Once Upon a Time

"We don't need lists of rights and wrongs, tables of do's and don'ts: we need books, time, and silence. 'Thou shalt not' is soon forgotten, but 'Once Upon a Time' lasts forever."

- Philip Pullman

Once upon a time there was a Trope. This trope was a Stock Phrase and a very old one. In fact, according to Webster's, it goes back at least to 1380. It began almost every Fairy Tale there ever was.

It was a very popular trope. In French it was il était une fois and in German it was es war einmal, which literally meant "It was once." Sometimes it was translated as "Once there was" or "A long time ago," but most often, this trope was simply translated as "Once upon a time." Other languages have translated it directly - Polish has "Raz na czasie", which is a literal translation and may have a bit of blind idiot in there. Russian fairy tales often start "Zhyl-byl...", that is, "Once there lived...". The Japanese equivalent is むかしむかし（昔々"mukashi mukashi"), "long, long ago".

Now, stories that began with "Once Upon a Time" often ended with "...and they all lived Happily Ever After." But Once never got to the end of the stories—he always stayed at the beginning. And that is where he will always be.

Now, are you sitting comfortably? Then let's begin. Once upon a time...

For the book series, click here and for the ABC series, click here.

Anime

 * Princess Tutu: The narrator begins each episode with the japanese equivalent of this, むかしむかし（昔々） or "mukashi mukashi". It's rather purposeful, since the show deals in Fairy Tale tropes.
 * Revolutionary Girl Utena uses the same phrase in narrating several plot points, most notably the story of the Prince and the Witch and the story of the Princess who wanted to become a Prince.

Card Games

 * There is a card game called "Once Upon A Time" revolving around storytelling. The stories always start with this.

Comic Books
"In the Longago. Aye, and in the Long Longago, and in the time before the Long Longago. In the Before, when nothing was."
 * Kurt Busiek's Trinity: Once a race of aliens is telling their creation myth, it starts:

Film
"Once upon a time, in Nazi-occupied France."
 * Once Upon a Time in the West and Once Upon a Time in America. The Italian titles began with the rough cultural equivalent,"C'era una volta..." ("There was once...").
 * Inglourious Basterds:

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."
 * Star Wars:

"Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems In a place perhaps you've seen in your dreams..."
 * Once Upon a Forest
 * Once Upon a Time In Mexico
 * The Nightmare Before Christmas:

"Narrator: Once upon a time, in a magical kingdom known as Andalasia, there lived an evil queen. Selfish and cruel, she lived in fear that one day her stepson would marry and she would lose her throne forever. And so she did all in her power to prevent the prince from ever meeting the one special maiden with whom he would share true love's kiss."
 * Once Upon a Time in China: An entire series of Martial Arts movies starring Jet Li.
 * Enchanted:

"Malcolm Crowe: Once upon a time there was this person named Malcolm. He worked with children. He loved it. He loved it more than anything else. And then one night, he found out that he made a mistake with one of them. He couldn't help that one. And he can't stop thinking about it, he can't forget. Ever since then, things have been different. He's not the same person that he used to be. And his wife doesn't like the person that he's become. They barely speak anymore, they're like strangers. And then one day Malcolm meets this wonderful little boy, a really cool little boy. Reminds him a lot of the other one. And Malcolm decides to try and help this new boy. 'Cause he feels that if he can help this new boy, it would be like helping that other one too."
 * The Sixth Sense:

"Stephen Falken: Now, children, come on over here. I'm going to tell you a bedtime story. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin. Once upon a time, there lived a magnificent race of animals that dominated the world through age after age. They ran, they swam, and they fought and they flew, until suddenly, quite recently, they disappeared. Nature just gave up and started again. We weren't even apes then. We were just these smart little rodents hiding in the rocks. And when we go, nature will start over. With the bees, probably. Nature knows when to give up, David."
 * WarGames:

"Narrator: Once upon a time, or maybe twice, there was an unearthly paradise called Pepperland. 80,000 leagues beneath the sea it lay, or lie. I'm not too sure."
 * Yellow Submarine:

"Now then, what was that phrase you use? Oh, yes. Once upon a time..."
 * In Ever After when Danielle's descendant is about to tell the "true" story of Cinderella she Lampshades this. She has recently read the works of the Grimm Brothers, so she has only recently learned the storytelling conventions:

"Once upon a time, back before I even learned how to tie my shoes, the Sun came up. Well, I know that each day, sunrise isn't such a big deal to some folks, but imagine for a moment, instead of rising up like this: (the Sun starts to rise from Earth orbit) One morning where you live, she took a look around, and decided to go back to sleep. This actually once happened to us. Let me tell you all about it...""
 * Inverted in Emir Kusturica's Underground - the final words in the film are "once upon a time there was a country called Yugoslavia..."
 * Rock-a-Doodle: 

""Once upon a time, in the mysterious land of Toronto, Canada, Scott Pilgrim was dating a high schooler..."
 * Scott Pilgrim vs. the World:


 * In-universe: Kolya has an example of a girlfriend of Louka's telling little Kolya stories in Russian over the phone (while her husband is away, naturally enough), starting audibly with Zhyl-byl....

Literature
"'We've strayed into a zone with a high magical index,' he said. 'Don't ask me how. Once upon a time a really powerful magic field must have been generated here, and we're feeling the after-effects.' 'Precisely,' said a passing bush."
 * The Bible: "In the beginning..."
 * Lord Dunsany in Time and the Gods: "Upon an evening of the forgotten years the gods were seated on the hills."
 * Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie: "I was born in the city of Bombay...once upon a time."
 * A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man by James Joyce: "Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down along the road and this moocow that was coming down along the road met a nicens little boy named baby tuckoo..."
 * Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein: "Once upon a time when the world was young there was a Martian named Smith."
 * A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: "Once upon a time -- of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve -- old Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house."
 * In The Colour of Magic:

"Cellophane [...] bid them tell the tale of their adventures. Arrowroot cleared his throat. "Once upon a time," he began. "Call me Ishmael," said Gimlet. "Whanne in Aprille," started Legolam. "Hear me, oh Muse," commenced Bromosel."
 * Friedrich Nietzsche, On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense: "Once upon a time, in some out of the way corner of that universe which is dispersed into numberless twinkling solar systems, there was a star upon which clever beasts invented knowing."
 * Winnie the Pooh: "Once upon a time, a very long time ago, about last Friday..."
 * From The King's Chessboard: "Once, long ago in what is now India there was a wise man who performed a service for the king of Deccan..."
 * Parodied in Bored of the Rings:

""Once upon a time, long, long ago..." "Long ago there lived..." "Once there was a gentleman...""
 * The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King: "Once, in a kingdom called Delain, there was a King with two sons."
 * Near enough every single fairytale ever written:

Live-Action TV
"Narrator: Once upon a time, there was a typical American girl, who happened to bump into a typical red blooded American boy. And she bumped into him, and bumped into him. So, they decided they'd better sit down and talk this over before they had an accident. They became good friends. They found they had a lot of interests in common. Radio. Television. Trains. And when the boy found the girl attractive, desirable, irresistible, he did what any red-blooded American boy would do: He asked her to marry him. They had a typical wedding. Went on a typical honeymoon, in a typical bridal suite. Except, it so happens that this girl is a witch."
 * Bewitched "I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha (#1.1)"

"In the third season, Baldrick reads the story he wrote: "Once upon a time, there was a happy sausage named Baldrick. And he lived happily ever after. The end.""
 * Blackadder:

"Charlie Townsend: Once upon a time there were three little girls who went to the police academy - two in Los Angeles, the other in San Francisco - and they were each assigned very hazardous duties. But I took them away from all that, and now they work for me. My name is Charlie."
 * Charlie's Angels:

"Georgia: Once upon a time, or more specifically at the dawn of time, god, lower case "g", was getting busy with creation, as the kids these days are saying. He gave Toad a clay jar and said, "Be careful with this. It's got death inside". Pleased as punch and oblivious to the fact that he was about to become god's fall guy on the whole death issue, Toad promised to guard the jar. Then one day Toad met Frog. "Let me hold the jar of death, or what ever you call it", Frog begged. With a nod to Nancy Reagan's pearls of wisdom, Toad just said no. But Frog was determined, and after much whining Toad finally gave in. "You can hold it, but only for a second", he said. In his excitement, Frog began to hop around and juggle the death jar from one foot to the other. Frog was an asshole. "Stop!" Toad cried out, but it was to late. Frog dropped the jar and it shattered to the ground. When it broke open, death got out, and ever since then all living things have to die. Makes you wonder how much better the world would be if frogs just stuck to hawking beer. So there you have it, the mystery of death finally revealed. We all die, some of us sooner then later. For me it's going to be much sooner. But that's only the beginning of my story."
 * Dead Like Me:

"The Doctor: Once upon a time there were three sisters, and they lived in the bottom of a treacle well. Their names were Olga, Marsha and Irena... Are you listening, Tillie?... I feel disorientated."
 * Doctor Who "The Android Invasion: Part 1":

"Al Bundy: Once upon a time, there was a young boy. A boy... full of hope. He was single, and he was happy. Then one night, much like tonight, something rose from the swamp. He heard a noise behind him: thump-thump, thump-thump. He walked a little faster. Thump-thump-thump-thump. Then he saw it. There, in the light of a bar, stood the evil, redheaded, high-heeled spandex monster. He ran from it. He stood it up, he dated others, but nothing could stop it! He could hear it's wild call: "oh honey? Honey?" It was horrible. Finally... it trapped him. Opened... opened its hideous mouth, bared its fangs and said, "Marry me?""
 * Married... with Children "Buck Saves the Day":

"Joy Turner: Here's a story: Once upon a time, Randy shut up. The end. It had a slow start but I liked the middle."
 * My Name Is Earl, "Creative Writing":

"Narrator: [opening narration] Once upon a time, a junkman had a dream."
 * Salvage 1 (1979):

"Mr. Wick: Gather around, everyone. Story time. Come on... gather around. Once upon a time... Johnson was fired. And everyone else lived happily ever after. Freaked, but happily."
 * The Drew Carey Show:

"Ken Titus: I got a little story I wanna tell you. Once upon a time... NO! If I help you now, you'll never learn to help yourself! [leaves] Ken Titus: I got a little story I wanna tell you. Once upon a time, your dog got hit by a truck this morning!"
 * Titus, "The Smell of Success":


 * Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars: "For the 89th time...once upon a time there was a boy named John and John was an astronaut. He lived in a far away place called Earth which is so far away you've never heard of it. One day when John was out doing astronaut things a big, blue wormhole gobbled him up and spat him out at the far end of the universe. Things were looking grim in Mudville, till our hero met an amazing living ship, made some nice new friends, and he hooked up with his dream girl. We could've lived happily ever after, but the Peacekeepers raped, chased and tortured us for years on end. And two months ago, we got our asses shot off again."
 * Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: The opera "Spoon Mountain" begins "Once upon a time, not so very long ago. Not so very long ago."
 * Once Upon a Time

Music
"Stanley Unwin: Are you all seaty comftibold two-square on your botty? Then I'll begin. (Song: "Happiness Stan") Now, of courst, like all real-life experience story, this also begins once upolly tie-toe..."
 * The Small Faces, "Happiness Stan Suite".

"Once upon a time I was falling in love But now I'm only falling apart There's nothing I can do A total eclipse of the heart."
 * Total Eclipse of the Heart:

"Once upon a time in the land of misty satin dreams There stood a house and a man who painted nature scenes..."
 * Billy Joel's "Falling of the Rain" begins:

"A long, long time ago I can still remember..."
 * Don McLean's "American Pie":

In a galaxy far away ..."
 * And Weird Al's variant:
 * "A long, long time ago

"Once upon a time there was a tavern Where we used to raise a glass or two..."
 * "Those Were the Days", recorded most memorably by Mary Hopkin:

"Once upon a time in a far away kingdom Man made up a story, said that I should believe him..."
 * "Fairytale" Sara Bareilles, mickey-taking every fairytale written with:

Poetry
"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary..."
 * Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven:

"It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee;"
 * Also from Poe, "Annabel Lee"

Tabletop Games

 * In Exalted, Koans and sutras associated with the Sidereals inevitably begin this way: "Once, there was a maiden..."

Theatre
"This is a fairy story--the story of Cinderella and the four ugly corporation directors. Once upon a time, not so long ago, Cinderella went down to Wall Street, not in a gold coach drawn by six white horses, but in the I.R.T. subway."
 * Into the Woods opens with this line being spoken by the Narrator before the music starts. The second act begins similarly, with the Narrator saying, "Once upon a time-- [music starts] --later..."
 * The Opening Narration from The Solid Gold Cadillac:


 * Call Me Madam has the song "Once Upon A Time Today."

Video Games
"Sniper: Here's a touching story. Once upon a time, you died and I lived happily ever after."
 * In BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, Hakumen's arcade ending is a telling of how the story of the BlazBlue franchise began, and it even begins with Rachel narrating, "Once Upon a Time, there was a Black Beast."
 * Team Fortress 2:

Webcomics

 * In Sinfest, Baby Blue begins her story to the damned with it.

Western Animation
"Patrick: Once, there was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died. The end."
 * The intro to The PJs starts with "Once upon a time in the projects," which is also the title of an Ice Cube song.
 * SpongeBob SquarePants, "Something Smells":


 * Albert Barillé produced tons of educational animated series which all got Once Upon a Time in their title, completed with the main subject (man, space, life, America, inventors, explorers...). They also shared a very similar cast of recurring characters.
 * The animated feature Twice Upon a Time uses this phrase in its opening narration.
 * Shrek appeared to use this trope at first, but lampshaded it and used it as toilet paper.
 * One episode of The Simpsons is called "Once Upon a Time in Springfield".
 * My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic begins its very first episode with a narration from Princess Celestia. "Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria..."