Once Upon a Time… Man (Season 1)

Once Upon a Time… Man (Il était une fois… l'Homme, 1978) is a French-Japanese animated series about the history of mankind, and you can watch online on iFILM. It runs from the first cave-dweller fires all the way to the late twentieth century — a whole chronicle of civilization made for kids without boring the grown-ups.

Your guide through the ages is Maestro, a white-bearded old man, joined by a small cast of recurring characters who reappear century after century, swapping only their costumes. Ancient Egypt, Rome, the plagues of the Middle Ages, the age of exploration, revolutions, world wars — each episode picks one turn of history and shows not a textbook date but how ordinary people lived, fought and built. Bach's Toccata over the opening titles is instantly familiar to anyone who grew up on it.

Creator Albert Barillé went on to spin the idea into a whole "Once Upon a Time…" universe — the human body, space, the great inventors. Roger Carel voiced Maestro and nearly every other character. It's the rare educational cartoon adults rewatch and then put on for their own kids. Stream Once Upon a Time… Man (1978) online on iFILM.