Fantaghirò (TV series)


Fantaghirò is a 1999 Spanish-Italian fantasy animated television series based on the Italian live-action film series Fantaghirò. It was created by BRB Internacional with animation by Colorland Animation Production, written by Francesca Melandri, Giovanni Romoli and Lamberto Bava, produced by Mediaset, Telecinco and Grupo Planeta, with music by Mark Bradley and Terry Wilson. A 75-minute animated film Fantaghirò: Quest for the Kuorum edited together using footage from the series was released in 2000.

Plot

The series uses elements from all five of the live-action Fantaghirò movies, combining and rearranging various events and characters appearances. The main theme throughout the series is the love between Princess Fantaghirò and King Romualdo, which changes and affects everyone around them. The main villains throughout the series are the Black Witch and her master, the lord of evil Darken, both of whom appear from the very first episode. Various places and people that were not named in the films have been given names in the cartoon adaptation, such as the kingdoms of Tuan and Dana, which are Fantaghirò and Romualdo's respective home kingdoms.
The series revolves around the adventures of Fantaghirò, the youngest daughter of King Hadrian of the kingdom of Tuan. She is brave and outspoken, and refuses to be demure and obedient like all women are supposed to be. Initially unknown to her, Fantaghirò was born with a very specific destiny, which is to conquer all the evil in the land. Her passion comes from her great love for Romualdo, the prince of the kingdom of Dana. Throughout the series the Black Witch and Darken attempt to separate or destroy both Fantaghirò and Romualdo.

Characters

Many of the characters from the live-action films are in this animated series, but some have been renamed or changed. There also a number of new characters added. Among the film characters that have been brought over to the series are Fantaghirò, Romualdo, Fantaghirò's father, Catherine, Caroline, Cataldo, Ivaldo, the Black Witch, Darken, Tarabas, Xelesia, and Golden Mane. However, the character of Tarabas, who was a very prominent character in the third and fourth films, is only a minor character in this series. Characters that have been changed are Lightning and Bolt from the films, who have become an imp-boy named Flash and a cat named Bolt, and the White Witch who has been split into two characters named the White Fairy and Mother Goose.

Episodes