Fantasy adventure drama Once Upon A Time successfully updated fairy tales for the 21st Century, giving the classic characters a live-action update long before the movies did.

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However, the show managed to effortlessly weave the backstories and characteristics of the many heroes and villains into a sprawling original narrative that will delight old-school viewers and new fans alike.

A few cameos from Disney's biggest recent franchises didn't hurt either - Queen Elsa guest-starred while Frozen was at the height of its powers, while Merida from Brave also popped up as a recurring character during season five.

Once Upon A Time was the Disney crossover we always wanted - here's how you can watch all 155 episodes of the long-running series.

How to watch Once Upon A Time in the UK

Once Upon A Time ran for seven years between 2011 and 2018, and originally aired on Channel 5 in the UK before moving to Netflix from season three onwards.

However, it may not be surprising that all episodes of the fairytale show can now only be found on Disney Plus in the UK. You can sign up to Disney+ for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year.

Alternatively, you can watch Once Upon A Time on Blu-Ray with the full boxset. Buy the complete series.

What is Once Upon A Time About?

Once Upon A Time follows troubled Emma Swan as she moves to the adorably named Maine town of Storybrooke with her son Henry. However, Henry soon learns that the fellow residents are fairytale characters, and the show flits between their adventures of the "real world" of Storybrooke as well as revealing their backstories in the fantasy world of fairytales.

It soon transpires that there's a dark reason why all these classic characters are stuck in Storybrooke, and it becomes clear that Emma is the only one who can save them from the Evil Queen Regina. Do happy endings exist in the real world too?

After wrapping up many of the story threads in season six, season seven shakes things up by seeing an adult Henry Mills and a select few fairytale characters only return, as they find out a new realm is threatening their new Seattle neighbourhood of Hyperion Heights.

How many seasons of Once Upon A Time are there?

There are seven seasons of Once Upon A Time, which all have a tidy 22 episodes each, with the exception of season five which has 23 episodes.

That makes a whopping 155 episodes in total - plenty of binging material!

Once Upon A Time Cast

The first six seasons followed Jennnifer Morrison's Emma Swan and her 10 year-old-son Henry played by Jared S. Gilmore as they encountered a hodgepodge of fairytale characters suffering from a curse, including Jamie Dornan in one of his first breakthrough roles as The Huntsman.

Season seven acted as a soft reboot, and saw an adult Henry now portrayed by Andrew J. West as he attempts to break a new curse in Seattle.

  • Ginnifer Goodwin (Zootopia) as Snow White
  • Jennifer Morrison (House) as Emma Swan
  • Lana Parrilla (24) as the Evil Queen
  • Josh Dallas (Thor) as Prince Charming
  • Jared S. Gilmore (Mad Men) as Henry Mills
  • Raphael Sbarge (Mass Effect) as Jiminy Cricket
  • Jamie Dornan (The Fall) as the Huntsman
  • Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting) as Rumplestiltskin
  • Eion Bailey (Band of Brothers) as Pinocchio
  • Emilie de Ravin (Lost) as Belle French
  • Meghan Ory (Intelligence) as Red Riding Hood
  • Colin O'Donoghue (The Right Stuff) as Captain Hook
  • Michael Raymond-James (True Blood) as Baelfire
  • Andrew J. West (The Walking Dead) as adult Henry Mills

Where is Once Upon A Time filmed?

Like many American shows, Once Upon A Time was actually filmed in Vancouver in Canada. Steveston Village in Richmond doubles as the real-life Storybrooke for many exterior shots, with many brightly coloured objects hidden during filming to maintain the illusion of a curse.

However many interior shots such as Mr. Gold's pawn shop and the clock tower were filmed on studio sets, and Downtown Vancouver was used for shots of Boston and New York.

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See what else you can watch with our guide to all content on Disney Plus. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight or take a look at our best Netflix series guide.

Authors

Daniel FurnJournalist
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