The NeverEnding Story

[JD]

Any other fans of The NeverEnding Story movies here? I'm a big fan of these movies, but it seems to be one I don't hear as much about as The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth, two other similar family fantasy movies from the same era.
I have to confess when I was a kid I actually liked the second one because Gmork and the Nothing scared the shit out of me. As I got older and got over that I came to appreciate the first a lot more, and it's become one of my favorite old kids movies.
I'm getting a little annoyed by the lack of merchandise for this, especially as I keep seeing more and more stuff for The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. I would love to at least get some action figures or Funko Pop figures, and a plush Falkor. I've looked a couple times on Amazon and all I've ever been able to find is a journal designed to look like the book from the first movie, and an Auryn necklace.
Back a few months ago I got the book, which I didn't even know existed until recently. I'm definitely really looking forward to checking it out once I've gotten through some other books I've had sitting around for a while.
Anyone ever check out either of the two TV series?

 

[Grendelsbayne]

I honestly would rewatch TNS over Labyrinth any day, but I'm not a huge 80s nostalgia person to begin with. I've never seen the Dark Crystal and didn't even know there were neverending sequels, books or tv shows. But I did enjoy the movie as a kid - it has a nice, straightforward fairy tale feel to it.

I do find it strange that - with so much 80s hype around the world - someone hasn't released something as blantantly obvious as a Falkor plush. That seems like a production gimme.

 

[Marc]

know there were neverending sequels, books or tv shows.

think there was only ever one book - they just managed to get 3 films out of it (the first film took the first 1/3 of the book going from memory after reading it 30 odd years ago).

 

[JD]

According to Wikipedia they did eventually do a 6 book spin-off novel series, but I don't think they've ever been released outside of Germany.
As for the TV series, there've been 2, an animated series that ran for 2 seasons, and a live action series that is a bit more complicated. The live actions series aired as a 13 episode series in the UK, but aired as 4 two hour TV movie on HBO in the US. I honestly didn't know the existed until I saw some stuff about them on the book's Wikipedia page. It sounds like they both diverge pretty far from the book, but the animated series sounds like it's a bit closer.

 

[Butters]

Funny you should mention it. We just had the DVD on at the little ones request. Good film.

 

[Unicron]

The first movie, which is truthfully the best of the set, is roughly an adaptation of the first half of the book (which I'd recommend to anyone who liked one of the films). The author, Michael Ende thought that the changes made for the film deviated too much from the original framework and didn't want his name on the credits IIRC. The sequels sort of tried to use elements from the second half of the book, but were considerably less successful in that (in my own experience anyway).

Personally, I think it would be cool for someone to do a more book-faithful film, in the vein of what Peter Jackson did for the LOTR books. There are a lot of cool story elements that would be easier to realize onscreen than would have been the case in the '80s.

 

[Amaris]

I am a huge fan. I love Michael Ende's novel, but for me the movie is so much better at fleshing out what I saw in my imagination. Also, as a child, I had a crush on Bastian, the Childlike Empress, and Atreyu. My favorite scene was his encounter at the Sphinx gate. For years I had dreams where as I passed through gates, or down narrow corridors, that I would encounter them.

 

[Takeru]

According to Wikipedia they did eventually do a 6 book spin-off novel series, but I don't think they've ever been released outside of Germany.

They were also released in spain and japan I think.

The first movie is a decent adaptation of the first third of the novel but the actual story hasn't even started when it ends (and the tacked in ending of Bastian getting revenge in the bullies is stupid, in the novel Bastian is a little shit who eventually becomes a better person, there are no bullies).
The other movies and tv productions are all crap and only share a few characters and locations with the novel.

The Neverending Story should get a new faithful adaptation, I would love to see the entire book adapted into a movie trilogy

 

[Tosk]

Love the first one, really don't like the sequels.

Man, that Artax death scene was traumatizing as a kid.

 

[JD]

Definitely.

 

[USS Firefly]

Love the first one, really don't like the sequels.

Man, that Artax death scene was traumatizing as a kid.

I still have nightmares

 

[Captain Craig]

I love TNS, never have seen any of the sequels. They were all DDVD were they not?
It's way better imo than Dark Crystal. Labyrinth though still holds and would be a tougher call for me.

 

[JD]

I love all three of them, but if I had to rank them I'd go Dark Crystal, which I still think is one of the most incredible things ever put to film, just from a technical and artistic point of view, TNS, Labyrinth.

 

[DigificWriter]

I love TNS, never have seen any of the sequels. They were all DDVD were they not?

NeverEnding Story II was a theatrical release; I'm not sure about the third one, though.

 

[JD]

I think 3 was direct to video, although I think it would have been VHS at the time rather than DVD, I'm not sure.
Does anybody know who did the designs and made the creatures for the TNS movies? I've always liked them.

 

[DigificWriter]

Apparently the third film had a very limited rheatrical "trial run" release, but made very little by way of profit.

 

[Marc]

Apparently the third film had a very limited rheatrical "trial run" release, but made very little by way of profit.

IMDB paints a very dismal picture.

Budget of $17mil 1003 dollars and only took in $1.33mil

Seems it had a very fatal flaw in that it was set mainly in the real world though it seems the original screenplay had it as the opposite.

Reading some of the comments on both the sequels I think the best advise it pretend they never happened.

 

[Starbreaker]

I think 3 was direct to video, although I think it would have been VHS at the time rather than DVD, I'm not sure.
Does anybody know who did the designs and made the creatures for the TNS movies? I've always liked them.

Ul De Rico, Rolf Zehetbauer, and Caprice Roth. Rolf also was the production designer on Das Boot.

 

[JD]

Thanks. I've never heard of any of them, but I don't know much about the German film industry.

 

[Starbreaker]

Thanks. I've never heard of any of them, but I don't know much about the German film industry.

I had to do some deep dives into articles. Caprice Rothe was the movement coordinator for the creatures on E.T. and Cocoon.