Review: Winx Club - The Magic Is Back

It seems like everyone was talking about the new Winx Club reboot prior to its release. Now that it's finally out, no one seems to care anymore. If you're looking for a place to discuss your favorite fairy princesses (and some awesome non-princess fairies), I've got you covered. Winx Club: The Magic Is Back uses a tongue-in-cheek tagline as a promise that this show will deliver more of the original magic of Winx than the horrendous live-action Fate: The Winx Saga, which was both a commercial and technical failure. Does it deliver on that promise? For the most part, yes. This reboot starts over from the beginning of Bloom's story, with lots of Easter eggs for fans of the original 2004 Italian cartoon, along with new characters and plot points to keep it feeling fresh.

Since Winx Club has been around for over 20 years, it's been rebooted a few times to prevent the characters from aging out of their target age group. Yet, none of the reboots thus far have successfully captured the magic of the original series until now. The Magic Is Back attempts to remedy that. Bloom is reintroduced as a 16-year-old girl, and the pilot is a fast-paced throwback to the original 2004 pilot, covering Bloom's discovery of magic when she rescues veteran fairies Stella and Flora from a troll and her enrollment in the Alfea School for Fairies. There, she meets Damien, a new character who becomes vital to the plot of the new reboot. He gradually integrates himself into every aspect of the Winx Club world by enrolling in Alfea, crushing on one of the Winx girls, and teaming up with the Trix.

The Magic Is Back is a far more faithful reboot to the original Winx Club overall than Fate: The Winx Saga. However, it still borrows some of the more progressive elements of that adaptation in an attempt to modernize it for a new audience. For instance, the rivalry between witches and fairies is no longer encouraged by the headmistresses of Alfea and Cloud Tower due to the two schools being forced to work together after an off-screen disaster that demolished Cloud Tower. Now, both witches and fairies attend classes at Alfea side by side. Of course, this new development does little to change the nasty attitudes of the Trix, who are still bent on destroying the Winx. Specialists can now be female, thanks to the introduction of a new character named Robin, and the potential for male fairies is implied by Damien's enrollment in Alfea, though he is ultimately selected as a warlock instead.

The Winx girls' behavior is certainly reminiscent of their counterparts from the original 2004 animation, but it almost feels like they have become caricatures of themselves due to the lack of character growth in this reboot's first 13 episodes. Bloom no longer has to deal with the drama of Prince Sky lying about his identity because he is up front with her from the start. Diaspro, his obnoxious fiancée, tries to cause problems for her but is more of a minor annoyance than any sort of real threat. The closest the show gets to character development for the main cast is an episode where they are forced to experience simulations of their worst fears, yet this felt forced and contrived. The vast majority of growth and development in this season went to Damien, who didn't actually get more screen time than the Winx girls, but excelled in terms of growth and plot development.

I also want to take a moment to discuss what they did to Tecna. Oh, Tecna, how far you've fallen. Of all the changes they made to the story, Tecna's was by far the most egregious. In the original series, she was the cool, nerdy best friend who was just as happy to help you fix your computer as she was to chat about boys at a slumber party. This version of the show coded her as autistic in the most insensitive way possible. She had an annoying, grating voice, constantly said the most hurtful things possible to her friends, and acted as though she had no concept of emotion. Though the episode about their worst fears reveals that she didn't like this about herself, her attempts to improve were either played off for humor or forced. I absolutely think it's possible to portray an autistic character in a likable manner. Entrapta from She-Ra and The Princesses of Power is an excellent example of this. It just didn't work here. Giving Tecna a different voice with the same dialogue could have helped with this issue. Even if they were trying to make her sound like a robot, Siri and Google Assistant's voices still sound more human.

With so few shows on the air with a brightly colored feminine aesthetic, Winx Club: The Magic Is Back should be a boon to Magical Girl fans seeking something new from Western animation. While it successfully recaptures some of the original series' magic and introduces fresh elements, it falls short in character development and nuanced portrayals for the original cast. The show's attempts to modernize and diversify the characters are commendable, but missteps, such as Tecna's handling, are glaring. If you're a fan of the original or are looking for a lighthearted, action-packed series for young audiences, you might find this reboot enjoyable. However, for those seeking depth and thoughtful characterizations, it may not fully hit the mark. Join the discussion in the comments below and share your thoughts on this reboot – have the Winx girls recaptured the magic, or does the show need more time to find its footing?