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Once Upon A Time TV Show Facts

Oct 11, 2012

Need a little magic in your life? Delve into the magical realm of Once Upon A Time, which kicked off its second season on Sunday, September 30, 2012.

The Plot

The show follows 28-year-old Emma Swan who gets the shock of her life when the son she gave up for adoption as a teenager, Henry, appears at her door, begging for her help. She returns him to the small town of Storybrooke, Maine, where no one ever leaves. Only Henry sees that the town is stuck in limbo, never aging and never noticing that anything is out of the ordinary.

Henry insists that the people in town are all characters from one of his storybooks. But Emma, a realist, refuses to believe such nonsense. Unfortunately, as the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, only she can lift the curse that was placed upon the people of Storybrooke 28 years ago.

With no close friends or relatives to hold her back, Emma decides to stay in Storybrooke to protect Henry from his adoptive mother, Regina Mills (a.k.a the Evil Queen). She soon takes on the role as sheriff and gets a firsthand look at all the strange goings-on in town.

Fairy Tale Characters

The basic plot follows Emma and Henry, along with Snow White, Prince Charming, the Evil Queen and Rumplestiltskin and their human counterparts. However, each episode is dedicated to the story of one known fairy tale character, weaving them into the larger overall plot, creating a very detailed and intricate story. We’ve learned about such characters as Belle, Cinderella, Mulan, Hansel & Gretel, Pinocchio and many more.

What’s In a Name?

Many of the characters are named so that their human counterparts reflect their fairy tale names. Take Mary Margaret Blanchard (a.k.a Snow White) for instance. The name “Mary Margaret” was named after the woman who was rumored to be the inspiration for the original Snow White character. Her surname “Blanchard” derives from the French word “Blanc” or “Blanche,” meaning white.

Did You Know?

  • Once Upon a Time premiered on October 23, 2011.
  • The show is filmed in and around Vancouver, Canada. Much of their filming takes place in the quaint river side town of Fort Langley, BC.
  • In real life, the actress that plays Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) is two years older than the actor who plays her father, Prince Charming (Josh Dallas).
  • Besides the obvious, Storybrooke includes many small allusions to the fairy tale world, such as the wolf hanging in Ruby’s (a.k.a Little Red Riding Hood) car.
  • Disney owns the network that produces Once Upon a Time.
  • Along with Disney and other fairy tales, the show alludes to other shows like Lost (on which Regina made a 2-episode appearance) and Game of Thrones (on which one of the show’s writers/producers has a writing credit). But they’re very subtle so you have to pay close attention to the details.

Have Your Say

Do you know any random Once Upon A Time facts that we missed? Tell us in our comment section below!