Posted: Sat., Feb. 26, 2011, 4:00am PT
Winx creator in the pink
Viacom draws on Italian animation shop
By Nick Vivarelli
Rainbow Group founder and topper Iginio Straffi, back row, hopes his deal with Viacom can make Rainbo, with fare such as 'Winx 3D,' bowing here at the Rome Film Fest, a constant content provider in the U.S.
ROME
It doesn't happen often that an American colossus like Viacom sets its sights on an Italian animation studio -- and then, rather than snapping it up outright, agrees to purchase just a minority stake.
But, then again, as Iginio Straffi, 45, the former illustrator and comicbook writer who founded Rainbow Group in 1995, puts it, "there aren't that many properties out there with figures comparable to the Winx."
Created by Straffi, these six trendy MTV-generation fairies, which have become one of Europe's top TV exports, have bewitched tween girls in more than 130 countries, and generated more than $2.7 billion, thanks in part to the theatrical film "Winx 3D" as well as myriad merchandising deals.
The partnership, announced in February, under which Viacom will take a 30% stake in Rainbow, follows a global content agreement inked in September under which Nickelodeon secured TV and merchandising rights to Winx Club in the U.S. and pays TV rights for a large swathe of the planet, including Latin America, Canada and the U.K.
The partnership now expands to the co-development and co-production by Rainbow and Nickelodeon of seasons five and six of "Winx Club." And, significantly, it will open up the U.S. theatrical market to Rainbow's upcoming big-budget 3D feature, a gladiator toon penned by Michael J. Wilson ("Ice Age," "Shark Tale") with the working title "Versus Roma," to be completed in a year. The pic figures to go out Stateside via Paramount.
Viacom's first indication that it had found an important partner in Rainbow might well have been that as soon as the initial deal was signed, it set off a flurry of auctions for merchandising rights to Winx toys, clothes and books, especially in the U.S.
Rainbow has always made a major effort to create properties that lend themselves to merchandising "because we had to, in order to survive and grow," Straffi says.
And Straffi sees merchandising as more than just the revenue stream -- one that accounts for about two-thirds of his business. "If the child reads a book or a comicstrip, or plays videogame, all based on our characters, his interest level will remain high even during the gaps when they are not showing on TV," he says. "It helps the product's longevity."
Straffi is excited about the film side of the alliance, which gives him high hopes that his gladiator spoof, with a budget of more than $40 million, will click with U.S. auds.
This, he says, would mark "the first Italian movie to go out wide in the U.S. since (Roberto Benigni's) 'Life Is Beautiful.'?" But unlike "Life," Straffi's pic will be in English.
"I can only wish that if it's successful, Rainbow will become a constant content provider to Nick and other Viacom companies, like Pixar is for Disney."
But, unlike Pixar, don't expect Straffi to sell outright anytime soon, though a flotation is "possible in a few years with me still at the helm," he says.
Straffi is also looking forward to the May 25 opening of his Rome theme park, Magic Land, comprising attractions based on Rainbow's properties such as "Pop Pixie," "Monster Allergy" and, of course, the Winx.
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Posted: Fri., Feb. 4, 2011, 9:25am PT
Viacom takes stake in Rainbow
Italo toon house produces 'Winx Club' franchise
By Nick Vivarelli
ROME -- Viacom has acquired a minority stake in Italian animation company Rainbow Group, maker of globally distributed "Winx Club" kiddie TV franchise, in a move that will propel the expansion of the ambitious privately owned studio and boost its bridgehead toward U.S. auds.
Founded in 1995 by former comicbook artist Iginio Straffi, Rainbow is an Italian success story largely thanks to his "Winx," six trendy teenage fairies designed with a style that mixes of Japanese manga and classic Western animation, that have bewitched millions of tween girls in more than 130 countries.
Last year, Viacom's Nikelodeon and Rainbow announced a global content-based partnership centered around "Winx Club" under which Nickelodeon secured TV and merchandising rights in the U.S. and pay TV rights for Latin America, Canada, U.K., and several other territories.
That partnership now expands to co-development and co-production of seasons five and six of "Winx Club," and to two existing theatrical "Winx" movie titles, CGI feature "Winx Club: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom" and "Winx Club 3D: Magic Adventure," which are now likely to be released Stateside via Paramount.
Neither financial terms nor the entity of the Viacom stake were disclosed.
According to Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore, the Viacom stake in Rainbow is said to amount to 30%, allowing Straffi to stay in full control, with plans for a Rainbow Group flotation to follow.
Rainbow, which is based in the small central Italian city of Loreto, with a production outpost in Singapore, also makes the series "Tommy and Oscar," "Prezzy," "Monster Allergy" and, most recently, "Huntik Secrets and Seekers."
The group, which has emulated the Disney model, on a much smaller scale, also has a Rome theme park, called MagicLand, in the works based on the "Winx" franchise and other Rainbow properties.
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