W.I.T.C.H. is a French animated television series based on the Italian comic book series of the same name. Like the comics, the series follows five ordinary girls: Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin who become endowed with magical powers and become the "Guardians of the Veil".

They must save Meridian from the evil sorcerer Phobos and Cedric who are searching for Phobos' sister, the long lost princess of Meridian. It is later revealed the princess is Cornelia's best friend Elyon, and the Guardians then set about saving her from Phobos. When Meridian is freed from evil and Elyon takes the throne, a new mysterious sorceress named Nerissa frees Phobos's top henchmen and forms them as the Knights of Vengeance. Once the Guardians learn more about the sorceress and her evil plan of reuniting former Guardians, they are able to defeat the Knights only to have more powerful Knights of Destruction, plus the old Guardians attack them.

The Guardians chief ally is Hay Lin's grandmother Yan Lin, a former Guardian herself, and the one that taught the girls about their magical destiny. They are also helped by Caleb, a heroic soldier from Meridian who leads the rebellion against Phobos, and Blunk, a frog-like goblin creature (known as a Passling) who takes things from the human world to Meridian (and vice-versa), humourously mistaking everyday objects for other things or items of value. Matt, Will's boyfriend, accidentally learns about Meridian and when he sees all the trouble on it going on, he learns how to become a warrior to help them. They are also helped by the Oracle, leader of the Universe in Kandrakar, who was the one who chose the Guardians.

Both the first and second seasons consist of 26 episodes each. Sip Animation completed the full production of W.I.T.C.H. Season 2 around September of 2006, and it premiered in the States, Canada, and The UK in spring of 2006.

W.I.T.C.H. airs on Jetix (on Toon Disney) in the US and on Jetix (UK) and CBBC in the UK. It has been screened in several other countries as well.

"Quintessence," the word often spoken by Nerissa, is the mythical fifth element, believed by ancient scholars to be the material of celestial bodies.

W.I.T.C.H. is a French animated series based on an Italian comic book of the same name.