Violetta (TV series)

Did You Know?

• A film titled Violetta: La Emoción del Concierto was shown in cinemas and released on DVD internationally, showing the concert and backstage scenes from Milan.
• The U-Mix Show was a weekly program that aired a summary of the series and interviews with cast members, hosted by Roger González and Daniel Martins.
• El V-log de Francesca is a webseries starring Lodovica Comello set in her bedroom, premiering on 10 June 2012.

Plot

16-year-old Violetta Castillo does not know she has a special singing talent, inherited from her mother María, who died in a bus crash. Her father Germán keeps her origins and María's fate from her, worried she might follow her mother's path. After María died, they moved to Madrid, where Germán raised Violetta alone. He encourages her to take piano lessons but keeps her away from singing.

In Buenos Aires, Violetta begins piano lessons at Studio 21, a prestigious music school. There she meets her new teacher Angie, who becomes her governess but is secretly her aunt, María's sister. Angie fears that if she reveals the truth, Germán would take Violetta away. Violetta falls in love with Tomás, who is taken by his best friend Francesca.

Ludmila, the richest and most arrogant girl at Studio 21, also falls for Tomás, angering her ex-boyfriend León. León decides to date Violetta but develops real feelings. Germán is engaged to Jade, a callous and ambitious woman. Jade discovers Violetta studying music at Studio 21 and forces her to support the marriage to keep the secret.

Germán eventually learns the truth but allows Violetta to continue at Studio 21. Tomás returns to Spain, Ludmila makes amends, and León promises to forget Violetta.

Production

Disney decided to create its first original telenovela after the international success of Patito Feo, an Argentine series that ran on Disney Channel from July 2007 to March 2011. That earlier show inspired this new one, which was produced in Argentina alongside the local company Pol-Ka. The cast brought together performers from Hispanic America, Brazil, Spain, and Italy. Production started in September 2011 in Buenos Aires and ran for seven months, with all scenes shot in high definition at Central Park Studios.

On 31 December 2011, Disney Channel Latin America aired a New Year's special called Celebratón, during which Martina Stoessel sang Tu Resplandor. The cast was first revealed on 22 December 2011, and promotional ads began appearing in March 2012. A music video for En Mi Mundo, also performed by Stoessel, was posted on the Disney Channel Latin America website in early April 2012. The series itself premiered in Latin America and Italy on 14 May 2012.

The cast traveled to Mexico City and Bogotá and performed live at a Radio Disney event at Luna Park in Buenos Aires. The first season's final episode aired on 25 October 2012. Between September and October 2012, the show debuted in Brazil, France, Israel, and Spain. Filming for the second season began on 1 November 2012.

That season launched in Latin America in April, in Italy in June, and in Spain in September. The final scenes of the second season were shot in Spain. Merchandise included an official magazine, a sticker album, books, trading cards, and DVDs. A soundtrack album from the show earned 3× Platinum in Argentina, Platinum in Spain, and Gold certification in Chile and Brazil.

Broadcast

The first season of Violetta began its initial broadcast in Latin America from May 14 to October 26, 2012. In the UK and Ireland, Disney Channel aired it between July 22, 2013, and August 28, 2014. For the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region, the season premiered on August 26, 2013, and concluded on April 4, 2014. Scandinavian viewers saw it from October 14, 2013, to June 6, 2014.

The season debuted on Disney Channel in Australia and New Zealand on October 18, 2013. In the United States, it aired on Azteca from September 1 to December 19, 2014. The show’s English-language debut occurred when Netflix US added the first two seasons on July 10, 2015. In Southeast Asia, only the first half of season one was broadcast exclusively in Singapore and the Philippines, premiering on March 3, 2014, for Singapore and May 5, 2014, for the Philippines.

On Disney Channel in Taiwan, the first half aired on January 19, 2015, with a Taiwanese Mandarin dub (songs remained in English), while the second half followed on February 6, 2017, in English with subtitles. When Disney+ launched in November 2019, season one became available on the service in the US. The second season originally aired in Latin America from April 29 to October 11, 2013. It premiered on Disney Channel in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa on August 25, 2014, ending on April 10, 2015.

Scandinavian audiences saw it from October 13, 2014, to May 29, 2015. Disney Channel in the UK and Ireland aired the season daily from June 1 to August 19. Season two appeared on Disney+ on May 29, 2020.

In other media

Throughout the series, En mi mundo is used as the opening and ending theme. In Brazil, a Portuguese version titled Em Meu Mundo is sung by Mayra Arduini. In Italy, Stoessel sings the Italian version Nel mio mondo. In France, Cynthia sang a French version called Dans Mon Monde for the French release of Cantar es lo que soy.

The English version, In My Own World, was released on iTunes Ireland on 9 August 2013. Russia used a dubbed version of the theme song. On 10 July 2015, Walt Disney Records released a compilation album called Violetta: En mi mundo containing 13 songs from Violetta and Cantar es lo que soy for the United States. From 10 October 2012, the official magazine Violetta was available in Italy, directed by Veronica Di Lisio.

It was also published in Argentina and Chile, and in Portugal and Spain. A sticker album was released by Panini. A video game called Disney Violetta: Rhythm & Music was developed by Game Machine Studios and published by Little Orbit in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios, released on Wii, Nintendo DS, and 3DS in 2014. Junto A Ti is featured in Just Dance 2016, while En Mi Mundo and Hoy Somos Más are featured on Just Dance: Disney Party 2.

Other products included Easter eggs and notebooks in Brazil. Italian actor Simon Lijoi created a column titled Chiedilo a Simone, first published on 22 March 2013.