ANNECY: Andrea Garciotti, VP of sales and coproduction at Rainbow Group, discusses the Italian studio’s content investment, franchise building and brand expansion plans, plus rebooting classic IP Winx Club for a modern audience.
Andrea Garciotti
How is the recent investment in Rainbow Group from TEC supporting the company’s content plans?
The partnership with TEC marks a pivotal moment for Rainbow Group, enabling us to accelerate a pipeline of strategic investments over the next few years. The investment has been instrumental, allowing us to focus on enhancing our existing content library and to drive the development of or acquisition of new productions and globally relevant IPs. By doing so, this further consolidates and strengthens our commitment to innovation and reinforces Rainbow’s role as a leading creative force in the entertainment industry globally.
In short, this investment is a crucial step for Rainbow’s future.
Tell us about some of the projects on Rainbow’s current slate.
Rainbow has an exciting slate of projects currently in development. Among our upcoming global releases is the highly anticipated Winx Club: The Magic is Back, set to launch later this year to coincide with the back-to-school season. And on the horizon is our second series of Mermaid Magic, set for spring 2026 following the incredible reception of the first season on Netflix.
In addition to these flagship titles, we’re expanding our portfolio with a range of new content, including a standout live-action series centred on magic and mystery. Inspired by a bestselling book, popular in the UK, the series is being developed in partnership with top international broadcasters and streaming platforms. Aimed primarily at teen and young adult audiences, we are looking to officially announce the project soon.
Why did Rainbow decide to reboot Winx Club and how is it being adapted for modern audiences?
We believe the story we first told 20 years ago – about Bloom and the origins of the Winx – is a timeless and universal tale that continues to resonate today. Over the past two decades, it became a global phenomenon, and its impact demonstrates that it still holds strong emotional and narrative value, making it well worth reintroducing to a new generation. At the same time, we recognise that today’s young audiences engage with content very differently than they did 20 years ago. To reflect these changing habits, the reboot features CGI animation, a refreshed tone and a contemporary storytelling approach designed specifically for modern viewers.
Mermaid Magic Sea Academy has a strong ecological message
What is Rainbow’s strategy when it comes to brand and IP expansion?
Rainbow’s strategy for brand and IP expansion is built on three core pillars: innovation, international reach and cross-platform development. We focus on creating and nurturing IPs with strong storytelling potential that can resonate globally, adapting them across multiple formats – from animation and live action to publishing and consumer products. Our goal is to build long-term franchises that can grow and evolve alongside their audiences.
We also place great importance on our strategic partnerships, collaborating with leading broadcasters, streaming platforms and licensees worldwide to maximise visibility and market relevance. At the same time, we continue to invest in new technologies and creative talent to keep our content fresh, high-quality and emotionally engaging. Ultimately, our aim is to develop IPs that are not only entertaining but also culturally relevant and capable of forging lasting emotional connections with audiences of all ages.
How much of a focus is educational content to Rainbow’s strategy, in light of the recent launch of the Mermaid Magic Sea Academy which aims to raise awareness of the marine ecosystem?
Educational content is playing an increasingly important role in Rainbow’s strategy, particularly when it aligns with our core values of creativity, responsibility and global citizenship. With Mermaid Magic Sea Academy, the aim is not only to entertain but also to inform and inspire young audiences about the importance of protecting our planet, starting with the marine ecosystem. Through compelling storytelling, interactive content and educational partnerships, we seek to raise awareness in a way that is both meaningful and accessible to children.
While entertainment remains central to our work, we believe themes such as sustainability, inclusion and emotional intelligence can and should be woven into content that resonates with today’s kids and families. It’s a natural extension of our mission, to connect with audiences not just through imagination, but also through purpose.
Winx Club: The Magic is Back is set to launch later this year
What are Rainbow’s plans at the Annecy International Animation Festival this week?
The Rainbow team will attend Mifa with several key objectives. We aim to broaden the reach of our new Winx Club and Mermaid Magic series by securing placements on linear television channels across smaller and emerging markets soon after their global debuts on Netflix. This approach ensures that audiences in these regions can access and enjoy the shows as well, helping to build strong local fan bases and maximise the overall impact and visibility of the series worldwide.
Simultaneously, we are pursuing new partnerships with streaming platforms for our live-action series Gormiti: The New Era. The series premiered across Europe late last year through exclusive broadcast windows with key partners, which included Rai, Gulli, BBC, RTVE and Nickelodeon, and is now open for wider distribution across additional digital and streaming platforms. We are looking for new partners to take the show global and into new territories to reach new fans worldwide.
What are the biggest challenges at the business and how are you working to overcome these?
One of the biggest challenges we face, both as a company and across the industry, is keeping pace with rapidly evolving media consumption habits, particularly among younger audiences. Fragmentation across platforms, the rise of shortform content, and growing expectations for interactivity and immediacy are fundamentally reshaping how stories are told and distributed. At Rainbow, we are addressing this by investing in multi-platform strategies and developing content designed to live and evolve across multiple touchpoints, including TV, streaming, digital channels and beyond. We are also placing a greater emphasis on data-driven insights to better understand our audiences and anticipate emerging trends and needs.
Another key challenge is maintaining a strong brand identity in an increasingly saturated market. To stand out, we prioritise high-quality storytelling, emotional resonance and timeless values, ensuring our intellectual properties remain relevant and meaningful over time. Additionally, rising production costs and intense competition for creative talent require ongoing innovation and efficiency within our production pipeline. To meet these demands, we are enhancing internal capabilities and pursuing strategic coproductions to share resources and creative vision. In short, we believe adaptability, creativity and collaboration are essential to navigating today’s challenges and sustaining long-term growth.
What are Rainbow’s future goals and ambitions?
Over the next year, Rainbow’s core goals and ambitions are focused on expanding our global presence, reinforcing our flagship franchises and investing in original content. Our franchises, such as Winx Club and Mermaid Magic, embody the best of what we offer: rich storytelling, vibrant worlds and characters that resonate deeply with passionate audiences. These series set the tone for our broader ambitions to develop content that is both innovative and emotionally compelling that can build generations of fans.
More broadly, our ambition is to strengthen Rainbow’s role as a global entertainment studio and industry leader, deeply rooted in Italian creativity, yet speaking a universal language. Our focus remains on delivering high-quality, emotionally compelling content that reflects the diversity and evolving tastes of today’s viewers. Innovation, sustainability and inclusivity will continue to be the guiding principles behind all our development and production efforts. Looking forward, our goal is to not only meet but exceed the expectations of our global audience, delivering stories that inspire and endure.
