W.I.T.C.H.

W.I.T.C.H. is a French-American animated television series based on the Italian comic book series of the same name. The animated series was produced by SIP Animation in association with and with participation from Jetix Europe, The Walt Disney Company and France Télévisions. W.I.T.C.H. premiered December 18, 2004 and concluded on December 23, 2006 in the U.S., where it aired on ABC Kids and the Jetix blocks on ABC Family and Toon Disney.

The show follows five girls – Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin – who have respective magical powers over the classical elements quintessence, water, fire, earth and air, which they use to fulfill their duties as Guardians of the Veil. The names of these five characters form the titular acronym, despite the characters not actually being witches. The show takes place in the fictional city of Heatherfield and various mythical worlds, primarily Meridian.

## Plot

The Guardians must save Meridian from the evil prince named Phobos and Cedric, who are searching for Phobos' sister, the long lost princess of Meridian and true heir to the throne. They later find her and the Guardians then set about saving her from Phobos. When Meridian is freed from evil and true heir takes the throne, a new mysterious sorceress named Nerissa frees Phobos' 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 more powerful Knights of Destruction, in addition to the former Guardians attack them.

The Guardians' chief ally is Hay Lin's paternal grandmother Yan Lin, the original, former Guardian of Air, and the one that taught the girls about their magical abilities and destiny as the second generation of Guardians of the Veil. They are also helped by Caleb, a heroic soldier from Meridian, leader of the rebellion against Phobos, and Blunk, a frog-like goblin creature (known as a Passling) who takes things from the human world to Meridian (and vice versa), humorously mistaking everyday objects for other things or items of value. Matt, Will's boyfriend, accidentally learns about Meridian and when he sees the troubles there going on, he learns how to become a warrior to help them. They are also helped by the Oracle, leader of the Universe in Kandrakar, who was the one who chose the five girls.

### Guardian powers and abilities

Each Guardian's powers are fueled and magnified greatly by the mystic temple Kandrakar, transmitted to the Heart via the Aurameres (the physical representations of the Guardians' powers). The Aurameres grant the same exact elemental powers to each of their guardians; for instance, powers held by Irma would also have been possessed by Cassidy. The keeper of the Aurameres is Luba, a cat-like being.

When the Guardians transform, they change form and grow wings, which help them fly. Also, the Guardians can combine their powers together and create a beam as seen on the first episode of the series. Since the Veil was taken down, the Guardians have to cross worlds by folding, with the help of the Heart of Kandrakar. Elyon and Blunk can fold as well.

In order to travel to another place in the same world, each Guardian can teletransport. Teletransporting is a difficult ability to learn and one can materialize into another solid object if not careful enough. If a Guardian teletransports while not connected to an Auramere or a Heart, then they will drain their life force.

It has been shown that if a Guardian uses her elemental powers and is not connected to an Auramere, it will drain their life force, making them much weaker. This may be why Nerissa aged so much faster than the rest of C.H.Y.K.N.

A Guardian can become a Quinto-Guardian, obtaining powers over all five elements. A Quinto-Guardian can gain the power to create solid ice out of thin air as with liquid water. The only known Quinto-Guardians are Cornelia (temporarily via the merged Aurameres) and Nerissa (by using her Seal).

The Guardians can also become one with their dragon (or the powerful nymph Xin Jing, in the case of the Guardian of Quintessence and Keeper of the mystical Heart of Kandrakar, Will) and literally become their element while increasing all of their elemental abilities to their zenith of strength. But this is risky and rather dangerous because it costs them their humanity and they could be easily controlled and enthralled.

#### Astral Drops and Altermeres

Using the Heart of Kandrakar, a Guardian can create an Astral Drop, a duplicate of herself, when the words "Spord Lartsa" (Astral Drops spelled backwards) are said. The Astral Drops are doppelgangers, summoned when the Guardians have to go on a mission and need doubles so their absence is not felt. Although a Drop is a perfect physical copy of a person, they possess none of their memories, and have no personality of their own. All the Astral Drops make their debut in "Ambush at Torus Filney". Cornelia makes another Astral Drop in "The Mogriffs", as does Will in "H is for Hunted".

An Altermere is an Astral Drop brought to life through the power of Quintessence. Unlike Astral Drops, they do not fade away when "Astral Drop" is said; they are actual living beings with feelings, emotions and memories. The concept of Altermeres is introduced in "H is for Hunted" when Will creates an Astral Drop to do her chores (laundry). Nerissa soon creates trouble by making it an Altermere. In "R is for Relentless", Nerissa tries to corrupt Yan Lin to her side, but can not. So she traps Yan Lin in the Seal of Nerissa and creates an Altermere double who does not realize she is not the real Yan Lin until Nerissa tells her. In "Z is for Zenith", Yan Lin introduces her long-lost sister she found in China to Joan and Chen Lin: Mira.

## Plot

The Guardians must save Meridian from the evil prince named Phobos and Cedric, who are searching for Phobos' sister, the long lost princess of Meridian and true heir to the throne. They later find her and the Guardians then set about saving her from Phobos. When Meridian is freed from evil and true heir takes the throne, a new mysterious sorceress named Nerissa frees Phobos' 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 more powerful Knights of Destruction, in addition to the former Guardians attack them.

The Guardians' chief ally is Hay Lin's paternal grandmother Yan Lin, the original, former Guardian of Air, and the one that taught the girls about their magical abilities and destiny as the second generation of Guardians of the Veil. They are also helped by Caleb, a heroic soldier from Meridian, leader of the rebellion against Phobos, and Blunk, a frog-like goblin creature (known as a Passling) who takes things from the human world to Meridian (and vice versa), humorously mistaking everyday objects for other things or items of value. Matt, Will's boyfriend, accidentally learns about Meridian and when he sees the troubles there going on, he learns how to become a warrior to help them. They are also helped by the Oracle, leader of the Universe in Kandrakar, who was the one who chose the five girls.

### Guardian powers and abilities

Each Guardian's powers are fueled and magnified greatly by the mystic temple Kandrakar, transmitted to the Heart via the Aurameres (the physical representations of the Guardians' powers). The Aurameres grant the same exact elemental powers to each of their guardians; for instance, powers held by Irma would also have been possessed by Cassidy. The keeper of the Aurameres is Luba, a cat-like being.

When the Guardians transform, they change form and grow wings, which help them fly. Also, the Guardians can combine their powers together and create a beam as seen on the first episode of the series. Since the Veil was taken down, the Guardians have to cross worlds by folding, with the help of the Heart of Kandrakar. Elyon and Blunk can fold as well.

In order to travel to another place in the same world, each Guardian can teletransport. Teletransporting is a difficult ability to learn and one can materialize into another solid object if not careful enough. If a Guardian teletransports while not connected to an Auramere or a Heart, then they will drain their life force.

It has been shown that if a Guardian uses her elemental powers and is not connected to an Auramere, it will drain their life force, making them much weaker. This may be why Nerissa aged so much faster than the rest of C.H.Y.K.N.

A Guardian can become a Quinto-Guardian, obtaining powers over all five elements. A Quinto-Guardian can gain the power to create solid ice out of thin air as with liquid water. The only known Quinto-Guardians are Cornelia (temporarily via the merged Aurameres) and Nerissa (by using her Seal).

The Guardians can also become one with their dragon (or the powerful nymph Xin Jing, in the case of the Guardian of Quintessence and Keeper of the mystical Heart of Kandrakar, Will) and literally become their element while increasing all of their elemental abilities to their zenith of strength. But this is risky and rather dangerous because it costs them their humanity and they could be easily controlled and enthralled.

#### Astral Drops and Altermeres

Using the Heart of Kandrakar, a Guardian can create an Astral Drop, a duplicate of herself, when the words "Spord Lartsa" (Astral Drops spelled backwards) are said. The Astral Drops are doppelgangers, summoned when the Guardians have to go on a mission and need doubles so their absence is not felt. Although a Drop is a perfect physical copy of a person, they possess none of their memories, and have no personality of their own. All the Astral Drops make their debut in "Ambush at Torus Filney". Cornelia makes another Astral Drop in "The Mogriffs", as does Will in "H is for Hunted".

An Altermere is an Astral Drop brought to life through the power of Quintessence. Unlike Astral Drops, they do not fade away when "Astral Drop" is said; they are actual living beings with feelings, emotions and memories. The concept of Altermeres is introduced in "H is for Hunted" when Will creates an Astral Drop to do her chores (laundry). Nerissa soon creates trouble by making it an Altermere. In "R is for Relentless", Nerissa tries to corrupt Yan Lin to her side, but can not. So she traps Yan Lin in the Seal of Nerissa and creates an Altermere double who does not realize she is not the real Yan Lin until Nerissa tells her. In "Z is for Zenith", Yan Lin introduces her long-lost sister she found in China to Joan and Chen Lin: Mira.

## Setting

Various worlds play an important role in the *W.I.T.C.H.* series. Earth is the home of the Guardians of the Veil, later the Infinite Dimensions while Meridian, Kandrakar and Zamballa are mystical dimensions that are introduced as the story progresses and the evil forces get stronger. In "V is for Victory", Nerissa also briefly visited a place called Aridia, a desert realm home to giant rock creatures, in an attempt to steal its Heart.

The Hearts are the sources of immense mystical energy for each of the worlds they come from. They can be represented by a jewel, a talisman or a living being. Prominently featured in the series is the Heart of Kandrakar, a pendant that allows W.I.T.C.H. to transform. Most of the time a mystic Heart is found to be in the form of living being, as it is for Earth, Meridian, and Aridia.

### Earth

The planet where humans live and no-one knows of different kingdoms like Meridian or Zamballa or any creatures that exist there. It is home to each generation of five Guardians of the Veil.

#### Heatherfield

The main human-populated city, in which the second generation of Guardians of the Veil live. It is also where original, former Guardian of Air, Yan Lin, still lives with her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter Hay Lin. Its main known high school is Sheffield Institute, with Mrs. Knickerbocker as principal.

It also happens to be the home of Lillian Hale, Cornelia's eight-year-old younger sister and the mystical Heart of Earth itself. For twelve long years, the younger sister to Prince Phobos of Meridian was taken for safety and raised by Alborn and Miriadel, who posed themselves as her "human" adopted parents Thomas and Eleanor Brown.

##### The Silver Dragon

The Silver Dragon is a Chinese restaurant and is the place where Hay Lin and her family live. Her parents and her Grandma Yan Lin run the Restaurant. The Silver Dragon made its debut in season 1's "It Begins" when Hay Lin has some weird phases of sneezing and the room exploding. This is also the place where Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin learnt they were Guardians and were given the Heart of Kandrakar.

The basement is where they all meet up and hang out (Blunk calls the basement "Guardian HQ"). The Guardians spend their time in the basement on planning their attacks and next moves. Yan Lin is always there to help the Guardians on some occasions.

### Meridian

Meridian is by far the most important world seen in the series, as most of the action takes place here.

Meridian is a kingdom far away under the watching eye of the Oracle. It is ruled by a single Queen, who has powerful magical powers and is the center of mystical energy in the dimension (the Heart of Meridian). As of season 2, the Queen is Elyon Brown. This world has streets full of merchants and extraordinary caves. People here live mainly from agriculture, although some have other jobs.

Meridian has many different creatures like Larveks, Mudslugs, Mogriffs, Sandpit, Hermeneutas, Passlings, Kaithim, etc. Some creatures can change between an apparently human form and a beast form, such as Cedric and Miranda.

Meridian is the most frequently traveled-to place for the Guardians in season 1. Throughout season 1, Meridian is the only known dimension to the Guardians besides Earth as the Veil was raised and not much was known about the other worlds like Zamballa, Kandrakar and Aridia. Much of the action happened on Meridian in season 1 and the Guardians frequently traveled there to help, and stop Phobos' schemes. An important place in Meridian is in a large village next to the castle, which is on top of high land extending upwards. This is where Phobos lives and is the main centre of activity since the Guardians repeatedly attack it.

#### The Infinite City

The Infinite City made its debut in season 1's "A Service to the Community". The Infinite City is below Meridian and the Guardians didn't know at first, but Caleb tells them and shows them. The Mage guards the city. The city is underground and has lots of pillars running along it. The city is colored lime green, but in daytime the city appeared to be red, orange and cream.

Nobody knows who created or built the Infinite City and when, as it has a mysterious past and the city is infinite and keeps going on and on in all directions. The Infinite City was kept secret from Phobos because the Rebellion used it as their base of operations. One way of getting down into the city is by using a secret passage in a disused area of land and going through a little cupboard. It then leads down some stairs and into the city itself. Just a few yard's way is another passage, and under there seems like a basement but inside is a waterfall where the Mage stays and guards the city.

### Kandrakar

Kandrakar made its debut in "B is for Betrayal". The Guardians frequently went to Kandrakar for answers, such as why their powers had improved and become stronger. The Council of Kandrakar's job is to look over the whole universe and protect its worlds from any evil. It has its own five Guardians to help accomplish this task and protect the universe from harm. The Guardians also have a leader who wields the pink orb necklace of the mystical Heart of Kandrakar itself, which transforms them and greatly magnifies their elemental powers. The Aurameres are housed in one of Kandrakar's rooms and are guarded over by Luba.

### Zamballa

Zamballa was first introduced in the season 2 episode "P is for Protectors". Zamballa is a purple world with a jungle stretching out as far as the eye can see. At the center is a pyramid, the palace where Kadma lives while the Veil is still in effect. The Zamballans themselves look like walking purple trees. In "Z is for Zenith" the Heart of Zamballa is returned and Kadma abdicates from her throne to live a more humble life on Earth, while Ironwood takes the Heart and is made Queen herself.

## Release

### Broadcast

In the United States, a special one-hour preview of *W.I.T.C.H.* aired on December 18, 2004 on the Disney-owned ABC network's Saturday morning children's programming block, ABC Kids, and on December 19 on ABC Family and Toon Disney as part of their Jetix programming blocks. The series proper premiered January 15, 2005 on ABC Kids and ABC Family, and January 17 on Toon Disney. On January 28, 2006, it began airing on Disney Channel.

As *W.I.T.C.H.* is based on a Disney comic series and was produced in association with Jetix Europe, it has been broadcast worldwide on the Disney-owned Jetix channels, as well as Jetix-branded television blocks, including that on Family in Canada (November 26, 2005 – March 10, 2007; reruns until August 26, 2007). In Canada, it was broadcast on none of the English-language terrestrial TV networks, but the French version was shown on the CBC's French-language television network Télévision de Radio-Canada (September 10, 2005 – October 27, 2007; reruns until April 25, 2010). In the United Kingdom, BBC's children's strand CBBC had aired it. In the Republic of Ireland, it was broadcast on RTÉ Two's The Den. In Australia, it was shown on Seven Network and its affiliates. In New Zealand, the show was aired on the *2 Kids* block on TV2.

In France, where this TV series was primarily made, it was terrestrially broadcast on France 3. (The second season was known as *Dimension W.I.T.C.H.* in the country.) In Italy, where the original comic came from, it was shown on Italia 1.

### DVD

*W.I.T.C.H.* has been released on DVD in Europe, Australia, the Philippines (also in VCD format), Brazil, and Malaysia containing episodes of the first season, which was divided into volumes of varying number of episodes. Each volume contains 2 art cards, each featuring one of the W.I.T.C.H. girls.Template:Citation needed

In the UK, the first three volumes were released in 2006 on 1 May, 19 June, and 21 August respectively. In October 2007 the volumes were re-released as a DVD box set along with the box set of volumes four, five and six, containing the rest of season 1.

Season 2 DVDs have been released in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Russia. The Czech and Polish sets have audio available in multiple languages, including English.

## Reception

### Ratings

In the early stages of the first season, the series was a major hit and a TV breakout in the US. The two-episode premiere registered record ratings across ABC Kids and the Jetix blocks on ABC Family and Toon Disney, both as a preview and in regular airings.

In Europe, *W.I.T.C.H.* was the most popular Jetix original series for third-party sales as of fiscal year 2007, when the second season was delivered. All of the major Jetix Europe originals, including *W.I.T.C.H.*, ranked "as one of the top two shows in their timeslots in all of the markets in which they aired."

### Reviews

Toon Zone reviewed the first two episodes, praising most aspects and noting that the show stood out on Jetix. In an interview following the conclusion of the first season, it added: "What makes this a unique series is the approach to the characters, all of whom are fallible and utterly human."

*The New York Times* found the series to emphasize the importance of teenage friendships among girls, while appealing to boys as well.

Common Sense Media described the show as "an animated fantasy-adventure series for tweens", and gave it 3 out of 5 stars.

Comic Book Resources considered the series to be a "real gem of the '00s" that strikes a balance between action, comedy, drama, and "that slice-of-life sweet spot", and called for the show to be revived on Disney+.

### Awards and nominations

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

## Soundtrack

A soundtrack for the series was released in January 2007: ***Music From and Inspired By W.I.T.C.H.*** Among other tracks inspired by the series, it includes full-length renditions of the first international theme as well as the US version.

The song "The Power of Five" by Jillian Escobosa was used for promotional material and official websites prior to the TV series' launch. An official Italian music video was created by Marco Pavone for "W.I.T.C.H. Is In the House".

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Template:Cite news
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 ABC Kids Ratings Report for Saturday 1/15 - Anime Superhero News. Animesuperhero.com (2005-01-21).
3. ↑ W.I.T.C.H. to get preview on ABC Kids and Jetix 12/18 and 12/19 | Anime Superhero Forum. Animesuperhero.com.
4. ↑ Zedd (January 4, 2006). "W.I.T.C.H." Comes to Disney Channel.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Television Program Logs. Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (2016-03-02).Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore Alt URL
6. ↑ Template:Citation
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11. ↑ Studio Bambásek. Vyhledávání - W.I.T.C.H 2.série - disk 1 - Magic Box.
12. ↑ «W.I.T.C.H. (Witch) Czarodziejki Pakiet (slim)» (2005) [DVD Reżyser: Ginny McSwain • DVDmax.pl].
13. ↑ Чародейки. Сезон 2. Часть 1. Эпизоды 1-13 (2 DVD).
14. ↑ W.I.T.C.H.ing Hour - License! Global.
15. ↑ W.I.T.C.H. Delivers Ratings Gains for Jetix | Anime Superhero Forum. Animesuperhero.com.
16. ↑ Lawson, Tommy (January 20, 2005). W.I.T.C.H. Premiere Ratings Improve Over Previous 4-Week Average.
17. ↑ Jetix Europe N.V. announces results for the year ended September 30, 2007. Jetix.
18. ↑ "W.I.T.C.H." Premiere a Promising Start for Jetix - Anime Superhero News (January 14, 2005).
19. ↑ Toon Zone Talks to Greg Weisman, Part Four: "W.I.T.C.H." - ToonZone News.
20. ↑ W.I.T.C.H.. *Common Sense Media*.
21. ↑ W.I.T.C.H: Disney's '00s Magical Girl Series Deserves a Revival (September 26, 2020).
22. ↑ Artios Awards. *Casting Society of America*.
23. ↑ Template:Citation
24. ↑ witch\_90-sec-spot\_56k.mov (November 5, 2006).
25. ↑ W.i.t.c.h. -- The Official Website (January 25, 2004).
26. ↑ landing page Witch (March 24, 2004).
27. ↑ Pav1 Animation (November 21, 2017). Witch is in the house - Disney music video (2005).
28. ↑ INFO.