Fantaghirò series

Fantaghirò
Directed by	Lamberto Bava
Produced by	Roberto Bessi
Written by	Gianni Romoli
Starring	Alessandra Martines Kim Rossi Stuart Brigitte Nielsen
Music by	Amedeo Minghi
Release date	1991—1996
Country	Italy
Language	Italian

Fantaghirò, alternately titled The Cave of the Golden Rose (La Grotta dalla Rosa d'Oro), is an Italian fantasy series consisting of five television films directed by Lamberto Bava and released between 1991 and 1996. The series is based on Italo Calvino's Fanta-Ghiro the Beautiful and takes place in a fairy tale setting, featuring princesses, princes, witches, wizards and talking animals. It was loosely adapted into a Spanish cartoon series of the same title, and there were also abortive plans for two additional films.

Fantaghirò is the youngest of three princesses born to a warrior King. Although beautiful and intelligent, she causes many problems for her family because she goes against everything expected for a woman in her kingdom, by being literate, adventurous and rebellious, which makes her father furious. One day, the warrior King receives an invitation from the enemy king Romualdo to a duel that can potentially end the centuries-long war that has been going on between the two kingdoms. The warrior king then learns that only one of his three daughters can win the duel. Fantaghirò sees this as a chance for her to prove herself.

Fantaghirò and Romualdo are due to be married, but their wedding is cut short when news arrives that Fantaghirò's father has been kidnapped by the evil Black Witch. The witch demands that Fantaghirò and Romualdo submit to her rule, but they refuse and Romualdo declares war. He sets out with his army, leaving behind Fantaghirò, who has sworn not to lift another weapon for the rest of her life. However, Fantaghirò finds that she has to break her promise, and secretly sets out on her own to the Dark Kingdom, where she learns that the witch's plan is much more sinister.

The evil wizard Tarabas learns that his powerful kingdom will be defeated by a royal child of no more than ten years of age. He becomes obsessed with learning how this will happen, so he orders his clay warriors to kidnap all of the world's royal children. When the children of Fantaghirò's sisters become targets, Fantaghirò and Romualdo protect them from the attacking clay soldiers. However, during the fight Romualdo accidentally falls into a cursed river and turns into stone. Fantaghirò then learns that she has to find Tarabas if she wants to save her beloved Romualdo.

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Wikipedia