Mulawin

Mulawin

Mulawin is a speculative fiction Television drama series about two races of winged humanoids. The Mulawin must fight the Ravena to protect the mortals from its wrath. It tells the story of Aguiluz portrayed by Richard Gutierrez and Alwina which was portrayed by Angel Locsin.

It was originally aired in the Philippines by GMA Network daily on its prime time block. The series debuted on August 2, 2004, to lukewarm audience response.

The series ended on March 18, 2005, and a movie sequel, was released in December 25, 2005.

GMA Network also aired the series on its international network, GMA Pinoy TV, and the rights to air the series have been also sold to other Asian countries. It is currently aired in Indonesia and Cambodia and dubbed in those countries' local languages.

The success of the series prompted GMA Network to make a spin-off - Encantadia.

In 2011, GMA Network made another Mulawin spin-off - Iglot, a story about an Unggiko, legendary pets of the Mulawin race who have gone extinct in the midst of war between Ravena and Mulawin until the only surviving egg came out of a volcano when it erupted.

Main characters

Aguiluz

Mulawin, tasked by his father Aquilar to protect Alwina at all cost.

Aguiluz is played by Richard Gutierrez.Later, in the show, he falls madly in love with Alwina and all the troubles soon come afterwards.

Alwina

half-Mulawin/half-Human, prophesied to be the Sugo who will unite the Mulawins and Humans. Later, joins forces with the Mulawins.

Alwina is played by Angel Locsin. The role was first offered to Maxene Magalona but the latter refused to further her studies at Ateneo de Manila University.

Gabriel

 Human/Ravena, childhood friend of Alwina. 

Developed a crush on Alwina since childhood and is haunted by strange dreams.

He was purified into a Ravena by Ravenum and renamed as a prince of Ravena.

Later, he was turned back into human form.

Gabriel is played by Dennis Trillo.

Aviona

Mulawin, has a secret unrequited devotion to Aguiluz.

Aviona is played by Bianca King.

Vultra/Violeta/Veronica

Ravena/Human/Mulawin, Queen of the Ravenas and wife of Rasmus.

She transforms herself into the human form known as Violeta to kill the Sugo and later purified into Mulawin as Veronica.

Revealed as the wife of Bagwis and the real mother of Alwina.

Vultra, Violeta and Veronica are played by Ara Mina.

Savanah – Human into Ravena, a social climber whose main goal is to get closer to Gabriel and his inheritance, no matter who or what stands on her way.She mainly hates Alwina because Alwina has got all of Gabriel's attention. Later, she joined forces with Ravenas as an evil princess. Savanah is played by Karen delos Reyes.

Supporting characters

Dakila – Mulawin, the aging wise leader of Mulawins. Dakila is played by Eddie Gutierrez.

Ravenum – Ravena, the surrogate father of Rasmus, the real father of Aguiluz and Gabriel, and evil lord and ancestor of Ravenas. Ravenum is played by Michael de Mesa.

Bagwis – Mulawin, the protege of Dakila favored to be the next leader of Mulawins. He is the father of Alwina and the first husband of Vultra (who was later purified into Mulawin as Veronica). Bagwis is played by Zoren Legazpi.

Habagat – Mulawin, the brother of Bagwis (who secretly longs to be the next leader of their race). He later joins forces with Ravenas. He is the husband of Linang and the father of Mulagat. Habagat is played by Romnick Sarmenta.

Rasmus – Ravena, King of the Ravenas and the second husband of Vultra. He was a Mulawin before turning into a Ravena and later purified back into Mulawin to join forces against Ravenas in the last war. He is the best friend of Bagwis. Rasmus is played by Gary Estrada.

Tuka – Ravena turned Mulawin, revealed as the adopted mother of Pagaspas and allies with Mulawins, played by Marissa Sanchez.

Kuwak – Ravena purified into Human, joined forces with the Tagubas and the Mulawins, played by Bearwin Meily.

Pagaspas/Gus – Night owl, the owl pet of Alwina who transforms into a young boy when together with another owl, Lawiswis. Later revealed as an adopted son of Tuka, a Ravena who was purified into a Mulawin. Pagaspas is played by Miguel Tanfelix; older Pagaspas is played by Rainier Castillo.

Lawiswis/Wis – Night owl, the owl friend of Pagaspas who transforms into a young girl when with him. Lawiswis is played by Sam Bumatay; older Lawiswis is played by Denise Laurel.

Mayi – Mulawin, she can transform into a maya bird. She is usually sent to spy the enemies. Mayi is played by Isabella de Leon.

Lourdes – Human, she finds the giant egg which hatches Alwina. She is considered a witch by the town people, thereby is outcast to live in the outskirts of Tierra Fuego. She was purified into Ravena queen by Gabriel. She is the mother of Aramis but her husband was never mentioned. Lourdes is played by Amy Austria.

Lucio Montenegro – Human, the adopted father of Gabriel. He is a ruthless landlord and the richest man in Tierra Fuego. Lucio is played by Lloyd Samartino.

Other characters

Terong – Human, a peasant in the Hacienda de Montenegro and best friend friend of Gabriel. Terong's death at the hands of the Ravenas later made Gabriel realize that siding with the Ravenas is a very wrong choice. Terong is played by Kiel Rodriguez.

Niwalum – Mysterious being, a playmate of Pagaspas and Lawiswis. "Niwalum" is also a reversed name or word of Mulawin. The series reveals Niwalum to be the manifestation of the Mulawin's magical Molave Tree in human form. Niwalum is played by BJ Forbes.

Avilan – Mulawin, a great warrior-hero ancestor of all winged humanoids, and from whose namesake the Mulawins derived their home's identification. Later, as spirit guide to Amihan in Encantadia. Avilan is also played by Romnick Sarmenta.

Aguilar – Mulawin, a great warrior-hero and father of Aguiluz. Later in the series, Aguilar turns out to be just a mere "creation" of Dakila to hide Aguiluz's real identity and origin. Aguilar is also played by Richard Gutierrez

Paloma – Mulawin, a mysterious Mulawin living in the city, and could transform herself into a real bird. Flashbacks reveal that she is the daughter of Dakila, and that she self-exiled because of a misunderstanding with him. She later dies, also at the hands of the Ravenas, shortly after she confessed her love to Gabriel. Paloma is played by Tanya Garcia.

Biba – Human, a playful neighbor and a close friend to Alwina. Biba is played by Jaja Bolivar.

Lino – Human, an orphan living with his grandmother. He wants to seek revenge against the winged beings for the death of his parents. Lino is played by Brian Revilla.

Rosing – Human, grandmother of Lino. Rosing is played by Alicia Alonzo.

Yolly – Human, mother of Savanah who would do everything to help her daughter achieved her dreams.

Pamela – Human, best friend of Savanah. Pamela is played by Tricia Roman.

Lucila Montenegro – Human, mother of Gabriel. She is a depressed suicidal wife of Lucio. Lucila is played by Pia Pilapil.

Ina – Mulawin, mother of Aguiluz and the guardian of Molave Tree. Ina is played by Carmina Villaroel.

Pericos – Dak-dak Eagle Riggs; Ang-ang; Ngas-ngas; Gad-gad

Musangs – Kuskos Michael Roy Jornales; Musmos; Sakmal; Laab; Hampas

Scouts – Procopio; Bianca

Tagubas – Maningning Princess Punzalan; Estrella Christine Reyes; Oyayi Shermaine Santiago; Dalaginding Ehra Madrigal

Encantadians – Ynang Reyna Giselle Toengi; Linang Sheryl Cruz; Mulagat Jay Aquitania; Muyak Nancy Castiglione; Aramis James Blanco; Florona Bettina Carlos; Marikit Katarina Perez; Mayumi; Pirena

Balasik and Haraya – Haraya Geneva Cruz.

City Orphans – Botchok and Ching ching

Mulawin Tribunal – Daragit

Young Alwina – Kristel Fulgar

Young Aguiluz – Kurt Perez

Young Gabriel – Paul Salas

Young Aviona – Shammel Leask

Caloy/Laki/Hidalgo – winged water buffalo.

Synopsis

Plot

Long ago, in the dense forests of the Philippines, there lived a race of "bird-men" called Mulawin, men and women with feathers and wings like an eagle's. In those days, this noble and peace-loving race freely interacted with human beings, although they never moved too far away from the forest because it is from trees that bird-men draw their strength. But, as the human population grew in number, the people's demand for territory and resources also increased. They deforested more and more of the lands that were the Mulawin's home, and the bird-men were forced to seek refuge high in the mountains, away from greedy humans.

Despite what they suffered from the common people, the Mulawin would not harm them in return; they wanted only to preserve their way of life as best they could without coming into conflict with men. However, a splinter group soon formed with quite different intentions. This group broke away from the main tribe and became the Ravena, a fierce new race of bird-men with black and red plumage and a fearsome appearance. The Ravena's sole ambition was and is to subdue both the Mulawin and human beings.

The Mulawin founded a new home for themselves, naming it Avila, whereas the Ravena called their own realm, Halconia. At this time, the Queen of the Diwata (fairies) presented the Mulawin with two gifts: the Molave tree and the bird, Balasik. The Molave tree is the most treasured possession of the Mulawin, for if it is lost or destroyed, Avila will also lose its power and be conquered by the Ravena. The Balasik is a magical bird. Like an oracle, it knows and always speaks the truth. What is more, it is like an alchemical elixir of life: it gives youth and strength to whoever owns it. Although the Balasik rightfully belongs to the Mulawin, this clever bird pledges allegiance to no one.

Time passed on, and human beings and Mulawin grew to distrust one another. The Mulawin, fearing their own extinction at the hands of men, saw the latter only as selfish and destructive to the environment. For their part, humans made no distinction between the Mulawin and the Ravena. They taught their children to fear and despise both races of bird-men, even though it was only the Ravena who would attack and prey upon humans. As humans encroached more and more into the territories of the bird-men, Mulawin and Ravena alike fled farther away and were seen less and less often. Hence, people came to regard the idea of bird-men as nothing more than a myth, an old wives’ tale to frighten naughty children.

Now, it was foretold by the Balasik bird that a savior was about to be born. One who would unite the races of men and the Mulawin against the forces of evil. But before the child could be identified, the Ravena stole the Balasik from the Mulawin. With Balasik went the knowledge of the savior's identity to the kingdom of Halconia.

That is how our hero's and heroine's journey begin.

Film Sequel: Mulawin

Mulawin: The Movie is the sequel to the Mulawin TV series. The movie was jointly produced by Regal Films and GMA Films. It was released on December 25, 2005, to the 31st Metro Manila Film Festival.

Although it was the only film rated "A" by the Philippine Cinema Evaluation Board in the aforementioned film festival, it failed to garner any awards.

As a sequel, the characters who had died in the TV series were not included. However, new characters were introduced such as the Tres Aves – Banoy, Langay and Palong, Tayag and characters from Encantadia – Amihan, Pirena, Alena, Danaya, Ybarro, and Muros.

Mulawin: The Movie

Mulawin The Movie
Directed by	Dominic Zapata Mark Reyes
Produced by	Lily Monteverde(Regal Films) Annette Gozon-Abrogar(GMA Films)
Written by	Don Michael Perez
Starring	Richard Gutierrez Angel Locsin Sunshine Dizon Dennis Trillo Michael De Mesa For the complete cast, see below.
Music by	GMA Records
Cinematography	unknown
Editing by	unknown
Distributed by	Regal Films and GMA Films
Release date(s)	December 25, 2005
Running time	135 minutes
Language	Tagalog
Budget	PHP 80,000,000

Mulawin: The Movie is the film sequel to the Mulawin television series that was shown on GMA Network. The movie was released on December 25, 2005 and is produced by Regal Films and GMA Films in the Philippines. It is also an official entry to the 31st Metro Manila Film Festival.

Overview

Production

GMA Network hired international action choreographer Wong Wai Fai and other Hong Kong martial arts experts to make the stunts more realistic, the same team hired for fantasy-action TV series Sugo. Wong choreographed stunts in the highly successful movies such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Kung Fu Hustle, Rush Hour 2 and Bulletproof Monk.

Cast

Angel Locsin as Alwina
Richard Gutierrez as Aguiluz
Bianca King as Aviona
Michael De Mesa as Ravenum
Dennis Trillo as Gabriel
Iza Calzado as Amihan
Karylle as Alena
Valerie Concepcion as Danaya
Sunshine Dizon as Pirena
Dingdong Dantes as Ybarro/Ybrahim
Carmina Villaroel as Salimbay
Eddie Gutierrez as Dakila
Zoren Legaspi as Bagwis
Amy Austria-Ventura as Lourdes
Miguel Tanfelix as Pagaspas
Sam Bumatay as Lawiswis
Nicole Andersson as Langay
Paolo Contis as Banoy
Boy2 Quizon as Palong
Arthur Solinap as Muros
Dion Ignacio as Tayag

It was said that Robbie Tan of Seiko Films didn't allow his contract stars Diana Zubiri (Encantadia's Danaya) and Alfred Vargas (Encantadia's Aquil) to appear in the movie. Because of this, Valerie Concepcion played Danaya character in Mulawin: The Movie, while Aquil's character didn't appeared. Also, since the movie is a sequel, major characters such as Veronica/Vultra (played by Ara Mina) and Rasmus (played by Gary Estrada) who died in the TV series were not included in the movie version. New characters not in the TV series were also introduced in the movie.

Synopsis

Aguiluz and Alwina's plan for a peaceful life as mortals unravels when their boat to Tierra Fuego (the realm of man) is caught in a violent storm. They wash up on separate shores, a young man and woman living without memories and living separate lives. Aguiluz is adopted by a humble farmer and Alwina becomes the surrogate daughter of a wealthy family and is engaged to be married to Gabriel.

But a new period in the Mulawin saga unfolds as "Keeper of the Jewel of Fire", Sang'gre Pirena uses the gintong binhi to bring Ravenum back to life. Ravenum summons the dragon Buwarka and raises an army of Ravenas to wreak havoc on Avila, which barely survives the initial attack. With the power of Mulawin’s Tree of Life dwindling down and the Mulawin race in peril, the Diwatas and the Tres Aves (a legendary trio of heroes with special abilities) rush to aid the Mulawin. But ultimately, the fate of Avila and the Mulawin race now hinges on the valor of two of its two greatest champions, Aguiluz and Alwina. The Tres Aves faces the dragon "Buwarka",The Mulawins and the Encantadia's Lireo soldiers led by Ybbarro/Ybrahim faces the Ravenas and Aguiluz and Alwina faces Ravenum. The fight continues as Aguiluz and Alwina goes inside Ravenum's hideout. There they find Dakila and continues their journey. They continue a violent fight with the Ravenas and as they reach Ravenum, Aguiluz's mother (transformed from death) shows up with her husband, Ravenum. Ravenum then forces Aguiluz to transform into a Ravena and complete the family or else he will kill Alwina. Aguiluz agreed, to save the life of Alwina and their child. The Ravenas took away Alwina and Dakila, planning on beheading them. Aguiluz's body was too holy for the darkness because he was blessed and once again turns into a Mulawin. Dakila dies in the hands of the Ravenas and Alwina graviously cries. She returns to Aguiluz but their ugatpak's powers only works for nights. Aguiluz is stabbed by a sword behind. They make a way out of the hideout and at the end, killing Ravenum and comes also the death of Aguiluz. They return to Avila after a victory and a deadly battle. Aguiluz is seen lying in a royal bed in the kingdom of Lireo in Encantadia with Queen Amihan of Lireo putting the gintong binhi to his mouth that can get his life back. Alwina is then seen putting Dakila's ugatpak in the Mulawin's Tree of Life. The last part is Alwina and her son together flying with Aguiluz behind them.

Reaction

Mulawin The Movie grossed P 8,522,904 on its opening day (December 25) from over 80 screens around the Philippines. Regarding its overall gross as of December 28, there were conflicting box office reports, one of which stated that the fantasy has grossed P 15.0 million while another report states a higher P 19.5 million. While the figures are decent, Mulawin wasn't be able to recover its P 80 million budget.

At the end of January 7, 2006 the GMA-Regal joint project has an official finish at third place among all Metro Manila Film Festival entries in the box office. Mulawin has grossed a grand total of 57,761,882.

Because it did not gross enough to break even, speculation is rampant that GMA Films and Regal Films will release the film on video market within two months. There are also unconfirmed plans that GMA will sell both the television and movie version of Mulawin to interested networks in Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and India.

Criticisms and recognition

The Cinema Evaluation Board of the Philippines gave the movie the high A Rating, making it the only entry of the MMFF to receive such rating.

Mulawin the Movie is one of three fantasy films entered into the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

Though with an "A" rating, the movie receives criticisms as follows:

• A storyline that failed to justify events leading to some of the characters' disappearance (i.e. Lourdes, Gabriel and Pirena)
• A predictable storyline.
• Character inconsistencies.
• The transitions and scenes, as a consequence of the time limit, were hurried.
• Substandard special effects.

Mulawin The Movie did not win any award in the concluded Metro Manila Film Festival 2005 Awards Night.

Soundtrack

Main article: Songs Inspired by Mulawin

Track listing

Ikaw Nga - South Border

May Pag-ibig Pa Kaya - South Border

Narito Ang Puso Ko - Jolina Magdangal
Ang Iibigin Ay Ikaw - Lani Misalucha
Kahit Sandali - Jennylyn Mercado
Wish I Could - Dingdong Avanzado
I'll Take Care Of You - Janno Gibbs
Di Ko Na Kaya - Tux
It's Only A Game - Sipol
Ikaw Nga (Minus One)

In October 2004, GMA Records released an album entitled Songs Inspired By Mulawin which also serves as the fantasy series' original sound track.

Mulawin mobile game

In January 2006, a Java mobile game was released GMA New Media Inc. and Blue Blade Technologies, Inc. after the launch of Mulawin The Movie.

It is a vertical scrolling shoot 'em up game, similar to 1942 video game and Raiden arcade game. During game play, the player can switch between Alwina and Aguiluz, shoot Ravenas and other Mulawin enemies, and acquire extra health and power points. Towards the end of each level, a strong opponent will appear that should be defeated before advancing to the next level.

This is the first mobile game that is based on a Philippine television series. GMA New Media plans to make more mobile games based on other telefantasyas such as Encantadia, Etheria and Sugo.