The Neverending Story

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Wolfgang Petersen adapted Michael Ende's children's story for this charming fantasy film that spawned several sequels. Bastian (Barret Oliver) is dealing with his mother's recent death. His father (Gerald McRaney) is an imperious sort who continually lambastes Bastian for daydreaming and falling behind in school. On top of his father's badgering, he has to contend with a bunch of school bullies waiting for him in the schoolyard. One day he decides to play hooky and walks into a strange bookstore, where in the attic, he discovers a book called "The Neverending Story". As Bastian reads the book, he's enveloped in the unfolding tale. A sickly child-like empress (Tami Stronach) from a land called Fantasia is concerned about who will take over the land if she dies. She decides it is best for Fantasia if she remains alive, so she dispatches a young warrior named Atreju (Noah Hathaway) to find a cure for the empress's malady. It turns out the land is consumed with a plague called The Nothing, generated by blighted dreams and hopeless fantasies. As Atreju continues onward to search for a cure for The Nothing, he encounters an assortment of strange creatures. Bastian is so consumed with the tale that he finds himself catapulted into the land of Fantasia himself. Atreju realizes that the only way to save the land from its blight is with the help of this strange earth boy, Bastian. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Screen: Color
• Features:
  • cc
  • Theatrical Trailer

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Noah Hathaway - Atreyu
       Barret Oliver - Bastian
       Tami Stronach - Childlike empress
       Moses Gunn - Cairon
       Patricia Hayes - Urgl
       Sydney Bromley - Engywook
       Gerald McRaney - Bastian's Father
       Deep Roy - Teeny Weeny
       Thomas Hill - Koreander
       Tilo Pruckner - Night Hob
       Darryl Cooksey - Bully
       Nicholas Gilbert - Bully
       Alan Oppenheimer - Falkor
       Drum Garrett - Bully

• Director:

  Wolfgang Petersen

• Producer:

  Mark Damon, Bernd Eichinger, Dieter Geissler, Günter Rohrbach

• Dialogue Writer:

  Robert Easton

• Screenwriter:

  Wolfgang Petersen, Herman Weigel

• Book Author:

  Michael Ende

• Cinematographer:

  Jost Vacano, Herman Weigel

• Composer (Music Score):

  Klaus Doldinger

• Songwriter:

  Keith Forsey

• Composer (Music Score):

  Giorgio Moroder

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Milan Bor

• Editor:

  Jane Seitz

• Production Designer:

  Rolf Zehetbauer

• Art Director:

  Herbert Strabel, Götz Weidner

• Associate Producer:

  Klaus Kahler

• Executive Producer:

  Mark Damon, Robert Gordon Edwards, John W. Hyde

• Set Designer:

  Rolf Zehetbauer

• Costume Designer:

  Diemut Remy

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Milan Bor

• Makeup:

  Colin Arthur

• Special Effects:

  Brian Johnson

• First Assistant Director:

  Don French

• Animator:

  Steve Archer

• Stunts:

  Tony Smart

• Production Manager:

  Harry Nap

• Sound Mixer:

  Chris Price

• Second Unit Camera:

  Franz Rath

• Stunts Coordinator:

  Tony Smart

REVIEW:

• An epic fantasy that combines live action, puppetry, and animatronics, The Neverending Story delivers the goods as a mythical journey for kids. While failing to address a lot of material in the source novel of the same name by Michael Ende, the film version still manages a tense, dangerous adventure story filled with wonder. As the first English-language film for Wolfgang Petersen (director of Das Boot and In the Line of Fire), there seems to be both a sense of typical Spielberg suburban morality as well as deeper explorations into darker themes. The narrative structure makes no attempt to hide the underlying literacy message, as the bookend device of having Bastian (Barret Oliver) read the ancient story line certainly is a positive endorsement for getting kids to read more books and use their imagination. The synth-heavy soundtrack and quality of the special effects sticks this old-fashioned tale firmly in the '80s, making for a good nostalgia piece. The Neverending Story would be followed by two lesser sequels lacking the skilled direction of Wolfgang Petersen. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi