Step 6: Remember the Classics

Quick Points

Happy Birthday!
Today marks the 30th anniversary of The Neverending Story's theater debut.

Soundtrack/Score
Who doesn't love The Neverending Story's theme song? It's got such a catchy beat! And the rest of the music is just so emotional.

Movie vs. Book
Yes, the movie about a book is based off of a book. And though I own the book, I've actually never read it, so I can't actually tell you.

Animatronic Puppets
Better than some of the CGI we now have.


Wolfgang Petersen’s movie adaptation of Michael Ende’s book, The NeverEnding Story, has continued to entrance me since the age of five. With its unique style of storytelling, interesting characters, and deep social issues that a young child could never truly comprehend, the viewer becomes so engulfed in the movie that they actually become Bastian Bux (played by the adorable Barret Oliver). 

The story takes place in a school's old storage room. Yup. Bastian teaches kids the value of skipping class to read a book that he stole from bookstore owner Coreander (played by Thomas Hill, who, by the way, died here in Indiana in 2009 ohmygodIcouldhavemethim!). But Bastian has a good reason for doing all this--he's had confidence issues ever since his mother died and he started being bullied, so he latches onto the confidence of the heroes in his favorite books. The latest page-turner Bastian's found in his possession is a book called, you guessed it, The Neverending Story, which follows the young hero Atreyu (wonderfully performed by Noah Hathaway despite him being a white boy playing an Indian) as he travels across the magical world of Fantasia in search of the one thing that can stop an invisible yet powerful entity called The Nothing from ripping apart his home.

While I won't give away the ending, I will say that this movie shows us all, regardless of our age, how powerful our imaginations can be and how important it is to just believe in your own hopes and dreams. Everyone should have watched this film as a child, but if you were unfortunate enough to miss out, I highly recommend you watch the movie with someone who grew up with Bastian and Atreyu and the Childlike Empress and Mr. Coreander and Falcor and the Rockbiter and all the other crazy and amazing characters in The Neverending Story. Since the film is 30 years old today, the lack of special affects and old-movie-feel of the film may detract from a new viewer's enjoyment of the show, but if you're watching it along with someone who's never let their imagination leave Fantasia, you can't help but let your own mind wander into this mystical, inspiring land. 

On a side note, never ever bother watching either of the two sequels! :)

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What did you think of the movie? Comment below!