W.I.T.C.H. (TV series)
- For American feminist organisation formed in 1968, see W.I.T.C.H. (organisation)
- This is about the W.I.T.C.H. Animated series. For the comic book of this series, see W.I.T.C.H..
W.I.T.C.H. | |
---|---|
File:Savefile 060611144844 W 1 .jpg | |
Created by | Elisabetta Gnone |
Developed by | Andrew Nicholls Darrell Vickers Greg Weisman |
Starring | Kelly Stables Candi Milo Miss Kittie Christel Khalil Liza del Mundo Greg Cipes Lauren Tom Mitchell Whitfield Dee Bradley Baker Grey DeLisle Kath Soucie Jason Marsden |
Country of origin | France |
No. of episodes | 45 aired of 52 in production |
Production | |
Producer | Paris |
Running time | 22 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | ABC Family Toon Disney Jetix |
Release | December 18, 2004 – present |
W.I.T.C.H. is a French animated television series based on the Italian comic book series of the same name. Like the comics, the series follows five ordinary girls: Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin, with magical powers who become the Guardians of the Veil.
They must save Meridian from the evil sorcerer Phobos and Cedric who are searching for Phobos' sister, the long lost princess of Meridian. It is later revealed the princess is Cornelia's best friend Elyon, and the Guardians then set about saving her from Phobos.
The Guardians chief ally is Hay Lin's grandmother Yan Lin, a former Guardian herself, and the one that taught the girls about their magical destiny. They are also helped by Caleb, a heroic soldier from Meridian who leads the rebellion against Phobos, and Blunk, a frog-like goblin creature who takes things from the human world to Meridian (and vice-versa), humourously mistaking everyday objects for other things or items of value.
The first season consisted of 26 episodes, and the second season is currently screening. It was reported that Sip Animation will complete full production of W.I.T.C.H. Season 2 around September of 2006, but that it will premiere in the States, Canada, and The UK in spring of '06.
W.I.T.C.H. airs on Jetix (on Toon Disney) in the US and has been screened in several other countries.
Main Characters
- W.I.T.C.H.: The new Guardians chosen to protect Earth and Meridian.
- Wilhelmina "Will" Vandom (Kelly Stables): The leader of the Guardians and holder of The Heart of Candracar. She possesses the power of Quintessence.
- Irma Lair (Candi Milo): Water Guardian.
- Taranee Cook (Miss Kittie): Fire Guardian.
- Cornelia Hale (Christel Khalil): Earth Guardian.
- Hay Lin (Liza del Mundo): Air Guardian.
Other major characters:
- Caleb (Greg Cipes): A rebel leader from Meridian that both helps, and is helped, by the Guardians. Cornelia's boyfriend and Nerissa's son.
- Blunk (Steven Blum): A passling that assist the Guardians, sometimes deliberately, but just as often by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is usually found stealing goods from both worlds and taking them to the other. He often mistakes the human-created items for other things (e.g. a pair of ice skating shoes are mistook for "feet knives"). He's close to Irma's kid brother, Chris and joined in with Chris' antics instead of supposed to be helping Caleb when they were babysitting Chris. He was given the Tooth of Tonga by the Oracle, which could open portals to different worlds.
- Elyon Brown (Serena Berman): Cornelia's best friend and current ruler of Meridian, Phobos' sister. She is also known as The Heart of Meridian. She is currently trapped in a jewel being used by Nerissa as a power source.
- Council of Candracar
- Oracle (Michael Gough): Mentor of the old and new Guardians, a powerful all-seeing wizard, is trapped in a pink bubble.
- Althor (Michael Bell, Michael Gough): Short member of the council, is trapped in pink bubble.
- Luba (Iona Morris): Feline-like member of the council and keeper of the Aurameres, is guarding Candracar alone after the others were trapped in a pink bubble by Nerissa.
- Tibor: Member with a long beard, is trapped in a pink bubble.
- Mage (Kath Soucie): A powerful sorceress who guarded the Infinite City and became a member of the Council of Candracar. Died prior to the series, hence all of her modern appearances have been Nerissa in disguise.
- The Rebels
- Aldarn (Dee Bradley Baker): Friend of Caleb's and part of the rebel force, did we mention he's green?
- Julian (Loren Lester): Caleb's father, who was believed to be dead but actually in prison, rescued in season 1. He fell in love with the Mage 17 years ago, without knowing that the real Mage had died a year before that and been secretly replaced by Nerissa. Had Caleb with Nerissa (in her guise as the Mage).
- Vathek (Lloyd Sherr): Blue ogre-like friend of Caleb's. Part of the resistance, at one point a spy.
- Drake (Michael Bell): A captain of the rebel army and a friend of Caleb and Aldarn's.
- Tynar (Daran Norris): One of Phobos' guards who joined the rebellion when he was brought to Earth after being injured. In an act of compassion, his injuries were seen too, while he made a meal out of some of Mr.Huggle's food. On seeing the city of Heatherfield for himself, he realised his kind had been lied too by Phobos and Cedric and knew that the city could end up like Meridian was at the moment. Once he returned back to the castle he told the others what he had seen and convinced most of them to rise up and overthrow their cruel masters. He had a major hand in bringing down Phobos at the end of the first season.
- The Astral Drops: Soulless doppelgangers summoned when they needed chores done or to take their place when they needed to go on a mission. The words for the Astral Drops to appear is "Pord Lartsa". Used rarely and disappear when someone says "Astral Drop".
- Will Astral Drop / Will Altermere (Kelly Stables): Will's clone. Will used her to attend to her chores, but Nerissa used her power to turn the Astral Drop into a Altermere, becoming as real as the original with a soul of her own. However, Will Altermere, fearing that she would cease to be, attacked Will out of fear and rage. After the confrontation was settled peacefully, the Will Altermere sacrficed her life to save Will from Nerissa. With her clone's blessing, Will absorbed the Altermere and obtained all her memories.
- Irma Astral Drop (Candi Milo): Irma's clone.
- Taranee Astral Drop (Miss Kittie): Taranee's clone.
- Cornelia Astral Drop (Christel Khalil): Cornelia's clone.
- Hay Lin Astral Drop (Liza del Mundo): Hay Lin's clone.
Main Villains
Season One
- Prince Phobos (Mitchell Whitfield): Main villain of Season 1. He tried to kill his sister Elyon and absorb her powers. Originally the cruel ruler of Meridian, he was vanquished to prison in the Infinite City by Elyon and the Guardians, broke out once, but was immediatly recaptured.
- Lord Cedric (Dee Bradley Baker): Phobos' strongest servant who shapeshifts between a human and a giant snake creature. At the end of the series, Phobos transformed him into a useless tiny snake and he was imprisoned with Phobos.
- Lurdens (Dee Bradley Baker): Phobos' minions, most of them join the rebellion in the finale.
- Guard (Mitchell Whitfield): The regular guards of Phobos.
Season Two
- C.H.Y.K.N.: The original Guardians chosen to protect Meridian about 40 years ago. When Nerissa returned, she started to turn all but Yan Lin to her side. Nerissa has destroyed her own Knights of Destruction and used them to transform herself and her friends into the original Guardians.
- Cassidy (Susan Chesler): Former Guardian of Water, later new holder of the Heart of Candracar. She was killed by Nerissa after demanding the Heart returned. Nerissa later resurrected Cassidy's spirit and put her under a spell, saying that she would find a way to have her live again.
- Halinor (B. J. Ward): Former Guardian of Fire. She is now a part of the Council of Candracar with the Oracle and others. After capturing Cassidy's spirit, Halinor also fell prey to Nerissa's power.
- Yan Lin (Lauren Tom): Former Guardian of Air. She guides the girls and was the one to pass the Heart Of Candracar along to them and reveal their powers and destiny. An altermere was made from her who fell under Nerissa's thrall while the original Yan Lin is trapped alongside Elyon in Nerissa's seal.
- Kadma (CCH Pounder): Former Guardian of Earth. She is now the current ruler of the purple planet Zamballa, but was recently taken, along with Zamballa's heart, by Nerissa.
- Nerissa (Kath Soucie): Main villain of Season 2. She was once the holder of the Heart of Candracar, but it was taken from her because she was corrupted by its power. Mad with jealousy, she turned on her fellow Guardians and accidentally killed Cassidy. She was sentenced to be sealed in Mount Thanos until she was freed by Mage (who had hoped that she would reform if shown compassion). She disguised herself as Trill, an orange-haired lady who worked in the castle until she successfully siphoned Elyon's power into the Heart of Meridian, and as the Mage. As a holder of the Heart while Guardian, Nerissa has the same powers as Will over the element of Quintessence. Nerissa is also revealed to be Caleb's mother. Now holds the Seal of Nerissa.
- The Knights of Vengeance: Warriors who served Prince Phobos when he was in power, but were then hired by Nerissa. As of now, the Knights of Vengeance are in prison with Prince Phobos.
- Miranda (Grey DeLisle, Susan Silo (monster, 1st season)): A shapeshifting minion of Phobos' who disguised herself as Elyon's friend. Locked away and became a Knight of Vengeance after being freed by Nerissa, abandoning her master. Miranda's true form is a black hairball with limbs. She can also shoot webs. She was reverted into a spider by Phobos, despite her part in freeing him, and placed in Cedric's cell.
- Gargoyle (Dee Bradley Baker): A giant deformed rock monster who worked for Phobos. He lost his left hand but Nerissa created a club weapon made from lava in replacement. He later served her.
- The Tracker (Jeff Bennett): A cloaked skeletal hunter who served Phobos and then Nerissa. Has a vicious dog with a super sense of smell called Sniffer. He is equipped with an electrical whip and odd bat-like creatures that can eat through trees.
- Sandpit (Various Voices): A sand-made monster who worked for Phobos to capture rebel members. Later worked for Nerissa who gave it a humanoid form.
- Raythor (Steven Blum): A knight of Phobos'. Locked away, and later freed upon joining the Knights of Vengeance as the leader.
- Frost the Hunter (Dee Bradley Baker): A hunter once part of Phobos' army. He joined the Knights of Vengeance, wishing to be leader but lost to Raythor. Has a rhinoceros-like beast that he rides on called Crimson.
- The Knights of Destruction: Warriors created by Nerissa using the Heart of Meridian. Matt and Mr. Huggles were morphed into Shagon and Khor while Tridart and Flame were created from scratch. The four are later absorbed by the original Guardians and killed, but Matt and Huggles live on.
- Mr. Huggles / Khor the Destroyer (Dee Bradley Baker): A cute dormouse who belonged to Will, Irma and Hay Lin before returning with Matt. Nerissa later turned him into Khor, the first of Nerissa's Four Knights of Destruction, using his anger. Even in this form, Khor still has the qualities of a pet, and even senses a bond with his former master, Shagon. He feeds on the rage of others. Khor was restored to normal by Matt and Nerissa.
- Matthew "Matt" Olsen / Shagon, the Angel of Malice (Jason Marsden): Will's cool boyfriend. Plays the guitar and knows of the Guardians. Nerissa later turned him into into Shagon, her right hand man, using his hatred for her. Most powerful, and dangerous, of the Four Knights of Destruction, Shagon feeds on expressions of hate, targeting Will by forcing her to despise him using his former-self as bait. Matt and Shagon's conscience minds battled for control and Matt became the victor, destroying Shagon and returning to normal after Nerissa absorb Shagon's remaining power.
- Tridart, the Despair (Jim Cummings): One of the Four Knights of Destruction, created by Nerissa from the numerous icy stalactites found in the cave which Nerissa was sealed in. He represents the despair Nerissa felt in her prison. He was sadly destroyed by his own creator, his form absorbed by Nerissa.
- Ember, the Pain (Cree Summer): One of the Four Knights of Destruction, given life by Nerissa from the lava which flowed around Mount Thanos. She represents the pain that Nerissa felt for killing Cassidy. Ember appeared to have "relationship" with Tridart, and was killed by Nerissa when she was absorbed by her.
Recurring Characters
- Martin Tubbs (Dee Bradley Baker): Unpopular nerd who has a helpless crush on Irma. He believes she has feelings for him, but doubted when Irma publicly humiliated him on school-wide radio. Irma later apologized.
- Uriah Dunn (Byrne Offutt): A troublemaking kid at school. He skateboards and is occasionally put in detention. Turned on radion, thus leading to radio incident(see above). He claims he can play the guitar but is really awful.
- Kurt Van Buren (Steven Blum): Uriah's friend, he is a bit dumb. He started playing the drums since he was six, but quit a year on. He is actually not that bad.
- Laurent Clubberman (Greg Cipes): Uriah's friend, he is dumb too and doesn't talk much. He is nicknamed Clobber and can play the tambourine well.
- Nigel Ashcroft (Michael Reisz): A former friend of Uriah's, and Taranee's boyfriend. He is in Matt's band, Wreck 55.
- Susan Vandom (Lauren Tom): Will's strict mother. She grounds Will a lot and appears to be obsessed with math. She previously dated Mr. Collins but hid that relationship from her daughter who eventually discovered and accepted it in the second season when he saved Susan on the collapsing pier.
- Thomas Lair (Byrne Offutt): Irma's father. He is a police officer and likes to party.
- Anna Lair (Candi Milo): Irma's mother. She is caring and knows how to run a party.
- Thomas Brown (Mark L. Taylor): Elyon's foster father, really a citizen of Meridian (where he is known as Alborn).
- Eleanor Brown (Vanessa Marshall): Elyon's foster mother, really a citizen of Meridian (where she is known as Miriadel).
- Chris Lair (Cesar Flores): Irma's younger brother (about eight), and a real troublemaker. He made friends with Blunk when Caleb was babysitting him and nearly became a target of the The Tracker until his sister and the others lured The Tracker and his hound Sniffer away from the area (without him knowing it of course). Another time he brought home one of Phobos' pets which had made it's way from Meridian to Heatherfield. Irma is not fond of him being in his room (perhaps because of his tendency to leave a mess everywhere he goes). He resembles a male version of Irma (he even has the exact same hair and eye colour as she does).
- Lilian Hale (Alyson Stoner): Cornelia's younger sister (who's a year younger than Chris is) who annoys her sister greatly. She has a habit of re-setting her sister's alarm clock in order to make her late. She looks so much like her sister that, she could be mistaken for a younger clone of Cornelia.
- Chen Lin (James Sie): Hay Lin's worrysome father, who rings his daughter continuously. Was once hypnotized to do Hay Lin's bidding, which constantly interfered with Hay Lin's life.
- Alchemy (Lauren Tom): Cornelia and Elyon's friend. She likes listening to depressing music to clear her mind of stress.
- Principal Knickerbocker (Candi Milo): The strict principal of the school. She is bossy but very funny.
- Dean Collins (Cam Clarke): The history teacher at school, dating Will's mother. He was believed to be a monster from Meridian and was attacked by the Guardians. After realising their mistake, the Guardians return him home after a difficult journey. He is also the head of the school newspaper and owns a lizard called Mr. Scales.
- James the Fridge (Dee Bradley Baker): Will's talking refrigerator (after she gains the power to talk to him).
- Eric Lyndon (Justin Shenkarow): Hay Lin's crush.
- Galgheita Rudolph (Marianne Muellerleile): Math teacher of the girls, woman who brought Elyon to Earth.
- Jeek (Paul Eiding): An evil passling and Blunk's nemesis.
- Ironwood (Masasa Moyo): Ironwood is a being of Zamballa who became the world's new regent after it's Queen Kadma was enthralled by Nerissa.
Episode list
Season 1
|
Season 2
|
Season 3The production of a third season of the W.I.T.C.H. television series is pending a decision by Disney. |
Differences in both comic book and the animated series
Bloopers
- In the episodes The Key and The Return of the Tracker, there are scenes in which Will's voice is replased with Irma's, also seen in the episode Happy Birthday, Will, with the differance, that Will's voice is switched with Elyon's for the scene.
- In "I is for Illusion", when Nerissa takes the appearance of someone, the shadow is still her own, although when she took the appearance of Will to insult Hay Lin on the dock, when her shadow is seen, it was Will's.
- Irma is the only guardian whose costume colors keep switching.
- The girl's costumes are pink instead of purple.
- Taranee's wristbands are pink instead of turquoise.
- In the series, the 'claw' on Cornelia's skirt is facing the wrong way.
- In the episode, 'The Labyrinth', Elyon expresses towards the end that she does not like donuts. But in 'Happy Birthday Will', Elyon can be seen eating one after asking Caleb to dance.
- Towards the end of the episode 'B is for Betrayal', when the girls return to earth, Will and Taranee have somehow changed outfits, as they are not wearing the same clothes as before they were taken to Candracar.
- In 'Stop the Presses' when Martin is informing the class of his ghost, Hay Lin is seen in the class. But as the commotion breaks out and we pan to a full view of the class, Will and Cornelia are sitting in desks. This isn't possible because Will and Cornelia are in the 8th grade (and by book #3, finding Meridian so Martin himself), whereas Hay Lin is in the 7th.
- At the end of the episode 'Parent's Night', when Will's mother says something about "teenage problems", Hay Lin is barefoot, but a second later, when the room is shown from another angle, she is wearing pink socks.
- In 'K is for Knowledge' when the Oracle recounts the events that took place when Nerissa owned the Heart, the Heart of Candracar is switched with the Jewel from Weira's crown.
- In 'It Resumes'Blunk says he can`t swim but in 'The stone of Threbe ,when he gets thrown in the river he swims to the salad bar boat.
- In 'R is for Relentless' when Kadma is next to Nerissa she is holding the Heart of Zambala, this is impossible because Nerissa took it to make the Seal of Nerissa.
Trivia
- UK and USA have different theme songs
- In the second season, Will says "The Heart" when they transform until "L is for Loser", and the transformation scene is cut down.
- For season 2, SIP Animation brought a new studio to animate the series.[citation needed]
- In the US, Season 2 didn't get a new opening because Disney US wanted consistency when they aired Season 1 & 2 simultaneously. This doesn't apply to the UK Season 2 opening, which did get revamped with new scenes.[citation needed]
- The UK opening uses a more eastern style opening sequence because in the opening it looks like a story and does not only focus on the action (a lot of anime openings are like this), while the US opening is more western because while the theme song is playing we see action scenes & clips in the background.[citation needed]
- Jetix US airs the UK Season 2 opening as a promotional clip for Season 2, though when it is played it doesn't include the credits, also the first scene that shows the alarm clock is slightly edited to replace the Kermit the frog dolls with random colors (the reason why the Kermit-looking dolls were edited out was because Disney US didn't want to have legal issues with the owners of the character).[citation needed]
- The US opening includes scenes from the W.I.T.C.H. demo reel.
- When characters are teleporting, you can see clearly a V. If you play frame by frame you'll read V A N-S which is read "Vaness", nickname of Vanessa, the girlfriend of Guillaume Louyot (visual effects supervisor).
- Towards the end on "Happy Birthday Will" when Will meets up with Matt, the tune to the European theme song can be heard.
- During the episodes F is for Facdes and D is for Dangerous the connection between Nerissa and Will's powers is shown more and more due to the fact in F is for Facades Will said she felt a charge after Nerissa used her power, and in D is for Dangerous because Nerissa used the same power to create the Annihilators but Will destroyed them with the same power.
- There are three Spanish versions of the W.I.T.C.H. opening: (1) A version heard in Spain, (2) A version heard in Latin America, and (3) A Spanish version of the US opening which can be heard in the US if you switch the audio from English to Spanish (You'll hear the Spanish dub if you do so)[citation needed]
- From episode 14 onwards, a different singer sings the US W.I.T.C.H. theme song.
- Will and Nerissa's power "Quintessence" was actually considered to be the fifth element by ancient and medieval philosophers. The heavenly bodies were supposed to be made of it.
- The original title for episode 39 was M Is For Malice.[1]
- The planned episode titles for episode 40 were N is for Nemesis and N is for Nonpareil.[2]
- Surprisingly, all four voice actors of the popular show The Weekenders have a connection to W.I.T.C.H. The protagonist Tino was voiced by Jason Marsden, who voices Matt Olsen. Even Tino's three friends' voice actors had a connection: Lor was voiced by Grey DeLisle who voices Miranda, Tish was voiced by Kath Soucie who voices Nerissa, and Carver was voiced by Phil Lamarr who auditioned to voice Peter Cook but lost to Ogie Banks.
- In an episode of the series, you can see that in the transformation scene, Cornelia is in Hay Lin's bubble, and vice versa. The said image can be found here.
The Guardians' Powers
The Guardian's powers, and the Heart Of Candracar were created long ago and are the essences of four dragons that were imprisoned by a tyrannical ruler, and a nymph who used her powers to join them. Each of these beings represent a particular element: Earth, air, fire, water and 'heart' (the nymph) and originally each of the Guardians possessed one of these elemental abilities, with the heart Guardian the keeper of the Heart Of Candracar.
The members of W.I.T.C.H. are also able to transform into Guardian forms, aging them by several years and granting them greater powers, as well as the ability to fly. Using the Heart the Guardians can also create astral drops, solid psychic projections of themselves.
In the second season, after the veil was lifted, each of the Guardians received their full powers due to the release of extra energy.
- Will (Heart, sometimes called 'Quintessence') - Keeper of the Heart Of Candracar. She controls the power to transform the members of W.I.T.C.H. into their guardian forms, and if she is knocked out, the transformations fade. During the first season Will displayed greater than normal strength and the ability to use the Heart to release burts of light and energy bolts. She also has a sensistivity to meridian writing (sometimes called the writing of the beasts). In the second season she discovered the power to communicate with, and give life to, electrical appliances and also the power to generate bolts of energy (quintessence) on her own.
- Irma (Water) - Can generate and manipulate water. Later she gains the power to manipulate minds and change the colour of clothing.
- Taranee (Fire) - Able to discharge blasts of fire from her body, both as fireballs and streams of flame. Her secondary power is a kind of telepathy which allows her to communicate with the other Guardians.
- Cornelia (Earth) - Cornelia can maniuplate the Earth, causing earthquakes and tremors, as well as allowing her to levitate and move earth or earth based materials (bricks, stone, etc.). Her second power was the ability of telekinesis. She can also transform herself into guardian form without the wings and powers.
- Hay Lin (Air) - Can summon powerful winds, or generate powerful gusts of air with her breath. Her wind powers also allow her to hear things from far away. The Air Guardian also displays a form of precognition, stronger in some than others, that can show them flashes of how someone will feel in the future. In the second season Hay Lin gained the power to turn invisible.
W.I.T.C.H. DVDs
W.I.T.C.H. has been released on DVD in Europe and Australia, 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 do not contain the whole of Season 1, much like the current Power Ranger DVDs.
Cast List
Voice Actor | Characters | Major, Medium, Minor |
---|---|---|
Kelly Stables | Will Vandom, Will Mogriff, Will Astral Drop, Will Altermere | Major Role |
Candi Milo | Irma Lair, Anna Lair, Mrs. Knickerbocker, Trill, Irma Astral Drop, Irma Mogriff | Major Role |
Miss Kittie | Taranee Cook, Taranee Astral Drop, Taranee Mogriff | Major Role |
Christel Khalil | Cornelia Hale, Cornelia Astral Drop, Cornelia Mogriff | Major Role |
Liza del Mundo | Hay Lin, Hay Lin Astral Drop, Hay Lin Mogriff | Major Role |
Greg Cipes | Caleb, Homeless Man | Major Role |
Steven Blum | Blunk, Raythor, Kurt, Ed, TV Announcer | Major Role |
Lauren Tom | Yan Lin, Susan, Alchemy, Sondra, Leslie | Major Role |
Serena Berman | Elyon Brown | Major Role |
Mitchell Whitfield | Phobos, Guards | Major Role |
Dee Bradley Baker | Cedric, Aldarn, Martin, Lurdens, Frost, Gargoyle, Sniffer, Crimson, Mr. Fordham, Mr. Kletcher | Major Role |
Kath Soucie | Nerissa, Lucy the Washer | Major Role |
Jason Marsden | Matt Olsen, Shagon the Angel of Malice, Skateboarder Dudes | Medium Role |
Jim Cummings | Tridart the Despair | Minor Role |
Cree Summer | Ember the Pain | Minor Role |
External links
- W.I.T.C.H. at TV.com
- The Ulimate W.I.T.C.H. Fansite
- The Witch's website videos and comic scans available here!!!
- JETIX US W.I.T.C.H. website Alternate URLs: * [3]
- A Great site devoted to W.I.T.C.H.
- A Backdoor to Disney Channel's W.I.T.C.H. Page
- W.I.T.C.H. @ YouTube (Season 1)
- Interview with Greg Weisman about W.I.T.C.H. A Toon Zone article.
- Disney's W.I.T.C.H.