Board Thread:Wiki-Related Questions and Answers/@comment-10070590-20130527102816/@comment-4839682-20130606213021

"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase. A lot of fairytales begin with it. Into the Woods opens with it. It's kind of a way to let the audience know you're telling a fantasy story. That's part of why the creators are using it as the show's title.

However, a lot of people have the misconception that the show is about fairytales. Like, ALL fairytales, and this isn't the case. It's a retelling of "Snow White". A retelling that happens to take place in a universe where all the storybook characters live. That is what people mean when they say the show is about "Snow White".