''The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia'' (also known as: ''The NeverEnding Story III: Return to Fantasia'') is a 1994

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...

. It is the third and final film in the franchise. It stars

Jason James Richter Jason James Richter (born January 29, 1980) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his role in the ''Free Willy'' film series as Jesse, the boy who befriends Willy the orca. Early life Richter was born on January 29, 1980, in M ...

Bastian Balthazar Bux This article lists character information from the 1979 novel ''The Neverending Story'' by Michael Ende and the film adaptations of the same name. Bastian Balthazar Bux Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and bookish boy, 10 or 11 years old, who ...

, and

Jack Black Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his acting roles in the films '' High Fidelity'' (2000), ''Shallow Hal'' (2001), ''Orange County'' (2002), '' School of Rock'' (2003), ''E ...

in an early role as school bully Slip. This film primarily used the characters from

Michael Ende Michael Andreas Helmuth Ende (12 November 1929 – 28 August 1995) was a German writer of fantasy and children's fiction. He is known for his epic fantasy ''The Neverending Story'' (with its 1980s film adaptation and a 1995 animated television ...

's novel ''

The Neverending Story ''The Neverending Story'' (german: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. The novel was later adapted into several f ...

'' (1979), with the exception of Atreyu, who is absent from the film, and introduced a new storyline. It was an international co-production between the United States and Germany. The special creature effects were provided by

Jim Henson's Creature Shop Jim Henson's Creature Shop is a special/visual effects company founded in 1979 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The company is based out of Burbank, California, United States. History Jim Henson's Creature Shop was originally ...

Plot

In a prologue, the Old Man of Wandering Mountain reads from a large book, begins to record a prophecy of a day when "The Nasty" will arrive in Fantasia, and describes the savior of "Extraordinary Courage".

is now 13 years old, and his father Barney has married a woman named Jane, and moved into her house in a new neighborhood. Jane's daughter Nicole is displeased at having a new family. Bastian has also started high school, where he has become a victim of the Nasties, a quintet of bullies led by Slip. Bastian arranges for them to be expelled with the help of the janitor after the Nasties trap him in the boiler room. He later flees to the library, where he is surprised to find

Carl Conrad Coreander This article lists character information from the 1979 novel ''The Neverending Story'' by Michael Ende and the film adaptations of the same name. Bastian Balthazar Bux Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and bookish boy, 10 or 11 years old, who ...

and the ''Neverending Story''. The Nasties locate him, but he uses the book to escape to Fantasia, where he is reunited with

Falkor This article lists character information from the 1979 novel ''The Neverending Story'' by Michael Ende and the film adaptations of the same name. Bastian Balthazar Bux Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and bookish boy, 10 or 11 years old, who ...

, Engywook and Urgl. On Earth, the Nasties find the ''Neverending Story'' and use it to bombard Fantasia with fireballs and a storm. With wooden Bark Troll, Bastian and his friends head for the Wandering Mountains to speak with the

Childlike Empress This article lists character information from the 1979 novel ''The Neverending Story'' by Michael Ende and the film adaptations of the same name. Bastian Balthazar Bux Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and bookish boy, 10 or 11 years old, who ...

, who asks Bastian to find the ''Neverending Story'' using the

Auryn Auryn (; stylized as AURYN) was a 5-member Spanish boy band founded in 2009. Signed to Warner Music, they sang in English and Spanish. Members The band is made up of five members that appeared previously on various talent show series in Spain. ...

. Falkor, Barky, the

gnome A gnome is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Its characte ...

s, and Rockbiter's son, Junior, help him, but a "wish overload" scatters them all across Earth, where Barky ends up in a conifer forest, Falkor saves Junior from falling to his death near

Mount Rushmore Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (Lakota: ''Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe'', or Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota ...

, and the gnomes arrive in

Nome, Alaska Nome (; ik, Sitŋasuaq, ) is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of Alaska, United States. The city is located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. It had a population of 3,699 recorded ...

. Bastian locates Falkor and Junior, and Falkor flies off to find the others while Junior stays at Bastian's house. Rockbiter sadly informs his wife that Junior is gone, and the Nasties provoke them to quarrel. Nicole takes the Auryn from Bastian's room, discovers its wishing abilities, and takes it on a shopping trip to the local mall. Bark Troll arrives at Bastian's house disguised as a garden plant, while the Gnomes are mailed to him in a box. The reunited group go in search of Nicole, but the Nasties find the Auryn first, whereupon giant crustacean creatures appear in Fantasia to kill the Empress and her advisors. Everyone in the mall turns evil, including Mr. Coreander and Bastian and Nicole’s parents. Bastian is struck by lightning, and begins to succumb to the wills of the Nasties, but Nicole saves him, and Bastian recovers the Auryn and the book in a fight. The Fantasians return to Fantasia, which is restored to its former magnificence. Bastian and Nicole manage to keep their parents from divorcing, and Junior is reunited with his parents. Nicole and Bastian return to school the next day and find that Bastian has changed Slip and the Nasties into friendly classmates, and Bastian returns the ''Neverending Story'' to Mr. Coreander.

Cast

Melody Kay Melody Dolor Kay (born August 28, 1979) is an American actress. She starred in several movies including ''Camp Nowhere ''Camp Nowhere'' is a 1994 American adventure comedy film directed by Jonathan Prince, written by Andrew Kurtzman and El ...

as Nicole Baxter, Bastian's stepsister *

as Slip ("The Nasty"), the leader of the Nasties *

Freddie Jones Frederick Charles Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916-2005.''; at ancestry.com (12 September 1927 – 9 July 2019) was an English actor who had an extensive career in television, theatre and cinema productions for a ...

, a former local librarian; Old Man of Wandering Mountain *

Julie Cox Julie Cox is an English actress. She played Princess Irulan in the Sci Fi Channel's 2000 miniseries ''Frank Herbert's Dune'' and its 2003 sequel, ''Frank Herbert's Children of Dune''. She also played The Childlike Empress in ''The Neverending S ...

as The

Moya Brady Moya Brady (born 8 September 1962) is an English actress. Her roles include Breda McQueen on the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' from 2018 to 2020. Brady grew up in the seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. She has appeared in a ...

as Urgl *

Tony Robinson Sir Anthony Robinson (born 15 August 1946) is an English actor, author, broadcaster, comedian, presenter, and political activist. He played Baldrick in the BBC television series ''Blackadder'' and has presented several historical documentaries ...

as Engywook *

Tracey Ellis Tracey Ellis is a Canadian actress, known for ''The Last of the Mohicans'' (1992), ''This Boy's Life'' (1993) and ''The Age of Innocence'' (1993). Filmography Film Television External links * Living people Canadian television actr ...

as Jane Bux, Bastian's stepmother * Kevin McNulty as Barney Bux, Bastian's father * Frederick Warder as Mr. Rockbiter Sr. *

William Todd-Jones William Todd-Jones (born 1958) is a Welsh puppeteer, puppet designer, performer, director, movement consultant and writer for film, television and theatre in the UK and abroad. As an environmentalist, Todd-Jones is a longstanding patron of the w ...

as Mrs. Rockbiter * Dave Forman as Mr. Rockbiter Jr. * Gordon Robertson as

* Kaefan Shaw as Bark Troll *

Mark Acheson Mark Acheson (born September 19, 1957) is a Canadian voice, film and television actor. Career Acheson began studying acting at Langara College’s Studio 58 at the age of 15. He is a founding member of Janus Theatre and appeared on stage for eigh ...

as the Janitor *

Ryan Bollman Ryan Matthew Bollman (born August 9, 1972) is an American television and film actor. Roles He played Micah in '' Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice'' and has also starred in the films '' The Granny'' as Junior, '' True Blue'', ''Lure ...

as Dog, a member of the Nasties * Carole Finn as Marcia/Mookie, a member of the Nasties and Slip's girlfriend * Nicole Parker as Coil, a member of the Nasties * Adrien Dorval as Rage, a member of the Nasties

Voices

William Hootkins William Michael "Hoot"Austin Mutti-MewseObituary: William Hootkins ''The Guardian'', November 14, 2005, accessed December 13, 2012. Hootkins (July 5, 1948 – October 23, 2005) was an American actor, best known for supporting roles in Hollywood b ...

as Bark Troll;

Mac McDonald Mac McDonald (born Terence McDonald; June 18, 1949) is an American actor. He is known for playing Captain Hollister on the BBC TV series '' Red Dwarf'' and frequently plays American characters in other British TV shows. He has also had many mov ...

as Mrs. Rockbiter * Gary Martin as Rockbiter; Mr. Rockchewer; Junior Rockchewer

Soundtrack

Production

In February 1993 at the

American Film Market The American Film Market (AFM) is a film industry event held each year in early November. Historically, more than 7,000 people attend the eight-day annual event to network and to sell, finance and acquire films. Participants come from more than ...

, it was announced Peter MacDonald had been hired by CineVox Entertainment to direct fantasy adventure, The Neverending Story III from a script by Jeff Lieberman with production scheduled for Summer of that year. The film was announced with a budget at $25 million with producer Dieter Geissler, who produced the first two entries, and Tim Hampton with production expected to take place for six months in Vancouver and Germany.

Release

''The NeverEnding Story III'' was first released in Germany on October 27, 1994 by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

under the

Family Entertainment ''Family Entertainment'' is the second album by the British progressive rock band Family, released in March 1969. The cover of the album was a takeoff from the sleeve of the Doors' second album, '' Strange Days'', as Family admitted. Backgrou ...

label. In the Philippines, it was released by Jemah Films on January 4, 1995, with an advanced screening on January 2. The film was given a limited release in the United States on February 2, 1996 by

Miramax Films Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey Weinstein, Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was ...

under their Family Films label.

Reception

Critical response

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' stated: "''The NeverEnding Story'' lives up to its title in the worst way possible with this third outing, a charmless, desperate reworking of the franchise that might just as well be subtitled 'Bastian Goes to High School'".

Box office

By late December 1994, the film grossed $5 million in Germany.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:NeverEnding Story 3 1994 films 1990s fantasy adventure films American children's adventure films American children's fantasy films American fantasy adventure films American sequel films Films about bullying American films about Halloween Films about wish fulfillment Films about dysfunctional families Films directed by Peter MacDonald Puppet films Films shot in South Dakota Films shot in Vancouver German children's films German fantasy adventure films English-language German films German sequel films High fantasy films Miramax films The NeverEnding Story (film series) Warner Bros. films CineVox films 1990s American films 1990s German films