# Once Upon a Time... Life (1987)

> A witty animated expedition through the human body that turns hearts, blood and nerves into wondrous characters on an educational adventure.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/2500

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 26
- Episode runtime: 26 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, family, documentary
- Created by: Albert Barillé
- Network: Canal+
- Cast: Roger Carel, Gilles Laurent, Marie-Laure Beneston, Alain Dorval, Henry Djanik
- TMDB rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0284735/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: playful, whimsical, humorous, wondrous, gentle

## What critics say

Audiences rate this educational animated series about the human body as an acclaimed, charming and informative children's program.

## Synopsis

Once Upon a Time... Life (1987-1988) is a French animated educational series created by Albert Barillé for Canal+. Written as an adventurous tour through the human body, it follows a guided journey from head to toe, travelling along cells and organs and introducing each system in turn. The engine of each twenty-six minute episode is curiosity: a guide leads viewers into the heart, blood vessels, nerves and kidneys, showing how each part works and why each one is a small miracle that makes life possible. Lessons arrive through lively characters, playful situations and a great deal of humour, so anatomy feels like an adventure rather than a textbook. The single season, made of twenty-six standalone episodes, is gentle and whimsical in tone, with a warm sense of wonder about the body's workings. Its look is a colourful hand-drawn European cartoon style, and it sits in the tradition of educational children's animation. Fans of Once Upon a Time... Space, The Magic School Bus and Bill Nye the Science Guy will find resonance in its blend of playful storytelling and factual curiosity about how the natural world operates.

## Shows like Once Upon a Time... Life

- [Minuscule: The Private Life of Insects (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/14791)
- [Barbapapa (1974)](https://ember.film/tv/57573)
- [Once Upon a Time... The Discoverers (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/5120)
- [The Little Prince (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/54809)
- [The Why Why Family (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/8272)
- [The Magic School Bus (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/6748)
- [The Adventures of the Mole (1957)](https://ember.film/tv/40244)
- [Les Contes de la rue Broca (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/63943)
- [Once Upon a Time... The Americas (1992)](https://ember.film/tv/4810)
- [Little Einsteins (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/2937)

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