Acting by children and in fantasy movies tend to be very marginal. That being said, the writers and directors asked a pre-teen boy to carry a fantasy movie. Noah did a wonderful job, especially in the Swamp of Sadness scene. He ran the perfect gamut of emotions, from terror, to frustration, determination and despair all at once. I can just imagine the director yelling "cut!" and the whole set just standing there in awe as the weight of the scene they just witnessed lingered with them all.

What do you mean 30's and 40's? I was 17 when I saw it and I was mesmerized! I'm 51 now, and I still love it! Legend, Neverending Story, Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth are my comfort movies, I need them every now and then to renew the child in me.

Cried when Artax drowned when I watched it in the 80's? yes Cried when Artax drowned when I watched it in this clip? yes

One of my favourite movies as a kid. Totally awesome and imaginative.

The song is so catchy. Loved this movie as a child.

That goddamn wolf, dude...scared me stupid as a kid.

Just hearing the score brings tears to my eyes ! My nostalgic 80's children I am here with you !

The tears for the horse, the fear for the wolf, the crush for the emperess.

"The less said about The NeverEnding Story III, the better." Absolutely right!

I was 6 when this came out. Still remains my favorite movie of all time. I don't know what it is but it's always been a big part of my life..."but that's another story".

"The first film is probably the most perfect family film there is." Made me think of The Princess Bride. In fact, a retrospective/review of that film would be really cool.

The wolf scene got me so bad as a kid. :O

20's 30's and 40's - I was 10 when this hit the theaters. I actually think I respect it more now as an adult.

I absolutely LOVE this film. It is one of my favorite childhood films.

As a child you are horrified to see the horse, Artax, slowly slip away amid Atreyu's pleas. As an adult, you realize Atreyu isn't just talking to the horse, he's talking to you. This comes full circle again with the confrontation with the Empress and the breaking of the wall between the story characters and Bastian. There's such a fun meta quality to the story that is just as poignant for kids as it is for adults. Don't let your dreams slip away into a swamp everyone.

This film also does the impossible in one important category where most other films fail. It has multiple amazing performances by child actors. Most movies featuring young actors contain either mediocre or downright annoying performances. I don't blame the child actors in those instances, they usually have almost no experience or formal training and so it's more the responsibility of the director to create that performance. Indeed the success of this film so entirely depended on the performances of Noah Hathaway (who was about 13) and Barret Oliver (who was about 11), that if either one was lackluster, key scenes would have completely failed hence making the movie either boring or uncomfortable to watch.

I remember watching this in the theater on my birthday. Artax in the swamp had me THIS close to being in tears. Then a little girl in the row behind me asks, "did... the horesy die?" and it was all over for me. I later read the novel, and was shocked the movie only made it barely to the half-way point. Then I saw the sequel, was excited that maybe they'd do the second half of the novel, and THAT was the biggest let-down I had ever witnessed. They got some of the names right, but otherwise it was completely wrong.

I am a professional musician and I can agree that, taken out of context, the music in this movie is indeed simplistic and cheesy, and very much of its time (particularly the title song). However, if you are a child of this era who grew up with this movie and experienced this music in the context of the movie, the music is incredibly emotional and nostalgic. Nothing takes me back to my childhood as immediately as this soundtrack.

I like how Falkor moves and his stiffness adds to his character

Saw the movie back in 84/85........bought the soundtrack. Stunning music, specially Bastian's Happy Flight.

Thank you!. :)

"We are all part of a neverending story. And even the smallest of us can grab the pen and write the next chapter." (Michael Ende) 😊

Cheap 80's music? that score sounded amazing from its time. foh

I was always in love with the Child Like Empress...and still am.

Gmork....ugh, by FAR the most terrifying creature from my childhood nightmares. That voice, the eyes, the teeth....*shivers* Love the rest of the movie but that thing STILL creeps me out.

I found that scene with the wolf utterly terrifying as a child. I loved the film, but it was a scene I dreaded. I love that he hasn't encountered it before, sees the mural of his adventures, sees the wolf in the hole in the picture only to realise that it is this very moment that the mural depicts! Very clever.

I love that movie.. I am in my late 30s and watched it 1988 in a cinema the first time, and was touched right to the bottom of my heart by it.. I couldn't get this movie out of my mind for weeks and went back to cinema for like 3 times.. Then 1990 they showed it on TV and I watched it again.. This movie has always inspired me.. The score, I bought on CD in the mid 90's and always listend to it, which made me see the movie in my mind again.. Beautiful movie!! Thx for the review!! Sadly many Fantasy and Sci Fi movies of that time are not shown anymore and are hard to find, if you don't know what to look for!! Krull is another beautiful movie with a fantastic score, which scared the Sh.. out of me as I watched it the first time in a holiday camp as young boy!!

Once again Oliver your hit your mark, I see you becoming some one get and am glad to be part of it!!!

I am one of the very few and very lucky teens nowadays that can say that this movie has been a huge part of my childhood. I was born in 2001, making me 15 as of now and I was exposed to this movie at a very very young age and I'm so thankful to my parents for that. In fact it is still part of my childhood experience. For Christmas of 2016, I received the book of the NeverEnding Story and I finished it today only a couple of hours ago. Now I can be grouped with the very few and very lucky people who actually read the book AND have this movie be a big part of my childhood. Anyways, when I was much younger I asked my parents for an AURYN replica and I received one, but now as I'm older and more observant I am noticing very big flaws in it (poor paint job, incorrect placement of snakes [gold snakes head should be at the top of the AURYN but the grey snakes head is], the entire backside of it is flat and not painted, the entire thing is almost squashed and not to scale) and I was wondering if anybody could tell me where I could find an AURYN replica that looks EXACTLY like the one from the film, or at least the closest looking one as possible? Thanks, I'd really appreciate it!

If it was never mentioned before, I'll mention it now. The whole Artax downing in the swamp of sadness looks to be inspired by someone watching a friend or love one dying of depression. Scary now to realize what that means now that I am an adult.

The fact is the never ending story gave me inspiration for my poem

The original book gets quite epic and dark towards the end, with magical conflicts and clashing of armies. Neverending Story is one of few franchises/stories that I'd like to see as a 2 part (2 hour) remake.

I feel like Noah Schnapp was cast in Stranger Things because of the Bastian vibe he gives off.

"Almost worse because as an adult you see the animitronics." So you can see the brilliance, in other words?...:) Sorry, but I feel nothing but pity for people w/ such an attitude, people who do not possess the ability to watch something AS A CHILD...this film is a sterling example of utter creativity and wonder that has in no way diminished over time...if anything, it's gotten BETTER, given the poor excuses for family films studios churn out...

I Loveeeeee This Movie. As a child I remember watching this movie almost everyday. With my little sister. Even as an adult I have caught myself letting this movie play in my blu Ray non stop for more than 3 days.

the scene when artax dies used to really distress me and the wolf was dead scary.

Oliver, may I say that I continually find myself revisiting your retrospectives, particularly Dracula, The NeverEnding Story and The Dark Crystal - they create such a cozy, safe, relaxing and familiar 80s vibe, a welcome reprieve from the often stressful real world out there, and for decompressing after work/over the weekend 🌍 Your scripts are always excellent, narration clear and concise, and frankly no other retrospective channel comes close to your editing, expertise and clear passion for your material, always presenting each video in a way that conveys the heart of the film it’s about. The fact your material is evergreen in this way speaks to this, for sure. Well done man, and keep up the excellent work! You inspired me to do my own stuff with my own channel 🙏, as I’m sure you inspire countless others in the same way - have a great holiday break and an awesome end of year/new year 🎇

cheesy music? the music is great

"Come for me, G'mork... I am Atreyu!"

The G'mork scared the hell out of me as a kid.

this film scared the piss out of me as a kid!

I read the book as a child after I had seen the movie. The book is so much deeper than the film.

The most interesting part is watching the female puppeteer mouthing the dialog for the wolf. That's really interesting. I wish I could see more behind the scenes for this movie.

This movie is classic. As a child and a budding artist, this movie captured my imagination instantly. It's this film, along with Frank Frazetta's artwork that has inspired mine and many other's artwork. Great review, as always!

If they decide to remade or re-tell The Neverending Story for newer audiences and for old audiences who grew up watching it as a kid. I personally think Guillermo del Toro would be great as director and writer for the part. I personally love his work. what do you think?

I was amazed at the lead actor in this film. They could not have chosen a better one! It was nice seeing him interviewed as an adult. Also, that horse was amazing. I'll wager they did that scene in one take. The horse was calm...much calmer than I was when Artex drowned...

Watching the clip at the end of the whole movie, takes me back to my childhood. My best childhood movie ever. When Artax died, I used to leave the room every time to hide the fact I was in floods of tears 😭😭😭

Your retrospectives bring back so many fond, innocent and joyful memories of my childhood in the late 70s, right through out the 80s. They don't make movies with this kind of TLC anymore. Keep up the great work, bringing a smile to all our faces ;-)

Dude! Im watching almost all of your reviews! Specially the ones of the 80´s and 90´s movies. LOVE THEM! Even when I think a know a lot of all of those movies, you always find something to surprise me and teach me. GREAT WORK AND THANKS!!!! :D

Saw this when I was 5 or 6 so it gives me great nastolgia of anticipation to see the empress at the end everytime I watched it. I drew her a lot and aspired to be like her. 😂😂

Can't get enough of your retrospectives.....like reliving my adolescence and young adulthood.

5:50 That shot of Limahl and Beth Anderson* ... Oh my God those gorgeous 80s hairstyles, i love it. People are so incredibly bland and afraid to stand out these days. It's reflected everywhere. I noticed for example that the majority of cars today are gray or black, if there's any color it's mostly subdued. This is in contrast with the 80s where there were colorful cars everywhere (and colorful people, music, films, etc, etc). If i could go back to the 80s i would do it in a heartbeat. * edit: Ok, it wasn't Beth Anderson in the video. I just found this on wikipedia: "One of Limahl's back-up singers, Mandy Newton, lip-synced Anderson's lyrics for the music video."

must admit I bawled my eyes out when artax died so many years ago

Makes me wish WB would release an Ultra-Deluxe Edition of this with both cuts, tons of extras, including commentaries, for Blu-ray disc instead of the current single layered, old-transfer. PLEASE an Isolated Score too! (In DTS-HD MA 5.1 or summat.)

Cheesy eighties music????!!!!! ugh I love the music in this movie!!!!

Thanks for this channel. Although I tend to find story more important than you do, I really love your reviews!

At the time I still tear up at that scene.

Seriously? You had to show the scene where Artex dies? My heart is broken.

When i was a kid the wolf disturbed me.

The book is extremely rich and has that dreamlike parable sense that you find in 'The Little Prince'. It works as an epic quest but at all times you have a deeper sense that it means something that is hidden (or might seem hidden to a young reader) so that by reading it, you do in a sense go on a journey and 'find' something important. It is well worth seeking out.

Stumbled upon your channel Oliver. Glad I did. All your movie choices are some of my childhoods favourite memories. Cheers.

The wolf always frightened me!! And i still cant watch the swamp part when the horse dies.

I don't care for the sequels myself and personally, I believe The Neverending Story is one of those special films that sticks with you all of your life. A classic like The Neverending Story should not be remade.

Have you ever watched the Atreyu/Gmork scene with closed captioning? Gmork's dialogue was in dark green. Just to show how *evil* he really was. Nice touch that one.

Thanks for playing as much of the song as you did. That was very satisfying. I have a guinea pig named Artax.

cgi the technology is not bad,the problem is the people who have it ...don't know when to use it and when no to use it,,,just because you have the technology it does not make it better ...the story and good writting is what makes it better.....

That damn horse. I am one of those "Crying People"

The wolf scared the shit out of me when I was younger.

This is my childhood favorite movie. I love this movie so much when I was a kid. I have yet to revisit it as an adult.

One of my favorite movies growing up. I definitely remember the scene with the horse.

Watching this, I feel like The Neverending Story was THE movie of my childhood. I had actually watched the second part first, rented it on VHS. But at some point I was finally able to watch the original and absolutely loved it. Same goes for the book and its pages that are filled with images and writing in red and green - everything about it still feels so special.

‘To the winch wench!’ one of my favourite movie lines ever.

Ocean did release a computer game of The Neverending Story at the time on the Spectrum you know?

Oliver, I just discovered the early retrospectives! I loved watching this one over lunch. Cute young Oliver pic too!

The song was my favorite part of the film! Loved the music as a child :)

Thanks for the feedback. For some of my recent reviews I've put a warning at the beginning about spoilers. But you have to remember this is a retrospective.

omg... i can't stop watching these reviews!

There is nothing cheesy about the 80's music..I was 8 when I saw this in the cinema and it stays with me to this day.

I have subscribed to your channel. Your reviews are top-notch, seriously. I appreciate your selection of movies to review, pretty much every movie from my childhood.

These videos are so nostalgic.

I am so glad I've stumbled upon your videos man, you cover movies I really truly love and some are quite underrated. I love the fact that you don't just give me a basic review ,but you go into some actual production details that I adore. Subscribed.

You are by far one of the best reviewers out there. Thank you.

Watched it yesterday with my daughter. Awesome!!!

Something I really respect about these reviews is seeing glowing, insightful recommendations for many films that I overlooked as I grew up, this being yet another one of them (not the most enriched of childhoods). After this review, I feel motivated to seek them out and add them to my collection!

Really enjoyed this! Thank you. I have wonderful memories of watching this film in Pakistan when I was very young. Those were good times!

This move in usual in such a way that it made the right decisions when deviating from the book and therefore created an even better story.

Hearing the theme at the end of the video has brought back the feeling of seeing this movie as a kid. Now I won't be able to sleep because I'm too hyped up about flying with dragons.

I saw this movie the first time this year, and to be hounest I was almost into tears how graceful it was! The score, the visuals...simple unforgettable! A remake could work in case someone puts energy into making the movie just as fantastic as it is supposed to be.

This review has made me a follower. Not to mention reminded me that I have nephews that are hungry for movies this good. When you see them so quickly growing board of things like Teen Titans Go, you know they're looking for more even if they don't know it.

My favorite thing about the film was the theme about living out your dreams. Two parts of the story that did this well were the scene in which Bastion’s father tells him to keep his feet on the ground and be realistic and near the end when the Empress begs Bastion to save Fantasia by doing what he dreams.. Although these are completely different points they are also correct. All accomplishments and creations start with dreams, however you have to take action and make your dreams come true. My thanks to Michael Ende for writing the novel.

I absolutely love this film growing up and wanted to show it to my first graders. But sadly in this day and age....no dice. Love your channel btw!

I just watched the Blu-ray again, and wondered if you'd given this your usual great treatment. (The DTS-HD-MA sound mix is terrific) Apart from the nostalgic nature of it, (I saw this in the cinema in 1985 when I was 7 years old, and vividly remember that experience), it still works today. I pop it in now and again just to watch a few scenes but it still sucks me in and I end up watching it to the end. I love how it subtly manages to break the "fourth wall". A great movie to show kids, and it has a wonderful message about the power of imagination and, well, you know, actually reading a book for a bit. They truly don't make them like this anymore. It's a bit insulting to kids to say that they couldn't cope with such darkness.

I absolutely love all your reviews!! the best on the internet

I remember when I saw this movie as a kid it changed my life.

Having recently finished The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, I think I'm ready to see Falcor again.

I'm 41 this year and the falcor theme still makes me well up, absolutely fantastic.

Perfect choice for a retrospective. I agree with this being a perfect family film. I can watch this again and again.

I remembered this fantastic movie from my childhood. I think EVERYBODY CRIED when the horse drowned in the swamp....I know I did. The Never-Ending Story song at the end of the movie by limhal was pretty catchy too.....❤️

Everyone is always sad about Artax...but The Rockbiters "Big, strong hands" gets me choked up over 25 years from the first time I watched it. To see someone, so damn huge and impressive so forlorn, so failed by his own strength despite itself is just heartbreaking.

probably my favorite of the 80s family fantasy films