Editing Winx Club (section)

== Production ==
=== Design ===
[[File:Winx Club Flora character table.png|left|thumb|A character table for Flora by art director Simone Borselli]]

The series' visuals are a mixture of Japanese anime and European elements,<ref name="cinecitta">{{cite interview|last=Straffi|first=Iginio|title=Iginio Straffi: "Attenta Pixar arrivano le Winx"|work=Luce Cinecittà|date=26 November 2007|url=https://news.cinecitta.com/IT/it-it/news/54/62113/iginio-straffi-attenta-pixar-arrivano-le-winx.aspx|interviewer=Valentina Neri|language=it}}</ref> which Iginio Straffi calls "the trademark Rainbow style".<ref name="borders">{{cite web|last=Vivarelli|first=Nick|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=Straffi's animation firm crosses borders|date=20 February 2009|url=https://variety.com/2009/scene/markets-festivals/straffi-s-animation-firm-crosses-borders-1118000397/|access-date=15 March 2019|archive-date=4 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204180539/https://variety.com/2009/scene/markets-festivals/straffi-s-animation-firm-crosses-borders-1118000397/|url-status=live}}</ref> The main characters' original designs were based on Straffi's original sketches and later updated to 3D CGI iterations.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/winx-club-celebrates-18th-birthday/ | title='Winx Club' Celebrates 18th Birthday! | date=28 January 2022 | access-date=26 July 2022 | archive-date=26 July 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726183259/https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/winx-club-celebrates-18th-birthday/ | url-status=live }}</ref> The main characters were modelled on celebrities popular at the turn of the 21st century. In a 2011 interview with ''[[IO Donna]]'', Straffi stated that [[Britney Spears]] served as an inspiration for Bloom, [[Cameron Diaz]] for Stella, [[Jennifer Lopez]] for Flora, [[Pink (singer)|Pink]] for Tecna, [[Lucy Liu]] for Musa, and [[Beyoncé]] for Aisha.<ref name="iodonna">{{cite web|url=https://www.iodonna.it/personaggi/interviste/2011/straffi-winx-nuova-serie-ambiente-rainbow-30630689452.shtml|title=TIVÙ Iginio Straffi racconta le sue Winx ambientaliste|work=[[IO Donna]]|date=9 July 2011|last=Pennati|first=Nicoletta|language=it|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-date=29 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829102344/https://www.iodonna.it/personaggi/interviste/2011/straffi-winx-nuova-serie-ambiente-rainbow-30630689452.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> This approach was part of Straffi's aim for the fairies to represent "the women of today".<ref name="lastampa"/>

A team of specialized artists designs the characters' expressions and outfits for each season. About 20 tables of expressions and positions from all angles are drawn for each character.<ref name="wisesociety"/> The designers start to develop characters' costumes by creating collages from magazine clippings of recent fashion trends. Using these as references, they draw multiple outfits for each character.<ref name="letidor">{{cite web|url=https://letidor.ru/otdyh/zdes-byl-letidor-animacionnaya-studiya-rainbow-v-italii.htm|script-title=ru:Здесь был «Летидор»: анимационная студия Rainbow в Италии|trans-title="Letidor" was here: Rainbow animation studio in Italy|work=Letidor.ru|date=10 February 2019|language=ru|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-date=4 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404003531/https://letidor.ru/otdyh/zdes-byl-letidor-animacionnaya-studiya-rainbow-v-italii.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Simone Borselli, the series Winx art director, designed most of the characters' early-season clothing despite lacking a background in [[fashion design]]. When asked by an interviewer where his fashion intuition came from, Borselli responded, "From being gay".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iginiostraffi.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/vanity-fair-laggiù-dove-pettinano-le-bambole-14-10-2008.pdf|title=Laggiù dove pettinano le bambole|work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|last=Bombino|first=Silvia|date=14 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214030740/http://www.iginiostraffi.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/vanity-fair-laggiù-dove-pettinano-le-bambole-14-10-2008.pdf|archive-date=14 December 2020|language=it}}</ref>

=== Writing and animation ===
The first stage in the production of an episode is developing its script, a process that can last 5–6 months.<ref name="ansa2014">{{cite web|url=http://www.ansa.it/lifestyle/notizie/kids/giochi/2014/07/12/fenomeno-rainbow-passione-e-arte-viaggio-dove-nascono-le-winx_12df0ed0-a450-4143-b941-8d841dfa9cc6.html|title=Fenomeno Rainbow, passione e arte, viaggio dove nascono le Winx|work=[[Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata]]|date=12 July 2014|last=Pierleoni|first=Francesca|language=it|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-date=28 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228130444/http://www.ansa.it/lifestyle/notizie/kids/giochi/2014/07/12/fenomeno-rainbow-passione-e-arte-viaggio-dove-nascono-le-winx_12df0ed0-a450-4143-b941-8d841dfa9cc6.html|url-status=live}}</ref> When the series began production, the writers were based entirely in Italy. After Viacom became a co-owner of Rainbow in 2011, Rainbow's group of 30 writers began collaborating with teams in both Italy and the United States.<ref name="letidor"/> The international coordination, which has continued through 2019,<ref name="letidor"/> intends to make scenarios depicted in the program multicultural and accessible to viewers from different countries.<ref name="letidor"/> Episodes are written with two stories in mind: a longer narrative arc that lasts for tens of episodes and a subplot that concludes at the end of the 22-minute runtime.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cinemaevideo.it/case-historya-tycoon-in-loreto|title=A Tycoon in Loreto|work=Cinema & Video International|date=4 April 2013|last=Di Maira|first=Paolo|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-date=20 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320233446/http://www.cinemaevideo.it/case-historya-tycoon-in-loreto|url-status=live}}</ref> This episode structure was modelled on those of teen dramas and American comics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fantasymagazine.it/20614/dieci-anni-di-winx|title=Dieci anni di Winx|work=[[:it:FantasyMagazine|FantasyMagazine]]|last=Lodato|first=Francesco|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-date=4 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204174857/https://www.fantasymagazine.it/20614/dieci-anni-di-winx|url-status=live}}</ref> Themes written into the series include romance,<ref name="protagoniste"/> the acquisition of maturity upon reaching adulthood,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm-133641/secrets-tournage/|title=Anecdotes du film Winx Club|work=[[AlloCiné]]|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-date=28 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228191851/http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm-133641/secrets-tournage/|url-status=live}}</ref> and (in the fifth season) nature conservation.<ref name="iodonna"/>

After the script and character designs have been approved, the screenplay is passed onto a group of storyboard artists. For each 22-minute episode, the artists prepare 450 pages of storyboards<ref name="letidor"/> which are used to assemble an [[animatic]]. At this stage, dialogue and music are added to determine the length of each scene.<ref name="movieplayer">{{cite web|url=https://movieplayer.it/articoli/rainbow-studios-le-winx-ci-aprono-le-porte-del-loro-mondo_12911/|title=Rainbow Studios: le Winx ci aprono le porte del loro mondo|work=[[:it:Movieplayer.it|Movieplayer.it]]|date=15 July 2014|last=Morganti|first=Tiziana|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-date=5 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205074235/https://movieplayer.it/articoli/rainbow-studios-le-winx-ci-aprono-le-porte-del-loro-mondo_12911/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the original series (seasons 1–4), the characters' mouths were animated to match the Italian voice actors' lines; in the revived series, the mouth movements were matched to the English scripts.<ref name="reynoso">{{cite interview|last=Reynoso|first=Alejandra|title=Stars of Nickelodeon Cast of Winx Club Exclusive Interview|date=23 October 2011|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVKkKIvRc5A&t=146 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/uVKkKIvRc5A |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|quote=Season 5, they're original records, so those are the days we come together and they send our voices to Italy and then they animate the show based on our voices.}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Episodes are worked on concurrently because each requires around two years of work to complete.<ref name="letidor"/>

At the beginning of the first season, the production team worked from Rainbow's original headquarters in [[Recanati]].<ref name="ansa2014"/> In 2006, Straffi opened a second studio in [[Rome]] for computer-animated projects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rbw-cgi.it/en/about-us|title=About Us - Rainbow CGI|work=[[Rainbow S.p.A.]]|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-date=3 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203193342/https://www.rbw-cgi.it/en/about-us/|url-status=live}}</ref> During the fifth and sixth seasons, [[Computer-generated imagery|3D CGI]] sequences were incorporated into the series for the first time, animated at the studio in Rome. According to the Rainbow CGI animators, the animation of the characters' hair in underwater scenes was particularly difficult, and it was animated separately from the characters.<ref name="movieplayer"/>

=== Casting ===
In Italy, the series' voice actors include [[Letizia Ciampa]] (Bloom), [[Perla Liberatori]] (Stella), [[Ilaria Latini]] (Flora), [[Domitilla D'Amico]] (Tecna), Gemma Donati (Musa), and Laura Lenghi (Aisha). According to Ilaria Latini, the characters were cast before the character designs were finalized and the actors were shown black-and-white sketches of their roles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ehlFwOE29k&t=49|title=TV Ribelle - Buon Compleanno Winx|work=Rai Gulp|date=2014|language=it}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}}</ref> The actors record their lines in Rome.<ref name="letidor"/> Seasons 1–4 were animated to match the Italian voices.<ref name="reynoso"/> From season 5 to season 7, the animation was synchronized to match the English scripts.<ref name="reynoso"/><ref name=steps>{{cite web|url=https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49342980238_36bff4f777_z.jpg|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200107060624/https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49342980238_36bff4f777_z.jpg|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-01-07|title=Rainbow's next steps|work=Licensing Special Report|date=2014}}</ref>

{{multiple image
| align  = right
| footer = Nickelodeon stars [[Liz Gillies]] and [[Ariana Grande]] voiced Daphne (Bloom's sister) and Diaspro, respectively.
| image1 = Elizabeth Gillies by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| width1 = 131
| image2 = Ariana Grande.jpg
| width2 = 155
}}
The [[List of Winx Club episodes#Revived series 2|2011 specials]] introduced a new cast of Hollywood voice actors. Iginio Straffi himself helped to choose the voices of the main characters, and the actors recorded their lines at the Atlas Oceanic studio in Burbank, California.<ref>{{cite tweet|user=MollyQuinn93|last=Quinn|first=Molly C.|number=108575588037574656|date=30 August 2011|title=On Tuesdays I record Winx until 6PM in Burbank. I may be a little late, but can stay until the end.}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet|user=AmyBadGorilla|last=Gross|first=Amy|number=137296821612593154|date=17 November 2011|title=Had a great time recording the #WinxClub movie at @AtlasOceanic studio this morning! Ran into @KekePalmer on the way out. :)}}</ref> [[Molly Quinn]] voiced the lead role of Bloom, and at first, she tried out a cartoony voice for her character. Nickelodeon advised her to use her real voice instead, saying, "No, we want voices of real girls this time around."<ref>{{cite tweet||user=MollyQuinn93|last=Quinn|first=Molly C.|number=234463893815177216|date=11 August 2012|title=We came n w/ our "cartoon" voices & Nick was ... 'No, we want voices of real girls this time around.'}}</ref>

For the 2011 cast, Viacom hired popular actors whose names were advertised on-air to attract American viewers; these stars included [[Ariana Grande]] as Diaspro,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nick.com/celebrity/news/winx-ariana-liz-keke-voices.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404154458/http://www.nick.com/celebrity/news/winx-ariana-liz-keke-voices.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-04-04|title=The Winx Club gets star power from Nick celebs|work=[[Nick.com]]|date=23 August 2012}}</ref> [[Elizabeth Gillies]] as Daphne, [[Keke Palmer]] as Aisha, [[Matt Shively]] as Sky,<ref name="zap2it">{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/06/09/global-hit-animated-series-winx-club-comes-to-nickelodeon-starting-june-27/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204013844/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/06/09/global-hit-animated-series-winx-club-comes-to-nickelodeon-starting-june-27/|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 February 2016|title=Global Hit Animated Series 'Winx Club' Comes To Nickelodeon, Starting June 27|work=[[Screener (website)|Screener]]|date=9 June 2011}}</ref> and [[Daniella Monet]] as Mitzi.<ref name="reel">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421482/videoplayer/vi2210249241?ref_=tt_ov_vi|title=Winx Club sizzle reel|work=Nickelodeon|date=2013}}</ref> These actors provided voices for the first two ''Winx'' films and seasons three through six. In 2014, Viacom relocated the series' English cast to [[DuArt Film and Video|DuArt]] in [[New York City]]; this was done as a cost-cutting and time-saving measure since Rainbow was undergoing a significant financial loss at the time. Despite the change in voice actors, the series' animation continued to be matched to Nickelodeon and Rainbow's English scripts for the seventh season.<ref name=steps/>
<!-- This section is for the original casts, not for dubs. Seasons 1-4 were animated to match the Italian voices, while 5-6 and the specials were done to match the Hollywood voices. Any third-party dubs, including 4Kids, are not original and do not belong in this section. -->

=== Music ===
Original songs have been recorded in about 40 languages for the show.<ref name="vedomosti"/> Frequent composers for the program include Michele Bettali, Stefano Carrara, Fabrizio Castania, and Maurizio D'Aniello. One of Nickelodeon's composers, Emmy and Grammy Award recipient [[Peter Zizzo]], joined the team during Nickelodeon's joint production of the fifth season. His music is featured in the fifth, sixth,<ref>{{cite episode|title=Inspiration of Sirenix (season 6 credits)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uC6U5Qw44g |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/4uC6U5Qw44g |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|series=Winx Club|minutes=22:29}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and seventh<ref>{{cite episode|title=The Alfea Natural Park (season 7 credits)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5jJw-Ht96g |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/M5jJw-Ht96g |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|series=Winx Club|minutes=23:23}}{{cbignore}}</ref> seasons. Each song takes between five and twelve months to complete.<ref name="rosselli2">{{cite interview|last=Rosselli|first=Elisa|title=Elisa Rosselli – Exklusives GWN-Interview|url=https://germanwinxnews.wordpress.com/2013/01/11/elisa-rosselli-exklusives-gwn-interview/|language=de}}</ref> Many of the show's tracks are performed by Italian singer Elisa Rosselli,<ref name="rosselli">{{cite interview|last=Rosselli|first=Elisa|title=Club Winx - Entrevista Elisa Rosselli|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVuk6PWYjI0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/LVuk6PWYjI0 |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref> who started recording songs for ''Winx'' in 2007. Rosselli continued to produce music for the show (usually in collaboration with D'Aniello or Peter Zizzo from Nickelodeon)<ref name="rosselli2"/> until its seventh season.<ref name="rosselli"/>

Nickelodeon created a few live-action [[music video]]s for ''Winx Club'' that were performed by stars from other Nick shows. One featured Elizabeth Gillies from ''[[Victorious]]'' (who also voiced Bloom's sister, Daphne) singing "We Are Believix."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nick.com/celebrity/news/liz-gillies-in-winx-music-video.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806043633/http://www.nick.com/celebrity/news/liz-gillies-in-winx-music-video.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 August 2012|title=Nick Stars: Winx "We Are Believix" Music Video|work=Nickelodeon|date=30 July 2012}}</ref> This song was released as a stand-alone single on iTunes. Another music video featured [[Cymphonique Miller]] from ''[[How to Rock]]'' singing "Winx, You're Magic Now." Miller also did a live performance of her ''Winx'' song at Nickelodeon's upfront presentation in Las Vegas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/actress-singer-cymphonique-miller-star-of-nicks-new-show-news-photo/116148422|title=Nickelodeon at the Licensing Show 2011|last=Brekken|first=Isaac|date=15 June 2011 |quote=Cymphonique Miller, star of Nick's new show How to Rock, sings the Winx Club theme song during Nickelodeon's special Licensing International Expo presentation|publisher=[[Getty Images|Getty]]|access-date=25 January 2021|archive-date=4 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204174736/https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/actress-singer-cymphonique-miller-star-of-nicks-new-show-news-photo/116148422|url-status=live}}</ref>