Once Upon a Time

 

What is the context and how did that influence the work?

Once Upon a Time was created by Executive Producers and Co-Creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (also known for their work in the show, Lost), because they wanted to create a new story about hope based on the fairy tale characters that people grew up with and loved. The show began in 2011 and has generated five seasons so far that interlocks all the characters from different fairy tales into one town. The show became so popular that a spinoff series was created called Once Upon a Time in Wonderland; however, this was less popular than the actual show. Kitsis and Horowitz actually worked together for eight years before the show was actually created writing their own fairy tales out of a love for mystery and excitement and then finally created the show Once Upon a Time by 2011. The pilot of the show was meant to be a template of the entire series to explain what was going to happen in the show and give viewers a chance to see the excitement that comes with viewing Once Upon a Time. They received some inspiration from Bill Willingham’s comic series Fables and from a show in the 1980s called The Charming.

What is the artist communicating and how?

Once Upon a Time has two central themes in the entirety of its plot and episodes. They are hope and a major theme concerning the importance of family and motherhood. Kitsis and Horowitz wanted to create and emphasize the significance of strong female characters rather than showing the damsel in distress like in the fairy tales themselves. The three main leads for the show are all female leads that are depicted as stronger than their male counterparts. The first being Snow White who actually saves and defends herself from the Evil Queen rather than being saved by Prince Charming. She eats the apple, not because she was forced, because of the guilt she had for ruining the Evil Queen’s life. Emma Swan is considered to be the hero of the show who saves the entire town of Storybrooke from the spell that the Evil Queen cast. The Evil Queen is a symbol of hope for the show because she is able to overcome her hatred for the majority of the characters and her thirst for revenge and become a hero, herself. The entire concept of the show revolves around the idea that someone’s life could get better if they try and make it better. 

Why do you find it beautiful?

Once Upon a Time has been my favorite show since the first season started. The cast, effects, and story line drew my attention because of the way that the show portrayed the fairy tales that I had grown up with. It showed all of the fairy tales in a different perspective and light. The latest season is one of my favorites so far because of the incorporation of Greek mythology. As you can tell, the majority of my blog is based on pieces of art that reflect Greek mythology in some way. This season connects fairy tale characters like no other, bringing to life a whole new story to grow up with. Although, the only downfall to the current season is the bad light cast on Hades’ character, portraying him as a villain as opposed to a strong, immortal character. Also, they unfortunately got many of the details and stories of Greek mythology wrong. However, the season still grabs anyone’s attention. I suppose that’s what makes it art. The show’s ability to intertwine characters into a complex storyline that originally had no connection is fascinating to watch. The cast also adds to the overall effect of the show because of their amazing portrayal of the characters and ability to bring them to life in the right way. I definitely recommend watching Once Upon a Time.