Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Strikes tween chord
Angie, her new teacher and governess, helps her to come to terms with her talent. She also makes friends at her new school.
The series is especially popular in Italy, where Violetta is ranked No 1 in its time slot in Italy for eight- to 14-year-olds and girls aged four to 14. This success has been mirrored online, with the number of unique viewers visiting the Violetta website almost tripling from May last year and fans of the Violetta Facebook page trebling.
With more than half of its crew from Europe and a cast that draws on European talent, Violetta has also been launched on Disney Channels across Latin America.
Meet some of the stars in this hit TV series:
● Violetta is a bright and lively girl. She has an amazing singing voice, which she inherited from her mom, but she doesn’t know it yet. From her father she has inherited her love for reading and her sharp intelligence.
She is spontaneous and sincere; she just wants to find her place in the world.
On returning to Buenos Aires, she takes up piano lessons at Studio 21, a prestigious music academy where she discovers a brand new world of experiences that will help her find her destiny and discover her family history.
At first, her classmates see her as a shy, nerdy girl, but they will soon discover her real personality.
● Germán is Violetta’s father. He is a brilliant engineer who owns a construction company. He is strict. He has sheltered his daughter since the death of her mother. But behind his strictness lies a soft heart.
● Angie is cheerful, fun-loving, charismatic and artistic. She is a free spirit. She is Germán’s wife’s sister, but Violetta doesn’t know she is her aunt. After her sister’s death, Angie tries to contact her niece several times, unsuccessfully. That is why, when Violetta returns to Buenos Aires, Angie pretends to be her new governess, to get closer to her.
She is also a singing teacher, and she guides Violetta on her quest to discover her calling at Studio 21, behind Germán’s back.
● Jade is Germán’s girlfriend. She is selfish and manipulative. In spite of being the villain, she can be somewhat likeable, because the real villain behind her is her brother Matias.
Jade comes from a family with money – she was born rich and has not had to work for a living.
But when she loses her fortune, she decides that the only way to maintain her lifestyle is by marrying Germán.
● Tomas is confident. He sings and plays the guitar. He is one of the pupils at Studio 21. He falls in love with Violetta in spite of Germán’s attempts to keep any suitors as far away from his daughter as possible.
Tomas’s main competition is Leon.
● Leon attends Studio 21 too, and he has great artistic potential. He is arrogant and a little vain, but has a good heart.
However, his girlfriend, Ludmila, brings out the worst in him, and when they are together he behaves like a villain.
Other pupils at Studio 21 include the clumsy Andres, Ludmila, who is the IT girl, and Maxi, who is the best dancer at Studio 21, and his best friend, Camila.
There are many more you can check out when the series premieres on Monday, August 26, on the Disney Channel ( DStv Channel 303).