Maria d'Oro und Bello Blue

I always used to watch this cartoon when I was about 5 or 6 yrs old and I still think about that cartoon. I really wish that it was out on video and if it was I'd buy 10 of them... seriously I would. And what I think, the video is 10 stars.

For anyone who didn't get the chance to see this movie growing up.. you really missed out. For the past 15 years I've had sceens from this movie running threw my head... and I'd been committed to finding a copy for the last year. What's unfortunate about this movie is that if you haven't seen it.. you probably never will. I have came across only two other people who have an English copy. Getting the German version, Der Zauberstein, is not as easy as it sounds. At Amazon.de you can find the German version but it is in PAL format. If you live in the US or another country that doesn't use PAL format (in most of the America's we use NTSC), your going to have to pay to have it duplicated to your format. After buying the movie, the cost of shipping and handling, and the cost of getting a copy converted it starts to add up. But if you really want a copy, stick with it. I'm waiting on my German version to come back from being converted.

Some additional names to look for when searching besides "Once Upon a Time" and "Der Zauberstein" are "Maria d'oro Und Bello Blue" and "Cinderella's Wonderworld". I think the difference in "Cinderella's Wonderworld" and "Once Upon a Time" is the year inwhich they were released and maybe the voices?! I'm not sure because I've not found much info on "Cinderella's Wonderworld". I just know it's the same Rolf Kauka cartoon.

Also, there is no sites out really about this movie. If I ever get a chance I want to make one with all my posters I've bought and pictures and maybe type up the words from the movie and devote it to Kauka. Just to give everyone a little peak back into this wonderful fairy tale. If anyone is interested in seeing my site after I get it up let me know and I'll get you the address.

For anyone who wants to see this movie, I hope you get a chance soon! :) Maria should be right along side Cinderella, Belle, and all the other princesses!

Other Movies I recommend: The Last Unicorn (1982) directed by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass; Return to OZ (1985) directed by Walter Murch *THIS IS NOT A SEQUEL*; The Goonies (1985) directed by Richard Donner

I still get the chills only from singing that line from the song. This is an old cartoon from 1976, kind of a cinderella tale. Maria, her farther, mr Bottle and their dog Bello Blue live in a small quiet town in wealth. One day a fake fortune teller and her horrible daughter arrives to town trying to earn some money by "reading peoples fortune" by looking at their hands. The old lady (more of a hag) reacts when seeing the shiny new coin Maria's father gives her. She forces herself on him and marries him. The hag and her daughter Mary-Lou are both awful, they treat Maria lika a slave and spends all of mr Bottles money. One day however Mary-Lou is taking a swim the a lake in a forrest nearby and she has brought Maria with her as personal assistance. While Maria is crying after been hit by Mary-Lou a prince approaches and he totally falls for this beautiful girl. He says to Maria that's he's just a poor hunter and sings this song for her and gives her a garnet stone necklace. Mary-Lou comes along and scares him off. The prince announces that he wants to get married and that the girl with the garnet stone necklace is the one. Mary-Lou takes notice of Marias necklace and throws it into a well. They both fall into the well and enters a new world. In this world the girls are put to a few tests cause they both claim that the necklace belongs to each and one of them. Maria passes all the tests as the good human beeing she is. Gets the prince and the story ends happily as these stories should. Wonderful movie, I have it on VHS not the greatest quality but it doesn't matter to me, I love it.

This was my favorite movie growing up, and I would love to see it again. Even though I cannot speak German, I am very tempted to buy the VHS tape in German (Der Zauberstein). There is still a line from this movie that my family quotes to each other when we do something exceptionally dumb ("The stone is not right, the girl is not bright.") I hope that one day I can share this movie with my children.

I was doing laundry one day and all of a sudden I had a flashback of watching this movie about a beautiful young woman who has a horrible stepsister and stepmother, the girl meets and falls in love with a handsome prince, the girl and her stepsister fall into a well and enter this magical world where they are tested of their heart. There are crying little babies who are hungry and it is the beautiful young girl that proves to be the most kind and the most maternal. I remember seeing this movie when I was four maybe five years old during the mid eighties and I fell in love with it! I used to watch the movie over and over again...but it is nowhere to be found! There has to be a copy somewhere out there!