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{{Short description|French educational animation franchise}}
'''''Once Upon a Time…''''' ("''Il était une fois…''") is a French-Italian-Swiss-Japanese [[educational animation]] franchise, created by [[Procidis]] in collaboration with [[RAI]], [[Société Radio-Canada]], [[Tatsunoko Production]] and [[SRG SSR]]. There are seven distinct series, each focusing on different aspects of knowledge. These are mostly [[historical]], with ''Once Upon a Time… Man'' being focused on the overall history of mankind, and most of the others are more focused on specified historical fields, such as the lives and exploits of the [[explorer]]s or [[inventor]]s. ''Life'', however, featured an explanation on the workings of the body.
{{about||the TV episode|Once Upon a Time... (Dexter)}}
[[File:Once Upon a Time Procidis.jpg|thumb|DVD box set of the first seven series.]]
'''''Once Upon a Time...''''' ("{{Lang|fr|Il était une fois...}}") is a French [[educational animation]] franchise, created by [[Albert Barillé]] for his animation studio [[Procidis]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Clements |first1=Jonathan |last2=McCarthy |first2=Helen |title=The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917, Revised and Expanded Edition |date=1 November 2006 |publisher=Stone Bridge Press |___location=Berkeley, California, United States of America |isbn=978-1933330105 |page=456 |language=English |quote="an explicitly educational series"}}</ref><ref name="Procidis">{{cite web |title=Procidis |url=https://www.hellomaestro.fr/en/story |website=Hello Maestro! |access-date=26 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130163708/https://www.hellomaestro.fr/en/story |archive-date=30 November 2022 |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Milligan |first1=Mercedes |title=Procidis Shops 'Once Upon a Time…Life' Around MENA |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/2016/12/procidis-shops-once-upon-a-timelife-around-mena/ |website=Animation Magazine |access-date=26 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204120006/https://www.animationmagazine.net/2016/12/procidis-shops-once-upon-a-timelife-around-mena/ |archive-date=4 February 2023 |date=17 December 2016}}</ref> There are eight distinct series, each focusing on different aspects of knowledge.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hello Maestro, a Cult Saga Made of 7 Seasons |url=https://www.hellomaestro.fr/en/procidis |website=Hello Maestro! |publisher=Procidis |access-date=26 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311204112/https://www.hellomaestro.fr/en/procidis |archive-date=11 March 2023 |language=English}}</ref> Once Upon a Time... has been shown in a hundred countries, and 150 million [[video cassettes]] and [[DVDs]] have been sold around the world, as well as 250 million tie-in books.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kessous |first1=Mustapha |title=« Il était une fois… la vie » revient sur France 4 dans une version restaurée |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/televisions-radio/article/2017/03/11/il-etait-une-fois-la-vie-les-enfants-d-abord_5092976_1655027.html |website=Le Monde |access-date=26 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102012133/https://www.lemonde.fr/televisions-radio/article/2017/03/11/il-etait-une-fois-la-vie-les-enfants-d-abord_5092976_1655027.html |archive-date=2 January 2021 |language=French |date=11 March 2017}}</ref>
 
There are eight series in all.<ref>{{cite web |title=Procidis Signs International Deals for 'Once Upon a Time…Life' |url=https://www.awn.com/news/procidis-signs-international-deals-once-upon-time-life |website=Animation World Network |access-date=26 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021201830/https://www.awn.com/news/procidis-signs-international-deals-once-upon-time-life |archive-date=21 October 2022 |date=20 December 2016}}</ref> These are mostly [[History|historical]], with ''Once Upon a Time... Man'' being focused on the overall history of [[mankind]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bargain-Villéger |first1=Alban |title=History for Children? Watching "Once Upon a Time… Man" as an Adult in the 21st Century |url=https://activehistory.ca/2015/09/history-for-children-watching-once-upon-a-time-man-as-an-adult-in-the-21st-century/ |website=Archive History |access-date=26 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215174417/https://activehistory.ca/2015/09/history-for-children-watching-once-upon-a-time-man-as-an-adult-in-the-21st-century/ |archive-date=15 February 2023 |date=3 September 2015}}</ref> Most of the others are more focused on specified historical fields, such as the lives and exploits of the [[Exploration|explorer]]s or [[inventor]]s,<ref>{{cite web |title=Once upon a Watch. History as a children's series |url=https://www.oulu.fi/en/blogs/philosophy-history-now/once-upon-watch-history-childrens-series |website=¡ Philosophy of History Now ! |publisher=University of Oulu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816141210/https://www.oulu.fi/en/blogs/philosophy-history-now/once-upon-watch-history-childrens-series |archive-date=16 August 2022 |date=29 April 2020}}</ref> except for ''Space'' and ''Life''. The former was a [[science fiction]] series,<ref>{{cite web |last1=St-Louis |first1=Hervé |title=Once Upon a Time... Space |url=http://www.comicbookbin.com/Once_Upon_a_Time_Space001.html |website=ComicBookBin |access-date=26 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106171644/http://www.comicbookbin.com/Once_Upon_a_Time_Space001.html |archive-date=6 January 2023 |language=English |date=26 May 2014}}</ref> while the latter featured an explanation on the workings of the body. All feature the same [[stock character]]s, in similar [[Archetype|archetypal]] roles. "''Life''" is the only one to not feature the children as grown-up or adolescent archetypes of said characters, but as parts of the human organism.<ref>{{cite web |title=We are made like this, Exploring the human body (Once upon a time) the animated series |url=https://www.cartonionline.com/en/wordpress/we-are-made-like-this-exploring-the-human-body-once-a-lifetime-animated-series/ |website=Cartoni Online |access-date=26 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426214638/https://www.cartonionline.com/en/wordpress/we-are-made-like-this-exploring-the-human-body-once-a-lifetime-animated-series/ |archive-date=26 April 2023 |language=English |date=15 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kunz |first1=Tobias |last2=Wilde |first2=Lukas R. A. |title=Transmedia Character Studies |date=31 March 2023 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |___location=Abingdon-on-Thames, United Kingdom |isbn=9781000860443 |language=English |quote="The 'edutainment' children's series Once Upon a Time... Life (Barillé 1987), for instance, combined storylines about a fantastic journey into the human body with factual information about our inner working mechanisms."}}</ref>
All feature the same stock characters, in similar [[archetypal]] roles. "''Life''" is the only one to not feature the children as grown up or adolescent archetypes of said characters, but as parts of the human organism.
 
Most of the series are in the [[animated documentary]] genre and teach in an [[Exposition (narrative)|expository]] style.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Formenti |first=Cristina |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VTdiEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA250 |title=The Classical Animated Documentary and Its Contemporary Evolution |date=2022-03-24 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1-5013-4647-7 |pages=250–253 |language=en}}</ref>
==Chronology==
===[[Once Upon a Time... Man|Once Upon a Time… Man]]===
Originally produced in 1978, this series is the original series of the franchise, detailing the overall history of mankind. It was directed by [[Albert Barillé]].
 
== Chronology ==
===[[Once Upon a Time... Space|Once Upon a Time… Space]]===
===; ''[[Once Upon a Time... Man|Once Upon a Time… Man]]===''
Produced in 1982, this series was a science fiction follow up to the last episode of "Man", which was futuristic in scope. Several episodes of this series were made into a movie titled "Revenge of the Humanoids".It was directed by Albert Barillé.
: Originally produced in 1978, this series is the original series of the franchise, detailing the overall history of mankind. It was directed by [[Albert Barillé]].
 
===;'' [[Once Upon a Time... Life|Once Upon a Time… LifeSpace]]===''
: Produced in 19871982, this series focuseswas ona thescience workingsfiction offollow up to the humanlast bodyepisode of ''Man'', andwhich haswas thefuturistic childrenin shownscope. asThe thelast archetypessix episodes of variousthis partsseries ofwere themade organisminto (cells,a bacteria,film etc.)titled ''Revenge of the Humanoids''. It was directed by Albert Barillé.
 
===; ''[[Once Upon a Time... The Americas|Once Upon a Time… The AmericasLife]]===''
: Produced in 19911987, this series focuses on the historyworkings of the Americanhuman continentbody, throughand allhas itsthe settlementschildren andshown theiras historicalthe archetypes of various parts of the organism (cells, [[bacteria]], eventsetc.). It was directed by Albert Barillé.
 
===; ''[[Once Upon a Time... The Discoverers|Once Upon a Time… The DiscoverersAmericas]]===''
: Produced in 19941992, this series focuses on various thinkers and inventors throughoutthe history, fromof the ancient[[Americas|America]]n Chinese,continent through Henryall theits Navigator,settlements Gutenberg,and Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Newton, Marie Curie,their untilhistorical "tomorrow"events. It was directed by Albert Barillé.
 
===; ''[[Once Upon a Time... The Explorers|Once Upon a Time… The ExplorersDiscoverers]]===''
: Produced in 19961994, this series focuses on various explorersthinkers and inventors throughout history, from "Thethe Firstancient Navigators"Chinese, through Vasco[[Henry dethe GamaNavigator]], Cabeza[[Johannes deGutenberg]], Vaca[[Leonardo andda HumboldtVinci]], to[[Galileo LewisGalilei]], &[[Isaac ClarkNewton]], and[[Marie AlexandraSklodowska-Curie]], Daviduntil Neel"tomorrow". It was, as all the series before it, directed by Albert Barillé.
 
===; ''[[Once Upon a Time... Planet Earth|Once Upon a Time… PlanetThe EarthExplorers]]===''
: Produced in 1996, this series focuses on various explorers, from "The First Navigators", through [[Vasco de Gama]], [[Cabeza de Vaca]] and [[Alexander von Humboldt]], to the [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]] and [[Alexandra David Neel]]. It was, as all the series before it, directed by Albert Barillé.
Produced in 2008, this series focuses on the preservation of the natural environment, and warnings about [[global warming]], the [[greenhouse effect]], [[pollution]], and others. It features very different animation compared to earlier series. It was the last film directed by Albert Barillé, and the last series in the franchise to date. Unlike the others, this series has not yet been released in English. There is a German-dubbed version, and it seems this series is currently available in French or German only.
 
===; ''[[Once Upon a Time... Space|Once Upon a Time…Planet SpaceEarth]]===''
==Characters==
: Produced in 2008, this series focuses on the preservation of the natural environment, and warnings about [[global warming]], the [[greenhouse effect]], [[pollution]], and others. It features very different animation compared to earlier series. It was the last film directed by Albert Barillé, and the last series in the franchise to date. Unlike the others, thisThis series has not yet been released in English., ThereFinnish, is aDutch, German-dubbed, versionItalian, andPolish, itRomanian seemsand thisHungarian series is currently available in French or Germandubbed onlyversions.
The series ''Once Upon a Time…'' illustrated the various subjects (as listed above) from the point of view of a group that is always composed of similar recurring figures that represent different archetypal roles.:
 
; ''[[Once Upon a Time... The Objects]]''
*'''Maestro''' ([[Roger Carel]]) - [[Italian language|Italian]] for "master", is the wise old man. He usually serves as the head of the tribe, as a religious priest, as an adviser to the king and as an inventor. Maestro has long white hair and beard that covers his entire body. He is seen to stash things away in this beard, sometimes fumbling quite a bit to find the object he wishes to present. He serves as the mentor to the children, telling them about the various subjects.
: A series that premiered on RTS in Switzerland on 30 December 2023 and premiered on Okoo during mid 2024, it talks about various objects and their histories, This series has (currently) been released in an Italian dubbed version airing on Cartoonito in Italy beginning in mid 2024
*'''Peter / Pierre''' (Roger Carel) - The courageous and handsome young man. He represents the image of the good person.
*'''Jumbo / Le Gros''' ([[Yves Barsacq]]) - The strong young man. Jumbo is Peter's best friend. A quite large person, with red hair and great physical powers. At times he tends to be a little clumsy but he is very strong. He often defends Peter, Pierrette (and Psi in the spinoffs) from the bad bullies.
**Jumbo and Peter have also young counterparts (Little Jumbo and Pierrot ([[Vincent Ropion]])) and their development is usually followed from [[childhood]] to [[adolescence]].
*'''Psi''' - The good young girl. Dark haired woman, serves mostly as Peter's girlfriend, or as Peter's wife.
*'''Pierrette''' ([[Annie Balestra]]) - The good young woman. Blond haired, serves mostly as Pierrot's mother, or as Jumbo's wife.
*'''The Pest / Le Teigneux''' ([[Claude Bertrand (actor)|Claude Bertrand]]) - The big bully, friend of 'The Dwarf', large and strong bully that enjoys picking on others or attacking them. He is strong, but Jumbo is stronger.
*'''The Dwarf / Le Nabot''' ([[Patrick Préjean]]) - The little bully, friend of 'The Pest', weak but intriguer and shrewd. He has a malicious giggle. Both he and his friend display downright negative characters (traitors, spies, conspirators, murderers), or at least skeptics or hypocrites. They are the ones to generally start up a conflict between the circle of children.
*'''The Clock''' - Displays the year when the events occur. Sometimes it has a character and reacts to what the screen shows. For example complains when narration proceeds many years forwards or glares to the scenery when something interesting is shown.
 
== Characters ==
Some of them had historical roles. For example Pest as [[Goliath]] and Pierrot as [[David]]. Maestro had the role of [[Leonardo da Vinci]] and generally of benevolent or enlightened rulers (amongst these, he surprisingly represented Kublai Khan).
The series ''Once Upon a Time...'' illustrated the various subjects (as listed above) from the point of view of a group that is always composed of similar recurring figures that represent different archetypal roles:<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stasienko |first1=Jan |title=Media Technologies and Posthuman Intimacy |date=16 December 2021 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |___location=London, United Kingdom |isbn=9781501380532 |page=76 |language=English |quote="the entire concept of Barille's Once Upon a Time... Life (1987) is also based on [anthropomorphizations]"}}</ref>
 
*'''Maestro''' ([[Roger Carel]])<ref - [[Italian language|Italian]] for name="masterProcidis", is/> the– The wise old man.<ref name=":0" /> He usually serves as the head of the tribe, as a religious priest, as an adviser to the king and as an inventor. Maestro has long white hair, a pair of antennal growths and a beard that covers his entire body. He is seen to stash things away in this beard, sometimes fumbling quite a bit to find the object he wishes to present. He serves as the mentor to the children, telling them about the various subjects.
==External links==
*'''Peter / Pierre''' (Roger Carel) - The courageous and handsome young man. He represents the image of the good person and he is father of Pierrot and Little Pierrette.
* [http://www.procidis.com/ Procidis, the series' producer]
*'''Jumbo / Le Gros''' ([[Yves Barsacq]]) - The strong young man.<ref name=":0" /> Jumbo is Peter's best friend. A quite large person, with red hair and great physical powers. At times he tends to be a little clumsy, but he is very strong. He often defends Peter, Pierrette (and Psi in the spinoffs) from the bad bullies.
**Jumbo and Peter have also young counterparts (Little Jumbo and Pierrot ([[Vincent Ropion]])) and their development is usually followed from [[childhood]] to [[adolescence]], Peter has a daughter too named Little Pierrette).
*'''Psi''' - The good young girl. DarkA black-haired Brazilian woman, who serves mostly as Peter's girlfriend, or as Peter's wife.
*'''Pierrette''' ([[Annie Balestra]]) - The good young woman. Blond Blonde-haired, serves mostly as Pierrot's and Little Pierrette's mother, or as Jumbo's wife.
*'''Little Pierrette''' – She is Peter and Pierrette's daughter, as well as Pierrot's younger sister. She is not very important in the series, and never has been a core character. Her style changed in all the series. (In "Man" she has blond and long hair, In "Life" she has got very short hair, in "Discoverer" she has a ponytail).
*'''The Pest / Le Teigneux''' ([[Claude Bertrand (actor)|Claude Bertrand]]) - The big bully, friend of 'The Dwarf', a large and strong bully that enjoys picking on others or attacking them. He is strong, but Jumbo is stronger.
*'''The Dwarf / Le Nabot''' ([[Patrick Préjean]]) - The little bully, friend of 'The Pest', weak but intriguershrewd and shrewdan intriguer. He has a malicious giggle. Both he and his friend display downright negative characters (portraying traitors, spies, conspirators, murderers), or at least skeptics or hypocrites). They are the ones to generally start up a conflict between the circle of children.
*'''The Clock''' - Displays the year when the events occur.<ref name=":0" /> Sometimes it has a character and reacts to what the screen shows. For example, it complains when narration proceeds many years forwards or glares toat the scenery when something interesting is shown.
 
Some of them had historical roles. For example, Pest as [[Goliath]] and Pierrot as [[David]]. Maestro had the role of [[Leonardo da Vinci]]<ref name=":0" /> and generallymostly of benevolent or enlightened rulers (amongst these, he surprisingly represented Kublai Khan).
 
==References==
{{reflist}}
 
== External links ==
* [https://www.hellomaestro.fr/en Hello Maestro!, official website]
 
{{Once Upon a Time...}}
 
[[Category:FrenchOnce animatedUpon a Time...| films]]
[[Category:Italian1970s French animated filmstelevision series]]
[[Category:SwissFrench children's animated filmseducation television series]]
[[Category:OnceMass Uponmedia aifranchises Time...introduced in 1978]]
[[Category:1980s French animated television series]]
[[Category:Italian1990s French animated television series]]
[[Category:Swiss2000s French animated television series]]