True and the Rainbow Kingdom
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| Based on | Artworks by FriendsWithYou (Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III) |
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| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
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| Running time | 22 minutes |
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| Original release | August 11, 2017 – present |
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| True and the Rainbow Kingdom | |
| Guru Studio | |
True and the Rainbow Kingdom is an animated web series targeting children, produced for Netflix by Guru Studio, in collaboration with Home Plate Entertainment, American artist duo FriendsWithYou, and Pharrell Williams' I Am Other.[1][2][3] It is based on the artworks by FriendsWithYou. The series premiered on the subscription streaming platform on August 11, 2017.[4] Two five-episode spin-off series, True: Magical Friends and True: Wonderful Wishes, debuted on June 15, 2018.
Plot
True and the Rainbow Kingdom follows 8-year-old True and her best friend Bartleby the cat, as they help the whimsical citizens of the Rainbow Kingdom, a wondrous, colorful universe filled with delightful and fantastical citizens. True is the only one with the ability to activate the magical powers of The Wishes of the wishing tree, solve problems in the Rainbow Kingdom, and empower viewers with her imagination, mindfulness and empathy.
Development and production
The series was originally announced in March 2013. Titled Wish Come True at that time after the eponymous designer toys by FriendsWithYou, it was planned to have 26 half-hour episodes in a season, as produced by Guru Studio, Home Plate Entertainment and TV Ontario.[5]
In June 2015, Netflix has announced three new titles for their line-up of preschool series. Among them was True and the Rainbow Kingdom, and this time, it was announced to have ten 22-minute episodes in a season, and slated to be released in 2017. In the announcement, Pharrell Williams' I Am Other was also included in the list of companies.[1][2][3]
Characters
- True (voiced by Michela Luci): A strong heroine. True possesses a warm heart, a clever mind and boundless energy. She accepts every challenge head on with a beaming smile. What makes True “truly” extraordinary is that she is the only one in the Rainbow Kingdom who can activate the Wishes’ special powers that unleash magical energy.
- Bartleby (voiced by Jamie Watson): True’s funny cat sidekick, Bartleby has a lot of bravado and the gift of gab. Only True, his bestie, knows he is actually a bit of a scaredy-cat. He is one opinionated kitty and provides a lot of commentary, which helps trigger True’s creative problem solving skills.
- Rainbow King (voiced by Eric Peterson): The lovable ruler of the Rainbow Kingdom, he is a kind, sympathetic and humble king. Though he possesses a wealth of knowledge, he shares his wisdom in riddles adding fun complexity to True’s adventures. He will do anything to help True on her journey but he knows that “true” success is achieved when True solves problems all on her own.
- Zee (voiced by Dante Zee): Zee is True’s buddy, an apprentice to the Rainbow King, and the wish keeper. One or two years older than True, Zee is a trained “Wishologist”, which means he takes care of the Wishes and he knows all about their strengths and powers. Once a problem arises in the kingdom, True seeks out Zee’s advice and wish help in the Wishing Tree.
- Grizelda (voiced by Anna Bartlam): Grizelda is a self-centered young princess. Deep down she realizes she needs a friend like True. Although True tries to reach out to the Princess, Grizelda’s self-absorbed ways can make that challenging. However, love in Rainbow Kingdom is unconditional, so True never stops trying. Grizelda is just someone who’s a little selfish which only means she needs a little more love!
- Frookie: A dog and Grizelda’s sidekick. Looks out for the difficult princess because he knows the inner Grizelda is not so bad.
- The Wishes: Non-verbal but highly expressive, the wishes communicate with goofy gestures and sweet sounds. Each one has a unique, big personality that compliments or contrasts their power. The Wishes share a special bond with True but until they are called to action, they stay busy training with Zee. Each Wish is imbued with a special power that only True can “Spark”.
Other characters
- Yeti
- Rainbow Citizens
- Grizmos
- Cumulo
- Glummy Glooma
- Little Helpers
- Mila
- Bingo Bango
- The Wishing Tree
- Shadow and Silverclaw
Episodes
True and the Rainbow Kingdom season 1 (2017)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Written by | CBC Television airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Super Duper Dance Party" | John Slama | March 24, 2018 |
| DJ Bingo Bango is afraid to play at the Super Duper Dance Party, and True must convince him to do so. | ||||
| 2 | 2 | "Frookie Sitting" | Doug Sinclair | March 31, 2018 |
| 3 | 3 | "Zappy Cling!" | John Slama | April 7, 2018 |
| 4 | 4 | "Zip Zap Zooooom!" | Tom K. Mason | April 14, 2018 |
| 5 | 5 | "A Royal Stink" | Doug Sinclair | April 21, 2018 |
| 6 | 6 | "Great Grizmos" | MCM Craig Young | April 28, 2018 |
| 7 | 7 | "Little Helpers" | Carolyn Hay | May 22, 2018 |
| 8 | 8 | "Wishing Heart Hollow" | Dave Dias | May 5, 2018 |
| 9 | 9 | "The Kittynati" | Diana Moore | May 12, 2018 |
| 10 | 10 | "A Berry Big Mystery" | Diana Moore | May 26, 2018 |
True: Magical Friends (2018)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Written by | CBC Television airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Princess Grizbot" | Doug Sinclair | June 2, 2018 |
| 2 | 2 | "Hino Tari Hullabaloo" | Tom K. Mason | June 9, 2018 |
| 3 | 3 | "Queens of the Day and Night" | Amy Benham | June 16, 2018 |
| 4 | 4 | "True Switcharoo" | Doug Sinclair | June 23, 2018 |
| 5 | 5 | "Fee Fi Fo Frookie" | MCM & Craig Young | June 30, 2018 |
True: Wonderful Wishes (2018)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Written by | CBC Television airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Living Sea" | John Slama | July 7, 2018 |
| 2 | 2 | "Cosmic Sneeze" | MCM & Craig Young | July 14, 2018 |
| 3 | 3 | "Woo-Woo Sky Blubbs" | MCM Craig Young | July 21, 2018 |
| 4 | 4 | "Wish Gone Wild" | Tom K. Mason | July 28, 2018 |
| 5 | 5 | "Big Mossy Mess" | Jamie Whitney | August 4, 2018 |
Release
A sneak peek screening of the series was held on August 10, 2017 at a Pacific Theatres venue at The Grove at Farmers Market in Los Angeles. Among the attendees and guests were Frank Falcone, Bill Schultz, Pharrell Williams, the FriendsWithYou duo, Kelly Rowland, Christina Milian, and Tyga.[6][7]
The series was premiered on Netflix on August 11, 2017.[4]
As of 2017, the second season was in production, slated to be premiered in 2018.[8][7] On September 28, 2017, the third season, which will debut in 2019, was announced.[7][9]
On May 18, 2018, Netflix launched Dance and Sing with True, a collection of music videos for remixes of songs from the show.
Later, Netflix announced that two new spin-off series, True: Magical Friends and True: Wonderful Wishes, would launch on June 15, 2018;[10][11] prior to that date, certain episodes from these series were broadcast in Canada as True and the Rainbow Kingdom episodes in English on CBC Television, and in French on Ici Radio-Canada Télé (the channels which aired season 1 episode on linear television; discussed below).
On October 2, 2018, Netflix announced they will release specials and shorts.[12]
Linear television
In Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) took the Canadian broadcasting rights. The French language version of the series premiered on February 4, 2018 on the Zone des petits programming block on Ici Radio-Canada Télé, CBC's French language television network; the English version followed the suit, premiering on the CBC Kids block on CBC Television on March 24, 2018.[13][14]
Merchandises and other media
As announced in February 2017, Guru Studio has appointed Brand Central in Los Angeles as the licensing agent of True and the Rainbow Kingdom.[15] In August 2017, it was announced that Toy State has become the master toy licensee of the property, with first products to be released in fall 2018.[8] In May 2018 announcement, more licensees, as brokered by Brand Central, were added. One of the newly named license holders was Chouette, which was given master publishing rights. The announcement stated that the products would be launched in fall 2018 in the United States and Canada, and in 2019 the rest of the world.[16][17]
See also
References
- 1 2 Petski, Denise (30 June 2015). "Netflix Adds Three New Animated Series For Preschoolers".
- 1 2 "Netflix Shores Up Its Original Preschool Slate With 3 New Shows". 1 July 2015.
- 1 2 "Netflix Originals buys a preschool three-pack".
- 1 2 "Netflix in August: What's new and expiring". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
- ↑ "TVO develops Wish Come True with Guru Studio and Home Plate Entertainment".
- ↑ "Photos: Guru Studio, FriendsWithYou, and Home Plate Entertainment Celebrated the Los Angeles Sneak Peak Screening Of "True and the Rainbow Kingdom"".
- 1 2 3 "Netflix re-ups True and the Rainbow Kingdom".
- 1 2 "Guru names Toy State Master Toy Partner for Netflix Series 'True and the Rainbow Kingdom'".
- ↑ "Guru Secures 3rd Season of 'True and the Rainbow Kingdom'".
- ↑ Walsh, Megan. "The Entire Family Can Enjoy These Movies & Shows Coming To Netflix In June".
- ↑ "True and the Rainbow Kingdom Season 2 drops on Netflix this week". 12 June 2018.
- ↑ http://kidscreen.com/2018/10/02/netflix-goes-over-the-rainbow-for-more-true/
- ↑ "CBC flies with True and the Rainbow Kingdom".
- ↑ "'True and the Rainbow Kingdom' Grants CBC's Wishes". 8 February 2018.
- ↑ "Guru's Netflix toon lands licensing agent".
- ↑ "Collectibles rule True and the Rainbow Kingdom's first range".
- ↑ "Guru's 'True and the Rainbow Kingdom' Lights Up Licensing Program". 21 May 2018.