Yes, children. Believe it or not, this did actually exist as something before being a reference in Stranger Things.
I kid, of course. I rather have enjoyed Stranger Things up through Season 3 (at the time of this writing), but that's not what we're here to talk about. Plus, I had to think of something topical for the intro before we got into the actual story of The NeverEnding Story (yes, that's how that is apparently officially written).
So what is The NeverEnding Story, besides the last movie that Tina and I watched for date night (again, at the time of this writing)? The NeverEnding Story is a 1984 film based on a 1979 book of the same name by Michael Ende, a man who was so upset with the film as presented that he actually sued the production company when they refused to either halt production or change the title. He subsequently lost that court case and thus we have the movie in question. However, is Ende's dismay at what his film was turned into a mark of its quality? Let's take a look!
The NeverEnding Story is concerned with Bastion (Barret Oliver), a bookish ten year old boy who lives with his father after his mother died of Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Film syndrome. Going into a bookshop to evade some bullies, he meets the grumpy and cynical Mr. Coreander (Thomas Hill). Learning that Bastion is a big reader Coreander, like any good drug dealer, manipulates him into eventually taking a free hit of his drug - in this case, imagination via a book called The NeverEnding Story.
Bastion, being the ultimately good boy that he is, leaves a note for Mr. Coreander promising to return his book and heads into his school's attic to read it. . .I presume that school's didn't actually bother to lock attics in the 1980's. Coreander, by the way, has a not at all sinister knowing smile as Bastion leaves. . .which gives me a definitely chessmaster feeling.
As Bastion reads, he learns about the mystical land of Fantasia, where a variety of creatures of all stripes live. It is a magical, wonderful place full of vibrance and life, but it is dying. The Childlike Empress (Tami Stronach), the ruler of Fantasia, is dying from an unknown disease. Also, an insidious force known as the Nothing is swallowing up the entire world, leaving nothing in its wake. To combat this, the warrior Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) is summoned to undertake a quest to find a cure for the Empress, one that will take him across the length and breadth of the land of Fantasia.
But where shall he find a cure? What exactly is the Nothing? And why does Bastion feel a strange connection to the story he reads even as he reads it?
The NeverEnding Story is a tribute to all things to do with imagination and the boundless possibilities that it holds. I'd honestly thought to include this movie when I was doing Sword and Sorcery 2020, but this is more in the vein of a fairy tale than a tale of brave knights going out to slay a dragon. It isn't a blade that is used to save Fantasia, but specifically Bastion's imagination.
Yeah, spoiler alert, this film annihilates the Fourth Wall on at least two levels. It's actually kind of interestingly done, though I'd hardly say it's in any sort of subtle way seeing that the Childlike Empress outright states that this is the case - not just Bastion reading the story, but also us watching him reading the story.
The story itself is filled with creatures of almost every description. From Falkor the Luck Dragon to the Rock-Biter to ARTAX! STUPID HORSE! to Gmork, there's a plethora of beasts all with different and unique appearances largely done through puppetry and special effects, and most of it holds up surprisingly well for something from thirty-seven years ago. This helps contribute largely to the very surreal, almost - if you'll pardon the cliché - storybook feel of Fantasia. Sure, it's a realm that exists from the limitless possibilities of human imagination. . .but they're not made of money, y'know?
The film was a monster hit at the box office in the United States, bringing in over $100 million. It's a cult classic that has stuck with people for generations since and I think it will continue to do so. A realm born out of the human imagination, where a young boy's dreams can become reality. Plus, the bit at the end where Bastion literally chooses murder by dragon against his bullies from earlier in the film.
. . .okay, so he doesn't, but it's still a funny mental image.
In the end, however, The NeverEnding Story only covered the first half of the book. What was the second half, you might ask? Well, that would be The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, but that's another story. As for the original, it's a good one and - having not seen it since I was a kid before watching it again with Tina - I can easily see why it's a feel good fantasy film that has stood the test of time and remained a classic. When I leave a film wanting more of that fantastic world that it gave me, I call that a success. Hopefully, you will, too.
The NeverEnding Story is brought to us by Neue Constantin Film, Bavaria Film, Producers Sales Organization, and distributed by Warner Bros.
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