Rainbow Magicland: “We are the Winx”!
Written By: Zach Spodek
Photos By: Charles OKunewick unless noted
When it comes to parks based off of popular franchises, there’s a plethora to visit. There’s the incredibly popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal in Florida. There’s also Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World. Kennywood has Thomas Town and Cedar Fair Entertainment has Planet Snoopy: a Peanuts themed land found within their many parks. However, when traveling overseas, one may find themselves at Rainbow Magicland, an amusement park located in Valmontone, Italy. In this peculiar park, the rides are inspired by none other than the world and characters of Winx Club.
Image from Winxclubball.com 2015
Winx Club is an animated show produced by the Italian animation studio Rainbow S.r.l. of which the theme park’s name is derived from. The show takes place on the planet of Magix, located in the Magic Dimension. It follows a fairy protagonist named Bloom, who is of royal descent and controller of the Dragon Flame, the most ancient magic in the universe. Bloom attends the Alfea College of Fairies, where she partners with other fairies such as Stella, fairy of the shining sun, and Flora, fairy of nature. While in school, Bloom and her friends must also combat forces of darkness, primarily the Trix, a trio of evil witches. At the same time, the Winx Club must learn to embrace their fairy powers, gaining greater levels of transformation as the show goes forward. These various stages of transformations require something to occur before they can be unlocked. For example, the Believix transformation is the 4th transformation power on the show, and requires getting someone to believe in the power of magic, whether it be yourself or others.
The original show first aired in 2004 in Italy and was a huge hit among boys and girls. The show’s popularity expanded overseas into the U.S. and caught the attention of ViacomCBS. The corporation was interested in partnering with Rainbow S.r.I. to produce more episodes of Winx Club. In February 2011, ViacomCBS became a co-owner of Rainbow S.r.I. and Winx Club began airing episodes in the U.S. on Nickelodeon, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS. The show’s popularity only exploded from there. Nick aired the original 4 seasons on their channel and the Winx Club became an official Nicktoon. To this day, an additional 4 seasons have been produced on top of the original 4, on top of multiple films and an upcoming live action show in production based off of the franchise.
Entrance of “Pianeta Winx” with statues featuring the main protagonists of the Winx Club
With the immense popularity of the franchise, Pillarstone Italy (a private equity firm based in Italy), acquired the license from ViacomCBS to utilize Rainbow S.r.l properties in their new park, Rainbow Magicland. The park opened on May 25th, 2011.
The first attraction was entitled Alfea Castle. Its design and name are based off of the school that the protagonists attend in the show. The main Winx Club fairies, played by staff at Rainbow Magicland, sing throughout the day at the top of the stairs of the castle. They are dressed in their Believix transformation outfits.
Front of the Alfea Castle, undergoing renovations to become the Planetarium: Cosmo Academy
Inside the castle is a gift shop and statues of the Winx fairies. The park also has a Winx themed ride called Pianeta Winx (Planet Winx), an indoor dark ride that takes guests through the world of Magix, while utilizing gondolas, and featuring cameos from the Winx cast. Inspired by a storyline in season 2 which has the Winx explore the Wildlands to gain access to the Charmix transformation. Finally, there’s the Winx Theater, which plays the short film, Winx Club: Land of Magic. The short combines animation and live action as the fairies explore the Italian region of Marche.
In 2019, it was announced that Rainbow S.r.l. had decided to not renew the licensing agreement for Rainbow Magicland. This includes the rights to utilize characters and have attractions based off of the Winx Club world and other Rainbow S.r.l. properties. As a result all branding associated with the company was removed from Rainbow Magicland, with the park itself now having to be changed to simply Magicland. Alfea Castle is in the process of turning into a Planetarium called Cosmo Academy. Pianeta Winx has also had to lose its Winx theming, although it is unclear what the new name of the renovated dark ride attraction currently is.
Although Rainbow Magicland has lost its rainbow and the Winx Club along with it, the memories have not been forgotten. Much of the park attractions and first person P.O.V. experiences have been archived online, and the Winx legacy continues to live on through the show’s ongoing production and an upcoming live action television adaption for Netflix. So the next time you find yourselves overseas and perhaps in Magicland, see if you can still spot a rainbow, for the fairies of Magix may still be hidden in the park. The park may have changed, but the magic still lives on.