Mia and Me

''Mia and Me'' is a German-Italian-Canadian live action/animated hybrid children's television series created by Gerhard Hahn. In the United States, it aired on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. Channel from May 3, 2014, to December 25, 2016. The show mixes live-action with computer animation.

''Mia and Me'' is entirely owned by the Belgian production & distribution company Studio 100 via its German subsidiary Made 4 Entertainment (m4e) which has owned it as of 2016 and was acquired by the company in 2017. Before the 2016 German buyout, the show was a GermanItalianCanadian co-production between Hahn Film AG, March Entertainment and Rainbow S.p.A.

A feature film adaptation of the hybrid series titled ''Mia and Me: The Hero of Centopia'' was produced by Studio 100's global international distribution division Studio 100 Media alongside its division Studio 100 Film and the former's feature film animation Studio Isar Animation with Studio 100's Australian animation production studio Flying Bark Productions, German distribution company Constantin Film and Studio B Animation co-producing the movie, Margot Nuccetelli who played the titular character from season 3 until season 4 reprised her role for the film adaptation. It was released in Germany on May 26, 2022.

Premise

After the death of her parents, a beautiful 12-year-old girl named Mia Marconi is gifted a magical game
that she doesn’t know about that her father had made in life, taking the form of a large book called ''The Legend of Centopia''. Inside is magical art and writing and a password, which when read a special way, allows Mia to travel to the magical island of Centopia. The land is filled with mythological creatures, including: winged elves and unicorns. While in Centopia, Mia changes into a beautiful winged elven girl with the unique ability to talk to unicorns. She also meets and befriends 2 elves: Yuko, an elven warrior, and Mo, an elven prince who wants to be a good, noble king just like his father, King Raynor.

Season 1

With the help of her oracles from a magic book, Mia, Yuko and Mo must find the pieces of the trumptus, a magic instrument made by an inventive pan named Phuddle. It has been captured, broken apart into twenty pieces, and scattered by an army of dark elves called the Munculus, led by the evil queen named Panthea. Panthea (concerned about her aging appearance to the point where she always wears a mask) needs the unicorns' horns for their rejuvenating powers. Every time a unicorn horn is destroyed, more of the island of Centopia dies. Eventually, a winged unicorn named Onchao is born, who can easily make the desert bloom again and restore the horns of other unicorns. After Mia and her friends succeed in defeating their adversaries with a fixed trumptus blast, only Gargona survives. They have reached the final pages of the book and Mia returns to her world, where it is nearing the end of the school year at the boarding school in Florence with her admirer, Vincent, her roommate, Paula and her bully, Violetta Di Nola. Mia plans to revisit Centopia soon and see all her friends.

Season 2

In the second season, Mia spends her summer holiday at her Grandfather's farm in Tuscany with her Grandpa Renzo. There, she meets a worker named Mario, who is her second admirer and (towards the end of the season) learns about her ability to travel to Centopia. In Centopia, an evil circus director named Rixel, who we learn has been working for Lord Drakon, king of the dark elves, sets his sights on catching Onchao to please his master. Along the way, Mia meets a flute-playing elf named Simo, his mother, Tessandra and the 3 nature unicorns, Balanda, Zato and Yolika. Later in the season, Violetta discovers Mia's secret after finding a piece of her magical bracelet. She travels to Centopia and takes on the identity of an elf named Varia. As Varia, Violetta becomes one of Mia's allies and begins to show a kinder side, and eventually becomes Mia's friend.

Season 3

In Centopia, a new winged unicorn, Kyara, who is Onchao's younger sister is born. Meanwhile, Gargona is joined by a cockroach villain named Dax as they try to catch a golden unicorn horn to bring their master, Lord Drakon back. Along the way, Mia meets up with Yuko's sister Kuki, a swamp elf named Lola and her swamp unicorn friend, Mimola. In the real world during her summer vacation at the Poletti farm in Alto Aldridge with her friend, Sara (who is blind), she finds Mia's bracelet and travels to Centopia. She is so relieved that she can see in this world and she even has the power to see the invisible spy bugs who follow Dax. At the end of the 3rd season, Dax and Gargona succeed in taking Onchao's horn. Mia and her friends arrive at the castle where Gargona and Dax are talking to Drakon about their prize. Yuko and Mo foil the villains' plot by breaking the horn into pieces. Kyara heals his horn. Dax leaves Centopia and Gargona stays on the island. Back in the real world, Sara makes the decision to go back to her old school instead of a new school in Milan.

The Hero of Centopia

Mia misses her summer vacation with her parents, but she's still reading about elves, unicorns, pans, and dragons. While a new threat in Centopia awaits when an evil toad named Toxor uses his dark magic to turn the guards into mindless slaves. Mia, Phuddle, Onchao and their new, elven friend Nino travel far and wide, searching for the great storm unicorn named Stormy, who talks and speaks to animals and helps Mia and her friends defeat Toxor and save Centopia from toxic. Back in the real world, Renzo finds out that Mia's magical secret was traveling to Centopia, making friends with Yuko and Mo, talking to the unicorns, flying with the elves and saving the island from Gargona, Panthea, Rixel, Dax and Lord Drakon. It reminds Mia of how her mom and dad passed away by a car accident, but next summer, she's coming back to either the Marconi family's farm in Tuscany or the Hathaway family's farm in Alto Adige after boarding school in Florence and saying goodbye to Vincent and Paula.

Season 4

Centopia is facing an existential threat: The original parts of the primeval continent are coming back together and Dystopia, home of Gargona and her trio of Dark Elves, Rixel, Dax, and Lord Drakon, has been set in motion as well. A race against time begins, as Mia, Yuko, and Mo start their quest of finding the rare ingredients for the Potion of Unity that will nullify Dystopia's evil power. Along the way, they get help from a noble, handsome guardian elf named Riok. In the season finale, Mia, Yuko and Mo are battling against Gargona and save Centopia from the Dark Elves.

Cast

Live action characters

* Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Mia (seasons 1–2)
* Margot Nuccetelli as Mia (seasons 3–4)
* Adrian Moore as Vincent (season 1)
* Saphia Stoney as Paula (season 1)
* Josephine Benini as Violetta Di Nola (seasons 1–2)
* Ray Lovelock as Renzo (season 2)
* Luca Murphy as Mario (season 2)
* Antony Souter as Silvio (season 2)
* Gianna Paola Scaffidi as Franca (season 2)
* Sara Ricci as Contessa Di Nola (season 2)
* Fabio Corallini as Vittorio (season 2)
* Douglas Dean as The Bank Manager (season 2)
* Lucia Luna Laurenti Sellers as Sara (season 3)
* Laura Ruocco as Luciana (season 3)
* Giuseppe Gandini as Mr Monti (season 3)
* Clive Riche as Mr Meloni (season 3)
* Tommaso Neri as Fabio (season 3)
* Alex James Ellison as Mattis (season 4)
* Claire Schuyfell as Carina (season 4)
* Phillip Battley as Pieter (season 4)
* Harry Piekema as Hektor (season 4)
* Lucas Tavernier as Lucas (season 4)

Animated characters

* Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Mia (seasons 1–2)
* Margot Nuccetelli as Mia (seasons 3–4)
* Tajja Isen as Yuko
* Andrew Craig as Mo
* Rod Wilson as Raynor
* Linda Ballantyne as Mayla
* Jonathan Wilson as Phuddle
* Jamie Watson as Polytheus
* Norma Dell'Agnese as Gargona
* Elizabeth Hanna as Panthea (season 1)
* David Pender Crichton as Rixel (seasons 2 & 4)
* Jeff Burrell as Dax (seasons 3–4)
* Pierre Mourant as Simo (seasons 2–4)
* Kelly Topaz as Tessandra (seasons 2–4)
* Pina Crispo as Xolana (seasons 2–4)
* Valerie Borghesi as Shiva (seasons 2–4)
* Rochelle Bulmer as Lasita (seasons 2–4)
* Martin Yap as Lord Drakon (seasons 2–4)
* Riccardia Bramley as Kuki (seasons 3–4)
* Kristi Hughes as Lola (seasons 3–4)
* Robin Marienfeld as Riok (season 4)

Episodes

Season 1 (2012)

Season 2 (2015)

Season 3 (2017)

Season 4 (2022–2023)

Production

Production of the series began in 2009 when German animation production studio Lucky Punch (a joint venture between German media management & distribution company Made 4 Entertainment (m4e) and Berlin animation studio Hahn Film) alongside Italian animation studio Rainbow S.p.A and Canadian animation studio March Entertainment announced the creation of a new live action/CGI hybrid children's series which was originally named ''Yoko Mo and Me'' with filming for live-action scenes taking place in Germany and Italy, Rainbow's CGI in-house animation production studio Rainbow CGI alongside Canadian animation studio March Entertainment handling animation for animated scenes and m4e's Dutch distirbution firm Telescreen alongside Rainbow jointly distributing the series worldwide. One year later in October 2010 the show was renamed to it's current name when German public broadcaster ZDF and Italy's Rai Fiction had joined the live-action/CGI hybrid children's series as co-producers.

In July 2013, the show had been renewed for a season season with Canadian animation production studio March Entertainment dropped out of the show as Rainbow CGI fully animating the series in-house alongside the show's Canadian voice cast being replaced.

In late-March 2015 before the programme's second season began airing in Germany and other countries, the show had been renewed for a third season with production on the third season started and will be delivered by the end of 2016 with planning to launch a film adaptation.A year later on June 6 2016, the show's co-producer Made 4 Entertainment (m4e) acquired a 45% stake in the series and brand from its co-production partner and Italian animation studio Rainbow with Berlin-based German animation studio Hahn Film acquired a 5% stake in the series from Rainbow effectivity turning the show into a full German production with a wholly different cast and filming for live-action scenes will be fully shot in Germany with some scenes continued filming in Italy, Rainbow however continued to distribute the series in Italy as animation of the series had moved from Rainbow's CGI in-house animation division Rainbow CGI to Indian animation production provider Xentrix Studios who had taken over animation scenes.

In January 2018 when ''Mia and Me'' was renewed for a fourth season, Made 4 Entertainment (m4e) alongside their new parent & Belgian production group Studio 100 who brought a majority stake in ''Mia & Me'' producer back in February 2017 had announced they took full control of the hybrid series ''Mia and Me'' by acquiring the remaining stake of the property from it's partner Hahn Film AG giving m4e complete ownership of the show with filming for live-action shots being moved to Belgium where m4e's parent Studio 100 is being held. Animation for the fourth season was being handled by Studio 100's Australian animation studio Flying Bark Productions who will provide visual effects for the series' forth season with Indian animation studio Studio 56 Animation handling the main animation for the show.

Broadcast

Since the first two seasons were distributed by Rainbow, a studio formerly co-owned by Viacom, ''Mia and Me'' is broadcast on Viacom's Nickelodeon channels in many territories. The Nick Jr. Channel in the United States premiered the series beginning on May 3, 2014 and ending on December 25, 2016. Up until mid-2021, the show was available to stream on NickJr.com. In the United Kingdom, the series aired on Nick Jr. in January 2014. Nickelodeon began airing the series in the Philippines on July 1, 2013. The series aired in Singapore on MediaCorp Okto, in the United Arab Emirates on e-Junior, in Indonesia on RCTI and in Australia on 10 Peach (formerly Eleven). The series is available through Netflix in many countries, since September 2014. In 2017, the series aired on eToonz in South Africa. In Brazil, the first season of the series premiered on Gloob, on April 14, 2014, and the second season premiered on January 23, 2017. Since October 12, 2020, the series has been aired on TV Cultura.

Feature film

In November 2017, Belgian children's production group Studio 100 (who acquired Mia and Me's parent co-production company m4e back in February that same year) announced through its German film sales division Studio 100 film was developing a movie adaptation of the series named ''Mia and Me - The Movie'' was being in development. The film was being produced by Studio 100's German subsidiaries m4e and Hahn & m4e Productions with Studio 100's Australian animation studio Flying Bark Productions (who previously handled visual effects for the show's fourth season) and German feature-film animation studio Studio Isar Animation will provide animation and co-producing the movie with a planned 2020 release date.

References

External links

*

''Mia and Me: The Hero of Centopia''
at IMDb

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mia And Me
2010s Canadian animated television series
2010s Canadian children's television series
2010s German animated television series
2010s Italian animated television series
Canadian children's animated adventure television series
Canadian children's animated fantasy television series
German children's animated adventure television series
German children's animated fantasy television series
Italian children's animated adventure television series
Italian children's animated fantasy television series
Canadian television series with live action and animation
Italian television series with live action and animation
German television series with live action and animation
Nick Jr. original programming
Animated television series about orphans
Television series by Rainbow S.r.l.
Canadian computer-animated television series
Italian computer-animated television series
Canadian English-language television shows
Television series about elves
Magical girl television series