Il était une fois... l'homme

a great series, i loved it on television when i was a kid and now i bought it on DVD and enjoyed it also as an adult. it should be a standard school material and showed to all kids: a fine example that education can be entertaining. a pity that in spite of being really an epic work, some parts of the history were skipped or presented shortly - i could watch it for... well like forever 8). i can only recommend it to everyone from kids to parents, i think that its not only more informative but also funnier than modern robots-fight-monsters kind of cartoons. ps: my colleagues niece rejected to watch shrek 2, she wanted to watch this 8)))

Hey, this is a good deal! Children can watch this "cartoons" while learning human History. Well, that's what I did.

Characters are quite funny and the scenario is respectful of the real History (from the first cells in oceans to the 20th century).

In the same collection, you'll find: "Il était une fois la vie" (1986) with the same characters but in the human body... and yes, this is to learn biology... and this is a must!

An unforgettable animated series from our childhood. The very cheerful introducing song and pictures, with a fish disturbingly evolving into a lizard and on into a chimp and finally becoming a man, made us stare at it in amazement. I find the series greatly encouraged the intellectual excitement and imagination of the children in Europe of the late 70s and early 80s for the extraordinary events and stories told in the cartoons.

The plot of the stories with five-six recurring and distinctive characters quarreling with each other made the cartoons attractive to the eyes of the little ones. The weird storyteller with a long white beard and the clock that could speak rendered the pictures all the more enticing.

To sum up, it struck a chord in our generation, with its colourful, cheerful and optimistic images and tunes.

I used to watch that show back in the 1980s along with its successor "Once Upon A Time in Space". I still love the show for its combining quality entertainment with an educated look in the history of life in planet Earth from the birth of the first cell organism to the 1970s environmental concerns.

Instead of presenting a "black/evil vs white/good" depiction of human history, each featured group of cultures and states have their own motivation, ambitions, fears, prejudices and obvious similarities to both their allies and their enemies.

Several historical figures are prominently presented as exemplars of their time. Including but not limited to Alexander the Great, Gaius Julius Caesar, Muhammad, Charlemagne, Peter I "the Great" of Russia. Others make significant cameos such as Cheops, Ramses II, Moses, Samson and many others. Its a good introduction to them and places them in their historical context.

I still wonder why this show is mostly unseen in modern television schedules and unavailable in video or DVD. It is easily better than the rather formulaic "good vs evil" sagas of modern animation.

Quite educational, good for those who want to learn a lot about the history of the world. One of the best educational series ever. Highly recommend for children.