into deadly monsters. The Queen of the Elves (Regina Degli Elfi), portrayed by Aňa Geislerová, is the Queen of the Forest Elves. She is beautiful and wears a gown of red and gold leaves. In the second film she stops Romualdo and his army who are on the way to the Dark Kingdom. She gives Romualdo three tests to prove his worth. In the third film, she is visited by Fantaghirò, who needs help in breaking a curse that has turned Romualdo into the stone. The Queen of the Elves tells Fantaghirò that the wizard she seeks is Tarabas. The White Witch (Strega Bianca), portrayed by Ángela Molina in the first film and Katarína Kolajová in the second film, is a good witch and friend of Fantaghirò. She has been instrumental in protecting and guiding Fantaghirò ever since she was a baby. The White Witch can turn herself into various animals, including a goose, a mouse and a cat. She also transformed herself into her White Knight persona in order to train Fantaghirò in the art of swordsmanship. In the second film, the White Witch renounces her powers in order to free Fantaghirò from a promise that the princess had made, but later shows up to destroy the remnants of the Black Witch. Although she does not appear in the later films, early in the third film it is mentioned that she has retired to the country. Xellesia, portrayed by Ursula Andress, is an evil witch and the mother of Tarabas, also known as the Queen of Darkness. She is conniving, wicked, and tries her best to keep her son away from all things good and warm. She appears in the third and fourth films. By the end of the third film, the reformed Tarabas tires of his mother's evil ways and robs her of her powers. In the fourth film, she confesses that she has always loved Tarabas but has had to keep her love hidden from him. She proves this by sacrificing herself so that Tarabas can escape to safety. Production and release history The series' premise is based on Italo Calvino's "Fanta-Ghiro the Beautiful", a short story inspired by a Tuscan folk tale from the late 19th century. Director Lamberto Bava said the films were influenced by Legend, Ladyhawke and Willow, as well as by Disney animated movies and the 1950s fantasy cinema. Initially Fantaghirò was to