• The novel
A Tale of Two Cities by
Charles Dickens opens with the line “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...” which has been reused and parodied in many modern works of fiction. •
Don McLean's "
American Pie" begins with the phrase "A long, long time ago...". • All of the
Star Wars films, as well as several of the
expanded universe novels, begin with the phrase "A long time ago in a
galaxy far, far away....". • The musical
Into the Woods begins with the Narrator's line, "Once upon a time." The second act commences with his line, "Once upon a time... later..." The musical is a retelling of many famous fairy tales. • In the Singaporean comedy series
Under One Roof, Moses Lim's character Tan Ah Teck begins his stories with "Long before your time, in the southern province of China ...". • In the 2010
Edgar Wright film
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the opening scene narrates the words "Not so long ago, in the mysterious land of Toronto, Canada." • The opening line of the theme song to
MST3k is: "In the not-too-distant future ... next Sunday, A.D." •
Bionicle features the line "In the time before time...". • In
Ninjago, in-universe tales often begin "Long before time had a name...". • The opening line of the TV series
Merlin features the line "In a land of myth, and a time of magic..." • The first episode of
Ivor the Engine opens with the line "Not so very long ago, in the top left-hand corner of Wales..." ==See also==