Pada Zaman Dahulu[a] (English: Once Upon a Time)[2] is a Malaysian animated fantasy folklore series produced by Les' Copaque Production. First broadcast in 2011 on TV Alhijrah and later on Astro Ceria, the series tells a story of the adventures of two young city kids, Ara and Aris and their grandfather Aki, who told his grandchildren tales that featured kancil, an anthropomorphic mouse-deer popular in Malaysian folklore, and various other anthropomorphic animal characters such as crocodile, buffalo and monkey.[3][4] The first series consists of 12 episodes of 6–7 minutes each, with each story covering 3 episodes.[5]
Aki – Aris's and Ara's loving grandfather, and the main storyteller.[4]
Aris – Ara's older brother who loves playing video games, but very responsible in taking care of his younger sister.[4]
Ara – Aris's younger sister who loves to hear stories from Aki.[4]
Wan – Aki's wife and grandmother of Aris and Aki. Though she was rarely seen, her voice often heard at the end of each episode with a scenes outside of Aki's house at night.
Animal characters
Sang Kancil (The Mousedeer) – The main character in most of Aki's stories. Clever, cunning, and agile, he always finds a way to escape from predators and becomes a judge in the forest to solve problems in the forest. Kancil's ears move because he has a good idea.
Harimau (The Tiger) – The fierce, evil-hearted and feared 'King of the Jungle' by many. Any prey becomes his favorite food.
Kerbau (The Buffalo) – The buffalo who longs for the 'King of the Jungle' title, but lacks sharp thinking and is afraid of hunters.
Buaya (The Crocodile) – Another predatory animal that is feared by many forest dwellers, and loves to be praised excessively. Leading a group of crocodiles that lives in the river.
Gajah (The Elephant) – Although large, they are very timid. Very friendly and does not like fighting.
Tupai (The Squirrel) – A martial arts expert who always appears out of nowhere to praise or reprimand other animals, he always mentions proverbs or poems in the stories.
Arnab (The Rabbit) – Sang Kancil's cute best friend but very easily aroused.
Gergasi (The Giant) – A giant humanoid creature who likes to terrorize and hunt animals in the forest, big and strong enough that even the Tiger is powerless to fight him.
Ular (The Snake) – A jungle dweller who is sometimes good, sometimes evil, that is, evil when hungry.
Monyet (The Monkey) – A jungle dweller who likes to eat bananas and other fruits
Kura-kura (The Tortoise) – Sang Kancil's friend who is slow, but he is patient and helpful.
Singa (The Lion) – He is the 'King of the Jungle' replacing the Tiger, he is very handsome, fast and very strong.
Raja Semut (The Ant King) – The leader of an ant colony that lives near the river, he is very attentive to the people and his obligations.
Belalang (The Grasshopper) – An animal that likes to sing, entertain, and dance for the animals, he always plays the violin.
Gagak (The Crow) – A bird that used to be white is now black because the Stork throws dark dye, his heart is very kind and keeps trying.
Tikus (The Mouse) – A small and cute animal is Sang Kancil's friend. There are two large and shiny teeth for biting which are layered.
Production
Les' Copaque Production's Managing Director, Burhanuddin Md Radzi announced that the company will come up with its second animated TV series, Pada Zaman Dahulu, following the critical and commercial success of Upin & Ipin.[6][7][8] The series was inspired by the Malaysian animal folklores.[4] Mohd Haris Amran, Les' Copaque's Head of Animation Concept Artist said that he got the ideas and inspirations for Pada Zaman Dahulu while he visited Zoo Negara.[9] The production team consists of 140 people working on the series, many of whom are Les' Copaque's staffs.[4]
Much like Upin & Ipin, each episodes divided into three parts with running time is seven minutes[5] and took two or three weeks to completed.[9] Mohd Haris described the animation process of each episode as "not easy like drawing".[9] The series using 3D rendering techniques to provide the good shading and is produced in high-definition format.[5] The main and supporting characters of Pada Zaman Dahulu are voiced by the series' production staffs and referred by their first names.[4][10] The program is announced to premiere on TV Alhijrah, followed by Astro Ceria.[4][11]
The first video for Pada Zaman Dahulu was first released on Les' Copaque's YouTube channel on 31 March 2011,[12] followed by the second video released on 14 October 2011.[13]
The series began premiered on TV Alhijrah from 3 December 2011 to 21 December 2014 for 4 seasons.[14][15] The series later aired on Astro Ceria from May 2012. It later shifted to Astro Prima for the fifth season starting 2 November 2020.
↑ Also known as Pada Zaman Dahulu: Kancil Yang Bijak ("Once Upon a Time: The Wise Mousedeer") for Season 2 and Pada Zaman Dahulu: Kisah Aris & Ara ("Once Upon a Time: The Aris & Ara's Story") for Season 5 and 6.
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