TV series

This is W.I.T.C.H.ipedia's article on the W.I.T.C.H. TV Series. For other uses, see W.I.T.C.H. (disambiguation).

W.I.T.C.H. is a French-American animated television series based on the Italian comic book series of the same name. Like the comics, the series follows five ordinary girls: Will Vandom, Irma Lair, Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale, and Hay Lin, who become endowed with various magical and elemental abilities and become the Guardians of the Veil.

However, in the second season, when the Council of Kandrakar lowers the Veil permanently, they become "the Guardians of the Infinite Dimensions" and their duties extend to protecting the integrity of the multiple worlds of the cosmos.

Summary

The Guardians of the Veil are tasked with saving Planet Meridian from the evil sorcerer Prince Phobos and his faithful, shapeshifting companion Lord Cedric, who are searching for the twelve-year-old younger sister of the tyrannical prince, the long-lost Princess of Meridian and rightful heir to the throne. The said Princess is later revealed to be none other than Elyon Brown, the best childhood friend of Irma Lair, Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale, and Hay Lin; all having recently befriended the redhead new girl, Wilhelmina Vandom.

When Meridian is freed from evil and Elyon takes the throne as queen, a new mysterious sorceress named Nerissa frees Phobos's top henchmen and reforms them as the Knights of Vengeance. Once the Guardians learn more about the sorceress and her evil plan of reuniting former Guardians, they are able to defeat the Knights, only to have even stronger and more powerful Knights of Destruction, plus the five old Guardians, attack them.

Contrary to the comics series and chapter books, the new Guardians' chief ally and mentor is Hay Lin's own paternal grandmother, Yan Lin, who herself is the former Air Guardian of the original five Guardians of the Veil, many decades ago in her youth.

They are also helped by Caleb, a heroic rebel soldier from Meridian, leader of the rebellion against Prince Phobos, and Blunk, a frog-like goblin creature (known as a Passling) who takes things from Earth to Meridian (and vice-versa), humorously mistaking everyday objects for other things or items of value. When Matthew "Matt" Olsen, Will's boyfriend, accidentally learns about Meridian and sees all the trouble going on, he learns how to become a warrior to help them. The Guardians are also helped by the Oracle, leader of the mystical world of Kandrakar itself, who is responsible for the selection of each generation of Guardians of the Veil.

Characters created specifically for the series

Aketon ("The Seal of Phobos")
Aldarn
Blunk
Gargoyle (debuts in "It Resumes")
The Mage (debuts in "A Service to the Community")
Trill
Jeek
Julian
Tynar
Miranda
Raythor
Sandpit

Deceased comics characters alive in the series

Halinor (debuts in "B is for Betrayal")
Yan Lin (debuts in "It Begins")
Cassidy ("K is for Knowledge" in a flashback, "M is for Mercy" as a spirit)

Comics characters who do not appear in the series

Orube

Magical artifacts created for the series

Horn of Hypnos ("Walk This Way" and "G is for Garbage")
Mage Ring (debuts in "A Service to Community")
Heart of Zamballa (debuts in "P is for Protectors")
Heart of Meridian (debuts in "J is for Jewel")
Book of Secrets ("The Mogrifts" and "The Seal of Phobos")
Star of Threbe ("The Stone of Threbe")
Seal of Nerissa (debuts in "Q is for Quarry")
Tooth of the Tonga (debuts in "B is for Betrayal")

Episodes

Season One

This is a very loose adaptation of The Twelve Portals.

Season Two (Episodes 27-52)

This is a very loose adaptation of Nerissa's Revenge

Opening Sequences

The British and American versions of W.I.T.C.H. have two different opening sequences and theme songs. The British version shows the girls and their powers in a "story version" with unique footage for the openings, while the American version shows action clips from some episodes and scenes from the W.I.T.C.H. demo reel.

In the UK version, the opening theme is W.I.T.C.H. (Theme) performed by Sabrina. In the UK version, the opening sequence of the second season is changed to incorporate the new plot developments and characters.

However, the US opening uses a demo version of the song We Are W.I.T.C.H. until episode 14 when it is replaced with a version sung by Marion Raven. From episode 14 onward, her version of "We Are W.I.T.C.H." is used as the theme for the show's opening sequence, replacing the "demo" version. In the American theme, Irma Lair's Guardian outfit is first shown with a teal shirt and purple skirt, which are the true colors, but then later in the song, her clothes switch colors. In the United States, Season 2 did not receive a new opening because Disney wanted consistency when it transmitted Seasons 1 and 2 simultaneously.

Elemental Abilities

Each Guardian's powers and abilities are fueled by Kandrakar, transmitted to its ancient and mighty mystical Heart through the Aurameres, the orbicular physical representations of the Guardians' powers and abilities. The Aurameres grant the same powers to each of their Guardians; for instance, Cassidy would also have possessed any powers and abilities that Irma now holds.

When the Guardians transform, they change form and grow wings, which help them fly through the air. Using the Heart of Kandrakar, a Guardian can create an Astral Drop, a duplicate of herself, when the words "Spord Lartsa," which is "Astral Drops" spelled backwards, are said. The Guardians can also combine their powers and abilities together and create a concentrated beam of mystical magical bright pink-colored glowing energy, as seen in "It Begins," the first episode of the series. In the second season, after the removal of the Veil, the Guardians can likewise travel across other worlds and planets by opening whitish-blue oval-shaped portals, a process called "folding," with the aid of the Heart of Kandrakar.

To travel to another place in the same world, each Guardian can "tele-transport." Tele-transporting is a difficult power and ability to learn, and one can materialize into another solid object if not careful enough. Also if a Guardian tele-transports while not connected to an Auramere or a Heart, then they will drain their life force, which will greatly weaken them.

The Guardians can also become one with their dragon (or in Will's case, the nymph Xin Jing) and literally become one with their element all the while vastly significantly strengthening and increasing all their powers and abilities to innumerable uncontrollable levels; which makes them one thousand times stronger and one thousand times more powerful than if they had multiple Hearts. But this is risky and rather dangerous, for it costs them their humanity (both their human form and the memory of their human life) and they could be easily controlled and enthralled.

Also, it has been shown that if a Guardian uses her elemental powers and abilities and is not connected to an Auramere, then doing so will drain their life force, which will weaken them enormously. According to Cassidy, this may be why Nerissa aged so much faster than the rest of C.H.Y.K.N..

A Guardian can also become a Quinto-Guardian. A Quinto-Guardian has all of the powers and abilities over all five elements: Water, Fire, Earth, Air and Quintessence including the individual powers/abilities. A Quinto-Guardian can also gain the amazing power and ability to create solid ice out of nothing.

The only known Quinto-Guardians are Cornelia (granted briefly by the Aurameres) and Nerissa (by using her Seal). However, it is believed that Will has the potential to become a Quinto-Guardian, as she is the wielder of the Heart of Kandrakar and since the heart has the ability to tap into the powers of the Aurameres, Will could do the same, but by focusing the powers onto herself rather than to her other fellow Guardians. If this is true, then the same could be said for Cassidy and Yan-Lin, both of whom also wielded the Heart of Kandrakar briefly.

Irma and Cassidy generate, control and manipulate the element of Water.

Taranee and Halinor generate, control and manipulate the element of Fire.

Cornelia and Kadma control and manipulate the element of Earth.

Hay Lin and Yan Lin create, control and manipulate the element of Air.

Will and Nerissa control, manipulate and generate the fifth element of Quintessence, which includes the mystical Heart of Kandrakar itself.

Mystic Hearts of the Worlds

The Hearts are the sources of vast mystical energy for each of the worlds they come from. They can be represented by a jewel, a talisman or a living being of great magical power and strength.

Prominently featured in the series is the Heart of Kandrakar; an orb-shaped crystal amulet that allows the five W.I.T.C.H. members to transform into their Guardian forms and further magnifies their abilities to even greater levels. Over the course of the series, it is revealed that Elyon Brown, the rightful heir and Queen of Meridian, is the very Heart of Meridian, and Lillian Hale, Cornelia's younger sister, is the Heart of Earth.

The mystical Heart of Zamballa is a small orb of crystalline material, just like the Heart of Kandrakar, but it is colored purple and affixed to a wooden staff.

Worlds

Various planets play an important role in the W.I.T.C.H. series. Earth is the home of the Guardians Of The Veil, and later also of the Infinite Dimensions, while Meridian, Kandrakar and Zamballa are mystical planets that are introduced as the story progresses and the evil forces get much stronger and more dangerous.

The former Guardian leader, Nerissa, also briefly visited a rock world called Aridia, a desert realm, in an attempt to steal its mystic Heart, an unnamed male rock giant. But her attempt failed when the Seal of Nerissa signaled that the other members of C.H.Y.K.N. were freed from her control.

Production

Two seasons were produced, both of which adapt plot elements from The Twelve Portals and Nerissa's Revenge comic arcs. Each season consists of 26 episodes, creating a total of 52 episodes. For season 2, SIP Animation brought in a new studio for production, and it premiered in the United States, Canada and the UK in June 2006.

Cancellation

In early 2007, the producers of the W.I.T.C.H. TV series were considering making a third season based on "The Crisis Saga," but it was canceled. Clues for a planned season 3 can be seen in the second season's finale, Z is for Zenith. There have been many complaints and petitions about the canceled season. Among the most active is the online site "Save W.I.T.C.H. For Its third season" at petition online.

Reception

W.I.T.C.H. received little notice from critics. Common Sense Media, one of the few outlets to review the series, noted that the show is "an animated fantasy-adventure series for tweens," and gave it 3 out of 5 stars.

In the early stages of the first season, the series was a major hit and a TV breakout, receiving great recognition, and gained a fair amount of popularity. Though popularity declined with little information available as to why leading to the seires end after Season 2,

In 2006, Joey Paul Jensen, the character-voice provider casting advisor for the show was nominated for the Casting Society of America's Artios Award for Best Animated Voice-Over Television Casting.

DVD releases

Main article: DVD releases

W.I.T.C.H. has been released on DVD in Europe, Australia, the Philippines (both in DVD and VCD versions, which is currently in the first season), Brazil, and Malaysia currently spanning 3 volumes, each containing episodes of season 1. They each come with 2 art cards featuring one of the W.I.T.C.H. girls. The DVDs together only contain the first 11 episodes. Volumes 4, 5 and 6 are planned to be released on the 3rd September 2007 for Region Code 1 and 2 and on the 17th of October for 3 and 4, which could see the rest of Season 1 on DVD. Two box sets have been released in the United Kingdom and Russia: the first box containing volumes 1, 2 and 3. The second contains volumes 4, 5 and 6. No episodes have yet been released in America.

Trivia

For season 2, SIP Animation brought a new studio to animate the series.
In the UK, six DVDs containing all 26 episodes of Season 1 were released, but as of the summer of 2020, Season 2 had yet to be released there.
In the television series, all of the guardians can fly whereas in the comics, only the air guardian can fly until Hay Lin grants her friends this power to save their lives.
In the episode "M is for Mercy," a few scenes involving Shagon and W.I.T.C.H. fighting each other was censored in the UK version, but was left alone in the US Version. Reason was because it showed abusiveness, when the girls were being violently beaten up by a boy. But doing this eliminated important materials for the plot of the scene, and also for the episode. Also, the UK version was cut due to 'taunting' on both Shagon's part and from the girls.
In episodes "R is for Relentless" and "V is for Victory" of Season 2, Usagi Tsukino (Serena in the English Dub) from Sailor Moon, dressed in her school uniform, makes two cameo appearances, first in the lunch line and then walking through the corridors of Sheffield Institute. This was an obvious display of the show having drawn much inspiration from Sailor Moon.
W.I.T.C.H. was planning of making Season 3, based on the Ari of Arkhanta Arc, but was canceled, due to criticism. Clues of a planned Season 3, can be seen in the last episode of Season 2, Z is for Zenith. There have been many complaints and petitions about the canceled season.
In the final episode "Z is for Zenith" of season 2, a man resembling David Xanatos, from Gargoyles, appears among the people in the streets.
- Interestingly, Jonathan Frakes, who provided the character voice of David Xanatos, was considered for voicing Victor Doomstadt, one of the planned villains for the planned third season, which would have been based on "The Crisis On Both Worlds Saga." But W.I.T.C.H. was canceled before that third season's official production, disappointing many fans.
There are many Lord of the Rings film series references throughout the series most notably the in Universe movie starring Vance Micheal Justin as an Elf.
In some international transmissions, "It Begins" and "It Resumes" are transmitted consecutively, as one episode.

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