History WesternAnimation / RainbowBrite

and the color kids, she lives far away in Rainbowland, a wonderful place full of color and happiness! \\
Using the power of the rainbow, her magical color belt and the star sprinkles, Rainbow Brite and her friends protect Rainbowland! Fighting off the forces of darkness and gloom, and the devious plots of Murky and Lurky so that they can bring color and happiness to the people everywhere!

Rainbow Brite started life as a greeting card character and was soon licensed by Creator/DiCEntertainment for a series of animated adventures. Rainbow Brite, whose real name is Wisp, is a young girl who helps to bring color to the world, accompanied by the seven Color Kids, Twink the sprite, and her horse Starlite.

The franchise was initially adapted as a series of 5 TV specials that aired during a syndication week, originally airing in 1984. This was followed year later by [[TheMovie a feature-length film]], ''Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer'', which in turn was followed by a 13-episode TV series in 1986.[[note]]Although only eight of those episodes were new. The other five were the previous syndication specials.[[/note]]

Reboots of the franchise were attempted in 1996, 2005, and 2009, but never caught on. A reboot miniseries was released in November 2014, consisting of three episodes. Afterwards, the original 1983 series was continued with all new picture books and merchandise from Hallmark, which as of 2019 is still being produced. A [[ComicBook/RainbowBrite comic book series]] by Creator/DynamiteComics premiered in October 2018, based upon the 80s series. It ran for 5 issues.

* AllYourColorsCombined: Rainbow's power is control of the rainbow, making her much more powerful than the Color Kids.
* AmplifierArtifact: In the movie, the Dark Princess has a crystal that's the source of her powers. When Rainbow Brite and Krys destroy it, she's left without magic. The last episode of the show had her traveling to Rainbowland to find a new power source.

* AntiMagic: The Pits (where Murky and Lurky dwell) are so dark and evil they cancel out Rainbow's powers.

* BigBad: Murky in the 80's cartoon overall, the King of Shadows in the OriginStory episode, the Dark Princess in the movie, the final episode of the cartoon, and overall in the reboot.

* CompanionCube: The Dark Princess has a lifeless pet gemstone that she leads around on a leash and talks to as if it's alive. She's protective of it throughout the movie, until [[spoiler:she needs fuel for her spaceship and tosses it in without a second thought]].

** Also Orin's (later, Krys') horse [[MechanicalHorse On-X]] and Stormy's horse Skydancer in TheMovie.

** Spectra, the diamond planet in the movie, since all light that comes to earth must pass through it.

* DigitalDestruction: In November of 2017, the series was finally released on Region 1 DVD. However, all 13 episodes were taken from the UK home video release, and as a result, they suffer from the PAL speed up problem that currently plagues many of Creator/{{Filmation}}'s productions[[note]]However, the intros and end credits don't have this problem.[[/note]] as well as washed-out colors.

* TheForeignSubtitle: The 80's cartoon is known as Mahou Shoujo Rainbow Brite(魔法少女レインボーブライト) in Japan.

* FromSpecialToSeries: The cartoon began as a series of specials, then a movie, and then a series, which the specials became a part of.

* GirlinessUpgrade: The 2000s doll series lengthens Rainbow Brite's, Moonglow's and Tickled Pink's hair, as well as putting them in more intricate outfits with jewelry (with a focus on fashion) and ribbon batons in an attempt to mix a magical girl aesthetic with later era Barbie's.

** Without the power of Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids, Rainbow Land is like this. After their return to power, the only place that remains like this is The Pits, a place even Rainbow's power cannot bring color to.
** Murky's Gloom Gas is gray, and has the effect of causing those caught in it to feel despair. Interestingly, Stormy is immune to it because she actually ''likes'' gray clouds.

* KaleidoscopeHair: In the movie, the Dark Princess's hair was red, but in the series it's orange-red with yellow streaks.
* KickTheDog: For most of the movie, the Dark Princess had a sizable green gem with her that she treated like her CompanionCube, stroking it like a pet or keeping it on a leash. All that tenderness disappeared when she was on a spaceship that used minerals as fuel and was running out of fuel: she threw that gem into the ship's furnace to keep it going. Downplayed in that she didn't do this to an actual living thing, but it does drive home how callous the Dark Princess could be.

* MiniDressOfPower: Seeing as their extremely short, even for children, this trope is invoked.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: In the movie, Murky's bumbling attempt to ally with the Dark Princess results in his spaceship crashing through her throne room and distracting her, allowing Rainbow to defeat her.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Murky has his moments, such as when he captured and tortured Moonglow with light. In the same episode he nearly killed Rainbow by pushing her into a pit, and in the TV specials he worked for the King of Shadows.

* OmnicidalManiac: The Dark Princess wants to steal Spectra even though it will cause everyone, and everything else in the universe to die. Later she [[spoiler: tries to destroy it since she can't have it]].

* PetTheDog: In the movie, the Dark Princess comforts her pet gemstone and promises she won't let Rainbow Brite or Krys hurt it. [[spoiler:This goes out the window when she needs it for fuel, though]].

* TitleThemeTune: As with most western animation productions. However, the movie uses a completely different one in the movie during the end credits.

** It's often hard to take Murky Dismal seriously, even if he is Rainbow Brite's nemesis through the series. In the premiere, he was working for an evil sorcerer named the King of Shadows, and while this setup lasted, Murky and the King had this dynamic.

* VileVillainSaccharineShow: The Dark Princess wants to steal Spectra for herself even though it will [[OmnicidalManiac kill everyone else in the universe]]. Later, when she is defeated, she [[spoiler:tries to ram her ship into Spectra and destroy it.]]

* WellExcuseMePrincess: While Rainbow Brite isn't a princess, her and Krys' initial relationship bordered on this in TheMovie, with Rainbow as a {{Tsundere}} and Krys as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.

* FiveTokenBand: Rainbow Brite is the mostly-blonde white girl, and the Color Kids are replaced by the Color Crew, comprised of East Asian Cerise, still-South Asian Indigo, black Ebony, and AmbiguouslyBrown Amber. Tickled Pink appears to have a counterpart in Sparkle Brite, who is black, but there's no indication of where she's from.

* AdaptationalVillainy: In the original series, Stormy was a friend and ally of Rainbow Brite. In the reboot, while she and Rainbow were friends once, they've apparently had some kind of falling out, with Stormy joining up with the Dark Princess. [[spoiler:She eventually has a HeelFaceTurn, though.]]

* AgeLift: Krys. He was a kid in the original, but [[spoiler:here, he's Brian's dad]].
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: In the reboot, Rainbow believes that Brian came to Rainbowland for a reason. Her belief is later validated when she correctly pieces together [[spoiler:that Brian is the son of the Spectra Warrior Krys, and in turn is a Sentinel of Light like herself and Stormy.]]

* CompositeCharacter: The Dark Princess is a combination of the original Dark Princess and the King of Shadows. Like the King, she's the ArcVillain and Murky and Lurky start out as her minions, but she has the name and design of the Princess along with her selfishness.

* EasilyForgiven: Rainbow Brite is quick to offer a chance for Stormy to make up with her in the reboot, since she still considers Stormy a friend. Everyone else, however...
* FaceHeelTurn: Stormy in the past [[spoiler:until she pulls a HeelFaceTurn back again]].

* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler:Brian is the son of Krys, a warrior of Spectra.]]
* HandBlast: Most of the characters that fight do this, including Rainbow Brite when she isn't fighting. [[spoiler:Brian, too, when he puts on the Ring of Hallow Light and becomes the Sentinel of Light Unseen.]]
* HenshinHero: [[spoiler:Brian as the Sentinel of Light Unseen.]]
* InvisibleToNormals: It's made explicitly clear that normal humans aren't able to see Rainbow, yet Brian is somehow able to see her. In the original, this was because she'd already accidentally exposed her existence, but in the reboot, [[spoiler:it's Rainbow's first clue that Brian is half Spectran on his father's side]].
* LegacyCharacter: [[spoiler:Brian as the Sentinel of Light Unseen for his father, Krys.]]

* NotSoHarmlessVillain: [[spoiler:In the reboot, after two episodes of being the Dark Princess's lackey, Murky rewires the Color Cannon into a MindControlDevice and nearly takes control of Rainbowland himself]].
* ParentalBonus: Knowledge of optics and meteorology can help viewers to understand the setting and some of the jokes. This causes some FridgeBrilliance, as light is just ''part'' of the electromagnetic spectrum.
* RaceLift: Played with; Shy Violet has an epicanthic eyefold and general character styles make Indigo AmbiguouslyBrown instead of (East) Indian.

* TransformationTrinket: [[spoiler:The Ring of Hallow Light, which allows Brian to transform into the Sentinel of Light Unseen, complete with cool space armor with high-tech helmet.]]

* TheStarscream: Murky tries to rewire the Color Cannon and [[spoiler:turn it into a MindControlDevice in order to take control of Rainbow Land himself]], but fails.

* WrenchWench: Shy Violet from has a knack for science and mechanics.

* AdaptedOut: Moonglow and Tickled Pink are completely absent from this version, possibly due to the failure of the previous reboot (in which they had effectively replaced the main color kids). Also, despite the Dark Princess returning as the main villain, Count Blogg once again fails to make a comeback. (Most likely because he would have been superfluous against Murky, Lurky ''and'' Stormy).

* DeathByAdaptation: Krys has already been dead for probably several decades before the series begins, as Brian is eventually revealed [[RelatedInTheAdaptation to be his son.]]

* DeathByAdaptation: Krys has already been dead for probably several centuries before the series begins, as Brian is eventually revealed [[RelatedInTheAdaptation to be his direct descendant.]]

* AluminiumChristmasTrees: While the idea of a star/planet made out of diamond may have been absurd in 1985, [[ScienceMarchesOn astronomers nowadays]] have discovered several planets that are most likely made of carbon/diamond, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/55_Cancri_e 55 Cancri e]] being the best known example.

->''Into a world [[CrapsackWorld filled with darkness]], Came a [[PintSizedPowerHouse little girl]] with a mission.\\

[[TheHero Rainbow Brite]]!\\
Now along with her [[TalkingAnimal magnificent horse: Starlight]], and her loyal and true friend [[LovableCoward Twink]], \\

Using the power of the rainbow, her magical color belt and the star sprinkles, Rainbow Brite and her friends protect Rainbowland! Fighting off the forces of darkness and gloom, and the devious plots of [[BigBadDuumvirate Murky and Lurky]] so that they can bring [[AllThereInTheManual color and happiness]] to the people everywhere!
-->-- The [[ExpositoryThemeTune opening Narration]]

* {{Meganekko}}: Shy Violet.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Most of the cast, Rainbow Brite and Red Butler being exceptions.

* MulticolouredHair: Rainbow Brite's hair is, well, rainbow, and nearly everyone else had this as well.

* ShowAccuracyToyAccuracy: Sunriser's box says she's Tickled Pink's horse, but in her only appearance in the show, she had no rider. The 2010s picture books, set in the universe of the 1980s show, finally explain the discrepancy by having Tickled Pink befriend the horse.

* ItIsPronouncedTropay: The MechanicalHorse from the movie is named "On-X", which is pronounced like "onyx".

* AntiMagic: The Pits are so dark and evil they cancel out Rainbow's powers.

* TokenMinority: Indigo is East Indian.

* DeathByDespair: A late spring results in mass depression for the Earth in TheMovie.
-->'''TV newscaster''': "Hospitals report patients have stopped asking when they'll get better. Things have become so depressing in fact...in fact, why am I even here?! Why should I be the only one who hasn't given up?!" (''walks out'')

* GenericDoomsdayVillain: The King of Shadows from the pilot, who is never identified in any fashion. A case could be made for the Princess from the movie; we never find out what she's the princess ''of'', her name, or what her motivations are besides pure selfishness.

* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Murky and Lurky are this under the Dark Princess here.