''Wansapanataym'' ( Filipinization of the English phrase "'' once upon a time''") was a

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically cate ...

television series produced and broadcast by

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...

. It airs every Sunday night. The series was aired from June 22, 1997, to February 27, 2005, replacing ''

The Sharon Cuneta Show ''The Sharon Cuneta Show'' (also known as ''"Sharon"'' and ''"TSCS"'') was a Philippine musical variety show hosted by the Philippines' megastar Sharon Cuneta. It aired on Sunday night from September 14, 1986, to June 15, 1997. Broadcast Histor ...

'', then re-aired from 2006 to 2007 and from September 11, 2010, to April 14, 2019, replacing '' Agimat: Ang Mga Alamat ni Ramon Revilla'' and was replaced by ''

Hiwaga ng Kambat ''Hiwaga ng Kambat'' () is a 2019 Philippine drama television series starring Edward Barber and Grae Fernandez. The series premiered on ABS-CBN's ''Yes Weekend! Sunday'' block from April 21 to August 25, 2019, replacing ''Wansapanataym''. S ...

'', the series was aired on ABS-CBN's ''Yes Weekend!'' primetime block with new episodes and remakes of past episodes. However, because of the

COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines The COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines has resulted in, as of , reported cases, resulting in reported deaths, the fifth-highest in Southeast Asia, behind Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The first case in the Philippines was i ...

, Wansapanataym returned on air every weekend until some time in 2020, temporarily replacing '' 24/7'' and ''

Home Sweetie Home ''Home Sweetie Home'' is a Philippine sitcom broadcast by ABS-CBN, starring Toni Gonzaga and John Lloyd Cruz. The show premiered on January 5, 2014, replacing ''Toda Max'' and currently airs every Saturday from 6:45 PM to 7:30 PM, on the network ...

'' until the broadcast franchise of ABS-CBN expired.

History

''Wansapanataym'' was launched in 1997, having genre similarities with the ABS-CBN Foundation-produced education program ''

Hiraya Manawari ''Hiraya Manawari'' () is a Philippine children's television series. The educational television show was produced by ABS-CBN Foundation (formerly ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation in cooperation with the Department of Education, Culture and S ...

'' (which features Filipino short stories for children) and the 1980s series ''Pinoy Fantasy''. A film was also produced based on the show's genre, which starred Shaina Magdayao,

Serena Dalrymple Serena Gail Dalrymple (born September 7, 1990) is a Filipino-American actress who has been officially retired from show business since 2004, though she twice briefly returned to star in the 2008 film '' Ang Tanging Ina Ninyong Lahat'' and in the 2 ...

and

Christopher de Leon Christopher Strauss de León (born October 31, 1956) is a Philippine film actor and politician. He is recognized as the “''King of Philippine Drama''” has appeared in over 120 films since the early 1970s. Regarded as an "acting genius" and ...

. Judy Ann Santos and the late Rico Yan graced the very first episode of ''Wansapanataym''. From September 2004 to February 2005, the show underwent a reformat featuring two child characters (played by

Sharlene San Pedro Sharlene Santos San Pedro (born April 5, 1999) is a Filipino actress, singer, vlogger, streamer, VJ, and TV host. She made her first television appearance at the age of four when she joined ABS-CBN's talent search ''Star Circle Quest: Kids ...

and Nash Aguas) and a magical book inside a chest or somewhere in their house at the start and end of an episode. This show is currently streaming on

Jeepney TV Jeepney TV is a 24-hour Philippine pay television channel owned and operated by ABS-CBN's narrowcast arm Creative Programs Inc. since 2012. The programming consists of classic and archived series and programs previously aired on ABS-CBN. The c ...

YouTube Channel YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most vis ...

every 6:00 pm (formerly 4:00 pm). Also past episodes (2003-2005; 2010-2013) is currently streaming on Yey! YouTube Channel every Tuesday, 10 am.

1999 film

The movie adaptation of only one episode was made in 1999. The story is about an orphan named Anna ( Shaina Magdayao) who searched for her long-lost father (

). With the help of the guardian angel Barbiel (

), Anna was able to see her father for a moment.

Cast and characters

* Shaina Magdayao as Anna *

as Gary Asuring * Angel Aquino as Sylvia Enrique *

as Barbiel *

Rosemarie Gil Maria Rosa Francisca Catalina Gil-Eigenmann y Castellvi (; born March 9, 1942), also known professionally as Rosemarie Gil, is a Filipino actress and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of rich socialite-villainess roles. Early life Gil ...

as Doña Tisay Enrique *

Romeo Rivera Romeo Rivera (born September 27, 1946) is a Filipino actor. He appeared in more than 95 movies and television shows. Career In 1963, Sampaguita Pictures introduced him with a bunch of young teenage stars which they called the Sampaguita-Vera-Perez ...

as Don Victor Enrique *

Jericho Rosales Jericho Vibar Rosales (; born September 21, 1979), also known as Echo, is a Filipino actor. He is currently a freelance actor. Primarily a film and television actor, he is known by his stage name "Echo" cousin of Jefferson C. Rosales. He be ...

as Michael *

Gloria Sevilla Gloria Sevilla (January 31, 1932 – April 16, 2022) was a Filipino film actress. Career Sevilla was heralded as the "Queen of Visayan Movies" for her screen portrayal legacy in Visayan-made movies in the Philippines during the 1950s and 1960s. ...

as Manang Bising

2010 revival

During the ABS-CBN Trade Launch In 2010, it was announced that ''Wansapanataym'' would return with new episodes. Unlike previous revivals, this one focuses on adaptations based on "komiks" in the first season. It premiered on September 11, 2010, with its first episode "''Inday Bote''" starring Melai Cantiveros-Francisco. The succeeding seasons stayed faithful to the original format. The revival version initially aired on Saturday nights, but since 2014, ''Wansapanataym'' returned to Sunday nights again and onwards, similar to the original version. On June 29, 2013, Wansapanataym was reformatted as a bi-monthly fantasy anthology wherein one story will be shown for a month or two except on Christmas specials. After 9 years of broadcast airing, ''Wansapanataym'' ended its run with a replay of Selfie Pa More, Sasha No More on April 14, 2019.

''WansapanaSummer''

''WansapanaSummer'' is a re-run of the past episodes from the revival version. It was aired every weekday mornings on the network's ''Umaganda'' morning block from 2013 to 2014 (its 2015 airing was just a replay of one monthly special). The first run of ''WansapanaSummer'' began airing on April 29, 2013, every Mondays to Fridays at 10:15 AM, replacing ''

Ohlala Couple ''Ohlala Couple'' () is a 2012 South Korean romantic comedy gender bender television series starring Kim Jung-eun, Shin Hyun-joon, Han Jae-suk and Han Chae-ah. It aired on KBS2 from October 1 to November 27, 2012 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21: ...

''. The highest rating was 18.3% on May 10, 2013. It ended on June 20, 2013. In 2014, the series aired again on weekday mornings at 10:15 AM from March 17 to April 11, 2014, replacing '' Crazy Love''. In 2015, a re-run of ''My App #Boyfie'' was abruptly aired at 9:15 AM from April 13 to 24, 2015, replacing '' Haikyu!!'' which had only aired five episodes.

''Wansapanataym Classics''

''Wansapanataym Classics'' is a re-run of past episodes from the old, original version. It was aired on

and Yey! channel.

Theme song

The first theme song was sung by Michelle Ayalde and in the movie and TV series. It was composed by Homer Flores, with lyrics by Jose Bartolome. The song was used from 1997 until 2004. The second theme song was sung by

Nyoy Volante Niño del Mar Coching Volante (born January 25, 1978), better known as Nyoy Volante, is a Filipino acoustic pop singer-songwriter and actor. Early life and education Volante was born on January 25, 1978, to parents Oliver Volante and Evangelin ...

, replacing Ayalde's version. It was composed by Jonathan Manalo replaced Flores, with lyrics by Aries Pollisco replaced Bartolome. It was used in 2004-2005 and in 2010-2019.

Awards and recognitions

Revival series

References

External links

*
Wansapanataym
* * * {{ABS-CBN Adaptations (Local Comics and Books) 1997 Philippine television series debuts 2005 Philippine television series endings 1999 films 2010 Philippine television series debuts 2019 Philippine television series endings 1990s Philippine television series 2000s Philippine television series 2010s Philippine television series ABS-CBN original programming Filipino-language television shows Films about angels Philippine anthology television series Star Cinema films Television series by Dreamscape Entertainment Television Television series revived after cancellation