Iginio Straffi
Encyclopedia
Iginio Straffi is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) is the founder and CEO of Rainbow S.r.l.
Rainbow S.r.l.
Rainbow S.r.l. is an Italian animation studio that is best known for being the producers of the Winx Club series. They also have produced a number of other animated series such as Tommy and Oscar, Monster Allergy, Prezzy and co-producer of the new series, Huntik. The CEO of Rainbow S.r.l...
, as well as creator of its most famous product, the Winx Club
Winx Club
Winx Club is a 2004 Italian animated television series, created by Iginio Straffi and produced by Rainbow S.r.l.. The series is aimed toward children between the ages of five and twelve, but is also popular among teens...
series.
Born and raised in the Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
region of Italy, he started professional work in the field of comic book drawing for Italian publishers Comics Art and later Sergio Bonelli Editore
Sergio Bonelli Editore
Sergio Bonelli Editore is a publishing house of Italian comics. It takes its name from its president and comic book author, Sergio Bonelli....
, where he mostly worked on the Nick Raider
Nick Raider
Nick Raider is a fictional comic detective whose series was published from 1988 to 2005 by Sergio Bonelli Editore in Italy. Graphically inspired by the American actor Robert Mitchum, it was created by writer Claudio Nizzi and artist Giampiero Casertano. His partner Marvin Brown was inspired by...
series. His work was also occasionally featured in the Métal Hurlant
Métal Hurlant
Métal Hurlant is a French comics anthology of science fiction and horror comics stories, created in December 1974 by comics artists Jean Giraud and Philippe Druillet together with journalist-writer Jean-Pierre Dionnet and financial director Bernard Farkas.The four were collectively known as "Les...
and Comic Art magazines. At age 27, he moved to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to work on storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence....
ing production and directed several animated TV series and feature films.
He moved back to his native Marche in 1995, when he founded the Rainbow animation studio, initially providing services for other studios, but eventually producing its first original product the Tommy and Oscar
Tommy and Oscar
Tommy and Oscar is an Italian animated television series created by Max Alessandrini and Iginio Straffi, and produced by the Italian company Rainbow S.r.l. and by RAI Fiction.-External links:* *****...
animated CD (1996) and later TV series (1999). His most successful creation, Winx Club
Winx Club
Winx Club is a 2004 Italian animated television series, created by Iginio Straffi and produced by Rainbow S.r.l.. The series is aimed toward children between the ages of five and twelve, but is also popular among teens...
, debuted in 2004 and became a worldwide success, now broadcast in over 130 countries, including Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and most of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Aside from its headquarters near Loreto
Loreto (AN)
Loreto is a hilltown and comune of the Italian province of Ancona, in the Marche. It is mostly famous as the seat of the Basilica della Santa Casa, a popular Catholic pilgrimage site.-Location:...
, Rainbow now has branch offices in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
Other Rainbow creations include Prezzy (inspired by the Italian Gardaland
Gardaland
Gardaland is the third-most-popular theme park in Europe and is between Peschiera and Lazise, at Lake Garda in Italy. Built on the eastern shore of Lake Garda at Castelnuovo del Garda, the park opened on July 19, 1975. It has expanded steadily in both size and attendance, topping 1 million visitors...
theme park mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
) and Monster Allergy
Monster Allergy (TV series)
Monster Allergy is a 2005 animated television series, jointly produced by Rainbow S.p.A., , RAI Fiction and ZDF. Being a work based on a Disney comic of the same name, the series broadcast on either Disney Channel or Toon Disney worldwide, except United States where the Kids' WB and Cartoon Network...
(also a successful Disney comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
), as well as co-production of Huntik. Now, Iginio and Rainbow are created "Rainbow Magic Land", which opened in Spring 2011, which will include a full-sized "Alfea" school (mentioned in Winx Club).