Modern Variants
- Don McLean's "American Pie" begins with the phrase "A long, long time ago...".
- All six of the Star Wars films begin with the phrase "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away ...".
- The musical Into the Woods begins with the Narrator's line, "Once upon a time." The second act commences with his line, "Once upon a time...later..." The musical is a retelling of many famous fairy tales.
- In the Singaporean comedy series Under One Roof, Moses Lim's character Tan Ah Teck begins his stories with "Long before your time, in the southern province of China ...".
- In the 2010 Edgar Wright film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the opening scene narrates the words "Not so long ago, in the mysterious land of Toronto, Canada."
- The opening line of the theme song to MST3k is: "In the not-too-distant future ... next Sunday, A.D."
Read more about this topic: Once Upon A Time
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