Lola...Érase una vez

Lola... Érase Una Vez (Lola... Once Upon A Time) is a teen targeted Mexican melodrama telenovela produced by Televisa that is an adaptation of the Argentine global phenomenon and teenage telenovela Floricienta. The show tells the story of a modern Cinderella, Lola, a 20 year old girl, who works as a nanny and sings in a rock band and meets her so call Prince Charming (Aaron Diaz). It debuted in Mexico on February 26, 2007, starring Aarón Díaz and Eiza González. The show had gained popularity among teens and children not only in Mexico but also internationally including Venezuela, Spain and the in United States. With concert performances filling major auditoriums and songs by the protagonist become radio hits.^{[citation needed]} It debuted in the United States on Univision in March 2008 and ended on January 26, 2009. The series consisted of 224 episodes which aried Monday through Friday at 3 P.M., intentionally for teenagers to watch after school, as is typical for most teenage & children telenovelas in Spanish networks. The U.S. DVD release date was on January 6, 2009 nationwide.

The series, produced by Pedro Damián and associate producer Luis Luisillo Miguel and originally created by Cris Morena (who also produced Rebelde), portrays the life of a modern-day Cinderella named Lola Valente, who resides in Mexico City, as a part-time worker on the Von Ferdinand mansion. Lola...Érase Una Vez includes the songs as "Si Me Besas" (If You Kiss Me) & "Masoquismo" (Masochism) (the show's main themes), Espiral (Spiral), Princesa(Princess) and Sapo Azul(Prince Charming), among others. In March 2009, González won New Artist/Revelation of the Year at the Premio Lo Nuestro Awards. González was nominated for Best New Artist at the Premios Oye!, alongside Jesse & Joy and María José. Gonzalez also performed in 2008 in los premios juventude. The show didn't reach the success of its predecessor, Rebelde and was moved from Canal de las Estrellas to Canal 5. It still spawned a series of licensed products, a sold out tour, a magazine and an album which received Golden certification.

Lola...Erase Una Vez was the only Floricienta remake not to use the original songs penned by Cris Morena and Carlos Nilson. Instead, a double CD was released with songs composed by Mexican pop songwriters in one album and nine new Cris Morena penned songs in another (and a rock version of Flores Amarilla, included in the original soundtrack).

Synopsis

The modern fairy tale takes place in Mexico City and revolves around Lola, a poor but dreamer, rash, vivacious, cheerful and happy Mexican girl whose life changes when she meets Alexander Von Ferdinand, the older son of a very rich German Mexican family whose parents died in an accident. Alexander is the head of the family and has five younger siblings (Marcos, Archibaldo, Marion, Boris & Otto) living with him in a huge mansion (Palace). While Alexander is in a trip to Germany, he leaves his younger siblings at home with their nanny. The siblings throw a party, inviting Lola and her band to play. A bubble machine soon breaks and fills the house with bubbles. Suddenly, Alexander unexpectedly returns to his home in Mexico. The invited teenagers to the party flee, including the band, but Lola goes back into the house to rescue the youngest of the siblings, Otto who is only six years old. Otto is returned to his older siblings and Lola is covered with foam, hiding her face. Alexander tells her to stop and Lola runs from the mansion leaving one of her "lucky" pink converse (glass slipper) behind. Later on the youngest of the children, Otto, once again puts Lola in trouble by hiding in back of her motorcycle. As an apology Alexander offers Lola a job as a nanny in the Von Ferdinand mansion. Alexander has a bitter, cold, strict, rigid, and lonely personality until he falls in love with Lola upon meeting her, he becomes her "Prince Charming". Unfortunately Alexander has a girlfriend, Carlota (referred to as "the witch" by the children or even "CarLOCA" {loca means crazy}), whom he does not truly love and feels obligated to marry because of social status. Carlota at the same time does not truly love him, wants Alexander's money, and cheats and deceives him. Along with Carlota comes her wicked & recent widowed mother, Monserrat (also hated by the children and referred to as the "major witch", or even "MonserRATA" {rata means rat}) and her sister Rafaela, who is the "nice sister". Alexander's siblings hate Carlota & her mother and are constantly doing mischiefs to get them out of the mansion and also to prevent Carlota from marrying their older brother. Lola and Alexander fall in love with each other, and Carlota and Monserrat try everything in their way so that Carlota marries Alexander for his money and for him to not end up with Lola. Together these two "witches" also attempt everything for Lola to not find out that she is really the stepdaughter of Monserrat and halfsister of Carlota and Rafaela, in so she gains half of the Santo Domingo fortune. Lola, with help of the children, her rock band, magic, fairies and love attempt to "save" Alexander from the wicked witches, and vice versa.

Cinderella parallels

• Alexander is referred to as "Lola's Prince Charming."
• Lola's trademark is her lucky pink converse shoes (in the beginning, she loses one of her shoes at Alexander's house when she is initially hired as a singer for a party, and Alexander searches for her).
• Lola is helped by her godmother, Mila, throughout the series.
• One plot twist is that the villain, Monserrat, is revealed to be Lola's wicked stepmother, making her rival, Carlota, her half-sister, and Rafaela her nice half-sister. They have the same father.
• Lola claims to be able to see fairies throughout the series that help her.
• In one episode Lola dresses up as a princess for a costume party, along with a masquerade and glass slippers. Alexander is dressed as a prince, and him thinking she is Carlota kisses her, Lola leaves behind her glass slipper.
• In the last episodes Lola is given a dress and glass slippers by her fairies for a party she is invited by Alexander, and they both arrive at the party in a carriage.
• The fact that Lola is a maid, who marries into wealth and nobility.
• Lola has a magical tree, in which she can talk to her fairies and get help from, given by her mother before she died. Similar to the Grimm's version of Cinderella of the magical tree.

Cast

Special appearances

• Maite Perroni- Cenicienta
• Enrique Rocha - Excelsior Maximus
• Altair Jarabo - Catherine
• Blanca Sánchez - Nilda Lobo de Santo Domingo

• Lisardo - Franks
• Polo Ortin - Funks

Special guest stars

• RBD
• Kudai
• Miranda

Von Ferdinand name

The name 'Von Ferdinand' is a play on Ferdinand Von Porsche, usually called simply Ferdinand Porsche, founder of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, also known as Porsche. The logo which all the servants as well as the 'Von Ferdinand's wear is the Porsche Automobiles Logo.

References

External links

• Lola...Erase Una Vez Official Website
• Lola...Érase Una Vez at the Internet Movie Database