Name: Once Upon a Time... The Explorers
Genre: Animation, Family, Documentary
Released: 1996-12-10
Rating: 7.5
Cast: Roger Carel, Olivier Destrez, Hélène Levesque, Patrick Préjean, Daniel Beretta

The '90s cartoon that made kids fall in love with dead explorers and their terrible life choices.

Mini Series

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Edutainment fever dreamFrench existentialism for totsHistory with side-eye

Latest Episode

26 min

Season 1 • Episode 26

Latest

Up to the Stars

Jan 17, 1997

Overview

Animation Family Documentary

Il était une fois... les Explorateurs is a French animated TV series from 1996. Directed by Albert Barillé.

FR French

Content warning

il etait une fois once upon a time

The hubris of human ambitionColonialism's messy legacyCuriosity as salvation and doom

Standout Aspects

Direction

Barillé's signature fatalism in family packaging.

Production

That distinct Procidis animation style—unsettling yet cozy.

Writing

Roger Carel narrating death with unsettling cheer.

Best for:Family·Rewatch·Solo

Heads up:Emotional·Disturbing

Creator

Albert Barillé

First AiredDec 10, 1996

StatusEnded

Vibe

Pacesteady

Intensitymedium

Tonemixed

Feelmedium

Seasons1·Episodes26

Top Cast

Roger Carel

Maestro (voice)

Patrick Préjean

Le Nabot (voice)

Daniel Beretta

Le Gros / Le Teigneux (voice)

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

Part of Barillé's massive 'Il était une fois...' franchise that educated multiple generations of French, Spanish, and Arabic-speaking children.

Trivia

Maestro's character design and Roger Carel's voice performance remained virtually unchanged across the entire franchise from 1978 to 2008.

Gallery

Once Upon a Time... The Explorers (1996)