The NeverEnding Story
Directed by	Wolfgang Petersen
Produced by	Bernd Eichinger Bernd Schaffers
Written by	Michael Ende (book) Wolfgang Petersen (screenplay) Herman Weigel (screenplay)
Starring	Noah Hathaway Barret Oliver Tami Stronach Patricia Haynes Sydney Bromley Gerald McRaney Moses Gunn
Music by	Klaus Doldinger & Giorgio Moroder
Distributed by	Warner Brothers
Release date	April 6, 1984 (West Germany) — July 20, 1984 (United States)
Running time	102 min
Language	English
Budget	US$27,000,000 (estimate)
IMDb profile

Die Unendliche Geschichte (better known by its English title The NeverEnding Story), is the 1984 film adaptation of the German fantasy novel by Michael Ende. The Germany-US co-production was directed by Wolfgang Petersen and starred Barret Oliver as Bastian Balthazar Bux (named only "Bastian Bux" in the movie), Noah Hathaway as Atreyu, and Tami Stronach as The Childlike Empress. This film adaptation only covered the first half of the book. The majority of the movie was filmed in Germany, except for Barret Oliver's scenes, which were shot in Canada. It was Germany's highest budgeted film of the time. The novel's author, Michael Ende, felt that this adaptation's content deviated so far from his book that he requested they either halt production or change the name; when they did neither, he sued them and subsequently lost the case.[1] He did succeed in having his name removed from the opening credits, although his name does appear in the closing. Music for the movie was composed by Klaus Doldinger of the German jazz group Passport. The theme song to the American version of the film was composed by Giorgio Moroder with lyrics by Keith Forsey, and performed by Limahl, lead singer of Kajagoogoo. This song, along with other "techno-pop" treatments to the soundtrack are not present in the German version of the film, which features Doldinger's score exclusively. Image File history File links Tnes. ... Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (born March 14, 1941 in Emden, Lower Saxony, Germany) is a German film director. ... Bernd Eichinger (born 11 April 1949) is a German film producer and director. ... Michael Ende (November 12, 1929 - August 29, 1995) was a German writer of fantasy novels and childrens books and part of the anthroposophical movement. ... Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (born March 14, 1941 in Emden, Lower Saxony, Germany) is a German film director. ... Herman Weigel (* 22 Mar 1959 in Moers) is a German film producer and script writer. ... Noah Hathaway Noah Hathaway is an American film actor, whose roles included Boxey in the original Battlestar Galactica movie and television series, and Atreyu in The Neverending Story. ... Barret Oliver (born August 24, 1973 in Los Angeles, California, USA) was an US child actor and currently works as a photographer. ... Stronach as the Childlike Empress Tamara Stronach (born July 31, 1972) is a dancer and choreographer, and has worked as an actress. ... Gerald McRaney Gerald Mac McRaney (born August 19, 1948, Collins, Mississippi, although some sources indicate 1947) is an American television and movie actor of Scottish and Choctaw Indian ancestry. ... Moses Gunn (October 2, 1929 – December 16, 1993) was an American actor. ... Klaus Doldinger 2004 Klaus Doldinger (born 12 May 1936) is a German saxophonist, especially well-known for jazz and as a composer of film music. ... Giorgio Moroder (born Giovanni Giorgio Moroder on April 26, 1940 in Ortisei, Italy) is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer, whose groundbreaking work with synthesizers during the 1970s was a significant influence on techno and electronic music in general. ... Warner Bros. ... April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about general United States currency. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... // For other meanings see Fantasy (disambiguation) Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... Michael Ende (November 12, 1929 - August 29, 1995) was a German writer of fantasy novels and childrens books and part of the anthroposophical movement. ... Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (born March 14, 1941 in Emden, Lower Saxony, Germany) is a German film director. ... Barret Oliver (born August 24, 1973 in Los Angeles, California, USA) was an US child actor and currently works as a photographer. ... Bastian Balthazar Bux is the main character from Michael Endes novel The Neverending Story and the subsequent motion picture series based on the novel. ... Noah Hathaway Noah Hathaway is an American film actor, whose roles included Boxey in the original Battlestar Galactica movie and television series, and Atreyu in The Neverending Story. ... Atreyu is a fictional character in Michael Endes novel, The Neverending Story and the movie of the same name directed by Wolfgang Peterson. ... Stronach as the Childlike Empress Tamara Stronach (born July 31, 1972) is a dancer and choreographer, and has worked as an actress. ... The Neverending Story (Die Unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by Michael Ende, first published in 1979. ... Klaus Doldinger 2004 Klaus Doldinger (born 12 May 1936) is a German saxophonist, especially well-known for jazz and as a composer of film music. ... Giorgio Moroder (born Giovanni Giorgio Moroder on April 26, 1940 in Ortisei, Italy) is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer, whose groundbreaking work with synthesizers during the 1970s was a significant influence on techno and electronic music in general. ... The Best of Limahl Christopher Hamill (born December 19, 1958), better known by his stage name Limahl, was the lead singer of the 1980s pop band Kajagoogoo and subsequently enjoyed a solo career. ... Kajagoogoo was a British pop band best known for its first single, Too Shy, which reached Number 1 in the UK and Number 5 in the U.S in 1983. ...

Plot summary

The story begins with Bastian fleeing from bullies from his school and hiding in an antique bookstore. Once inside, he meets an old man named Koreander reading a book. After a discussion on the nature of books, Bastian "borrows" a special book from Koreander, called "The Neverending Story". Bastian believes Koreander was trying to keep him away from this book because it was dangerous, but it's obvious to the viewer that Koreander actually wanted him to take it. The role of the shopkeeper is akin to a keeper of secrets whose purpose is to initiate Bastian into the secret of this book, to help Bastian meet and conquer his fears.

Bastian makes his way to his school; being late he decides to skip class and goes into the school attic to take a look at his special book. From this point on, the movie concentrates on showing us the story Bastian is reading in the book, about a world called Fantasia. Fantastica is the fantasy land in the book The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. ...

Fantasia is, we learn, under assault by a strange disease or force called 'The Nothing'. We meet three fantastic characters (among which is a Rock-Biter) who are on their way to meet with the Childlike Empress to discuss this menace to their world. Once there, they learn the Empress is sick and dying. Her sickness is apparently linked to the 'Nothing', and the only hope of Fantasia is to send a prophesied hero named Atreyu to find a cure for her. Atreyu was already sent for and arrives, but to everyone's surprise he isn't a great warrior, but only a child apparently of an age with Bastian. Atreyu's culture is apparently similar to that of the Plains Indians, and we see that Bastian has a liking for such characters, thus building a connection between the two of them. Atreyu's journey is built on the model of the Hero archetype. The Plains Indians were the Native American tribes who lived in the Great Plains region of North America. ... From the Greek cognate , in mythology and folklore, a hero (male) or heroine (female) is an eminent character archetype that quintessentially embodies key traits valued by its originating culture. ... For other senses of this word, see archetype (disambiguation). ...

Atreyu rides Falkor the Luckdragon over Fantasia in the first film adaptation

Atreyu starts his journey, unknowingly being pursued by Gmork, a giant, sentient wolf. His search leads him to find the 'Sage under the hill', Morla. Upon finding this sage, he learns that he doesn't know how to cure the empress, but that the Southern Oracle might. The problem is that it is very far, and Atreyu has lost his horse Artax in the Swamps of Sadness. Just as he is about to fall prey to G'mork, he's rescued by a dragon, Falkor. This dragon is a "luckdragon", following the Eastern mythology of dragons. Falkor brings Atreyu to the Southern Oracle, where he has to cross two trials before being able to speak to the Oracle. The first requires confidence, but the second is supposed to show him his "true self". What he sees, and the description Bastian reads in the book, is an image of Bastian himself reading The Neverending Story in the school attic! This is the first real clue that the story of Bastian and of Atreyu are really interconnected, and that the story of Bastian isn't simply there to give a structure to the story in the book. Bastian at that point also starts to seriously realize the book might be as dangerous as Koreander told him it was, and hesitates before reading along. Here we can interpret the trial of Atreyu as being that of Bastian: it's Bastian who has to defeat his own fear of the book and his involvement in it in order for the quest to continue, not Atreyu, who is only slightly perplexed by the image he sees. Image File history File links Falkor_1. ... Image File history File links Falkor_1. ... Atreyu is a fictional character in Michael Endes novel, The Neverending Story and the movie of the same name directed by Wolfgang Peterson. ... Atreyu rides Falkor the Luckdragon over Fantasia in the first film adaptation Luckdragons (Glücksdrachen) are a fictional dragon species featured in Michael Endes novel The Neverending Story (Die unendliche Geschichte). Only one luckdragon by the name of Fuchur (Falkor in English translations) appears in the book; nevertheless, it... Gmork is a fictional villainous character from Michael Endes The Neverending Story. ... Falkor in the 1984 film The Neverending Story. ... Atreyu rides Falkor the Luckdragon over Fantasia in the first film adaptation Luckdragons (Glücksdrachen) are a fictional dragon species featured in Michael Endes novel The Neverending Story (Die unendliche Geschichte). Only one luckdragon by the name of Fuchur (Falkor in English translations) appears in the book; nevertheless, it... An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion; an infallible authority, usually spiritual in nature. ...

The Southern Oracle finally delivers to Atreyu the information he seeks: in order to cure the Empress, she needs a new name. This name can only be given by a human child, not by a resident of Fantasia. It's not quite obvious why this would be, and is only made clear later once we learn more about the nature of Fantasia. The Oracle informs Atreyu he can only find such a child beyond the limits of Fantasia. He sets out with Falkor to cross those, but they encounter the 'Nothing' which has been getting stronger, and are separated. Atreyu ends on the shores of a sea in the ruins of a city where he sees frescoes depicting his own story, including a part he doesn't know about: G'mork. This sequence is open to some interpretation. It is not obvious if the paintings were done by people who knew of his quest and observing him, even though the last painting shows an event which happens just after he sees those paintings. It might have been part of a prophecy hinted at the beginning of the movie. It could also hint at another level of intricacy in the story.

After he finishes observing those paintings, he finally meets G'mork. G'mork doesn't recognize Atreyu, and speaks with him, giving him, Bastian and viewers exposition about the nature of Fantasia and of Atreyu's quest. We learn that Fantasia is the product of humanity's fantasies and dreams (which explains why only a human could act to save the Empress), and that as such it has no limits. We learn that the 'Nothing' is actually humanity's despair and loss of hope, and that G'mork himself is an agent of the forces behind the 'Nothing', hoping to profit from the extinguishing of hope, dreams and fantasies as people without hope are easier to control. It is implied in part that those forces are rooted in the real world, although a more spiritual interpretation is also possible. This highlights a very important theme of the movie, the conflict between dreaming and reality, expressed by Bastian's drawings of unicorns and other beasts, and his involvement in Fantasia contrasted with the real world as personified by Bastian's father, who tries to get him to "keep his feet on the ground", and his school. Bastian is showing signs of being torn between the two by now, wanting to believe in Fantasia and the book's power, but also trying to stay aware of reality. This article is about the mythical creature. ...

Atreyu kills G'mork, and barely escapes the 'Nothing' to find himself lost among debris of the world of Fantasia. He and Falkor find one of the last remaining structure intact, the Ivory Tower where the Empress lives. He goes in, and the Empress tells him she knew what was required to cure her and save Fantasia, but that the quest was required to make contact with the human child. She calls him by his name, Bastian, and the two stories (that of Atreyu and of Bastian) come together, and Bastian finally decides to believe and gives the Empress a new name (Moonchild). This saves her, but by now Fantasia is gone. She tells him that he can remake it by making wishes, the first one apparently being to restore Fantasia just as it was at the beginning.

Reception

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Trivia

• The name Bastian screams out the window at the end of the movie is "Moonchild."

• The make-up team tried to paint Noah Hathaway green so he would be like Atreyu in the book, but the effect just didn't work. Hathaway later said, "It wasn't believeable. I looked like fungi".

• The role of the Childlike Empress was Tami Stronach's first (and to date, only) film role.

• Noah Hathaway has long since retired from acting, and now runs a motorcycle shop in Miami.

• Was referenced in the Simpsons by Lionel Hutz as a fantastically big wrongful advertising lawsuit insinuating that movie-goers expected the film to literally never end.

Lionel Hutz : "Mr. Simpson, this is the most blatant case of false advertising since my lawsuit against the movie The Neverending Story!"

• Family Guy parodied the Neverending Story in the episode "Breaking Out Is Hard To Do", which sees Peter reading the Neverending Story in an attic, and riding on the back of Falkor.
• Robot Chicken parodied the Neverending Story in the episode "Dragon Nuts", where many of the characters were depicted having a "neverending party". In fact, the Empress implores Bastian to say her name whilst he paddles her.
• Fans can still visit Bavaria Studios in Munich to see the soundstage of The NeverEnding Story. Promotional images feature a boy riding a replica of Falkor. [2]

• During her dialogue with Atreyu about the nature of his quest, the Child Like Empress effectively breaks the fourth wall on two levels simultaneously. On the first level by directing Atreyu's attention to Bastian's presence, and the second by directing both Atreyu and Bastian's attention to the movie audience's presence.

• The Rock Biter was called a "rock chewer" in the book.

• In the book, a will-o'-the-wisp joins the messengers and tells them about his experience with the Nothing. In the film, it is gone, and instead the Rock Biter says his lines.

• Teeny Weeny's name in the book is Gluckuk, Nighthob's name is Vooshvazool, and the Rock Biter's name is Pyornkrachzark.

Noah Hathaway Noah Hathaway is an American film actor, whose roles included Boxey in the original Battlestar Galactica movie and television series, and Atreyu in The Neverending Story. ... Stronach as the Childlike Empress Tamara Stronach (born July 31, 1972) is a dancer and choreographer, and has worked as an actress. ... The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox network. ... Lionel Hutz, voiced by Phil Hartman, is a fictional secondary character from The Simpsons. ... Lionel Hutz, voiced by Phil Hartman, is a fictional secondary character from The Simpsons. ... Family Guy is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for FOX in 1999. ... Breaking Out Is Hard to Do is an episode of Family Guy that first aired on July 17, 2005 on FOX. Its production code is 4ACX12. ... Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created by Stoop!d Monkey and Sony Pictures Digital, currently airing as a part of Cartoon Networks Adult Swim lineup. ... The Bavaria Film Studios in Geiselgasteig, a district of Munichs suburb Grünwald, Bavaria were founded already in 1919 and belong to Europes biggest and most famous movie production studios. ... Munich (German: München, (pronounced listen) is the capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria (German: Freistaat Bayern). ... A sound stage is a hangar-like structure, building or room, that is soundproof for the production of theatrical motion pictures and television, usually inside a movie studio. ... The fourth wall is the imaginary invisible wall at the front of the stage in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play. ... The will o the wisp or ignis fatuus, or in plural form as ignes fatui (fools fire(s)) is the phenomenon of ghostly lights sometimes seen at night or in twilight hovering over damp ground in still air, often over bogs. ...

Film chronology

• The NeverEnding Story (1984)
• The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990)
• The NeverEnding Story III (1994)

1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... DVD cover The NeverEnding Story III (1994) is the second sequel to the fantasy film The NeverEnding Story. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal. // Events January Bill Clinton January 1 : North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect. ...

External links

• The NeverEnding Story at the Internet Movie Database
• The Neverending Story Web Page
• The Neverending Story fansite
• Neverending Story Pictures and Video Clips