Once Upon a Time: Difference between revisions

* ''[[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.

 

== Comic Books ==

* [[Kurt Busiek]]'s ''Trinity'': Once a race of aliens is telling their creation myth, it starts:

{{quote|'''In the Longago.''' Aye, and in the Long Longago, and in the time before the Long Longago. In the Before, when nothing was.}}

 

== Film ==

{{quote|"'''Once upon a time,''' in the mysterious land of Toronto, Canada, Scott Pilgrim was dating a high schooler...}}

* 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 ==

* ''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."

{{quote|'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. }}

They were waiting, Rolf and Schaumann talking occasionally [[Lemony Narrator|and Panowski not saying very much]], for Strawitz....<ref>(Strawitz is a Nazi war criminal Rolf will force into working for East German intelligence.)</ref>}}

 

 

== Live-Action TV ==

* ''[[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 (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]''

 

== Music ==

{{quote|''Once upon a time in a far away kingdom

''Man made up a story, said that I should believe him... }}

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* In ''[[Exalted]]'', [[Koan]]s and sutras associated with the Sidereals inevitably begin this way: "'''Once, there was a maiden...'''"

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

 

== Theatre ==

{{quote|This is a fairy story--the story of Cinderella and the [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|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.}}

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

 

== Video Games ==

* ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'':

{{quote|'''Sniper:''' Here's a touching story. '''Once upon a time''', you died and I lived happily ever after.}}

 

== Web Comics ==

* In ''[[Sinfest]]'', [https://web.archive.org/web/20140209165735/http://sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3636 Baby Blue begins her story to the damned with it.]

 

== Western Animation ==

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Stock Phrases]]

[[Category:Beginning Tropes]]

[[Category:Fairy Tale Tropes]]

[[Category:Older Than Print]]