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Once Upon a Time... Man
Home > Animation TV Shows > Once Upon a Time... Man

Once Upon a Time... Man

1978
Once Upon a Time... Man
Once Upon a Time... Man

Once Upon a Time... Man

8 | NR | en | Animation

Once Upon a Time… Man is a French animated TV series from 1978 directed by Albert Barillé. It is the first in the Once Upon a Time... franchise. The series explains world history in a format designed for children. The action focuses around one group. The same familiar characters appear in all episodes as they deal with the problems of their time. The series' opening and ending title sequences famously used Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor as the main title theme music. Shortening the piece to only 2 minutes in length, the introduction uses the very beginning, which jumps into the start of the middle section and finally the dramatic ending to coincide with the destruction of Earth at the end of the intro.

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Seasons & Episodes

1
EP26  Once Upon a Time... the Earth (and tomorrow?)
Apr. 07,1979
Once Upon a Time... the Earth (and tomorrow?)

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EP25  The Crazy Years
Mar. 31,1979
The Crazy Years

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EP24  The Belle Epoque
Mar. 24,1979
The Belle Epoque

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EP23  The Awakening of the People (Revolutions of 1848)
Mar. 17,1979
The Awakening of the People (Revolutions of 1848)

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EP22  1789–1814 (The French Revolution)
Mar. 10,1979
1789–1814 (The French Revolution)

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EP21  America
Mar. 03,1979
America

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EP20  The Age of Reason (18th)
Feb. 03,1979
The Age of Reason (18th)

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EP19  Peter the Great and his Times
Jan. 27,1979
Peter the Great and his Times

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EP18  The Great Reign of Louis XIV
Jan. 20,1979
The Great Reign of Louis XIV

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EP17  The Golden Age of the Low Countries
Jan. 13,1979
The Golden Age of the Low Countries

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EP16  Elizabethan England
Jan. 06,1979
Elizabethan England

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EP15  The Golden Age of Spain
Dec. 30,1978
The Golden Age of Spain

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EP14  The Quattrocento
Dec. 23,1978
The Quattrocento

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EP13  The Hundred Years' War
Dec. 16,1978
The Hundred Years' War

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EP12  The Travels of Marco Polo
Dec. 09,1978
The Travels of Marco Polo

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EP11  The Cathedral Builders
Dec. 02,1978
The Cathedral Builders

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EP10  The Age of Vikings
Nov. 25,1978
The Age of Vikings

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EP9  The Carolingians
Nov. 18,1978
The Carolingians

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EP8  The Conquest of Islam
Nov. 11,1978
The Conquest of Islam

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EP7  The Pax Romana
Nov. 04,1978
The Pax Romana

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EP6  The Age of Pericles
Oct. 28,1978
The Age of Pericles

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EP5  The First Empires
Oct. 21,1978
The First Empires

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EP4  The Fertile Valleys
Oct. 14,1978
The Fertile Valleys

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EP3  Cro-Magnon Man
Oct. 07,1978
Cro-Magnon Man

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EP2  Neanderthal Man
Sep. 30,1978
Neanderthal Man

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EP1  And Earth was created...
Sep. 23,1978
And Earth was created...

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8 | NR | en | Animation , Documentary , Family | More Info
Released: 1978-09-23 | Released Producted By: Tatsunoko Production , Procidis Country: Japan Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website: http://www.hellomaestro.fr/il-etait-une-fois-l-homme.html
Synopsis

Once Upon a Time… Man is a French animated TV series from 1978 directed by Albert Barillé. It is the first in the Once Upon a Time... franchise. The series explains world history in a format designed for children. The action focuses around one group. The same familiar characters appear in all episodes as they deal with the problems of their time. The series' opening and ending title sequences famously used Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor as the main title theme music. Shortening the piece to only 2 minutes in length, the introduction uses the very beginning, which jumps into the start of the middle section and finally the dramatic ending to coincide with the destruction of Earth at the end of the intro.

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Stream Online

The tv show is currently not available onine

Cast

Roger Carel , Yves Barsacq , Claude Bertrand

Director

René Borg

Producted By

Tatsunoko Production , Procidis

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Trailers

Cast

Roger Carel
Roger Carel

as Maestro

Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods Asterix and the Vikings Once Upon a Time... The Explorers Asterix Conquers America Once Upon a Time... The Discoverers Asterix and the Big Fight Once Upon a Time... Life Asterix in Britain Asterix vs. Caesar
Yves Barsacq
Yves Barsacq

as Le Gros

The Adventures of Tintin Faster, Faster The Marvelous Visit Fantastic Planet Charlots Go to Spain The Cat Arsène Lupin The Brain The Tattoo
Claude Bertrand
Claude Bertrand

as Le Teigneux

Tintin and the Lake of Sharks And Soon the Darkness

Reviews

mads leonard holvik I used to watch this a lot as a kid. Today I use it when i teach.I liked the way the female commentator mentioned dates and names and events and there was a small screen at the top with arms and stuff where the dates appeared. That was nice. And some times the screen creature disagreed with the commentator.Anyways. I also liked that it was chronological. It started with the stone age, where we got to see people hunting mammoth, fishing and so on. It was in many ways my favorite episode. I am very into fishing, and found it interesting that they made line and hooks from animal parts and also that they used crickets for bait.Another good episode I remember was the one about the Mongol hordes. I liked the way they depicted Djenghis Kahn. They drew him with skulls inside his eyes and fire inside his eyes, laughing and smiling.The old, bearded inventor was also very nice.I don't like the way the wannabe leader and his red haired crony always got beaten up by the kind muscle guy. It was too easy and violent and quite frankly not nice.Other than that the series was very good.
T P "Es war einmal der Mensch" (German) / "Once Upon a Time... Man" (English) is just about the next best children's program/series after "Es war einmal das Leben" (German) / "Once Upon a Time... Life" (English). History is a dry topic and as someone who always found it boring throughout school, even I like watching episodes of this series with our children and fondly remember seeing it as a kid when it originally aired.The series is very well made, does not show its age, and our kids at various ages really like to watch it. At the same time, they gain knowledge about history us parents didn't have until way, way later. The series covers everything from the birth of the universe (assuming the Big Bang theory is correct), through evolution, prehistoric times, all centuries, to the last episode looking towards the future of humankind. While most episodes are great, some, around the dark ages, need the support of the fun characters as these times are really just a string of people's conquests, rebellions, new leaders, etc. (hence "only" 8 out of 10). The evolution is covered in a sensitive way, leaving some scope for interpretation of this topic which may be contentious with some people, and similarly, episodes covering religious events such as the birth of Jesus and Islam look only from a historic angle.Throughout the series, familiar characters give a personal context to history. The topics covered are well balanced, globally speaking, and chosen for their significance. The last episode, looking towards the future of humankind one of the best, pondering increasing environmental destruction, pollution and wars and while presented for children's viewing is very worthwhile to watch for adults as well.This is one of the best ever children's programs - I would say it's a must see for every family with kids!
Stibbert To be honest I was surprised there were not more comments on this series. It's a true gem and a classic. Even if it's nearly 30 years old it's still one of the most entertaining and best children's series.They have shown this on Norwegian TV several times. I can remember watching this every Sunday morning as one of my favorite shows. First of all it's an excellent written series with an idea of combining education and entertainment. Often a doomed combination, but the way it's pulled off in this series is incredible. They succeed in making it both entertaining and educational. You follow a group of character through the different stages of mankind. It's the same characters and so you get to know them throughout the series. They also use a narrator and include him as a character of his own in the show. Making him interesting and funny rather than just a boring narrator from a kids perspective.The animation is also good. They characters look of the character matches up with who they are. It's well animated, still by todays standards.As for the educational aspect you get to see history. It's as simple as that. What they do it put these characters into history making one of them Moses one episode and Julius Caesar in the next. They recreate human history as it's supposed to have happened in their own universe with the help of a few characters.I consider this series as a true classic and one of the best children series of all time. Unfortunately it would seem that it is being forgotten as those who saw it are growing up.
eroka This series is a very European one, in the sense that it's unheard of in the States while kids all over the Euro-Asia area probably know the Bach's Toccata and Fugue No. 525 simply as this series tune. In Hebrew it was called "Once Upon A Time" and it reigned in the kids' most loved animated shows for a few good years. This one should be offered to be downloaded in the Internet as it is a helpful tool to study history. Excellent stuff.

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