $5.3 million in eleven territories (including $2.3 million in Italy),[5] against a production budget of €12 million.[1] Box office information for the rest of the 30[1] territories is unknown. In a 2014 Il Fatto Quotidiano article about the decline of the Italian box office, The Mystery of the Abyss was highlighted as the only currently-playing Italian film which had grossed over a million euros (according to data from box office compiler Cinetel).[7]

Release

Rainbow announced that a third Winx film was in production at the Brand Licensing Europe event in October 2013.[8] A teaser trailer for the film was released to YouTube on 16 April 2014. Its release date was first announced in May 2014, and it was advertised as part of the celebrations marking Winx Club's tenth anniversary as a brand.[9] The film's title was chosen as part of a promotion on the official Winx Club website, which included a poll that asked fans to vote on one of four potential titles. Iginio Straffi and Joanne Lee, the executive producer, appeared alongside Winx mascots on the red carpet of the 2014 Venice Film Festival to promote the movie.[10]

References
  1. Pierleoni, Francesca (14 July 2014). "Tornano le Winx, fatine pop per salvare il mare". Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (in Italian).
  2. Straffi, Iginio (26 November 2007). "Iginio Straffi: "Attenta Pixar arrivano le Winx"". Luce Cinecittà (Interview) (in Italian). Interviewed by Valentina Neri.
  3. "Il Mercato e l'Industria del Cinema in Italia 2010 (pages 70-71)" (PDF). Fondazione ente dello spettacolo. 2010. p. 70-71. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-18.
  4. "Note di produzione di "Winx Club: Il Mistero degli Abissi"". Cinema Italiano. 2014.
  5. "Winx Club: Il mistero degli abissi - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo.
  6. "Venerdì la carica delle 600 Winx". Il Messaggero (in Italian). 26 November 2007. Archived from the original on 27 November 2007.
  7. Pontiggia, Federico (9 October 2014). "L'estate nera del cinema americano". Il Fatto Quotidiano.
  8. "Rainbow Celebrates Winx Club". License Global. 17 October 2013.
  9. "New 'Winx' Movie Due in September". Animation Magazine.
  10. "Winx Club brings The Mystery of the Abyss to the Venice Film Festival".
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