Ahem, ahem! Admin opinion coming through!
As you know, I write a lot of scripts for my fanmade Code Lyoko season and watch a lot... A LOT of series, so I really am a lover for good or entretaining storytelling and cartoons with premise...
With that in mind, here goes:
In my opinion, the reboot is
genuinely a step in the (dark- sorry) right direction, especially when it comes to storytelling and even animation, yes, animation. That might sound like a contradiction with what all of you have said before that it's very stiff, which I
AGREE, but let me explain.
The animation, overall, is indeed very stiff.
In many shots, it looks unfinished, sometimes it’s as if the characters are sliding or the camera moves while their 3D models just… don’t. You can notice this especially in scenes where characters fall or hit walls, which happens more often than it should. These moments definitely make the animation look mechanical and lifeless, like they’re missing keyframes or weight to them. I feel like camera shake would work better to hide these, or more effects, so a bit of After Effects would work well to hide most of the most stiff shots if they knew how to mask them properly, I think I could recreate the scenes where they failed and make them feel way more epic and messy.
But, and here’s why I think it's a step up, while the animation is undeniably stiff in several scenes, it’s also surprisingly solid in others, particularly in moments of action or emotional intensity. When the series decides to go all in on movement or dynamic camera work, it really shows potential. For the first time in years, the characters actually react to things quite fast. There’s no more of that infamous “frozen reaction” that plagued parts of season 5 and the entirety of season 6-8, where a spell would be coming their way for 10 or 15 seconds and they’d just… stand there and gasp in shock waiting to get hit or dodge the very last second only. Now, the girls actually dodge, or at least we get a quick close-up before the spell hits, and when it hits, it hits hard, showing that magic can be violent again. A huge step up!
This level of reactivity and immediacy hasn’t been present since around season 4.
After that, battles became incredibly static and lacked impact. So it’s refreshing to see any sense of timing, force, or cause-and-effect returning. Sure, some scenes are clumsy, for example, Stella’s episode had very weird and floaty animation, especially the IUcy and Bloom part, but I honestly find it ironic that fans criticize Bloom’s slow attack in the reboot when, back in season 5, there was a twelve-second sequence of Tritannus throwing a spell at them and Stella just standing there until it hit her. Bloom’s spell in the reboot might have taken 4–5 seconds to reach Icy, but that’s still a huge improvement, and it’s a single episode with that issue, not an entire season.
Now, moving on to story and writing, which for me are where the reboot actually shines the most, or at least, where I see genuine potential. I found the story surprisingly enjoyable. It’s not perfect by any means, but it has a sense of momentum and purpose that I feel the franchise had lost for a long time. Every episode has a plot that actually progresses the story, with twists and developments that keep you somewhat intrigued. That’s something I truly missed: a Winx season where it feels like the narrative actually moves forward every episode, instead of stalling for filler or random subplots.
I also really liked some of the changes they made to the characters. For example, I found Tecna and Flora’s new personalities interesting, they’re not the same as their old selves, Tecna more so than Flora, but there’s something new there that works within this reimagined context. Tecna, in particular, is being developed in a way that feels quite nice, if they focus more on her and her opening up, I think a lot of kids noawadays will relate to her and it will also make her stand out even more, and I hope they continue to expand on that instead of letting her fade into the background as it is somewhat happening.
That said, there are still major flaws in the storytelling. The biggest one for me is the lack of setup and context. We skipped so many important moments, like the girls meeting for the first time, or any kind of introductory world-building before Bloom’s arc begins. I understand they didn’t want to repeat the exact same origin structure as the original series, but even a half-episode flashback or a slower build-up could have done wonders. Imagine if the first episode had been focused on Bloom’s encounter with the Winx, ending with her being taken to Alfea, and the second episode showed her return home to tell her parents everything. That pacing would have made the transition much smoother and more emotionally grounded to the fans and also to the show itself.
The second big flaw is what I call the
Bloom Effect. Everything revolves around her as usual. We barely get any scenes of the other Winx interacting with each other without Bloom present. For the first half of the show, it kind of works, because it emphasizes how she’s becoming the center of their group and how close they’re getting to her. But by the midpoint, it starts feeling claustrophobic even, I hope second half fixes it badly. I really want to see more group dynamics without Bloom, moments where Aisha, Tecna and Musa especially can shine on their own with only one or two others. This issue is especially noticeable in the first two episodes, where Aisha, Tecna, and Musa are practically not there AT ALL. Thankfully, later episodes seem to balance this a bit better, but it’s still something that needs more attention.
All in all, I’d say the reboot is a mixed bag. I give 5 out of 10 It definitely needs improvement, especially in animation consistency, pacing, and character balance and it’s also taking steps that I genuinely appreciate. It reminds me of watching season 5 for the first time: not an amazing experience, but not a disaster either. It’s right there in the middle, some things frustrate you, but others make you hopeful again. And most importantly, you can tell that Rainbow is at least trying to learn from the past and steer the series toward something better.
Now drop the AI and try to make the animation smoother and give a bit more screentime to others and you get a solid 8/10 rainbow.
In the original we learn that Stella is looking for her ring, and in the reboot there isn't any adequate explanation ("we came for the fairy from Earth" - what kind of argumentation is that? It explains nothing but raises more questions)