Line #41 WesternAnimation/TrueAndTheRainbowKingdom


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mv5bztcwmmizm2qtymmxyy00nzfjltljmgmtntqxnzrimmizzwq5xkeyxkfqcgdeqxvymze1mzy5mzk_v1_sy1000_sx1000_al.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Left to right: [[DogsAreDumb Frookie]], [[RoyalBrat Grizelda]], [[GenkiGirl True]], [[CatsAreSnarkers Bartleby]], [[TheGoodKing the Rainbow King]], [[MellowFellow Zee]]]]
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4	-> ''"Zip zap zoo, I choose you! Wake up, (wish name)! Wish come true!"''
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6	''True and the Rainbow Kingdom'' is a Canadian-American animated series produced by Canada's Creator/GuruStudio and the American Home Plate Entertainment, based on the artwork of Los Angeles-based artist duo Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval, aka [=FriendsWithYou=]. The series is the collaborative brainchild of the two aforementioned artists, as well as ''WesternAnimation/TheBackyardigans'' writer Jeff Borkin and veteran American animator Bill Schultz[[note]]whose credits include ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984'', ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'', ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'', ''WesternAnimation/BobbysWorld'', ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'', and ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog''[[/note]], with animation direction handled by Canadian animators Todd Kauffman and Mark Thornton of ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Grojband}}'' fame.
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8	The series follows the titular True, an 8-year-old girl with blue hair who lives in a magical land known as the Rainbow Kingdom, a wondrous and colorful place ruled by the tiny but wise Rainbow King (voiced by Creator/EricPeterson). Along with her talking cat Bartleby, True is always trying to help the whimsical and fantastical citizens of the Rainbow Kingdom using the power of wishes. In the Rainbow Kingdom however, wishes are not merely words, but rather, tiny magical beings that live on the great Wishing Tree. True is the only one able to call upon the powers of wishes, albeit with a little help from the Wishing Tree's caretaker Zee. Calling upon the wishes, True uses them to make the dreams of everyone in the Rainbow Kingdom come true. While the wishes don't always turn out as she hoped, there's always a lesson to be learned from True's efforts to help others and she'll tackle every challenge with a smile and courage.
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10	The show premiered on August 11, 2017, airing on Creator/{{CBC}} Kids in Canada and Creator/{{Netflix}} worldwide. It was followed by a second season, released on June 15, 2018. A third season was then released on May 3, 2019, but this was ultimately the show's final one, as cancellation came soon afterwards, concluding the series at 39 episodes.
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12	----
13	!!"Zip zap zoo, I choose you! Wake up, tropers! Wish come true!"
14	* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Many of the Rainbow King's exclamations are alliterative, usually with a colour.
15	* AerithAndBob: While True and Zee are real names, they're far less common than Grizelda.
16	* {{Animesque}}: The show is basically a Western-made MagicalGirl anime, although LighterAndSofter given that it's for children. Except there's no transformations.
17	* AntiVillain: Despite his agenda, Glummy Glooma is this. He's not a ''bad'' guy per se, just someone who wants to spread his depression to others, yet there's no EvilPlan, he's acting questionably and probably not intending to be malicious.
18	* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: In "Frookie Sitting," the magical flower first turns the puppy Frookie into [[MesACrowd five Frookies]]. After this problem is fixed, it ends up working its magic again, this time making Frookie into a giant dog.
19	* BigNo: Grizelda has one in "Great Grizmos!"
20	--> '''Grizelda''': Nooooooooooooo-
21	--> '''Bartleby''': Are you done?
22	--> '''Grizelda''': -ooooooooooo!
23	* BirthdayEpisode: "True's Birthday Party".
24	* BlobMonster: The living sea is a harmless, friendly variation.
25	* CartoonCreature: The majority of the Rainbow Kingdom's denizens are of an unidentifiable species.
26	* CatNinja: There is a small group of ninja cats known as the Kittynati, whom Bartleby idolizes.
27	* CatsAreSnarkers: Bartleby's defining trait.
28	* CharacterCatchphrase:
29	** True has this when she uses wishes: "Zip zap zoom, wish come true!" She had to say it backwards to wield the Reewee's power.
30	** Zee: "The wishing tree has heard you, True. It's time to get your three wishes."
31	** The Yetis: "HI!"
32	* CharacterNameAndTheNounPhrase: The title "True and the Rainbow Kingdom".
33	* CinderellaPlot: The ''True: Terrific Tales'' subseries has the episode "Rainbowella", where the titular Rainbowella[[note]]Played by True[[/note]] wants to audition to be the Prince's[[note]]Played by Zee[[/note]] royal dancer. [[SucksAtDancing Unfortunately, she's a horrible dancer]], so the Fairy Godkitty[[note]]Played by Bartleby[[/note]] gives her magical boots that improve her dancing. The boots fall off while she's participating in a dance-off and she runs off. The Prince has Glitzelda[[note]]Played by Grizelda[[/note]] try on the boots. They're too big, but rather than prove that she's the owner by putting them on, Rainbowella decides to dance in [[BeYourself her own clumsy way]]. The Prince is amused by her unique way of dancing and decides that ''she'' will be his royal dancer.
34	* ColorFailure: Exaggerated/played for drama in "Cosmic Sneeze". The Wachoogieboogies cause ''everything'' in the Rainbow Kingdom, from buses to buildings to Zee and even ''the Rainbow King himself'' to change/lose color. By the time True and Bartleby return with the cure, the Rainbow Kingdom is almost entirely gray. Zee loses his cool upon realising this.
35	* ComicallySmallBribe: In the episode "Big Green Bounce", Bartleby tries to bribe one of Grizelda's Grizmos with some Fishy Poof Crackers.
36	* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: Had Bartleby just waited for his turn to use the Switcheroo in "True Switcheroo", Bartleby's and True's spirits would not have been swapped by the device's swapping lasers.
37	* CurtainsMatchTheWindows: True, Zee, and Grizelda, who have blue, purple, and golden hair and eyes, respectively.
38	* DubPronunciationChange: In the European Spanish dub, Bartleby's name is pronounced "bart-leh-bee" as opposed to "bartle-bee".
39	* DubSpeciesChange: The troll seen in the episode "Fee Fi Fo Frookie" was changed into an elf in the Latin American Spanish dub.
40	* EasterEpisode: A YouMeanXmas variant is in "Wuzzle Wegg Day". Bartleby still has to find a Wegg to paint for True, and he finds a huge Wegg, but the Wegg partly hatches into a baby Wuzzlebun and runs off. True, Bartleby and the Rainbow King look for the Wegg and warn the townspeople that there could be a monster that steals Weggs, but then they discover the baby Wuzzlebun and are touched by how cute he is. The Rainbow King notes that it's the first Wuzzlebun seen in over a million years.
41	* EpicFail: This is what happens when Bartleby tries to use the Switcheroo, resulting in his spirit being [[FreakyFridayFlip ejected from his body and into True's and vice versa]].
42	* ExplainExplainOhCrap: In the episode "[[ChristmasSpecial Winter Wishes]]", True and Bartleby go "aw" at Icy, the [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter adorable ice crystal]], and then Bartleby, still distracted by his cuteness mentions that he makes forever frost which can't be melted, and then they realize the situation.
43	* {{Expy}}: Glummy Glooma's hometown, Soggy Bottom Swamp, is very similar to [[WesternAnimation/PAWPatrol Foggy Bottom]]. [[https://true-and-the-rainbow-kingdom.fandom.com/wiki/Happy_Hearts_Day Even the wiki]] mentions this.
44	* FemaleFelineMaleMutt: Inverted with Bartleby (male cat), but played straight with Frookie (male dog) and a Kittynati member (female cat).
45	* FictionalDisability: In "Cosmic Sneeze", the Rainbow King falls ill with a cold-like illness called "the Wachoogieboogies".
46	* FindTheCure: The main plot of "Cosmic Sneeze" is True and Bartleby having to trek up Mount Tippy Tippy Top and retrieve a feather from the Hino Tari bird to cure an ailing Rainbow King.
47	* FiveSecondForeshadowing: In "A Snoozy Sleepover", Bartleby says that using bendy straws make him feel like a princess, and True respons that you never know when a real princess might show up. Cue Grizelda.
48	* FreakyFridayFlip: In "True Switcheroo", True and Bartleby come across a mysterious device known as the Switcheroo, which switches their bodies and spirits when [[EpicFail Bartleby tries to test it out on his own]]. For some reason, they do not just switch back to normal immediately upon finding out (although they had trouble with each other's hands). Zee almost freaks out upon his discovery of this.
49	** Later in the episode, the Rainbow King himself suffers this with some kind of bee-like insect. Then Grizelda and her pet Frookie suffer this when she questions why there are multiple crystals.
50	* FreeRangeChildren: The main characters' parents are never seen on-screen, which also raises questions about the setting itself.
51	* FriendlyTickleTorture: In "Great Gizmos!", when True wakes Bartleby, he tells her that he can't start his day without a hug from "you-know-who." She asks if he means the Rainbow King, saying that he's very busy, but there's always time for "True tickles."
52	* FunnyPhotoPhrase: At the end of "The Big Green Bounce", Grizelda says, "Everything-back-to-normal face!" when she and the others take a group photo after Rainbow City's water has become purified.
53	* GeniusLoci: A character called the "Living Sea" appears in the episode of the same name.
54	* GrossGumGag: In "A Snoozy Sleepover", Bartleby brushes his tail, only to find chewed-up gum stuck in there. He decides to chew it again, and True is appropriately disgusted.
55	* HatedItemMakeover: Subverted in "Grizeldalocks and the Three Yetis". In True's parody of ''Literature/{{Goldilocks}}'', Grizeldalocks refurbishes a family of yetis' cave by covering it in glitter and diamonds. At first, they look annoyed, [[NotHisSled but then it's revealed that they actually love the facelift their home got, unlike the original story where they were not pleased to see Goldilocks]]. Bartleby is quite surprised by this plot twist.
56	* IncomingHam: From "Zip Zap Zooooooom!:
57	--> '''Bus''': "True! What do we do? [[SuddenlyShouting WHAT DO WE DO?!]]"
58	* IncredibleShrinkingMan: True and her friends exploit this to get past some crystal debris in "Zip Zap Zooooom!" with Syzer. Her reasoning? There are way to many crystals to shrink down.
59	* JerkassBall: In "Zip Zap Zooooom!" Grizelda was so obsessed with winning the race at all costs and went full-on Dick Dastardly.
60	* KarmicButtMonkey: Grizelda has a bright desire to be the best at what she does and has a record of putting others in danger to achieve it, but karma gets her and she often gets herself into danger.
61	* MadLibsCatchphrase: "Zip zap zoom, wish come true! Wake up, (insert wish name here)! Wish come true!"
62	* MeaningfulName: True is the only girl able to use the wishes. What do wishes do? Come ''true''.
63	* NoAntagonist: This series doesn't have a central antagonist or even a BigBad, instead focusing on conflicts within its protagonists and/or the citizens of the Rainbow Kingdom. The only [[AvertedTrope exceptions]] are the episodes "A Royal Stink" and "Happy Hearts Day", which features a villain: Glummy Glooma, cousin of the Rainbow King and the loneliest person in the Rainbow Kingdom; he seems determined to spread his gloom everywhere.
64	* NoMouth: True, Bartleby, Zee, and Grizelda sometimes get this when they have their mouth closed very tightly or super small, possibly to ease animation.
65	* NurseWithGoodIntentions: Zee tries his best to care for an ailing Rainbow King in "Cosmic Sneeze". Key word: ''tries''.
66	* ObliviouslyEvil: Goway becomes the unwitting BigBad for the episode "Wish Gone Wild" due to his PowerIncontinence.
67	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In "Cosmic Sneeze", when the colors of the Rainbow Kingdom start fading away, Zee, normally a MellowFellow, starts ''freaking out''.
68	* OlderThanTheyLook: The Rainbow King is over ''four hundred million'' years old.
69	* PowerIncontinence: Goway has barely any control over his power.
70	* SdrawkcabSpeech: Reewee has a bad habit of covering his ears to anyone who averts this, as True finds out the hard way when she attempted to harness Reewee's power in "Wish Gone Wild".
71	* SentientVehicle: Rainbow City Bus is autonomous ''and'' can think for herself, and one episode shows that she's not just a self-driving bus.
72	* ShoutOut: "Zappy Cling" has Bartleby [[VideoGame/KatamariDamacy rolling through the kingdom getting an ever-increasing amount of objects stuck to him]].
73	* StatusQuoIsGod: No matter how big the change may be at the end of the episode, everything will always revert back to normal at the end.
74	* StrongFamilyResemblance: The Rainbow King and his cousin, Glummy Glooma, look almost identical, with the exception of wearing different headgear.
75	* SugarBowl: The Rainbow Kingdom is bright, colorful and doesn't seem to have anything negative in its setting (Glummy Glooma's swampland setting being the [[CrapsackWorld exception]]).
76	* ThreeWishes: A key element of the show. As a rule, two of the wishes will at first seem obviously useful, while the usefulness of the third one will only become clear later on.
77	* TitleThemeTune: "She's True, '' True and the Rainbow Kingdom''!"
78	* TokenHuman: True, Grizelda, and Zee are the only human characters on the show that we see on-screen. Everyone else is either an abstract creature, some kind of animal, or whatever.
79	* TwoGirlsAndAGuy: True, Grizelda, and Zee.
80	* UnexpectedKindness: In "Wish Gone Wild", Zee is worried that the Rainbow King will be angry with him for accidentally letting Goway make all the images in the Wishopedia disappear. The Rainbow King turns out to be sympathetic about his plight, though, and he even helps him retrace his steps.
81	* UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode: The Wachoogieboogies from "Cosmic Sneeze" are actually pretty scary when you think about it. They infect the Rainbow King and actively drain the color from the ''entire Rainbow Kingdom''. Not only that, but judging by Zee's [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness panicked reactions]], had True and Bartleby not found the cure, the kingdom would have been doomed to be gray forever. And there's more; it's implied that the Wachoogieboogies could very well have '''''killed the Rainbow King'''''. Not exactly what you'd expect from a such a colorful, saccharine show.
82	* YouthfulFreckles: Zee has three on each of his cheeks.

Context WesternAnimation / TrueAndTheRainbowKingdom