He may not know it yet, but Amerigo Vespucci's life is about to change. Though he works as a successful banker, Amerigo feels restless and aspires to greater things. Luckily, Lorenzo de' Medici has offered him the opportunity of a lifetime: a trip to Spain to help Christopher Columbus prepare for an expedition to the Indies.

Amerigo Vespucci sails for the New World to explore new territories discovered by Columbus, draw accurate maps, and find the true route to the Indies. As his ship approaches "Little Venice," or Venezuela, the crew comes into contact with some local natives.

The explorers are exploring a new territory, full of lush vegetation, exotic wildlife, and, to the joy of a few explorers, gold! Perhaps they could use a lesson on the dangers of greed...

Amerigo Vespucci sets foot for the first time on the American continent. He collects all manner of plants and animals, only to drop them into the Amazon River.

Amerigo and his crew continue exploring the New World. Their water is almost gone. Fortunately, the river they're sailing on turns out to be the Amazon, so they won't die of thirst after all.

Vespuccia or America? In the last episode of this fun cartoon, we find out how the name of the new continent now known as "America" came about.

In the first episode of this new cartoon series, Once Upon a Time... Planet Earth, deforestation issues are addressed from outer space... Just grow a few trees in a spaceship and plant them on land later!

The Maestro tells his students about the famous "Biosphere" project in Arizona, the largest enclosed ecological system in the world.

These young people want to do their part for the planet. Under the Maestro's supervision, they prepare a butterfly garden after learning that butterflies are an endangered species.

The Maestro surpervises the building of a pond for the butterfly garden. Everything goes according to plan, despite the work of a few practical jokesters.

Could you imagine being told that you're adopted and then being kidnapped immediately after? That's what happens to the little critter in the first part of this "Zooriginaux" episode. It definitely sounds like the grounds for an identity crisis!

In the next segment of this Il était une fois... episode on ecosystems, the Maestro teaches us how to build a butterfly garden. You can build one anywhere—even on your apartment balcony!

In this episode on the ecosystems, guide Nam explains the importance of mangroves in the food chain. You'll also see the rafflesia, the largest flower in the world.

There's a newcomer at the zoo, and all the other animals are abuzz with speculation about its identity. Could it be... a human?

In part seven of this episode on the ecosystems, the young students are on a field trip (a marsh trip to be exact), where they witness firsthand the destruction of this precious ecosystem. But this is not a new phenomenon: once upon a time in Polynesia...