The NeverEnding Story
A boy who needs a friend finds a world that needs a hero in a land beyond imagination!
Country
Production
Budget
$27 000 000
Box office
$20 158 808
Director
Actors
Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Alan Oppenheimer, Sydney Bromley, Patricia Hayes, Moses Gunn, Frank Lenart, Robert Jadah, Gerald McRaney
All actors and roles (10)
All actors and roles (10)
Scenario
Producer
Bernd Eichinger, Dieter Geissler, Bernd Schaefers, Mark Damon, John W. Hyde
Camera operator
Composer
Artist
Audition
Risa Kes, Penny Perry
Editing
Short description
While hiding from bullies in his school's attic, a young boy discovers the extraordinary land of Fantasia, through a magical book called The Neverending Story. The book tells the tale of Atreyu, a young warrior who, with the help of a luck dragon named Falkor, must save Fantasia from the destruction of The Nothing.
What's left behind the scenes
- The role of the Child Empress was played by Tami Stronach, an 11-year-old dancer born in Iran.
- Over 200 boys auditioned for the role of Bastian in the fall of 1982. Barret Oliver made a very strong impression on director Wolfgang Petersen, but his candidacy was rejected at the time, as he was considered too young for the part. By March 1983, with filming about to begin, the role remained vacant, and the actor was given a second chance. Those responsible for casting were simply amazed at how much the boy had grown and matured during this time, and they arranged a short meeting for him with director Wolfgang Petersen in the waiting area of Los Angeles International Airport, after which his candidacy was immediately approved.
- Steven Spielberg is a big fan of the film, and the original "Aurin" amulet from the film is kept in his office, enclosed in a glass case.
- At the time of filming 'The NeverEnding Story,' Michael Ende's book had not yet been translated into English, meaning none of the American actors, including Barrett Oliver and Noah Hathaway, had the opportunity to read it.
- During filming, actor Noah Hathaway suffered two serious injuries. During horseback riding training, he was thrown from the horse and then stepped on. Later, while filming the scene where his character drowns in the Swamp of Sorrow, his leg became stuck in a lift, and the actor was pulled underwater. He was unconscious by the time he was brought to the surface.
- The main part of the filming took place in Munich, Germany, with only the scenes involving Barret Oliver being shot in Vancouver, Canada.
- The makeup team attempted to paint Noah Hathaway green to make him look like his character in the book. This idea was immediately abandoned, as the result looked far too unrealistic.
- The creation of Falkor, the flying luckdragon, began with a miniature rubber model and resulted in a thirteen-meter-long motorized creature. The dragon's massive body was covered in more than 6,000 shimmering plastic scales and upholstered in pinkish airy fur. Falkor's head was about one meter wide and high, featuring a long pink rubber tongue and remote-controlled eyes.
- The original film was shot in English. The version for German release differed in that it was slightly longer in runtime than the American version. The musical tracks differ in both versions, and there are almost no scenes where they sound in sync. Giorgio Moroder composed the music for the American version, while Klaus Doldinger composed for the German version, and their compositions are completely mixed in both versions. The editing of the German and American versions also differs in some scenes.
- The majority of the filming took place in Munich, Germany; only the scenes featuring Barrett Oliver were filmed in Vancouver, Canada.
- With a budget of 27 million dollars, 'The NeverEnding Story' became the most expensive film shot in Germany at that time.
- Noah and Barret had practically no contact except during the filming of a couple of scenes and during the voice acting, with most of the filming done separately.
- The title song in the film was performed by British singer Christopher Hamill, better known by his stage name Limahl. The song was included only in the American version of the film and is absent from the German one.
- With a budget of $27 million, "The NeverEnding Story" was the most expensive film made in Germany at the time.
- The film's popularity led to the release of two television series. The first, an animated series, premiered in 1996 and consisted of 26 episodes. The second, a live-action series, was released in 2001 and consisted of 4 episodes (in the British version – 13 episodes). Additionally, two sequels to the film were released. The first, “The NeverEnding Story 2: The Next Chapter” (1990), was partially based on the second half of Michael Ende's novel, while the second, “The NeverEnding Story 3” (1994), featured a completely new storyline.
- The film's popularity led to the release of two series. The first, an animated series, premiered on television in 1996 and consisted of 26 episodes. The second, a live-action series, was released in 2001 and consisted of 4 episodes (13 episodes in the British version). Two sequels to the film were also released. The first, 'The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter' (1990), was partially based on the second half of Michael Ende's novel, while the second, 'The NeverEnding Story III' (1994), featured a completely new storyline.
- More than 200 boys took part in the auditions for the role of Bastian, which took place in the fall of 1982. Barrett Oliver made a very strong impression on director Wolfgang Petersen, but his candidacy was rejected at the time, as he was considered too young for the part. By March 1983, with very little time left before filming began, the role remained vacant, and it was decided to give the actor a second chance. The casting directors were simply amazed at how much the boy had grown and matured during that time and arranged a brief meeting with director Wolfgang Petersen in a Los Angeles airport waiting lounge, after which he was immediately cast.
- The creation of the luckdragon Falkor began with a miniature rubber model, eventually resulting in a thirteen-meter, engine-powered creature. The dragon's enormous body was covered with over 6000 shimmering plastic scales and upholstered with pinkish air fur. Falkor's head was about a meter in width and height, with a long pink rubber tongue and remotely controlled eyes.
- The metalcore band Atreyu is named after the hero Atreyu.
- The author of the book, Michael Ende, was deeply disappointed by the distortion of his novel in the film. He demanded that production be halted or the film's title changed, but the studio refused. The subsequent lawsuit was decided against him. The only thing the author managed to achieve was that his name would not be mentioned in the opening credits.
- The film ends approximately halfway through the book by Michael Ende on which it is based.
- At the time of filming “The NeverEnding Story,” Michael Ende’s book had not yet been translated into English, which meant that none of the American actors, including Barrett Oliver and Noah Hathaway, had the opportunity to read it.
- The title song for the film was performed by British singer Christopher Hamill, better known by the stage name Limahl. The song was included only in the American version of the film and is absent from the German version.
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Auditions in India
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