Once Upon a Time (1973 film)
Once Upon a Time is a 1973 West German-Italian animated musical film directed by Roberto Gavioli and Rolf Kauka. It is based on the German fairy tale Frau Holle. The story follows Maria, the kind daughter of a wealthy widower named Mr. Bottle. Their life changes when Mary-Lou and her con-artist mother come to town. Mary-Lou fools Mr. Bottle into marrying her, and she and her mother treat Maria as a servant.
During a royal hunt, the Prince meets Maria in the woods and they fall in love. He gives Maria a garnet stone to remember him by. Mary-Lou, hoping to become queen, learns of a royal proclamation seeking “the girl with the garnet stone.” She and the cobbler who loves Mary-Lou obtain a garnet and go to the palace, but the true garnet heroine is Maria’s. Mary-Lou and Maria end up falling into a well with Maria’s dog, Bello. In the well they meet the Frog King, who sends them to the magical realm of Mrs. Holle, who guards the garnet.
In Mrs. Holle’s realm, Maria happily helps various magical creatures, while Mary-Lou refuses to help. Maria decides to stay and work for Mrs. Holle, but Mary-Lou eventually tries to return home. Mrs. Holle then sends both girls back to their world. Back home, Maria is rewarded for her kindness: her clothes become a beautiful white gown, and the garnet necklace appears on her. Mary-Lou is punished and ends up marrying the hunchback cobbler. The Prince arrives and is reunited with Maria, taking her to the castle to be married.
Release facts: West Germany released a black-and-white version in 1973, with a color version in 1975. In Italy, the film was approved for public screening in 1974 but did not get a theatrical release. The United States opened on April 2, 1976, in an English-dubbed version. An English-dubbed Region 1 DVD was released on November 7, 2006. A comic adaptation by Gino Gavioli appeared in Kauka’s Fix und Foxi magazine, and a short, Symphonie in Müll, accompanied the film in theaters. The film is also known as Der Zauberstein (The Garnet Stone) in German and Cinderella’s Wonderland in the UK.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:14 (CET).