Formerly | Rainbow S.r.l. (1995-2018) |
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Company type | Private |
Founded | April 1995 |
Founder | Iginio Straffi |
Headquarters | |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Iginio Straffi (CEO) |
Products |
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Owner | Iginio Straffi |
Subsidiaries |
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Website | rbw.it |
Rainbow S.p.A. is an Italian studio founded by Iginio Straffi and co-owned by Viacom (later Paramount Global) from 2011 to 2023. Rainbow has collaborated with Viacom/Paramount's other company, Nickelodeon, on multiple shows, including Winx Club and Club 57 . [1] The studio is based in Loreto, Marche and was founded by Straffi in 1995. Rainbow began as an animation studio, providing creative services for larger companies until it secured enough funds for original productions.
In February 2011, Viacom purchased 30% of the company for 62 million euros (US$83 million), [2] leaving the remaining 70% to Iginio Straffi. [3] [4] Viacom's Nickelodeon networks broadcast Rainbow's shows worldwide, [5] and Rainbow acts as the licensing agent for Nickelodeon's shows in Italy. [6] Nickelodeon's American studios have also collaborated with Rainbow on several productions, including Winx Club from 2011 to 2015 and Club 57 in 2019. [1]
In 2015, Rainbow purchased fellow animation studio Bardel Entertainment. [7] In 2017, Rainbow acquired a majority stake in Gruppo Iven S.p.A., which owns the production company Colorado Film. [8]
In April 2018, Straffi and Viacom listed the company on the Italian stock exchange. [9] The listing followed years of consideration regarding which country's stock market to enter (the United States or Italy). [10] According to Straffi, this presented "a real dilemma" as Viacom was already listed on an American stock exchange, [10] but Rainbow performed best in European countries. [10] Straffi and Viacom withdrew Rainbow from the stock market in May 2018, citing a lack of suitable market conditions. [11]
After almost 12 years of co-ownership, Paramount sold its stake back to Straffi in January 2023. While Nickelodeon will continue to be a broadcast partner for the studio, the purchase allows Straffi full control of Rainbow's new projects. [12] [13]
Show | Start date | Co-production |
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Tommy & Oscar [14] [15] | 2000–2002 | Rai Fiction |
Prezzemolo | 2002–2003 | Gardaland |
Colorado | 2003–2019 | RTI |
Winx Club | 2004–2019 | Rai Fiction (seasons 1-7) Nickelodeon [16] (seasons 5-7) Rai Ragazzi (season 8) |
Monster Allergy | 2005–2009 | Rai Fiction |
Huntik: Secrets & Seekers | 2009–2012 | RTI |
PopPixie | 2010–2011 | Rai Fiction |
Crazy Block (pilot) [17] | 2014 | Nickelodeon [17] |
Regal Academy | 2016–2018 | Rai Fiction |
Maggie & Bianca: Fashion Friends | 2016–2017 | Rai Fiction Nickelodeon (pilot only) [18] |
World of Winx | Rai Fiction | |
Eccezionale veramente | Colorado Film | |
44 Cats | 2018–2021 | Rai Ragazzi Institute of Antoniano |
Club 57 | 2019–2021 | Rai Ragazzi Nickelodeon [19] |
Enjoy - Ridere fa bene | 2020 | RTI |
Fate: The Winx Saga | 2021–2022 | Archery Pictures Young Blood Productions |
Summer & Todd: Happy Farmers | 2021–present | RTVE Motion Pictures |
Pinocchio and Friends | Rai Ragazzi Toonz Media Group | |
Mermaid Magic [20] | 2024 | Bardel [21] |
Gormiti - The New Era | Rai Fiction | |
Honolulu | TBA | RTI |
Movie | Released | Distributor | Co-production |
---|---|---|---|
Tommy and Oscar: The Movie | 2007 | Miramax | Rai Cinema |
Winx Club: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom | 01 Distribution Miramax Paramount Pictures | ||
Winx Club 3D: Magical Adventure | 2010 | Medusa Film Paramount Pictures | Sky Cinema |
Gladiators of Rome | 2012 | Mediaset Premium Sky Cinema | |
Winx Club: The Mystery of the Abyss | 2014 | 01 Distribution Paramount Pictures | Rai Cinema |
Tiro libero | 2017 | Linfa Crowd 2.0 | |
Classe Z | Medusa Film | ||
The Girl in the Fog | |||
Daughter of Mine | 2018 | 01 Distribution | Rai Cinema |
My Big Gay Italian Wedding | Medusa Film | ||
No Kids | |||
When Mom Is Away | |||
The Nest | 2019 | ||
Into the Labyrinth | |||
Me contro Te - Il film: La vendetta del Signor S | 2020 | Warner Bros. | |
Cambio tutto! | Medusa Film Amazon Prime Video | Colorado Film | |
When Mom Is Away... With the Family | |||
Me contro Te - Il film: Il mistero della scuola incantata | 2021 | Warner Bros. | |
A Classic Horror Story | Netflix | Colorado Film | |
My Name is Vendetta | |||
Me contro Te - Il film: Persi nel tempo | 2022 | Warner Bros. | |
Il mammone | Medusa Film | ||
Il pataffio | 01 Distribution | Rai Cinema UMédia Vivo Film | |
The Price of Family | Netflix | Colorado Film | |
Tre di troppo | 2023 | Warner Bros. | |
Me contro Te - Il film: Missione Giungla | |||
Me contro Te - Il film: Vacanze in Transilvania | |||
50km all'ora | 2024 | Eagle Pictures | Sony Pictures International Productions |
The Tearsmith | Netflix | Colorado Film |
Rainbow founded Tridimensional, a magazine publishing division, in 2004. A 3D animation division, Rainbow CGI, was formed in 2006. Rainbow also established Witty Toys, a toy division, in 2008.
Nicktoons is a collective name used by Nickelodeon for their original animated series. All Nicktoons are produced partly at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and list Nickelodeon's parent company in their copyright bylines.
Winx Club is an animated television series co-produced by Rainbow SpA and later Nickelodeon. It was created and directed by Italian animator Iginio Straffi. It premiered on 28 January 2004, becoming a ratings success in Italy and on Nickelodeon networks internationally. The show is set in a magical universe that is inhabited by fairies, witches, and other mythical creatures. The main character is a fairy warrior named Bloom, who enrolls at Alfea College to train and hone her skills. The series uses a serial format with an ongoing storyline.
Paramount Networks Europe, Middle East, Africa & Asia (EMEAA) is a division of Paramount International Networks which is fully owned by Paramount Global. The unit's headquarters are in Madrid, with additional offices in Berlin, Lisbon, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Dubai, Johannesburg, Lagos, Budapest, Warsaw, Singapore, Stockholm, Tokyo, Beijing, Manila, Copenhagen, Prague, Helsinki, and Hong Kong. The company was originally founded under the name MTV Networks Europe in 1987.
The first season of the animated series Winx Club aired from 28 January to 26 March 2004, consisting of 26 episodes. The series was created by Iginio Straffi, who also acted as its executive producer and director of the season.
The second season of the animated series Winx Club aired from 19 April to 14 July 2005, consisting of 26 episodes. The series was created by Iginio Straffi, who also acted as executive producer and director of the season.
Iginio Straffi is an Italian animator and former comic book author. He is the founder and president of Rainbow SpA, which he co-owned alongside the American media company Paramount Global from 2011 until 2023. Straffi is the creator of the studio's animated series Winx Club and Huntik: Secrets & Seekers, as well as the co-creator of its comic book series Maya Fox.
Huntik: Secrets & Seekers is an Italian animated television series created by Iginio Straffi, the creator of Winx Club. It was produced by Rainbow, a studio co-owned by Straffi and Viacom at the time of the show's conclusion. The series is about four adventurers who are part of a group called the Huntik Foundation, led by their top operative Dante Vale. Each episode takes place in a different historical city and features magical elements inspired by European mythology. The characters are designed in a style that combines Japanese anime with Western animation.
The fourth season of the animated series Winx Club aired from 15 April to 13 November 2009, consisting of 26 episodes. The series was created by Iginio Straffi, founder of the Rainbow animation studio.
The third season of the animated series Winx Club, which aired from 29 January to 28 March 2007, consisting of 26 episodes. The series was created by Iginio Straffi, founder of the Rainbow animation studio.
Bardel Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian animation studio founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1987. The studio's name comes from its founders, Barry Ward and his wife Delna Bhesania.
Gladiators of Rome is a 2012 Italian computer-animated comedy film produced by Rainbow, a studio co-owned by Iginio Straffi and Viacom at the time. Viacom's Paramount Pictures released the film in North America while Medusa Film handled distribution in Italy. The film was directed by Straffi, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael J. Wilson. Gladiators of Rome had its world premiere in Italy on 18 October 2012.
The seventh season of Winx Club premiered on Nickelodeon in Asia on 22 June 2015. It later aired from 21 September to 3 October 2015 on Rai Gulp in Italy, and from January 10 to April 10, 2016 on the Nick Jr. Channel in the United States. The season consists of 26 episodes.
Maggie & Bianca: Fashion Friends is an Italian live-action sitcom which premiered on Rai Gulp on August 29, 2016. The series was created by Iginio Straffi. It focuses on two roommates at the Fashion Academy of Milan: Maggie, an American girl on a scholarship in Italy, and Bianca, the daughter of an Italian fashion entrepreneur.
Winx Club: The Mystery of the Abyss is a 2014 Italian animated fantasy film directed and co-written by Iginio Straffi. It is the third film based on the animated television series Winx Club, and takes place after the fifth season. 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.
Club 57 is a television series developed by Rainbow SpA and Nickelodeon, which were both part of Viacom at the time. It was created by Catharina Ledoboer and produced by Iginio Straffi and Pierluigi Gazzolo. The series premiered on Rai Gulp in Italy on 15 April 2019, followed by its debut on Nickelodeon Latin America on 6 May 2019. The show follows a student from the 21st century named Eva who accidentally travels to the year 1957. After Eva falls in love with an Italian greaser named JJ, she decides to stay in the past.
In 2011, 16 years after Straffi founded Rainbow, Viacom gained 30 percent ownership of the animation division... for 62 million euro ($83 million), thus valuing the company at $277 million.
Rome: The shares will be put on sale by Straffi and Viacom Holdings Italia.
The Rainbow studio based in Loreto, Marche, 30% of which belongs to Viacom, decided to go public... However, investors have not responded with the awaited enthusiasm
Winx Club is a co-production with Rainbow S.p.A. and Nickelodeon.