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== 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.}}
 
 
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* ''[[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]]'':
{{quote| '''Once upon a time,''' in Nazi-occupied France.}}
* ''[[Star Wars]]'':
{{quote| [[A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away|A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...]]}}
* ''[[Once Upon a Forest]]''
* ''[[Once Upon a Time In Mexico]]''
* ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'':
{{quote| '''Twas a long time ago''', longer now than it seems<br />
In a place perhaps you've seen in your dreams... }}
* ''[[Once Upon a Time in China]]'': An entire series of Martial Arts movies starring Jet Li.
* ''[[Enchanted]]'':
{{quote| '''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.}}
* ''[[The Sixth Sense]]'':
{{quote| '''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.}}
* ''[[War Games]]'':
{{quote| '''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.}}
* ''[[Yellow Submarine]]'':
{{quote| '''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.}}
* In ''[[Ever After (film)|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:
{{quote| Now then, what was that phrase you use? Oh, yes. '''Once upon a time...'''}}
* 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]]: ''
{{quote| '''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..."}}
* ''[[Scott Pilgrim vs. the World]]'':
{{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...''.
 
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* ''[[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 ''[[Discworld/The Colour of Magic|The Colour of Magic]]'':
{{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.'<br />
'Precisely,' said a passing bush. }}
* [[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."
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* 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]]'':
{{quote| Cellophane [...] bid them tell the tale of their adventures.<br />
Arrowroot cleared his throat. "'''Once upon a time,'''" he began.<br />
[[Moby Dick|"Call me Ishmael,"]] said Gimlet.<br />
[[The Canterbury Tales|"Whanne in Aprille,"]] started Legolam.<br />
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* ''[[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:
{{quote| "'''Once upon a time''', long, long ago..."<br />
"'''Long ago''' there lived..."<br />
"'''Once''' there was a gentleman..." }}
 
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== Live-Action TV ==
* ''[[Bewitched]]'' "I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha (#1.1)"
{{quote| '''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.}}
* ''[[Blackadder]]'':
{{quote| 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."}}
* ''[[Charlie's Angels]]'':
{{quote| '''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.}}
* ''[[Dead Like Me]]'':
{{quote| '''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.}}
* ''[[Doctor Who]]'' "The Android Invasion: Part 1":
{{quote| '''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.}}
* ''[[Married... with Children]]'' "Buck Saves the Day":
{{quote| '''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?"}}
* ''[[My Name Is Earl]]'', "Creative Writing":
{{quote| '''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.}}
* ''[[Salvage 1]]'' (1979):
{{quote| '''Narrator:''' ''[opening narration]'' '''Once upon a time''', a junkman had a dream.}}
* ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]'':
{{quote| '''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.}}
* ''[[Titus]]'', "The Smell of Success":
{{quote| '''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]<br />
'''Ken Titus:''' I got a little story I wanna tell you. '''Once upon a time''', your dog got hit by a truck this morning! }}
* ''[[Farscape]]: [[The Movie|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."
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== Music ==
* The Small Faces, "Happiness Stan Suite".
{{quote| '''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'''...}}
* ''Total Eclipse of the Heart'':
{{quote| '''Once upon a time''' I was falling in love<br />
But now I'm only falling apart<br />
There's nothing I can do<br />
A total eclipse of the heart. }}
* The James Taylor song "Our Town," used in the movie [[Cars]], begins "'''Long ago''', but not so very long ago..."
* [[Billy Joel]]'s "Falling of the Rain" begins:
{{quote| '''Once upon a time''' in the land of misty satin dreams<br />
There stood a house and a man who painted nature scenes... }}
* [[Don McLean]]'s "American Pie":
{{quote| '''A long, long time ago'''<br />
I can still remember... }}
* "Those Were the Days", recorded most memorably by Mary Hopkin:
{{quote| '''Once upon a time''' there was a tavern<br />
Where we used to raise a glass or two... }}
* "Fairytale" Sara Bareilles, mickey-taking every fairytale written with:
{{quote| '''Once upon a time''' in a far away kingdom<br />
Man made up a story, said that I should believe him... }}
 
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== Poetry ==
* [[Edgar Allan Poe]], ''[[The Raven (poem)|The Raven]]'':
{{quote| '''Once upon a midnight dreary,''' while I pondered, weak and weary...}}
* Also from Poe, "Annabel Lee"
{{quote| '''It was many and many a year ago,'''<br />
In a kingdom by the sea,<br />
That a maiden there lived whom you may know<br />
By the name of Annabel Lee; }}
 
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* ''[[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'':
{{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."
 
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* In ''[[Blaz Blue]]: Calamity Trigger'', Hakumen's arcade ending is a telling of how the story of the [[Blaz Blue]] franchise began, and it even begins with Rachel narrating, "'''[[Once Upon a Time]]''', there was a Black Beast."
* ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'':
{{quote| '''Sniper:''' Here's a touching story. '''Once upon a time''', you died and I lived happily ever after.}}
 
 
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* 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":
{{quote| '''Patrick:''' '''Once, there was''' an [[The Ugly Barnacle|ugly barnacle]]. He was so ugly that everyone died. The end.}}
* 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 reccuring characters.
* The animated feature ''[[Twice Upon a Time]]'' uses this phrase in its opening narration.
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