Rare The Neverending Story Special Effects Crew MA-1 Bomber Jacket 1982-84

Description

Own a piece of cinematic history with this incredibly rare, original crew jacket from "The Neverending Story"! This jacket was worn by a member of the Special Effects team during the production in München (Munich) between 1982-1984. "The Neverending Story" is a beloved 1984 West German-American fantasy film adaptation of the 1979 novel of the same name by Michael Ende. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, it tells the tale of Bastian Bux, a shy boy who discovers a magical book that transports him into the fantastical world of Fantastica, where he must help a young warrior save the realm from "The Nothing." Known for its groundbreaking practical effects and timeless story, it remains a classic for generations. This is a black MA-1 style bomber jacket, consistent with those issued for military and crew use. The exterior is a shiny black nylon, showing the characteristic crinkled texture. The interior lining is a bright, contrasting yellow/gold color. The back of the jacket features exquisite gold embroidered lettering that reads: "THE Neverending Story SPECIAL EFFECTS MUNCHEN 1982-84" This embroidery is also subtly visible as a mirror image through the yellow lining when the jacket is opened. The internal label confirms its authenticity and specifications: "JACKET, AIRMANS INTERMEDIATE MA-1A MIL-J-9781 (U.S.) SIZE. S STOCK No. JD691/5B/1A/2L CONTRACT No. AF/38979/81/82/83 MADE IN U.K. BY CAMPARI SHELL & LINING 100% NYLON INTERLINING 100% POLYESTER FIBRE FILL DRY CLEAN ONLY" This jacket is a must-have for any serious film memorabilia collector or fan of "The Neverending Story." It's a tangible link to the magic that brought Fantastica to life. ____________________ 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 adaptation); other well-known works include Momo and Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver. His works have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 35 million copies.[1] Early life Ende was born 12 November 1929 in Garmisch, Bavaria, the only child of the surrealist painter Edgar Ende and Luise Bartholomä Ende, a physiotherapist.[2] In 1935, when Michael was six, the Ende family moved to the "artists' quarter of Schwabing" in Munich (Haase).[clarification needed] Growing up in this rich artistic and literary environment influenced Ende's later writing. In 1936, his father's work was declared "degenerate art" and banned by the Nazi Party, so Edgar Ende was forced to draw and paint in secret.[3] Second World War World War II heavily influenced Ende's childhood. He was twelve years old when he witnessed the first Allied bombing raid on Munich: Our street was consumed by flames. The fire didn't crackle; it roared. The flames were roaring. I remember singing and careering through the blaze like a drunkard. I was in the grip of a kind of euphoria. I still don't truly understand it, but I was almost tempted to cast myself into the fire like a moth into the light. He was horrified, however, by the 1943 Hamburg bombing, which he experienced while visiting his paternal uncle. At the first available opportunity his uncle put him on a train back to Munich. There, Ende attended the Maximillians Gymnasium until schools were closed as the air raids intensified and pupils were evacuated. Ende returned to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where he was billeted in a boarding-house, Haus Kramerhof and later in Haus Roseneck. It was there that his interest in German poetry was awakened. As well as writing his own poetry, he began to study various literary movements and styles. As most recent German poetry was banned as part of censorship in Nazi Germany, he instead studied the German Romantic poet Novalis, whose Hymns to the Night made a great impression on him. In 1944, Edgar Ende's studio at no. 90 Kaulbachstraße, Munich went up in flames and over two hundred and fifty paintings and sketches were destroyed, as well as all his prints and etchings. Ernst Buchner [de], Director of Public Art for Bavaria, was still in possession of a number of Ende's paintings, which survived the raids. After the bombing, Luise Ende was relocated to the Munich district of Solln. In 1945, Edgar Ende was taken as a prisoner of war by American GIs, but was released soon after the end of the war. In 1945, German youths as young as fourteen were drafted into the Volkssturm and sent to war against the advancing Allied armies. Three of Michael Ende's classmates were killed on their first day of combat. Ende was also drafted, but tore up his call-up papers and joined a secret German resistance group founded to sabotage the SS's declared intention to defend Munich until the "bitter end". Ende served the group as a courier for the remainder of the war. In 1946, Michael Ende's grammar school re-opened, and he attended classes for a year, following which the financial support of family friends allowed him to complete his high-school education at a Waldorf School in Stuttgart. This seemingly charitable gesture was motivated by more self-interest: Ende had fallen in love with a girl three years his senior, and her parents funded his two-year stay in Stuttgart to keep the pair apart. It was at this time that he first began to write stories ("Michael," par. 3).[clarification needed] He aspired to be a "dramatist," but wrote mostly short stories and poetry (Haase).[clarification needed] Career Early career During his time in Stuttgart, Ende first encountered Expressionist and Dadaist writing and began schooling himself in literature. He studied Theodor Däubler, Yvan Goll, Else Lasker-Schüler and Alfred Mombert, but his real love was the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, Stefan George and Georg Trakl. He also made his first attempts at acting, performing with friends in Stuttgart's America House. He was involved in productions of Chekhov's one-act comedy "The Bear", in which he played the principal role, and in the German premiere of Jean Cocteau's Orpheus. Ende's first play "Denn die Stunde drängt (As Time is Running Out)" dates to this period. It was dedicated to Hiroshima, and was never performed. Ende decided that he wanted to be a playwright, but financial considerations ruled out a university degree, so in 1948 he auditioned for the Otto Falckenberg School of the Performing Arts in Munich and was granted a two-year scholarship (Haase). On leaving drama school, his first job as an actor took him to a provincial theatre company in Schleswig-Holstein. The troupe travelled from town to town by bus, usually performing on makeshift stages, surrounded by beer, smoke and the clatter of skittles from nearby bowling alleys. The acting was a disappointment, he usually had to play old men and malicious schemers, and had barely enough time to memorize his lines. Despite the frustrations and disappointments of his early acting career, Ende came to value his time in the provinces as a valuable learning experience that endowed him with a practical, down-to-earth approach to his work: "It was a good experience, a healthy experience. Anyone interested in writing should be made to do that sort of thing. It doesn't have to be restricted to acting. It could be any kind of practical activity like cabinet making—learning how to construct a cabinet in which the doors fit properly." In Ende's view, practical training had the potential to be more useful than a literary degree. Thanks to the numerous contacts of his girlfriend Ingeborg Hoffmann, Michael Ende was introduced to a variety of cabaret groups. In 1955, Therese Angeloff [de], head of Die kleinen Fische [de] (the 'Little Fish' cabaret), commissioned Ende to write a piece in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Friedrich Schiller's death. Ende produced a sketch in which a statue of Schiller was interviewed about newsworthy issues, and replied with quotes from Schiller's work. "There was rapturous applause, and commissions arrived from other cabarets too." Michael Ende began to compose sketches, chansons and monologues. He also worked as a film critic during the 1950s.[4] Commercial success: writing Jim Knopf In the late 1950s, Ende wrote his first novel Jim Button. I sat down at my desk and wrote: "The country in which the engine-driver, Luke, lived was called Morrowland. It was a rather small country." Once I'd written the two lines, I hadn't a clue how the third line might go. I didn't start out with a concept or a plan—I just left myself drift from one sentence and one thought to the next. That's how I discovered that writing could be an adventure. The story carried on growing, new characters started appearing, and to my astonishment different plotlines began to weave together. The manuscript was getting longer all the time and was already much more than a picture book. I finally wrote the last sentence ten months later, and a great stack of paper had accumulated on the desk. Michael Ende always said that ideas only came to him when the logic of the story required them. On some occasions he waited a long time for inspiration to arrive. At one point during the writing of Jim Button the plot reached a dead end. Jim and Luke were stuck among black rocks and their tank engine couldn't go any further. Ende was at a loss to think of a way out of the adventure, but cutting the episode struck him as disingenuous. Three weeks later he was about to shelve the novel when suddenly he had an idea—the steam from the tank engine could freeze and cover the rocks in snow, thus saving his characters from their scrape. "In my case, writing is primarily a question of patience," he once commented.[5] After nearly a year the five hundred pages of manuscript were complete. Over the next eighteen months he sent the manuscript to ten different publishers, but they all responded that it was "Unsuitable for our list" or "Too long for children". In the end he began to lose hope and toyed with the idea of throwing away the script. He eventually tried it at a small family publishing-house, K. Thienemann Verlag [de] in Stuttgart. Michael Ende's manuscript was accepted by company director Lotte Weitbrecht who liked the story. Her only stipulation was that the manuscript had to be published as two separate books. The first of the Jim Button novels was published in 1960. About a year later, on the morning of the announcement that his novel, Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver, had won the German Prize for Children's Fiction, Ende was being sued by his landlady for seven months' rent back payment. With the prize money of five thousand marks, Michael Ende's financial situation improved substantially, and his writing career began in earnest. After the awards ceremony, he embarked on his first reading tour, and within a year, the first Jim Knopf book was also nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award and received the Berlin Literary Prize for Youth Fiction. The second Jim Knopf novel, Jim Button and the Wild Thirteen, was published in 1962. Both books were serialized on radio and TV, and the Augsburger Puppenkiste famously adapted the novels in a version filmed by Hesse's broadcasting corporation. The print-runs sold out so rapidly that K. Thienemanns could barely keep up. Translations into numerous foreign languages soon followed.[5] Writing style and themes Ende claimed, "It is for this child in me, and in all of us, that I tell my stories", and that "[my books are] for any child between 80 and 8 years" (qtd. Senick 95, 97). He often expressed frustration over being perceived as a children's writer exclusively, considering that his purpose was to speak of cultural problems and spiritual wisdom to people of all ages. Especially in Germany, Ende was accused by some critics of escapism.[6][7] He wrote in 1985: One may enter the literary parlor via just about any door, be it the prison door, the madhouse door, or the brothel door. There is but one door one may not enter it through, which is the nursery door. The critics will never forgive you such. The great Rudyard Kipling is one to have suffered this. I keep wondering to myself what this peculiar contempt towards anything related to childhood is all about.[8] Ende's writing could be described as a surreal mixture of reality and fantasy. The reader is often invited to take a more interactive role in the story, and the worlds in his books often mirror our reality, using fantasy to bring light to the problems of an increasingly technological modern society. His writings were influenced by Rudolf Steiner and his anthroposophy.[9][10] Ende was also known as a proponent of economic reform, and claimed to have had the concept of aging money, or demurrage, in mind when writing Momo. A theme of his work was the loss of fantasy and magic in the modern world.[11] Japan Michael Ende had been fascinated by Japan since his childhood. He loved Lafcadio Hearn's Japanese legends and ghost stories, and in 1959 he wrote a play inspired by Hearn's material. Die Päonienlaterne (The Peony Lantern) was written for radio, but never broadcast. Ende was primarily interested in Japan because of its radical otherness. The Japanese language and script were so different from Ende's native German that it seemed they were grounded in a different kind of consciousness—an alternative way of seeing the world.[citation needed] He was particularly intrigued by the way in which everyday circumstances were shaped into intricate rituals, such as the tea ceremony.[citation needed] There was, he realized, a sharp contrast between the traditions of ancient Japan and its industry-oriented modern-day society.[citation needed] Ende won a devoted following in Japan, and by 1993 over two million copies of Momo and The Neverending Story had been sold in Japan. In 1986 Michael Ende was invited to attend the annual congress of the JBBY (Japanese Committee for International Children's Literature) in Tokyo. He gave a lecture on "Eternal Child-likeness"—the first detailed explanation of his artistic vision. 1989 marked the opening of the exhibition Michael and Edgar Ende in Tokyo. The exhibition was subsequently shown in Otsu, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuyama. At the invitation of Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper, Michael Ende attended the opening and spent two months touring Japan. It was his third trip accompanied by the Japanese-born Mariko Sato, whom he married in September 1989. The following year an archive devoted to Michael Ende was established at Kurohime Dowakan, a museum in the Japanese city of Shinano-machi. Ende donated letters and other personal items to the collection. On 23 October 1992 Michael Ende made his final trip to Japan. In the course of their three-week visit Michael Ende and Mariko Sato-Ende visited the Dowakan museum, joined Ende's Japanese publishers, Iwanami, in celebrating the millionth sale of Momo, and travelled to Kanazawa and Hamamatsu and a number of other cities that were new to Ende.[12] Personal life On New Year's Eve 1952, Michael Ende met the actress Ingeborg Hoffmann during a party with friends. According to Ende, he was standing at an ivy-covered counter serving as barman, when Hoffmann strode towards him, looking "flame-haired, fiery and chic". She declaimed: "Leaning up against the ivy-covered wall / Of this old terrace"; "Mörike", Ende said instantly, recognizing the quote. Hoffmann, eight years his senior, made a big impression on Ende. She in turn was intrigued by his literary cultivation and artistic inclinations.[13] They began a relationship that led to their marriage in 1964 in Rome, Italy, and ended with Ingeborg Hoffmann's sudden and unexpected death in 1985 from a pulmonary embolism; she was 63 years old. Hoffmann influenced Ende profoundly. In addition to assisting with getting his first major manuscript published, Hoffmann worked with him on his others, reading them and discussing them with him. Hoffman also influenced Ende's life in other ways. She encouraged Ende to join the Humanist Union, an organization committed to furthering humanist values. Together they campaigned for human rights, protested against West German rearmament, and worked towards peace. Thanks to Ingeborg Hoffmann's numerous contacts, Michael Ende was introduced to a variety of cabaret groups. In 1955, Therese Angeloff, head of Die kleinen Fische (the 'Little Fish' cabaret), commissioned Ende to write a piece in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Friedrich Schiller's death. Ende produced a sketch in which a statue of Schiller is being interviewed about current events, and replies with quotes from Schiller's writings. "There was rapturous applause, and commissions arrived from other cabarets too." Michael Ende began to compose sketches, chansons and monologues.[13] For fourteen years, Ende and Hoffmann, who were both Italophiles, lived just outside Rome in Genzano, in a house they called Casa Liocorno ("The Unicorn"). It was there that Ende wrote most of the novel Momo. Following the death of his wife, Ende sold the home in Genzano and returned to Munich. He married a second time in 1989, to Japanese woman Mariko Sato, and they remained married until his death.[3] He first met Mariko Sato in 1976. Sato had emigrated from Japan to West Germany in 1974 and was working at the time for the International Youth Library in Munich. After their first meeting at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, Sato translated some of Ende's books into Japanese[14] and helped answer his questions about Japanese culture. From 1977 to 1980 Michael Ende and Mariko Sato worked together to produce a translation into German of ten fairy tales by Japanese writer Kenji Miyazawa. The German text was never published, but their working partnership turned into a friendship. Mariko Sato accompanied him on a number of trips to Japan. The first trip took place in 1977 and included visits to Tokyo and Kyoto. For the first time Ende was able to experience Kabuki and Noh theatre, and was greatly impressed by traditional Japanese drama. Michael Ende had no children. Death In June 1994, Ende was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Over the next few months, he underwent various treatments, but the disease progressed. He ultimately succumbed to the disease in Filderstadt, Germany, on 28 August 1995.[15] Works Children's novels Jim Button (Jim Knopf) series: Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver (Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer) (1960), ISBN 3-522-17650-2 Winner of the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 1961. Jim Button and the Wild 13 (Jim Knopf und die Wilde 13) (1962), ISBN 3-522-17651-0 Stand-alones: Momo, or The Grey Gentlemen, or The Men in Grey (Momo, or Momo oder Die seltsame Geschichte von den Zeit-Dieben und von dem Kind, das den Menschen die gestohlene Zeit zurückbrachte) (1973), ISBN 3-522-11940-1 Winner of the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 1974. The Neverending Story (Die unendliche Geschichte) (1979), ISBN 3-522-17684-7 The Night of Wishes: Or the Satanarchaeolidealcohellish Notion Potion (Der satanarchäolügenialkohöllische Wunschpunsch) (1989), ISBN 3-522-16610-8 Rodrigo Raubein und Knirps, sein Knappe (2019), with Wieland Freund, ISBN 978-3-522-18500-4; novel initiated by Ende and developed and concluded by Freund Children's short stories All short stories "Tranquilla Trampeltrue — the Persistent Tortoise" ("Tranquilla Trampeltreu, die beharrliche Schildkröte") (1972), ISBN 3-522-41030-0 "The Little Rag Puppet" ("Das kleine Lumpenkasperle") (1975), ISBN 3-522-43537-0 "Lirum Larum, Willi Why" ("Lirum Larum Willi Warum") (1978), ISBN 3-87838-231-6 "The Dream Eater" ("Das Traumfresserchen") (1978), ISBN 3-522-41500-0 "The Lindworm and the Butterfly", or "The Strange Swap" ("Der Lindwurm und der Schmetterling oder Der seltsame Tausch") (1981), ISBN 3-522-43495-1 "Filemon Foldrich" ("Filemon Faltenreich") (1984), ISBN 3-522-43483-8 "Norbert Fatnoggin, or The Naked Rhinoceros" ("Norbert Nackendick oder Das nackte Nashorn") (1984), ISBN 3-522-42430-1, based on his play Die Ballade von Norbert Nackendick; oder das nackte Nashom "Ophelia's Shadow Theatre" ("Ophelias Schattentheater") (1988), ISBN 3-522-42520-0 "The Story of the Bowl and the Spoon" ("Die Geschichte von der Schüssel und vom Löffel") (1990), ISBN 3-522-14870-3 "Lenchen's Secret" ("Lenchens Geheimnis") (1991), ISBN 3-522-16690-6 "The Long Way to Santa Cruz", or "The Long Road to Santa Cruz" ("Der lange Weg nach Santa Cruz") (1992), ISBN 3-522-16809-7 "The Teddy Bear and the Animals" ("Der Teddy und die Tiere") (1993), ISBN 3-522-43138-3 "A Bad Night" ("Eine schlimme Nacht") (1994) "A Tongue Twister Story" ("Eine Zungenbrechergeschichte") (1994) "Instead of a Preface; To Be Precise" ("Anstelle eines Vorworts: Genau genommen") (1994) "Moany Parker and Nosy-Kissy" ("Nieselpriem und Naselküss") (1994) "Moni Paints a Masterpiece" ("Moni malt ein Meisterwerk") (1994) "Never Mind" ("Macht nichts") (1994) "The School of Magic", or "The School of Magic in the Realm of Wishes" ("Die Zauberschule im Wünschelreich") (1994) "The Story of the Wish of Wishes" ("Die Geschichte vom Wunsch aller Wünsche") (1994) Collections The School of Magic and Other Stories (Die Zauberschule und andere Geschichten) (1994), collection of 20 short stories: "Anstelle eines Vorworts: Genau genommen", "Die Zauberschule im Wünschelreich", "Tranquilla Trampeltreu, die beharrliche Schildkröte", "Das kleine Lumpenkasperle", "Lenchens Geheimnis", "Die Geschichte vom Wunsch aller Wünsche", "Norbert Nackendick oder Das nackte Nashorn", "Macht nichts", "Nieselpriem und Naselküss", "Eine Zungenbrechergeschichte", "Lirum Larum Willi Warum", "Moni malt ein Meisterwerk", "Die Geschichte von der Schüssel und vom Löffel", "Der Teddy und die Tiere", "Der lange Weg nach Santa Cruz", "Der Lindwurm und der Schmetterling oder Der seltsame Tausch", "Filemon Faltenreich", "Eine schlimme Nacht", "Das Traumfresserchen", "Ophelias Schattentheater" Adult short stories Collections: Mirror in the Mirror: A Labyrinth, or The Mirror in the Mirror: A Maze (Der Spiegel im Spiegel. Ein Labyrinth) (1984), collection of 30 short stories, ISBN 3-423-13503-4: "Verzeih mir, ich kann nicht lauter sprechen", "Der Sohn hatte sich unter der kundigen Anleitung", "Die Mansarde ist himmelblau", "Die Bahnhofskathedrale stand auf einer großen Scholle", "Schweres schwarzes Tuch", "Die Dame schob den schwarzen Vorhang ihres Kutschenfensters beiseite", "Der Zeuge gibt an, er habe sich auf einer nächtlichen Wiese befunden", "Der marmorbleiche Engel saß unter den Zuhörern im Gerichtssaal", "Moordunkel ist das Gesicht der Mutter", "Langsam wie ein Planet sich dreht, dreht sich der große runde Tisch", "Das Innere eines Gesichts mit geschlossenen Augen, sonst nichts", "Die Brücke, an der wir schon seit vielen Jahrhunderten bauen", "Es ist ein Zimmer und zugleich eine Wüste", "Die Hochzeitsgäste waren tanzende Flammen", "Über die weite graue Fläche des Himmels glitt ein Schlittschuhläufer dahin", "Dieses Heer besteht nur aus Buchstaben", "Eigentlich ging es um die Schafe", "Mann und Frau wollen eine Ausstellung besuchen", "Dem jungen Arzt war gestattet worden", "Nach Bureauschluss", "Der Bordellpalast auf dem Berge erstrahlte in dieser Nacht", "Der Weltreisende beschloß seine Wanderung", "An diesem Abend konnte der alte Seefahrer den ununterbrochenen Wind nicht mehr ertragen", "Unter einem schwarzen Himmel liegt ein unbewohnbares Land", "Hand in Hand gehen zwei eine Straße hinunter", "Im Klassenzimmer regnete es unaufhörlich", "Im Korridor der Schauspieler trafen wir einige hundert Wartende", "Das Feuer wurde von neuem eröffnet", "Der Zirkus brennt", "Ein Winterabend" The Prison of Freedom (Das Gefängnis der Freiheit) (1992), collection of 8 short stories, ISBN 3-492-24990-6: "Einer langen Reise Ziel", "Der Korridor des Borromeo Colmi", "Das Haus an der Peripherie", "Zugegeben etwas klein", "Die Katakomben von Misraim", "Aus den Aufzeichnungen des Traumweltreisenden Max Muto", "Das Gefängnis der Freiheit", "Die Legende vom Wegweiser" Uncollected short stories: "The Legend of the Full Moon" ("Die Vollmondlegende") (1993) Plays The Spoilsports, or The Fools' Inheritance (Die Spielverderber oder: Das Erbe der Narren) (1967) Ein sehr kurzes Märchen (1976), based on short story Hansel and Gretel Momo und die Zeitdiebe (1978), opera based on novel Momo The Entertainer's Tale (Das Gauklermärchen) (1982) Die Ballade von Norbert Nackendick; oder das nackte Nashom (1982) Die zerstreute Brillenschlange (1982) The Goggolori (Der Goggolori) (1984), opera The Hunting of the Snark (Die Jagd nach dem Schlarg) (1988), opera based on poem "The Hunting of the Snark" by Lewis Carroll Das Traumfresserchen (1991), opera based on short story "The Dream Eater" The Pied Piper (Der Rattenfänger: ein Hamelner Totentanz. Oper in elf Bildern) (1993), opera Die Geschichte von der Schüssel und vom Löffel (1998), opera based on short story "The Story of the Bowl and the Spoon" Poems The Nonsense Book (Das Schnurpsenbuch) (1969), ISBN 3-522-12890-7 The Shadow Sewing Machine (Die Schattennähmaschine) (1982), ISBN 3-522-12790-0 Flea Market of Dreams: Songs to be Sung at Midnight and Quiet Ballads (Trödelmarkt der Träume: Mitternachtslieder und leise Balladen) (1986), collection of poetry and lyrics, ISBN 3-492-24798-9 Non-fiction Edgar Ende (1971) Phantasie / Kultur / Politik. Protokoll eines Gesprächs (1982), with Erhard Eppler and Hanne Tächl, ISBN 3-522-70020-1, opinion Archaeology of Darkness. Discussions about Art and the Work of Painter Edgar Ende (Die Archäologie der Dunkelheit. Gespräche über Kunst und das Werk des Malers Edgar Ende) (1985), with Jörg Krichbaum, ISBN 3-522-70190-9, art Art and Politics. A Conversation (Kunst und Politik – ein Gespräch) series (art): Kunst und Politik – ein Gespräch (1989), with Joseph Beuys, ISBN 3-928780-48-4 Kunst und Politik – Gesprächsfortsetzung (2011), with Joseph Beuys, ISBN 978-3-928780-53-7 Michael Ende's File-Card Box. Sketches and Notes (Michael Endes Zettelkasten: Skizzen und Notizen) (1994), ISBN 3-492-26356-9, collection of short stories, poems, essays, aphorisms, notes, letters, drafts, meditations and curiosities Monogatari no yohaku (The White Rim of a Story) – a Conversation between Michael Ende and Toshio Tamura (Monogatari no yohaku (Der weiße Rand einer Geschichte) - ein Gespräch von Michael Ende/Toshio Tamura) (2000), with Toshio Tamura, opinion, published posthumously The School for Louts (Die Rüpelschule) (2002), with Volker Fredrich, ISBN 3-522-43381-5, guide published posthumously The Big Michael Ende Reader (Das große Michael Ende Lesebuch) (2004), literature, published posthumously Adaptations Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer (1961), animated series directed by Harald Schäfer, based on children's novel Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver Jim Knopf und die wilde 13 (1962), animated series directed by Harald Schäfer, based on children's novel Jim Button and the Wild 13 Jim Knopf und Lukas, der Lokomotivführer (1970), TV movie directed by Günther Meyer-Goldenstädt and Eberhard Möbius, based on children's novel Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer (1977), animated series directed by Manfred Jenning, based on children's novel Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver Jim Knopf und die wilde 13 (1978), animated series directed by Manfred Jenning, based on children's novel Jim Button and the Wild 13 The NeverEnding Story (1984), film directed by Wolfgang Petersen, based on children's novel The Neverending Story Momo (1986), film directed by Johannes Schaaf, based on children's novel Momo The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990), film directed by George T. Miller, based on children's novel The Neverending Story The Neverending Story III: Escape from Fantasia (1994), film directed by Peter MacDonald, based on children's novel The Neverending Story The Neverending Story (1995-1996), animated series directed by Marc Boreal and Mike Fallows, based on children's novel The Neverending Story Jim Button (1999-2001), animated series directed by Bruno Bianchi, André Leduc, Jan Nonhof and Jean-Michel Spiner, based on series of children's novels Jim Button Wunschpunsch (2000-2002), animated series directed by Philippe Amador, based on children's novel The Night of Wishes: Or the Satanarchaeolidealcohellish Notion Potion Momo (2001), animated film directed by Enzo D'Alò, based on children's novel Momo Tales from the Neverending Story (2001-2004), series directed by Giles Walker and Adam Weissman, based on children's novel The Neverending Story Momo (2003), animated series directed by Cohem Burke and Colum Burke, based on children's novel Momo Cathedrals (2013), short documentary directed by Konrad Kästner, based on short story "The Station's Cathedral was Built on a Large Clod of Earth" Legend of Raana (2014), animated miniseries directed by Majid Ahmady, based on children's novel Momo Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver (2018), film directed by Dennis Gansel, based on children's novel Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver Jim Button and the Wild 13 (2020), film directed by Dennis Gansel, based on children's novel Jim Button and the Wild 13 1929: Michael Ende was born on November 12 in the Bavarian town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the son of the painter Edgar Ende from Hamburg and the jewelry seller Luise Bartholomä from Saarland. 1948: Michael Ende starts training as an actor at the Otto-Falckenbergschule in Munich. Afterwards, he plays parts at several small theaters in Northern Germany. 1954: Michael Ende works as a film critic for Bayerischer Rundfunk. Besides, he writes scenes and chansons for political cabaret and gets involved in organizing “Schwabinger Fasching” (Swabian Carnival), which caused a worldwide sensation in the Fifties. Michael Ende studies Bert Brecht who he holds in the highest esteem. 1956: Michael Ende's dreams of the theater break down. He falls into an artistic crisis and starts more or less aimlessly to write Jim Button . More than ten publishers refuse to publish the book. 1960: At long last, Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer ( Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver ) is published in Stuttgart by Thienemann Verlag. Michael Ende receives the German Youth Book Prize (German Award for Children's Literature) for it. 1962: Jim Knopf und die Wilde 13 ( Jim Button and the Wild 13 ) is published, and the Hessische Rundfunk produces the filmed performance of Augsburger Puppenkiste, which is a great success. 1964: Michael Ende and the actress Ingeborg Hoffmann get married in Rome. 1965: On December 27th , his father Edgar died. His parents had been separated since 1953. 1972: Twelve years after Jim Button and after six years of work, Momo is published in Stuttgart. Michael and Ingeborg Ende now live in Italy. 1973: On June 25, Michael Ende's mother dies at the age of 81. 1974: Momo receives the German as well as the European award for children's literature. In 1975 he writes an opera libretto with music by Mark Lothar. 1976: With Das Gauklermärchen ( The Minstrel's Fairytale ) Ende turns once more to the theater. 1979: The Neverending Story comes out in Stuttgart. 1982: With Fantasy/Culture/Politics – a publication about a round of political debates – Michael Ende takes the floor once more as a commentator of contemporary issues. It is the time of the great peace demonstrations against nuclear weapons. With The Mirror in the Mirror he started in 1983 an inner debate with his father. The book is dedicated to him. 1984: Michael Ende sees the film The Neverending Story and is shocked. Furiously he has his name removed from the project. 1985: On 3 February, the commissioned opera Der Goggolori ( The Goggolori ) has its successful premiere at the Münchner Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz. Wilfried Hiller wrote the music. On 27 March Michael Ende's wife Ingeborg Hoffmann dies of pulmonary embolism, after having seen the film version of The Neverending Story . Michael Ende returns to Munich. 1986: The film version of Momo has its premiere. 1989: On September 4, Michael Ende marries Mariko Sato in Munich. She had translated The Neverending Story into Japanese . 1994: In June Michael Ende has surgery for cancer for the first time. He has to stop work at Mamonella or the Spirit in the Bottle ( Mamonella or the Spirit in the Bottle ) a commission for the reopening of Prinzregententheater in Munich. 1995: On August 28, Michael died in the Filderklinik, a hospital near Stuttgart. All in all he received 41 awards for his artistic work. Contact imprint Data protection Michael Ende was born on 12th November 1929 in Garmisch and died at the age of sixty-five in Stuttgart on 28th August 1995. He was one of the most successful German authors of the post-war period, selling over twenty million books in forty different languages worldwide. His novels such as The Neverending Story, Jim Button, Momo and The Night of Wishes captured the hearts of readers young and old. Michael Ende was born to Luise Bartholoma (1892 - 1973) and Hamburg painter Edgar Ende (1901 - 1965). Even as a young child, he was influenced by the visionary, surrealistic nature of his father’s artwork, and the imaginary world of painting was as real to him as everyday life. In Search of the Magic Word Ende’s quest for the magic word was reflected in his literary endeavour. Through novels, short stories and poetry, Ende strove to guide his readers towards new ways of seeing and experiencing the world. To this end, he believed it was necessary to reconnect the disparate threads of modern life in a new poetic mythology for the contemporary age. In line with the romantic tradition, his quest for the magic word was a search for a story that would conjure the essence of the world as we know it. His attitude, though, was far from schoolmasterly - in keeping with his playful writing, the key to his poetic vision usually lay with the entertainer, the conjurer and joker. Whether in his fiction or in long conversations with his friends, Michael Ende spent his life finding ways to combat the threat of meaninglessness. In The Neverending Story, the ‘Nothing’ threatens to overwhelm the realm of Phantásia, and Ende perceived a similar danger in modern society. In his view, the task of art was to make the world an easier place to live in, since he believed that the power to give the world new meaning was held by art and culture alone. As a writer he found himself duty-bound to address the three big questions that every individual must confront: where do I come from, who am I, and where am I going. The biographical section of this website tells of Michael Ende’s quest for the magic word, describing how the author regarded his literary role and how his writing developed over time. The intention is to provide an insight into the literary vision and life of a man whose novels conquered the hearts of millions of readers. For Michael Ende, art and life were inseparable, for he inhabited two worlds at once: our world and the realm of Phantásia. Michael Ende’s story started in 1928 and was prompted by a sudden downpour in the Bavarian town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. In order to escape the wet weather, Edgar Ende (1901 - 1965), a Hamburg-born painter, took refuge in a small store in Bahnhofstrasse that sold precious stones and lace. When closing-time came, the weather showed no sign of improvement, so the shopkeeper, Luise Bartholoma (1892 - 1973), invited the stranger to shelter in her apartment on the first floor. Edgar Ende showed her his artwork, and succeeded in gaining not only her attention but her hand in marriage too. Luise, a solitary woman nine years his senior, took a keen interest in all matters literary, philosophical, mythological and religious, and found a suitable companion in Edgar. That night, they talked into the early hours, and Edgar subsequently moved in with Luise. The bans were published on the eve of his twenty-eighth birthday, and the couple were married on 22nd February. Michael Andreas Helmut Ende was born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen at 5.15 pm on 12th November. He was delivered by emergency caesarean section, and his mother’s life hung in the balance. Nevertheless Ende was a healthy baby who grew at an extraordinary rate - so fast that he outgrew his christening dress ordered from Arabia, and was never christened at all. His father, Edgar Ende, soon tired of life in Garmisch, and pressed for a move to the city where his artwork would be more appreciated. ‘Garmisch was no place for an artist,’ wrote Michael Ende of his father’s ambitions. ‘The only place for a painter was Munich. So my mother shut up shop and we moved to the city.’ The move took place in 1931, and the family established themselves in a villa that had previously belonged to the sculptor Joseph Floβmann - no. 19 Marsopstraβe in present-day Munich. Edgar Ende’s paintings sold well, and the financial situation of the family improved. The next four years were some of the happiest ever for the family, but the interest in Edgar’s work did not last. Much has been written about Michael Ende’s father, but comparatively little is known of his mother, Luise Bartholoma. Ende described her as a small but energetic woman, whose life was shaped by the early loss of both parents. She was born in Neunkirchen in Saarland, western Germany, but was orphaned at the age of four. She soon learnt to stick up for herself during her years at the orphanage: ‘She loved and hated more ferociously than anyone I’ve ever met. The little that my family owned was all down to her energy (…) for my father seldom sold any of his paintings.’ Over time, Luise Ende began to use her contacts to find potential buyers for her husband’s artwork. She was devoted to her son. Luise Ende didn’t start painting until late in life. Her works, painted in tempera on treated plywood, use poetic and tender scenes to tell of childhood memories and forgotten fairytales. Michael Ende kept a series of the paintings until his death, and they can now be seen in the author’s archive in Munich. Michael Ende first succumbed to the magic of storytelling while listening to Fanti, ‘an alcoholic painter and a most eccentric and gifted man’, whose incredible stories won the affection and admiration of all the children in the neighbourhood. Fanti invented his stories as he went along, telling wildly imaginative tales. He also used scraps of paper to draw fabulous illustrations. ‘Perhaps I was thinking of him,’ wrote Ende, ‘when I created Luke the Engine Driver.’ For the young Ende, the hours spent listening to Fanti were filled with enchantment and excitement, and they remained vivid in his mind. He kept some of Fanti’s drawings until his death. When questioned about his work, Michael Ende often mentioned the influence of Fanti’s storytelling on his fiction: ‘My real education was imparted by one of our neighbours - a totally eccentric old chap. He was a painter like my father. His whole house was painted from top to bottom with the wackiest fairytale scenes. He was a communist and had a terrible squint - he shot himself in the temples as a lovelorn young man - and always wore a cap. The kids in the neighbourhood clung to him like limpets, but he would have been anathema to today’s permissive parenting. Whenever we got up to mischief – on one occasion we even derailed a tram - he assessed the extent of the crime, calculated the size of the punishment, fetched his ladle and dished out the exact number of blows, making sure that each hit home. We used to howl with pain, but if he hadn’t beaten us, we would have been mortally offended. We genuinely loved him. Looking back, those were the happiest years of my childhood.’ Edgar Ende experienced the highpoint of his artistic career in Munich Pasing. The State of Bavaria purchased a number of his works, and his name became known throughout Germany and abroad. Contact was made with French galleries and American cultural institutes. No one knows the exact dates of the family’s sojourn in Joseph Floßmann’s old villa, but it was a period that had a formative influence on Michael Ende’s career. In addition to Fanti, Ende came into contact with a circus family that had been given refuge in the house next door. Too poor to buy their own tent, the family were taken in by Hildegard Buchner, whose four children delighted in learning magic tricks and acrobatics. The clowns also let them experiment with costumes and face paint and taught them how to stage their own simple acts, which the children did with enthusiasm. For Michael Ende, the performer came to epitomize the artist - a character who, like the tightrope walker or the clown, is responsible for the creation of something that has no ‘purpose’. In 1935 the Ende family moved from Obermenzing to no. 90 Kaulbachstraβe in Schwabing, where they occupied an apartment on the fourth floor. The apartment was divided into two: a studio for Edgar Ende and a living room and bedroom for the family. The bedroom had a glass ceiling in place of a conventional roof, so Michael Ende went to sleep in a windowless room with a view of the stars. Later in life, he was well aware that his sleeping quarters had a ‘definite bearing’ on his work. During their time in Schwabing, the family’s financial circumstances deteriorated due to the changing political climate. Michael Ende was always grateful to his parents, and in particular to his father, for laying the foundations for his artistic understanding and vision. Edgar Ende’s artwork played an important role in his life from his childhood onwards, and the fantasy world of his father’s paintings was part of his everyday experience. Michael Ende had the good fortune to grow up in an environment in which artistic and spiritual questions were accorded more importance than material comfort. None of the Ende family was troubled by their relative poverty - for them and their friends, art was all-important. It was nothing out of the ordinary for friends to pop round in the middle of the night in search of intellectual conversation. The literary historian Friedhelm Kemp once woke the family because he had an irrepressible urge to share a poem with his friends. Michael Ende described the occasion: ‘We all got out of bed, even though I had school the next day (…) and sat in the studio (…) discussing the poem until four in the morning.’ Such experiences had a formative influence on Ende, instilling in him a belief in the primacy of art. Michael Ende had a Bohemian childhood surrounded by painters, sculptors and writers. His father took a profound interest in philosophical and religious questions, and delved into alchemy, Indian myth and anthroposophy - areas which proved difficult to research due to the disapproval of the Nazi regime. He often spent hours at a time discussing these and other topics. A lively, positive atmosphere buoyed the family’s spirits whenever Edgar Ende was in a productive phase of his career. Decades later, Michael Ende recalled these periods fondly, remembering the sense of euphoria when a painting had been completed: ‘Friends used to visit and join in the celebrations (…) They gathered around the painting until the early hours of the morning, and as a seven or eight year-old, I was allowed to join in. I was more than happy just to look. (…) No one used to discuss the paintings properly - it was as though we used to dream our way into them, saying whatever came into our heads.’ Ende senior had his own particular way of sourcing new ideas for his artwork, and the technique left a lasting impression on his son. After darkening the lights in his studio, the artist would sit or lie on a chaise-longue for hours on end, waiting in silence for inner images to surface. Sometimes he would spend a day or longer in his ‘dark room’, and no one was permitted to enter. Once his consciousness had emptied, vivid images would appear before him, either frozen or in motion, and he would sketch the pictures in the dark. To this end, he designed a special tool - a pencil strapped to a miniature torch. Later, if the nascent images were able to retain their mystery in the light, he would turn them into gouaches or oil paintings. Michael Ende was extremely close to his father. In later years, the two men would often discuss Edgar Ende’s paintings and world view. Esoteric and religious questions were a favourite topic of conversation. Edgar Ende’s profound respect for the divine was not limited to Christianity, but extended to the great figureheads of other religions, such as Buddhism. When the young Michael Ende began to write poetry, his parents took his literary efforts very seriously, and Edgar Ende would proudly read the poems to his friends. As a writer, Michael Ende was lucky to have benefited from his parents’ support from a very early age. In 1936 Edgar Ende was prohibited from painting by the National Socialist regime, which labelled his artwork ‘degenerate’. He continued to work behind closed doors, but could no longer exhibit his work, and his nascent international career was cut short abruptly. The family became financially dependent on Luise Ende, who trained as a physiotherapist and masseuse. This was the start of a difficult period. Many of Edgar’s colleagues and friends, both Jews and ‘gentiles’, were arrested, and news of concentration camps came through. As a child, Michael Ende had to learn not to talk to anyone about topics that were discussed at home. Cracks had started to appear in the Endes’ marriage. The personalities of husband and wife were very different: Edgar Ende was a quiet man who sketched his visions in the dark, spending days on end in his studio, while his wife was a highly determined and energetic woman whose meagre wages kept the family going in times of need. After a while the friction became unbearable, and the constant quarrelling took its toll on the couple’s son. Running from one parent to the other, Michael Ende tried to restore peace and keep the family together. At the time he didn’t realize that his mother could be difficult to live with too: ‘She had an incredible energy and a real intensity of emotion that sometimes turned into aggression. It must have been hard on my father.’ Michael Ende started elementary school in 1936. Four years later his parents decided to send him to grammar school. He managed to scrape through the admissions exam for the Humanistische Maximilians-Gymnasium (a grammar school in Munich with a focus on humanities), but failed his end-of-year assessment and was obliged to repeat the year. His academic failure plunged him into despair, and he contemplated suicide. ‘My goodness!’ he exclaimed when asked about his schooldays. ‘I was terrible at school. I was hopeless in class, and lived in constant terror of going back the next day. School for me was a long grey prison sentence of indefinite duration. The last two years were a little better - I attended a Waldorf school, which of course was banned by the Nazis and re-opened after the war. But it was too late by then to make a real difference. I was already thoroughly traumatized by school.’ Edgar Ende was called up in 1941 and initially served in a flak unit near Cologne. Normally all twelve-year-old boys would be required to join the Hitler Youth, but the Endes succeeded in finding an alternative solution. Michael Ende enrolled at a nearby SA riding school and was authorized to learn to ride instead.The horrors of war brought an early end to Michael Ende’s childhood. He was twelve years old when the first air raid took place above Munich. ‘Our street was consumed by flames. The fire didn’t crackle; it roared. The flames were roaring. I remember singing and careering through the blaze like a drunkard. I was in the grip of a kind of euphoria. I still don’t truly understand it, but I was almost tempted to cast myself into the fire like a moth into the light.’ He was horrified by the 1943 Hamburg bombing raids, which he experienced while visiting his uncle. ‘It was as though the world was coming to an end. I still dream about it now - of finding charred corpses shrivelled to the size of babies. I can picture the army of people wandering helplessly through the ruins as though trapped in a maze. One of them was carrying a table on his back - a futile gesture, but it was probably the only thing he could salvage.’ The raids began on 24th July, and by the following week Hamburg had been razed to the ground. During that time, Michael Ende was at the centre of the inferno. At the first available opportunity he was dispatched by his uncle (Edgar Ende’s brother) on a train back to Munich. At home the shaken boy composed his first poem. In 1943 schools in Munich closed as the air raids intensified and the pupils were evacuated. Michael Ende returned to his birthplace where he was billeted in a boarding-house, ‘Haus Kramerhof’ and later in ‘Haus Roseneck’. It was there that his real interest in poetry was awakened. As well as writing his own poetry, he began to study poetical movements and styles - insofar as the works were available. A good deal of modern poetry was banned at the time, and so he studied the Romantic poet Novalis, whose ‘Hymns to the Night’ left a great impression on him. In 1944 Edgar Ende’s studio at no. 90 Kaulbachstraβe, Munich went up in flames. Over two hundred and fifty paintings and sketches were destroyed, as well as all his prints and etchings. Ernst Buchner, Director of Public Art for Bavaria, was still in possession of a number of Ende’s paintings, and they survived the raids. After the bombing Luise Ende was relocated to Solln. In 1945 Edgar Ende was taken prisoner by the Americans and released soon after the war.During the final year of war, male evacuees of fourteen or fifteen years of age were drafted into the army and the Waffen-SS and sent to face the American tanks. Three of Michael Ende’s classmates were killed on their first day of action. Ende also received call-up papers, but tore up the letter and made his way home to his mother in Munich. By then the German army was already in retreat. Corpses of deserters hung by the wayside, strung up in the trees by the SS or the military police. Michael Ende came into contact with a Bavarian resistance movement founded to sabotage the German war effort and bring about its capitulation. Ende was used as a courier, and the operation succeeded in undermining the SS’s declared intention to defend Munich until the ‘bitter end’. Michael Ende’s attitude towards life was profoundly influenced by his experience of war. He was paralysed by a kind of defeatism and always expected the worst. It seemed to him that the world was falling apart, and he saw disaster as part of everyday life. In fact, it surprised him when catastrophes didn’t materialize. In 1945 the Ende family left Solln and moved to no. 135a Leopoldstraβe in Schwabing. Edgar Ende shared a studio there with a painter of the Munich school, Richard Ferdinand Schmitz - one of the few surviving members of the circle around Stefan George, Friedrich Gundolf and Karl Wolfskehl. In 1946 Michael Ende’s grammar school re-opened, and he attended classes for a year, after which the financial generosity of family friends allowed him to complete his high-school education at a Waldorf school in Stuttgart. This seemingly charitable gesture was motivated by more self-interested calculations: Ende had fallen in love with a girl three years his senior, and her parents funded his two-year stay in Stuttgart to keep the pair apart.During his time in Stuttgart Michael Ende was more attracted to art and literature than to the anthroposophical focus of the Waldorf school. He shared his parents' interest in Rudolf Steiner and his work, but, as Peter Boccarius mentions in his biography of Michael Ende – Michael Ende. The beginning of the story (Michael Ende: The Beginning of the Story – his worldview wasn't shaped by Steiner's anthroposophy alone. Inspired by his father's books on the subject, Ende soon came into contact with mystical writings. During the first quarter of the twentieth Century Munich was a 'capital of mysticism' , home to numerous proponents of mystical beliefs, including Alfred Schuler, Karl Wolfskehl and Ludwig Klages. The idea of exploring eschatological questions through art appealed to the young pupil, and he became an avid reader of mystical texts. Throughout his life Michael Ende was fascinated by philosophical theories centered on mystical ideas. 'Edgar Ende's son looked for truth in the writings of other sages and mystics, including Christian Rosenkreutz's Chymical Wedding, Aleister Crowley's manifestos, Indian and Egyptian belief systems, Zen, Kabala, Swedenborg, Eliphas Lévi, Sören Kierkegaard and Friedrich Weinreb. But he could never have become anyone's disciple: a closed perspective on the world and the afterlife would have stifled him. For Michael, there was something else that took precedence.' And that something was kind. As far as Ende could tell, none of the philosophical systems he came across offered a satisfactory explanation as to the meaning and purpose of art nor provided a template as to what art should be. 'Steinert's conception of art,' he once wrote, 'was the weakest point in his philosophy. Steinert believed he could use art to convey truth, but he was mistaken - not only because he didn't have the artistic talent for it, but also because his understanding of what art could and should be was misguided. It is often the way with those who are first and foremost thinkers.'When Michael Ende started at the Waldorf school in 1946, he had long since grown out of being a schoolboy. In Stuttgart he first encountered Expressionist and Dadaist writing and began schooling himself in literature. He studied Theodor Däubler, Ivan Goll, Elke Lasker-Schüler and Mombert, but his real love was the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, Stefan George and Georg Trakl. In the two years after the war, he made his first attempts at acting, performing with friends in Stuttgart’s America House. He was involved in productions of Chekhov’s one-act comedy The Bear, in which he played the principal role, and in the German premiere of Jean Cocteau’s Orpheus . It was at America House that he met the painter Willi Baumeister. The German post-war period heralded a rebirth of the theatre. In their thirst for life, people flocked to the theatres and were fascinated by the new ways of seeing the world that it offered. Michael Ende’s first play "Denn die Stunde drängt (As Time is Running Out)" dates back to this period. It was dedicated to Hiroshima, and was never performed. Michael Ende subsequently described his early plays as ‘much too heavy on pathos (…) and overburdened with philosophy’. In 1947 his close friend Peter Boccarius submitted one of his sonnets to Esslingen’s regional newspaper, and Ende saw his first text - ‘Der Gaukler’ (The Entertainer) - in print. The following year he received a payout of forty marks from the currency reform and was finally able to purchase a guitar. He taught himself to play, and accompanied himself to the lyrics of his poems and songs. Ende’s first poems and short stories were composed in 1943, but his main goal was to write for the theatre. Financial considerations ruled out a university degree, so he decided to opt for a more practical route into dramaturgy. In 1948 he auditioned for the Otto Falckenberg academy of acting in Munich. His declared intention to study acting in order to be a better playwright must have impressed his examiners, for he was admitted on a two-year scholarship. During his time at the academy he studied classical and modern theories of theatre and was subsequently able to put his knowledge to good use.On leaving drama school, it was time for Michael Ende to put theory into practice, but after life at a renowned academy, he found being an actor a sobering experience. As a student he was accustomed to discussing complex theoretical questions, but his first job took him to a provincial theatre company in Schleswig-Holstein. The troupe travelled from town to town by bus, usually performing on makeshift stages, surrounded by beer, smoke and the clatter of skittles from nearby bowling alleys. Even the acting was a disappointment, for despite his dark curls, Michael Ende was never assigned the part of ‘heroic lover’ that he had trained for. Instead he was made to play old men and malicious schemers, and had barely enough time to memorize his lines. Despite the frustrations and disappointments of his early acting career, Ende came to value his time in the provinces as a valuable learning experience that endowed him with a practical, down-to-earth approach to his work: ‘It was a good experience, a healthy experience. Anyone interested in writing should be made to do that sort of thing. It doesn’t have to be restricted to acting. It could be any kind of practical activity like cabinet making - learning how to construct a cabinet in which the doors fit properly.’ In Ende’s view, practical training had the potential to be more useful than a literary degree. His time as an actor was certainly productive from a creative perspective, and he continued to read and discuss dramaturgical theories and ideas. In so doing, he couldn’t help but engage with the theoretical writings of Bertolt Brecht. There the spoken word took precedence over the written, for Brecht believed that language had to be uttered in order to come alive. Brecht’s groundbreaking theories made a lasting impression on the young actor. Ende rejected the ideological aspects of Brecht’s writing, but was profoundly influenced by the idea of an epic theatre that took a non-naturalistic, non-psychological approach. From then on he considered Bertolt Brecht to be one of the greatest writers of the age. Much as he admired Brecht as a writer, Ende was deeply disappointed when he met him in the flesh. While at drama school he participated in a Munich production of Mother Courage and was dismayed by the playwright’s arrogant and patronising treatment of the cast. In 1951 Michael Ende returned to Munich with the comedy Sultan hoch zwei (Sultan Times Two) in his hand. He read the script to numerous dramaturges and editors, but they dismissed it: ‘as soon as I lowered the manuscript, they resumed their conversations.’ That year Edgar Ende painted his son’s portrait.Edgar Ende’s time as a forgotten artist seemed to be over. In 1949 he was asked to organize Munich’s biggest art exhibition and was subsequently elected president for three years in succession - a position that gave him scant time to further his artistic career. A year later he numbered among the founders of the German Artists’ Union. Ultimately, though, his hopes for an artistic breakthrough would be disappointed. The era of abstract art was dawning, and Edgar Ende’s paintings proved difficult to sell. The debates conducted between father and son soon became more intense, developing into quarrels. Michael Ende challenged his father’s opinions with ideas of his own, and their views on art began to diverge. Edgar Ende found this difficult to accept, and later cited their disputes as part of the reason for his departure. Michael Ende was deeply hurt by the implied reproach. In 1953 Michael Ende was confronted with the situation he had been dreading since childhood: his father left the family home to move in with one of his pupils, Lotte Schlegel. Ende had known that his parents’ marriage was in tatters and had done everything in his power to keep the family together, but his hopes of a reconciliation were in vain. This time there was nothing to be done, and his father’s departure for no. 26 Schellingstraβe was a source of much grief. After the split, Michael Ende became responsible for the household’s financial and emotional welfare. For Luise Ende, the separation was a devastating blow - her husband had survived the war and had attained some financial stability, only for him to leave her for a younger woman. She attempted to take her life on several occasions by overdosing on sleeping pills.Ingeborg Hoffmann On New Year’s Eve 1952, Michael Ende met his future wife Ingeborg Hoffmann during a party with friends. According to the author, he was standing at an ivy-covered counter acting the part of the barman, when Hoffmann strode towards him, looking ‘flame-haired, fiery and chic’. ‘Leaning up against the ivy-covered wall / Of this old terrace,’ she declaimed. ‘Mörike,’ Ende said instantly, recognizing the quote. Hoffmann was eight years his senior (b. 1 July 1921) and made a big impression on him, while she was intrigued by his literary cultivation and artistic inclinations. That night they began a conversation about art and life that was to last for thirty-three years, ended only by Ingeborg Hoffmann’s untimely death. The couple stayed together for over three decades, but their relationship was never easy, for they placed a heavy burden of expectation on one another, demanding absolute integrity, commitment and honesty. Inevitably there were disappointments, and both parties were often hurt. Michael Ende’s encounter with Ingeborg Hoffmann was a meeting of two people who could have ‘the most extraordinary effect on one another - for the good, and for the bad.’ Hoffmann had lived for the theatre since childhood. At fifteen years of age she was engaged as a dancer in Elbing and later performed in Salzburg and Bremen. She also danced for front-line troops during the war. In 1942 she married military surgeon Dr Gerko Hoffmann, and their son Michael was born a year later. But the marriage failed, and Ingeborg returned to Munich to live with her mother, aunt and son in an apartment in Siegfriedstraβe. Her acting career continued, and she performed in Munich, Stuttgart and Zurich. She also worked for Radio Munich and was often engaged as a dubbing artist - as the sole breadwinner in the household she had to provide for herself and three others. At one point, she seriously considered emigrating to America with Jewish writer Vera Hacken, and had just received her papers when she met Michael Ende in the final hours of 1952. Nothing was more important to Ingeborg Hoffmann than integrity, and she fought passionately for justice, even if it meant making enemies for herself. She was never afraid to speak out and always accepted the fallout - usually to her detriment. Her outlook on life was shaped by mystical ideas, and she was known for her ability to read cards. She had a knack of seeing something special in everything she encountered, whether in landscapes, people or works of art. Storytelling wasn’t her forte - her tales were hopelessly detailed and full of digressions. The big questions in life fascinated her, but circumstances usually forced her to deal with more immediate considerations. She bore her situation calmly, and her willingness to accept life endeared her to others. Peter Boccarius, a good friend of the couple, described her as: ‘difficult, vulnerable, passionate. A volcano or a candle burning at both ends. Some people think she’s mad, and she’s certainly not an easy person to get along with. She’s always fighting for something - for a maltreated dog or for starving children in Vietnam. No one could be indifferent to her - she makes friends or enemies, with nothing in-between.’ Ingeborg Hoffmann was forever in search of new challenges. Acting and the stage were more important to her than anything else. The power of the spoken word intrigued her, and when a script took her fancy, she would perform it in such a way that it acquired a life of its own. The trouble came when the text didn’t appeal to her - her performance would be so half-hearted that the lines would literally fall apart. With her talent for reading aloud, Ingeborg Hoffmann would go over Michael Ende’s manuscripts, reading them page by page and discussing them with him, deliberating for hours over individual words, thoughts and episodes. She put all her energy into supporting and fostering his central mission - to find the magic words that would re-invest the world with meaning. It was Ingeborg Hoffmann who encouraged Ende to join the Humanistic Union, an organization committed to furthering humanist values. Together they campaigned for human rights, protested against rearmament, and worked towards peace. The Union organized readings, lectures and discussions. Tolerance towards others was always the main theme. Thanks to Ingeborg Hoffmann’s numerous contacts, Michael Ende was introduced to a variety of cabaret groups. Political and literary cabaret was experiencing its heyday. In 1955 Therese Angeloff, head of Die kleinen Fische (the ‘Little Fish’ cabaret), commissioned Ende to write a piece in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Friedrich Schiller’s death. He produced a sketch in which a statue of Schiller was interviewed about newsworthy issues and replied with quotes from Schiller’s work. ‘There was rapturous applause, and commissions arrived from other cabarets too.’ Michael Ende began to compose sketches, chansons and monologues. For the first time in his life he earned a modest income from his work. He also directed plays such as August Strindberg’s Gustav Wasa at the Volkstheater in Munich. Iris Burton, a former hoofer who discovered a slew of child actors, died Saturday in Woodland Hills. She was 77 and had been suffering from pneumonia and Alzheimer’s disease. Services for Burton will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills. Burton discovered child thesps including River Phoenix, Kirsten Dunst and Henry Thomas. At one point in the 1980s, Burton had child actors in virtually every sitcom. Over the years, her clients included Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Drew Barrymore, Tori Spelling, Fred Savage, Jerry O’Connell and Kirk Cameron. She co-represented Joaquin Phoenix and Josh Hartnett until recently. Burton got into the tenpercentery biz following her divorce from actor-director-scribe Sidney Miller, whom she met on the set of “The Ten Commandments.” Burton, who had a son, Barry, to support, had gone on welfare when agent William Schuller, who repped a young Ron Howard, gave her a job. While there, she gravitated toward child stars and eventually started the Iris Burton Agency. “She represented a who’s who of child stars,” said David Permut, who got to know her when considering Barrymore for an Eddie Murphy vehicle that never got made. “We all take pride in discovering people in this business. She did it in spades.” Born in Gotham, Burton started as a dancer, hoofing on Broadway in shows such as “Top Banana,” starring Phil Silvers. In the 1950s, she moved to Hollywood, where she danced in the film version of “Top Banana,” among other productions. Burton never lost her larger-than-life personality. “She was always brassy,” Permut said. “She always said what was on her mind. She was always an ex-showgirl from New York.” Arlyn “Heart” Phoenix, mother of the acting brood, said Burton protected her children’s welfare like a mother bear. “I will miss her very much,” she said, starting to tear up. “She always stood by my kids in every way. She had a deep respect for the choices we made.” At the time Burton discovered the Phoenix acting clan, Hart Phoenix was working for an NBC casting agent and the children were singing for money in Westwood. Permut said Burton always had a big Christmas party at her hilltop home “for all the kids.” Her son, Barry, became an actor, co-starring in such films as “Saturday Night Fever” and “Fame.” In 1985, he won a Tony for the Neil Simon hit Broadway comedy “Biloxi Blues.” Donations may be made to the Motion Picture and Television Fund. Iris Burton (born Iris Burstein, September 4, 1930 – April 5, 2008) was an American dancer and talent agent, who discovered and represented many famous child actors during her career. Contents 1 Personal life and early career 2 Later career 3 Death 4 References 5 External links Personal life and early career Burton was born as Iris Burstein in 1930 in Manhattan, New York City, and made a career as a child dancer, later dancing as Iris Burton in the Broadway shows Music in My Heart (1947) and Pardon Our French (1950).[1] She also danced on television, earning $125 per week in 1951 for performing on Milton Berle's program.[2] In the early 1950s, she moved to Hollywood, appearing as a dancer in several films such as Top Banana (1954) and The Ten Commandments (1956).[3] Tony Award-winning actor Barry Miller (Saturday Night Fever, Fame) is Burton's son from her brief marriage to actor/director Sidney Miller.[3] Later career Burton began her agency in 1977, becoming one of the few women at high levels in talent agencies.[2] She was well known for discovering the Phoenix brothers (River Phoenix and Joaquin Phoenix, and their sisters Rain, Liberty and Summer) when their mother Arlyn (Heart) Phoenix came to her and demanded she meet her children as she pleaded they had special talent. Iris was intrigued by an article written about a competition that the children had won and arranged an appointment. She worked with River throughout his short career.[3][4] Burton and her relationship with Greg Sestero is described in a chapter of Sestero's 2013 memoir The Disaster Artist. Sestero portrays Burton as a warm, quick-witted agent who took on representing him despite his lack of experience and ultimately led him to his first big roles.[5] This chapter was dramatized briefly in the 2017 film adaptation of the book, with Burton portrayed by Sharon Stone. Death Iris Burton died on April 5, 2008, aged 77, from pneumonia and complications of Alzheimer's disease in Woodland Hills, California[3] at the Motion Picture and Television Country House.[2] Noah Leslie Hathaway (born November 13, 1971) is an American actor and a former teen idol. He is best known for his roles as Atreyu in the 1984 film The NeverEnding Story and for portraying Boxey on the original television series Battlestar Galactica. His work in The NeverEnding Story made him particularly popular as a teenage celebrity in Europe. Contents 1 Career 1.1 Early work 1.2 The NeverEnding Story 1.3 Later roles 2 Personal life 3 Filmography 3.1 Film 3.2 Television 4 Awards and nominations 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 External links Career Early work Hathaway was born in Los Angeles, California. He began appearing in commercials at age three, and later starred in several TV films and series. At the age of six he appeared in Battlestar Galactica, portraying Boxey, for which he received a nomination in the first Young Artist Awards.[1] The NeverEnding Story He was cast as Atreyu in the 1984 film The NeverEnding Story. He received his second Young Artist Awards nomination[2] and won the award for Best Younger Actor in the 12th Annual Saturn Awards.[3] For the role Hathaway performed his own stunts, leading to a few near-injuries;[4] German director Wolfgang Petersen said: I sought a good-looking boy of athletic build with the quality of fierce determination. The role requires the character to ride a horse expertly, fly on the back of a dragon, struggle through a swamp, clamber over rocks and fight a ferocious wolf-vampire. Hathaway observed: Well, what it was... Wolfgang Petersen was notorious for his actors doing their own stunts. His actors are always getting hurt, because he wanted....Audiences are very savvy, you can cut away and show the back of somebody and show the stuntman doing their stunt. And everybody knows that, so he wants his actors to do as much as they can for the realism of the movie. Accidents happen and actors aren't stuntmen. That's why they have stuntmen, because if someone gets hurt, they're "expendable". And some of the times, they're just more careful.... I just ended up paying.[4] Hathaway has said that, during the time he worked as a tattoo artist, he could see for himself the film's on-going popularity, as clients regularly requested tattoos of the AURYN amulet his character wore, in the film.[5] He claims to have given fifteen different clients AURYN amulet tattoos in a single week. Later roles In 1986 Hathaway starred in Troll, as Harry Potter Jr. and in the television movie Casebusters, as Jamie. Hathaway did not return to acting until 1994, in the film To Die, to Sleep, in his first adult role. After a second hiatus as an actor, Hathaway returned in 2011 for the films Mondo Holocausto! as Ruggero Margheriti, and Sushi Girl as Fish. In 2016 Hathaway reprised his role from The NeverEnding Story for a Spotify commercial celebrating the 1980s.[6] Personal life This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately. Find sources: "Noah Hathaway" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Hathaway attended school at Lycee Français de Los Angeles.[citation needed] He moved into dance instruction, teaching advanced jazz and street dance until an injury forced him to quit in 1989 at age eighteen. Trained in martial arts, Hathaway would later earn black belts in Tang Soo Do and Shotokan Karate, and also competed as a Muay Thai boxer, and learned American Kenpo from Dr. Jerry Erickson. Hathaway spent some of his time at the Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, California competing in supersport motorcycle racing, and designing and riding "chopper" motorcycles. He was on tour with WizardWorld Conventions and appeared at the Chicago and Philadelphia shows in 2011. He appeared at the Supanova Pop Culture Expo in Sydney, Australia in June 2012.[7] Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1980 It's My Turn Homer's Son 1981 Separate Ways Jason Colby 1982 Best Friends Lyle Ballou 1984 The NeverEnding Story Atreyu Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor Nominated—Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical, Comedy or Adventure 1984 Quest N/A Short film 1986 Troll Harry Potter Jr. 1994 To Die, to Sleep Phil 2012 Sushi Girl Fish 2012 Mondo Holocausto! Ruggero Margheriti 2013 Blue Dream Roper Karlsson Television Year Title Role Notes 1978–1979 Battlestar Galactica Boxey 13 episodes Nominated—Young Artist Award for Best Juvenile Actor in a Television Series 1979 High Midnight Timmy Television movie 1979 Supertrain Kid Episode: "Superstar" 1979 The Last Convertible Teddy 3 episodes 1980 Mork & Mindy Jud Episode: "Little Orphan Morkie" 1980 Eight Is Enough Jerry 2 episodes 1982 Laverne & Shirley Kevin Swisher Episode: "Lightning Man" 1982 CHiPs Tommy Episode: "Ice Cream Man" 1984 Simon & Simon Patrick Jessup Episode: "Almost Completely Out of Circulation" 1985 Call to Glory Boy in French Class Episode: "JFK: Part Two" 1985 CBS Storybreak N/A 2 episodes 1985 Family Ties Adam Galardner Episode: "Designated Hitter" 1986 The Magical World of Disney Jamie Episode: "Casebusters" 1986 Wildfire N/A Unknown episodes 2013 Twisted Tales Dale Episode: "Boom" Awards and nominations 1980 - Young Artist Award for Best Juvenile Actor in a TV Series or Special - Nominated 1985 - Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical, Comedy, Adventure or Drama - Nominated 1985 - Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor - Won 1986 - Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Actor - Animation Voice Over - Nominated On August 14, 2005 at Memorabilia, held in Birmingham, England, we caught up with actor Noah Hathaway, better known for his part as Boxey on Battlestar Galactica 1978 and Atreyu on the NeverEnding Story. He started at the age of three already doing commercials and after being a child actor for years he left the business. Now he's thinking of picking it up again and we look back on his career and future plans. Your father was an acting teacher, so I guess he taught you a lot. Was he your only teacher or did you also have some other acting classes later? He was the main person that I have worked with during my early years. I have tried to work with some other teachers and I just... uhm... you have to kind of find out what works for you, you know. I worked with some pretty big teachers for a couple of months, but I'm just not very keen on certain people. For the last year I've been working with Ivana Chubbuck, who is Halle Berry's coach and Eva Mendez's coach and the Baldwin's coach... I've been working with her for the last year, because my back is much better now. She's great! She's the best coach I've had; I've had very little training up until recently. You already had a commercial agent when you were 3, right? Yes! You started pretty early then. When I was three, I did a Pepsi commercial, which was my first job. I probably did 10-15 commercials up until I did Battlestar [Galactica]. Noah Hathaway as Boxey on Battlestar Galactica 1978 Noah Hathaway as Boxey on Battlestar Galactica 1978 How did you get the part for Battlestar Galactica? Did you do a screentest? Yes, auditioned. Had a couple actually: two or three auditions and had to do a screentest. Where there a lot of other children? For the part? Yes. For the screentest... it was just between me and one other kid. I still remember his name though, which is funny. Did you have any guidance by your parents or welfare workers on the set? You have to by law! My parents were always on the set and you always had to have a teacher around. The teacher had credentials and they had make sure you're not exploited and that you're taking care off... you know what I mean? That you do your schooling and stuff... In the States back then, they were very on top of things. At least they were starting to become back then; starting to really get on top of things for kids. Because there were a lot of child actors and actresses at that time that were manipulated by directors with long working hours and things like that. It's a lot different now, but I guess in those days there weren't that many rules yet? What happened was: they came up with the Coogan Law, named after Jackie Coogan who was The Kid in the Charlie Chaplin movies. That's were it all kind off stemmed from, but it has taken years to really enforce it and get on top of it. A lot of kids were exploited during the times when it starting to take effect. You also had a crush on Jane Seymour (Serina)? Of course! She was beautiful! You even bought her flowers and perfume as a birthday present. Did you ever talked to her later about that, when you were an adult? A friend of mine was a producer on Dr. Quinn and he had me come out to say hi, so we talked about it. This was probably... I don't know, maybe 10 years ago. Yes, I told her. I said: "I had the biggest crush on you; you were so beautiful!" ...she blushed. (both laughing) There was also one of the episodes that had your father in it: "The Long Patrol". He was an Enforcer in there. Did you get him that job or was he just around? No... Well yeah, inadvertently I got it for him because he was on the set the whole time and he was an actor, so they cast him. Because there were a lot of family members of other cast members on the show. No... ? There were children of Glen Larson, the daughter of Lorne Greene was in there... Right! Yes, I know Lorne had some kid, but other than that... What was your favorite episode and why? Uhmm... I liked "Fire in Space" and I liked "[The Gun on] Ice Planet Zero", which was pretty cool! I got to do my little stunt in "Fire in Space". You had the two most famous "pets" in history: Falkor, the dragon and Muffit. What was your favorite and why? I liked Muffit, because Evie (the chimpanzee) was inside and she was like my pet for a couple of years. I would visit her after we had finished Battlestar [Galactica]. I saw her a bunch of times. The animal trainer had a reserve, called "Gentle Jungle", where he had tigers, elephants and bears. So we would go out there every now and then and go see her. Do you know what eventually happened to her? She'd gone old and passed away. She passed away a while ago. Noah Hathaway as Atreyu on NeverEnding Story Noah Hathaway as Atreyu on NeverEnding Story What about Falkor, the dragon? Did you like that, did you like riding him? That's was fun! The problem with that was that we would do certain scenes were it was hooked up to a motor. They would simulate it flying and the motor would overheat. It would go haywire and send me flying a good 30 foot up the air... (laughing) No, really! They had 10 feet boxes and pads and stuff, but I would get a good toss now and then. Yes, because there were a lot of accidents on NeverEnding Story. You almost got killed several times... Almost, yeah... You were thrown of a horse and stepped on, pretty much drowned in the Swamp of Sadness, you almost lost an eye in the fight scene with the Gmork... That's true! They beat me to death in that movie. So why did you do your own stunts then? Were there no little stunt guys then? Well, what it was... Wolfgang Petersen was notorious for his actors doing their own stunts. His actors are always getting hurt, because he wanted... Audiences are very savvy, you can cut away and show the back of somebody and show the stuntman doing their stunt. And everybody knows that, so he wants his actors to do as much as they can for the realism of the movie. Accident happen and actors aren't stuntmen. That's why they have stuntmen, because if someone gets hurt, they're "expendable". And some of the times, they're just more careful... I just ended up paying. Because nowadays agents won't allow that! Noooo...! Noah Hathaway Noah Hathaway Because the actor is like "the God" on the set. Right! See, the problem is that, yeah, the agents won't let them, but the actors have big egos, so they want to do their own stunts and everybody has to pull the reins back on the actors, because... you know... They live in this little dream world, you know what I mean? Yes, they don't like actors really doing their own stunts. They try to keep it minimal. Have you read the book of The NeverEnding Story? Couple of times! It's wonderful. Because the film was almost like the book cut in half. Right! And also Michael Ende doesn't like the film because of that. Do you know why they did that? Well, I think if you are an author of anything, and I think that goes for people who write scripts too for movies, because they want... they feel like you're destroying their work if you alter it. There's been a lot of time and imagination in creating that. When you change it, it's personal to them. He wrote this brilliant book. I mean: the book is amazing! The movie was wonderful, but the book was a hundred times better than the movie. I'm sure anybody would be upset about that. Because you own a sign copy of the book? Yes, he signed me a copy before he died. Did you meet him in person? Yes and he signed a copy for me then. Did you also talk about the film then? Oh, we hadn't started it yet! So, you met him before the film? Slightly, a little bit. Did he know you were doing the film and that part? Yes. Did he give any advice to you? Not that I remember. Like little background stories? No, not that I remember. Our meeting was very brief. The story had a message for both children and adults; children should more like grown ups and grown ups more like children. What do you think of a message like that? It's not like so that kids should be more like grown ups, because you don't want to lose your innocence. You want to lose The Wonderman. When you get older everybody... you become jaded and life happens and life is hard. And they say, don't lose that, don't lose your childlike innocence. Try not to let life jade you. I meant like children should read more and that kind of grown up stuff in stead of playing video games. Right, right... and that's what I tell my kids... READ! Read a book, don't sit in front of the TV. Read a book, use your imagination! The NeverEnding Story also had two crappy sequels (Noah laughs), there was a cartoonseries... if Wolfgang Petersen ever would ask you to do a sequel. Atreju was a bit older in the book then in the film... Yeah. Would you do it? Uhmmm... It would depend on how much they'd pay me! They'd have to pay me a LOT of money! (laughs) They have to pay me a lot of money to do it. They were a lot of problems we ended up having with the producers and the production. They were shady, so they'd have to pay me a ridiculous sum of money to do another film... with Wolfgang that is! Noah Hathaway Noah Hathaway What's going on in your life right now? Because at Galacticon 2003 you were talking about starting your own motorshop: 5150 Choppers? Yes, I'm still doing that! You were supposed to start in Miami. Has that happened already? No, my wife and I were planning, we were trying to move to Miami. The weather is great there for riding, the are a lot of bike rally's, but there are also a lot of hurricanes all the damn time! And my wife was not having that... at all! So, we decided not to move down there and I've been just been working and getting some bikes out of my garage. It's in progression and will take a couple of years to get a shop up. I'm still learning, like I'm going to welding school and learning about mechanics. And I learn as I'm building. It will take a while, you know, I'm not in a rush. I'm not trying to jump on the bandwagon... you know what I mean? The chopper bandwagon. I've been riding my whole life, so it's been something I've been wanting to do since I was a little kid... to build my own bikes; ever since I was 12-13 years old. You also talked about doing a theme bike, like doing a NeverEnding Story bike or maybe doing a Battlestar Galactica bike? Yes, a Battlestar [Galactica] bike. I don't know. I'm not... At that moment, it was like everybody was doing a theme bike or whatever, but I don't like to do what everybody does, you know what I mean? I'm not a sheep, I kind of want to do what makes me happy and somebody wants to commission, to pay me to do a Battlestar [Galactica] bike, I'd probably do one. I'll do what the customer wants. I like the bikes the way I like them, you know what I mean? So, if someone would commission me to do a bike, a theme bike, but it's not something I would... to have a big furry, pink bike in my shop! (laughs) You also said your friends were like really pushing you into acting again. Do you still think you'll ever go into acting again? Well, that's why I have been working with this coach for the last year. Because everybody has been bugging me to death and my body is in good enough working condition where I think, I feel, I can go back to work. So, I've been working with this woman for a year and she's like: "You need to get back to work!". So I've been trying to get ready for Pilot season since February this year, so my little ass will be back! OK! For what series? Don't know. Anything! I'd do a series, love to do a series! Have you seen the new Battlestar Galactica? I watched about 20 minutes of it. It was nice! Yeah, it was fun. It's a fun show. Would you say "yes" if they ever ask you for doing that? Yes, I'd love to do the new Battlestar Galactica. Actually I was talking to Aaron [Douglas], who's on the new show and we hit it off, so when he gets home he's going to talk to the executives... because they already have Richard [Hatch]. Yes, that's right. If they want to, they know where to find me. Yes, I would do that. What part would you like, what would you like to do in that? I don't know. I don't want to cut my hair, so... ! I could be some "roughie" or something. I'm also... I've been also writing some scripts and stuff, so you know, there's a lot of things I've been trying to do. Noah Hathaway Noah Hathaway Richard [Hatch] is a criminal, really coming up in the ranks and even going for presidency, so you could hook up with him like one of his shady prison friends. Maybe I could kill him, because it's very Oedipus to kill your father, right? That would be great! (both laughing) There's a lot of intrigue now about who's who, and who's becoming president because the new president might die soon. And if Richard would become president... it's very tricky to become president. Richard already said at this convention: If I become president, in one of the later episodes, they probably would kill me straight after that! Right! So that would be a great part for you to do? That would be fun! OK. Thank you for doing the interview. My pleasure. Hollywood loves a comeback story, especially when it’s about one of its own. Actor Noah Hathaway achieved the pinnacle of his business when he starred in the epic fantasy film “The Neverending Story” at age 12. The 1984 film was an adaptation of Michael Ende’s novel about a boy who must save the alternative world of Fantasia from destruction by “The Nothing.” It grossed $100 million worldwide. After a two-decade absence from Hollywood, Hathaway, now 43, has turned his attention back to Hollywood. He’ll be making appearances in Tacoma and Seattle this week. Despite his age at the time, Hathaway was hardly a newbie when he was cast in “The Neverending Story.” He had been working in commercials and TV since he was a tyke. But the long and arduous filming of “The Neverending Story” set him on the road to an early retirement. “I worked the first 20-something years of my life as an actor. I just wanted to drop off the radar and be a regular human being,” Hathaway said in an interview last week. Leaving entertainment, he embarked on a series of careers: mortgage broker, tattoo artist, dancer, martial arts trainer, motorcycle builder and racer. “I have trouble sitting still. I have lots of extra testosterone. But I’m actually a big softie,” Hathaway said. CHILD STAR Hathaway was just 6 when he was cast in the sci-fi TV series “Battlestar Galactica” in 1978. “I don’t think I had front teeth when we shot the pilot,” Hathaway said. He played Boxey, the son of Capt. Apollo, played by Richard Hatch. A chimp was used to portray Boxey’s dog-like robot. “When I was 6 years old I had my own chimp. It was all this great sci-fi stuff. It was awesome,” Hathaway said. Though the series lasted just one season, it still has a loyal fan following and eventually spawned a 21st century reboot. Hathaway was slated to appear at last weekend’s Galacticon 4 in Seattle but bowed out several weeks prior. “These people (the show’s producers) overextended themselves... and as soon as my Spidey-sense started tingling, I pulled out,” Hathaway said. “I don’t work that way.” Last week, just a few days before the convention was slated to start, its management canceled the appearances of 11 celebrity guests including Edward James Olmos and Hatch. At fan conventions like comicons and Galacticon, celebrities like Hathaway are either paid for their appearances or guaranteed a certain amount of revenue from autograph and photo opportunity sales. But that’s not the main reason he does them, Hathaway said. “You make a couple of bucks, but it’s about spending time with people who have waited 20 or 30 years to meet their favorite celebrity,” he said. “Without these people I wouldn’t have a job.” ‘THE NEVERENDING STORY’ Often billed as a children’s movie, “The Neverending Story” takes dark turns as Hathaway, playing the lead part of Atreyu, goes on a quest to help the residents of Fantasia. “I feel like at conventions I should have a fishbowl with dollars in it so I can chip in to your therapy,” Hathaway sometimes tells fans. But it’s Hathaway who still might need therapy years after filming wrapped. German director Wolfgang Petersen was a perfectionist who spoke little English. He required up to 40 takes to film a scene, Hathaway said. “A three-month movie turned into a year. It was a lot of work.” Two scenes alone, in the swamps of sadness where Artax the horse dies and Atreyu meets the gigantic tortoise, took two months of shooting. During that time Hathaway was up to his waist in mud. “Falling out the tree was great, but everything else was horrible,” Hathaway said of the scenes where the tortoise sneezes him out of a tree. Before filming began Hathaway began training with horses. During one of those sessions a horse got spooked and tried to jump a fence while Hathaway was on its back. “It didn’t jump the fence and fell on top of me,” Hathaway said. The accident cracked a couple of Hathaway’s vertebrae. He spent two months in a hospital and still has back issues today plus several titanium screws. The film has left physical and mental scars on Hathaway. “It’s the weirdest experience of my life. On one end it’s some of the most wonderful parts of my life, and in another respect it’s part of the worst parts of my life.” But Hathaway is able to separate the legacy of the film from his own experiences making it. He’s reminded of the film’s impact every time he meets fans. “People are scared sometimes to come up. They’ll stand 20 feet away and look at you, and you almost have to coax them up. It’s so surreal for people. When a mother with her children is sobbing because that movie you did changed their life for the better, if you’re in touch with any kind of humanity, that’s the stuff that makes you feel good.” The ultimate fan tribute: Hundreds of “Neverending Story” tattoos. He made a few himself while working as a tattoo artist in Europe. “I wouldn’t do another Auryn (talisman) tattoo because I did 15 in three weeks,” he said. “It is very flattering though.” ‘TROLL’ Next up for Hathaway was the 1986 fantasy-themed “Troll.” Hathaway plays a teen named Harry Potter Jr., who moves into an apartment building inhabited by an evil troll and the troll’s witch nemesis. The cult classic had a memorable cast. June Lockhart played the witch. Supporting actors included Anne Lockhart, Sonny Bono, Gary Sandy, Brad Hall and his soon-to-be wife Julia Louis-Dreyfus in her first movie. Like “The Neverending Story,” “Troll” uses animatronic characters, a special effect all but wiped out by computer generated imagery. “Now, you’re talking to a green tennis ball,” Hathaway lamented. “It just doesn’t seem as real.” And about that name his character shares with the famous English boy wizard? Hathaway thinks it’s just coincidental that J.K. Rowling chose the same name for her stories 10 years later. “I made a better Harry Potter than Daniel Radcliffe,” Hathaway said with a laugh. “I was cuter.” ‘SUSHI GIRL’ Hathaway was living in Amsterdam when he got a literal midnight call to appear in “Sushi Girl,” a 2013 noir thriller by Kern Saxton. The Tarantino-esque film features cameos by Shin’ichi Chiba, Danny Trejo and Michael Biehn, but makes major use of Mark Hamill, virtually unrecognizable from his “Star Wars” days, as he chews through the scenery and Hathaway’s body. “Hamill and Sonny Chiba are in? Sign me up. I was on the plane six hours later,” Hathaway said. Hathaway plays Fish, freshly released from prison and perhaps the only person in a criminal gang who knows what happened to a bag of purloined diamonds. Hamill’s character sets out to torture the information from Fish. “You’ll definitely be watching it through fingers,” Hathaway warned of scenes involving pliers and chopsticks. “It still gives me goose bumps. I have them right now. But we had a lot of fun making it.” It turns out “Sushi Girl” was the psychological boost Hathaway needed to return to Hollywood. And stay there. “It just kind of reignited everything,” Hathaway said. Since then he’s written five screenplays, two of which have been financed with a pilot slated to start filming in the next month. He hopes to sell it to Netflix or Amazon. This time around he’ll be in control of his career. “If you shoot a pilot yourself, you can keep what you own instead of giving it over to somebody.” The NeverEnding Story (German: Die Unendliche Geschichte) is a 1984 fantasy film co-written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen (in his first English-language film), and based on the 1979 novel The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. The film was produced by Bernd Eichinger and Dieter Giessler. It stars Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Patricia Hayes, Sydney Bromley, Gerald McRaney, Moses Gunn, and Alan Oppenheimer as the voices of both Falkor and Gmork (as well as other characters). The film follows a boy who happens upon a magical book that tells of a young warrior who is given the task of stopping the Nothing, a dark force, from engulfing the wonderland world of Fantasia. At the time of its release, it was the most expensive film produced outside the United States or the Soviet Union. The film was the first in The NeverEnding Story film series.[4] The film adapts only the first half of the book, and consequently does not convey the message of the title as it was portrayed in the novel. The second half of the book was subsequently used as a rough basis for the second film, The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990). The third film, The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia (1994), has an original plot not based on the book. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Music 4.1 Charts 5 Release 5.1 Box office 5.2 Critical reception 5.3 Accolades 6 Home media 6.1 LaserDisc 6.2 DVD 6.3 Blu-ray 7 In popular culture 8 Possible remake 9 References 10 External links Plot Ten-year-old Bastian Bux is a shy and outcast bibliophile who lives with his widowed father. One day on his way to school, Bastian is chased by bullies but escapes by hiding in a bookstore, annoying the bookseller, Mr. Koreander. Bastian's interest in books leads him to ask about the one Koreander is reading, but the bookseller advises against reading it, saying that it is not a "safe" story like regular books. With his curiosity piqued, Bastian secretly takes the book, titled The Neverending Story, leaving a note promising to return it, and hides in the school's attic to read. The book describes the fantasy world of Fantasia slowly being devoured by a malevolent force called "The Nothing." The Childlike Empress who rules Fantasia has fallen ill, and the young warrior Atreyu is tasked to discover a cure, believing that once the Empress is well, the Nothing will no longer be a threat. Atreyu is given a medallion called the Auryn that can guide and protect him in the quest. As Atreyu sets out, the Nothing summons a vicious and highly intelligent wolf-like creature named Gmork to kill Atreyu. Atreyu's quest directs him to the giant, turtle-like adviser Morla the Ancient One in the Swamps of Sadness. Though the Auryn protects Atreyu, his beloved horse Artax is lost to the swamp, and he continues alone. Morla does not have the answers Atreyu seeks, but directs him to the Southern Oracle, ten thousand miles distant. Gmork closes in as Atreyu succumbs to exhaustion trying to escape the Swamps, but is narrowly saved by the luck dragon Falkor. Falkor takes him to the home of two gnomes that live near the gates to the Southern Oracle. Atreyu crosses the first gate, but is perplexed when the second gate—a mirror that shows the viewer's true self—reveals a boy which Bastian recognizes as himself. Atreyu eventually meets the Southern Oracle, who tells him the only way to save the Empress is to find a human child who lives beyond the boundaries of Fantasia to give her a new name. Atreyu and Falkor flee as the Nothing consumes the Southern Oracle. In flight, Atreyu is knocked from Falkor's back into the Sea of Possibilities, losing the Auryn in the process. He wakes on the shore of some abandoned ruins where he finds several murals depicting his adventure, including one of Gmork. Gmork then reveals himself, and explains that Fantasia represents humanity's imagination and is thus without boundaries, while the Nothing is a manifestation of the loss of hopes and dreams. Atreyu battles and kills Gmork as the Nothing begins to consume the ruins. Falkor manages to retrieve the Auryn and rescue Atreyu. The two find themselves in a void with only small fragments of Fantasia remaining, fearing they have failed until they spot the Empress' Ivory Tower among the fragments. Inside, Atreyu apologizes for failing the Empress, but she assures him he has succeeded in bringing to her a human child who has been following his quest: Bastian. She further explains that, just as Bastian is following Atreyu's story, "others" are following Bastian's, making this part of the Neverending Story. As the Nothing begins to consume the Tower, the Empress explains that Bastian must call out her new name to save Fantasia. However, Bastian, in disbelief that he himself has been incorporated into the story, denies these events as just being a story. He eventually gives in after the Empress pleads directly to Bastian to call out her new name and runs to the window of the attic to call out the name he has chosen: "Moon Child." Bastian awakes with the Empress, who presents him with a grain of sand: the sole remnant of Fantasia. The Empress tells Bastian that he has the power to bring Fantasia back with his imagination. Bastian re-creates Fantasia, and flies on Falkor's back to see the land and its inhabitants restored, including Atreyu and Artax. When Falkor asks what his next wish will be, Bastian brings Falkor to the real world to chase down the school bullies. In a cliffhanger ending, the film narrates that Bastian had many more wishes and adventures "But that's another story". Cast Main article: List of The Neverending Story characters Barret Oliver as Bastian Balthazar Bux. Noah Hathaway as Atreyu. Tami Stronach as The Childlike Empress, to whom Bastian gives the new name of "Moon Child." Patricia Hayes as Urgl, Engywook's wife and a healer. Sydney Bromley as Engywook, Urgl's husband and a scientist. Gerald McRaney as Mr. Bux, Bastian's widowed, workaholic father. Moses Gunn as Cairon, a servant of the Empress. Alan Oppenheimer as the voices of Falkor, Gmork, Rockbiter, and the Narrator (the latter three are uncredited). Thomas Hill as Carl Conrad Coreander, a grumpy bookseller. Deep Roy as Teeny Weeny, a messenger riding on a racing snail. Tilo Prückner as Nighthob, a messenger riding a narcoleptic bat. Darryl Cooksey, Drum Garrett, and Nicholas Gilbert as Ethan, Todd, and Lucas, three bullies who torment Bastian. Production Author Michael Ende, was initially happy about his book being turned into a film. Ende worked with Wolfgang Petersen as a script adviser and was paid only $50,000 for the rights to his book. Ende claimed that Petersen later rewrote the script without consulting him, and felt that this adaptation's content deviated so far from the spirit of his book — "Fantastica reappears with no creative force from Bastian" — that he requested that production either be halted or the film's title be changed. When the producers did neither, he sued them and subsequently lost the case.[3] Ende called the film a "gigantic melodrama of kitsch, commerce, plush and plastic" ["Ein gigantisches Melodram aus Kitsch, Kommerz, Plüsch und Plastik"].[5] The adaptation only covered the first half of the book. German producer Bernd Eichinger saw his children read the book and they urged him to make a film out of it. He was reluctant to adapt the book, but agreed to do so and acquired the rights to the book. The majority of the film was shot at Stage 1 of the Bavaria Studios in Munich, except for the street scenes and the school interior in the real world, which were shot in Vancouver, Canada (the Gastown Vancouver Steam Clock can be seen in the bully chase scene at the end of the film as the three bullies are chased down Cambie Street past the steam clock at the intersection of Water Street and then on down Blood Alley[6]),[7] and the beach where Atreyu falls, which was filmed at Monsul Beach in San Jose, Almería, Spain. Music The film score of The NeverEnding Story was composed by Klaus Doldinger of the German jazz group Passport. The theme song of the English version of the film was composed by Giorgio Moroder with lyrics by Keith Forsey, and performed by Christopher "Limahl" Hamill, once the lead singer of Kajagoogoo, and Beth Anderson. Released as a single in 1984, it peaked at No. 4 on the UK singles chart, No. 6 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has been covered by Armonite, The Birthday Massacre, Creamy, Dragonland, Kenji Haga and New Found Glory. More recent covers were done by Norwegian synthpop group Echo Image on their 2001 maxi-single Skulk and by German techno group Scooter on their 2007 album Jumping All Over the World. This Limahl song, along with other "techno-pop" treatments to the soundtrack, is not present in the German version of the film, which features Doldinger's orchestral score exclusively. It was also performed by Dustin and Suzie from the television series Stranger Things. In 1994, Italian house music group Club House released the song "Nowhere Land," featuring Carl, which combines the melody of the tune "Bastian's Happy Flight" with original lyrics. An official soundtrack album was released featuring Doldinger's score and Moroder's theme tune (Moroder also rescored several scenes for the version released outside Germany).[8] The track listing (Doldinger is responsible for everything from track 6 onwards) is as follows: The NeverEnding Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) No. Title Length 1. "The NeverEnding Story" 3:31 2. "Swamps of Sadness" 1:57 3. "Ivory Tower" 3:10 4. "Ruined Landscape" 3:03 5. "Sleepy Dragon" 3:59 6. "Bastian's Happy Flight" 3:16 7. "Fantasia" 0:56 8. "Atreyu's Quest" 2:52 9. "Theme of Sadness" 2:43 10. "Atreyu Meets Falkor" 2:31 11. "Mirror Gate - Southern Oracle" 3:10 12. "Gmork" 0:29 13. "Moon Child" 1:24 14. "AURYN" 2:20 15. "Happy Flight" 1:21 In Germany, an album featuring Doldinger's score was released. Die Unendliche Geschichte — Das Album No. Title Length 1. "Flug auf dem Glücksdrachen (Flight of the Luckdragon)" 3:12 2. "Die Unendliche Geschichte (Titelmusik) (The NeverEnding Story (Main Title))" 2:44 3. "Im Haulewald (In the Howling Forest)" 3:01 4. "Der Elfenbeinturm (The Ivory Tower)" 1:54 5. "Atréjus Berufung – AURYN Thema (Atreyu's Quest - AURYN Theme)" 2:47 6. "Phantásien (Fantasia)" 0:52 7. "Artax's Tod (The Death of Artax)" 1:13 8. "Die Sümpfe der Traurigkeit (The Swamps of Sadness)" 2:39 9. "Atréju's Flug (Atreyu's Flight)" 2:27 10. "Die uralte Morla (Morla, the Ancient One)" 2:27 11. "Das südliche Orakel (The Southern Oracle)" 3:19 12. "Die drei magischen Tore (The Three Magic Gates)" 3:25 13. "Spukstadt (Spook City)" 1:37 14. "Flug zum Elfenbeinturm (Flight to the Ivory Tower)" 3:02 15. "Mondenkind (Moon Child)" 1:19 16. "Die kindliche Kaiserin (The Childlike Empress)" 2:16 17. "Flug auf dem Glücksdrachen (Schlußtitel) (Flight of the Luckdragon (End Title))" 1:19 Charts Chart (1985) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 69 Release 6 April 1984 in West Germany (Die unendliche Geschichte)[10] 20 July 1984 in the United States (The NeverEnding Story)[11][12] 6 October 1984 in Brazil (A História Sem Fim) 21 November 1984 in France (L'Histoire sans fin)[13] 6 December 1984 in Spain (La Historia Interminable)[14] 7 December 1984 in Italy (La storia infinita)[15] 4 April 1985 in the United Kingdom (The NeverEnding Story)[16] Box office The film performed very well at the box office, grossing US$100 million worldwide against a production budget of DM 60 million (approximately US$25–27 million at the time).[2][3] Almost five million people went to see it in Germany, a number rarely achieved by German productions, resulting in a gross of about US$20 million domestically. It also grossed a similar amount in the United States; only a modest sum in the American market, which director Wolfgang Petersen ascribed to the film's European sensibilities.[2] Critical reception The film has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 80% based on reviews from 41 critics. The site's critical consensus reads: "A magical journey about the power of a young boy's imagination to save a dying fantasy land, The NeverEnding Story remains a much-loved kids' adventure."[17] Metacritic gives the film a score of 46 out of 100 based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[18] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it three out of four stars and praised its visual effects, saying that "an entirely new world has been created" because of them,[19] a comment echoed by Variety.[4] Ebert's co-host Gene Siskel said the film's special effects and art direction were cheap-looking and that Falkor the luckdragon resembled the sort of stuffed toy you'd win at a county fair and throw out when you left. He also referred to Noah Hathaway as a "dullard" and said the film was "much too long," even after Ebert pointed out the film was only 90 minutes long.[20] Joshua Tyler of CinemaBlend referred to it as "One of a scant few true Fantasy masterpieces."[17][better source needed] Vincent Canby panned the film as a "graceless, humorless fantasy for children" in a 1984 review in The New York Times. Canby's criticism charged that parts of the film "sounded like 'The Pre-Teenager's Guide to Existentialism.'" He further criticized the "tacky" special effects, and that the construction of the dragon looked like "an impractical bathmat."[21] Accolades Wins 1984 – Bambi Award for: National film 1984 – Goldene Leinwand (Golden Screen Award) 1985 – Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor (Noah Hathaway) 1985 – Brazilian Film Award for: Best Production 1985 – Film Award in Gold for: Best Production Design Nominations 1985 – Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film and Saturn Award for Best Music 1985 – International Fantasy Film Award for: Best Film 1985 – Young Artist Award for: Best Family Motion Picture, Best Young Actor, Best Young Supporting Actress. Home media LaserDisc The film was released by Warner Bros. on LaserDisc with a digital stereo soundtrack in 1985. A widescreen laserdisc was released on 28 August 1991; no special features were included. DVD The Region 1 DVD was first released in 2001 by Warner Bros, containing only the North American release of the film. The only audio option is a 2.0 stereo mix in either English or Spanish. The theatrical trailer is the lone extra feature presented. There is also a quite lavish 2003 European version, which is a two-disc special edition with packaging shaped like the book from the film, and containing both the North American and German releases of the film. Various extras, such as a 45-minute documentary, music video, and galleries, are presented on the second disc.[22] However, there is no English audio for the German version of the film. This edition has gone out of print. The standard single-disc edition is also available for the Region 2 market. A Dutch import has also appeared on the Internet in various places, which not only contains the North American release of the film, but also includes a remastered DTS surround sound track, which is not found in either the German or the Region 1 releases. In 2008, Czech- and Slovak-language DVD versions appeared in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Blu-ray The first Blu-ray release was a region-free Dutch edition on 24 March 2007. On 2 March 2010, Warner released a Region A Blu-ray edition of the film. The disc includes a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, which marks the first time a 5.1 surround track has been included in a US home video version of the film. No special features or theatrical trailer are included.[23] Recent German releases feature the original Klaus Doldinger soundtrack with the original English audio track. On 7 October 2014, a 30th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray was released, which duplicates the DTS surround track of its predecessor. Originally described as a "newly" remastered version of the film, Warner released a statement indicating that "the only remastered version is The NeverEnding Story II," while not elaborating further on this current US release.[24] The 30th Anniversary Edition contains the original theatrical trailer, a commentary track by director Wolfgang Petersen, documentaries and interviews from both 1984 and 2014, and a German-language/English-subtitled feature detailing the digital restoration process of the film. In popular culture In The Simpsons episode "New Kid on the Block", Lionel Hutz claims to have filed a suit against the film for fraudulent advertising.[25] Korn's album The Nothing is named directly in reference to the Nothing in the film. Korn frontman Jonathan Davis chose the title as he was still struggling with the death of his estranged wife Deven Davis. Jonathan had said: "I was struggling with the thing that’s chasing me – that’s always freaking with me. I tried to give it a name and it just fit."[26] In 2019, the theme song for the film was incorporated into the final episode of the third season of the science fiction thriller show Stranger Things, which takes place in 1985, furthering its status as a staple of 1980s pop culture.[27] Possible remake In 2009, Warner Bros., The Kennedy/Marshall Company and Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way Productions were in the early stages of creating another adaptation of Ende's novel. They intended to "examine the more nuanced details of the book" rather than remake the original film by Petersen.[28] In 2011, producer Kathleen Kennedy said that problems securing the rights to the story may mean a second adaptation is "not meant to be".[29] Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise originated in 1978 with the original television series, followed by a short-run sequel series (Galactica 1980), a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games. A re-imagined version of Battlestar Galactica aired as a two-part, three-hour miniseries developed by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick in 2003. That miniseries led to a weekly television series, which aired until 2009. A prequel series, Caprica, aired in 2010. All Battlestar Galactica productions share the premise that in a distant part of the universe, a human civilization has extended to a group of planets known as the Twelve Colonies, to which they have migrated from their ancestral homeworld of Kobol. The Twelve Colonies have been engaged in a lengthy war with a cybernetic race known as the Cylons, whose goal is the extermination of the human race. The Cylons offer peace to the humans, which proves to be a ruse. With the aid of a human named Baltar, the Cylons carry out a massive nuclear attack on the Twelve Colonies and on the Colonial Fleet of starships that protect them. These attacks devastate the Colonial Fleet, lay waste to the Colonies, and virtually destroy all but a population of 50,000. Scattered survivors flee into outer space aboard a ragtag array of spaceworthy ships. Of the entire Colonial battle fleet, only the Battlestar Galactica, a gigantic battleship and spacecraft carrier, appears to have survived the Cylon attack. Under the leadership of Commander Adama, the Galactica and the pilots of "Viper fighters" lead a fugitive fleet of survivors in search of the fabled thirteenth colony known as Earth. Contents 1 Television series 1.1 Battlestar Galactica (1978–79) 1.2 Galactica 1980 (1980) 1.3 Miniseries (2003) 1.4 Battlestar Galactica (2004–09) 1.5 Webisodes (2006–09) 1.6 Caprica (2010) 1.7 Blood & Chrome (2012) 1.8 Upcoming Peacock series 2 Films 2.1 Razor 2.2 The Plan 2.3 Feature film 2.4 Cinema releases 3 Attempted revivals 4 Books 4.1 Original series books 4.2 Reimagined series books 4.3 Academic analysis 5 Comic books 6 Games 6.1 Video games 6.2 Tabletop games 7 Theme park attractions 8 See also 9 References 10 Bibliography 11 External links Television series Battlestar Galactica (1978–79) Main article: Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series) Further information: List of Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series) and Galactica 1980 episodes Glen A. Larson, the creator and executive producer of Battlestar Galactica, claimed he had conceived of the Battlestar Galactica premise, which he called Adam's Ark, during the late 1960s. As James E. Ford detailed in “Battlestar Galactica and Mormon Theology,” a paper read at the Joint Conference of the American Culture and Popular Culture Associations on April 17, 1980 (and published as “Theology in Prime Time Science Fiction: Battlestar Galactica and Mormon Doctrine,” Journal of Popular Culture #17 [1983]: 83–87), the series incorporated many themes from Mormon theology, such as marriage for "time and eternity", a "council of twelve," a lost thirteenth tribe of humans, and a planet called Kobol (an anagram of Kolob), as Larson was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[1][2] However, he was unable to find financial backing for his TV series for a number of years. Battlestar Galactica was finally produced in the wake of the success of the 1977 film Star Wars. The original Cylons of Battlestar Galactica, robotic antagonists bent on destroying all humankind, owe much to Fred Saberhagen's berserker stories, including Saberhagen's fictional race The Builders whose "sliding single red eye" became the signature design element for the Cylons. Larson had envisioned Battlestar Galactica as a series of made-for-TV movies (a three-hour pilot program and two two-hour episodes) for the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). A shortened version of the three-hour pilot, Saga of a Star World, was screened in Canadian theaters (before the TV series was telecast) and in American, European and Australian theaters later on. Instead of two additional TV movies, ABC decided to commission a weekly TV series of one-hour episodes. In 1979 at the sixth annual People's Choice Awards, the TV series won in the category of "Best New TV Drama Series".[3] The first episode of the TV series (the long pilot TV movie) was broadcast on September 17, 1978. However, about 30 minutes before the end, that broadcast was interrupted by the signing of the Egyptian–Israeli Camp David Accords. After the interruption (which was nearly an hour in length), the episode picked back up where it left off. During the eight months after the pilot's first broadcast, 17 original episodes of the series were made (five of them two-part shows), equivalent to a standard 24-episode TV season. Citing declining ratings and cost overruns, ABC canceled Battlestar Galactica in April 1979. Its final episode "The Hand of God" was telecast on April 29, 1979. Galactica 1980 (1980) Main article: Galactica 1980 During the autumn of 1979, ABC executives met with Battlestar Galactica's creator Glen Larson to consider restarting the series. A suitable concept was needed to draw viewers, and it was decided that the arrival of the Colonial Fleet at present-day Earth would be the storyline. A new TV movie called Galactica 1980 was produced. Again, it was decided this new version of Battlestar Galactica would be made into a weekly TV series. Despite the early success of the premiere, this program failed to achieve the popularity of the original series, and it was canceled after just ten episodes. In this 1980 sequel series, the Colonial fleet finds the Earth, and then it covertly protects it from the Cylons. This series was a quick failure due to its low budget (e.g., recycling footage from the 1974 Universal Studios movie Earthquake during a Cylon attack sequence), widely panned writing, and ill-chosen time slot (Sunday evenings, a time generally reserved for family-oriented programming and, more specifically, also for the 60 Minutes newsmagazine program). The TV series also had to adhere to strict content restrictions such as limiting the number of acts of violence and being required to shoehorn educational content into the script and dialogue. To cut costs, the show was set mostly on the contemporary Earth, to the great dismay of fans. Another factor for fan apathy was the nearly complete recasting of the original series: Lorne Greene reprised his role as Adama, Herb Jefferson, Jr. played "Colonel" Boomer in about half of the episodes (with little screentime), and Dirk Benedict as Starbuck for one episode (the abrupt final episode, though his character was to have also appeared in the unfilmed episode "Wheel of Fire", which was a semi-sequel to "The Return of Starbuck"). Richard Hatch (Apollo in the original series) was sent a script for Galactica 1980, but he turned it down since he was not sure what his part in the series would be now that all the characters had changed.[4] Some TV syndication packages for Battlestar Galactica incorporate the episodes of this series. Miniseries (2003) Main article: Battlestar Galactica (miniseries) Despite attempts to revive the series over the years, none came to fruition until it was reimagined in 2003 by Universal Television as Battlestar Galactica, a three-hour miniseries. Commissioned by the Sci-Fi Channel, screenwriter Ronald D. Moore and producer David Eick were the creative forces behind it. Academy Award-nominated actor Edward James Olmos was cast in the role of Commander Adama, while two-time Academy Award nominee Mary McDonnell was cast as President Laura Roslin. Starbuck and Boomer were now female characters, portrayed by Katee Sackhoff and Grace Park respectively. Other cast members included Jamie Bamber (Captain Lee 'Apollo' Adama), James Callis (Dr. Gaius Baltar), and Tricia Helfer as a Cylon-humanoid known as "Number Six".[5] The mini-series was a ratings success for the Sci-Fi Channel and they commissioned a new weekly Battlestar Galactica series to follow. Battlestar Galactica (2004–09) Main article: Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series) See also: List of Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series) episodes The new television series was co-funded by the UK's Sky Television, and premiered in the United Kingdom on the Sky1 satellite channel in October 2004. The series was then broadcast in North America on the Sci-Fi Channel in January 2005. Continuing where the 2003 mini-series left off, the main cast all returned to reprise their roles. Several new characters were introduced, and Richard Hatch, who played Captain Apollo in the 1970s Battlestar Galactica TV series, also appeared in several episodes as Tom Zarek, a former political terrorist who later becomes part of the new Colonial government. An edited version of the pilot miniseries was aired on NBC on January 9, 2005, five days before the Sci-Fi series premiere. NBC also aired three selected first-season episodes to promote the show in advance of the second-season premiere in July 2005. The series ran for four seasons between 2004 and 2009. The second season was split into two halves screened several months apart. Due to production delays caused by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild strike, the fourth season was also split into two parts, with a seven-month hiatus in between. The series has won widespread critical acclaim among many mainstream non-SF-genre publications. Time[6] and New York Newsday[7] named it the best show on television in 2005. Other publications such as The New York Times,[8] The New Yorker,[9] National Review[10] and Rolling Stone magazine[11] also gave the show positive reviews. The show has received a Peabody Award for overall excellence, several Emmy Awards for Visual Effects, and Emmy nominations for Writing and Directing. Time Magazine named it one of the 100 Best TV Shows of All Time.[12] Webisodes (2006–09) Main articles: Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance, Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks, and Battlestar Galactica: The Face of the Enemy The first set of webisodes were a series of shorts produced in 2006 to promote the third season of the re-imagined show. Made as an "optional extra" to Season 3, the webisodes filled in some of the events between the second and third seasons and featured some of the main cast, though did not reveal what would happen in the beginning of Season 3, nor was viewing them essential to follow the story of the third season. Each of the ten webisodes was approximately three minutes long, and they were released twice a week leading up to the U.S. Season 3 premiere in 2006. The Razor Flashbacks were a series of seven webisodes produced in 2007, set some 40 years earlier during William Adama's fighter pilot days during the later stages of the First Cylon War. They were released on the Internet as "webisodes" leading up to Razor's release. They are now available on the DVD and Blu-Ray releases of Battlestar Galactica: Razor, and some are inserted into both the broadcast and extended cuts of the movie on DVD and Blu-Ray. The installments that did not make the final cut include 1, 2, and the latter half of 7. Caprica (2010) Main article: Caprica Caprica is a prequel television series to the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. It premiered on Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi) on January 22, 2010, and was described as "television's first science fiction family saga". It was a two-hour back door pilot for a possible weekly television series, but on December 2, 2008, Syfy gave the go-ahead to expand the project into a full, 20-episode series. Caprica is set on the titular planet, 58 years before the events of Battlestar Galactica. The show revolves around two families, the Adamas and the Graystones, and the creation of the Cylons. The pilot was directed by Jeffrey Reiner and starred Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson, Alessandra Torresani, and Polly Walker.[14] The pilot was released on DVD on April 21, 2009[15] and the series was broadcast in January 2010. On October 27, 2010, Syfy canceled Caprica due to low ratings. The final five episodes were aired in the US on January 4, 2011[16] though they had aired a couple of months earlier on the Canadian network Space. The entire series was released on DVD in 2011. Blood & Chrome (2012) Main article: Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome was to be a spin-off series from the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series.[17] Syfy approached show runner Ronald D. Moore to produce another spin-off set in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica universe, which was to begin as a two-hour pilot focused on William "Husker" Adama (portrayed by Luke Pasqualino) during the First Cylon War (as was glimpsed in Razor and the corresponding webisodes). Upcoming Peacock series As of September 17, 2019, NBCUniversal is planning a straight-to-series[clarification needed] set in the same continuity as the 2004 Battlestar Galactica series,[20] produced by Sam Esmail as part of their new Peacock streaming service.[21] Films Razor Main article: Battlestar Galactica: Razor Battlestar Galactica: Razor is a 2007 television movie produced and broadcast in the gap between Seasons 3 and 4 of the re-imagined series. Razor is also the first two episodes of Season 4 though it chronicles events on Battlestar Pegasus in two time periods, both of which are "in the past" with respect to the Season 4 continuity. The "present day" framing scenes are set during Lee Adama's command of the Pegasus in the latter half of Season 2, while "flashback" scenes depict Helena Cain's command in the period between the Cylon attack (shown in the 2003 mini-series) and the reunion with the Galactica in the second season. It aired in the United States and Canada on November 24, 2007 and in the UK and Ireland on December 18, 2007. An expanded version of the movie was released on DVD on December 4, 2007. The Plan Main article: Battlestar Galactica: The Plan Sci Fi Channel produced a two-hour TV movie which was planned to air after the final episode of the series in 2009. The movie began production on September 8, 2008.[22] The movie premiered exclusively on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download on October 27, 2009 and aired on January 10, 2010, on Sci Fi. Written by Jane Espenson and directed by Edward James Olmos, The Plan storyline begins before the attack on the 12 colonies and shows events primarily from the perspective of the Cylons.[23] Edward James Olmos reprised his role as Adama, and ten of the eleven actors who played Cylons appeared, including Michael Trucco, Aaron Douglas, Dean Stockwell, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Rick Worthy, Matthew Bennett, Callum Keith Rennie, Michael Hogan and Rekha Sharma.[22] The only "Cylon" actor not present was Lucy Lawless (although previously filmed footage of her was included).[24] Feature film Creator Glen A. Larson entered negotiations with Universal Pictures for a film adaptation of the 1978 series in February 2009.[25] Bryan Singer signed on to direct the reboot the following August, but was obliged to direct Jack the Giant Slayer.[26] In October 2011 John Orloff was hired to write the script. "I have wanted to write this movie since I was 12 years old, and built a Galactica model from scratch out of balsa wood, cardboard, old model parts and LEDs," Orloff told Deadline Hollywood.[27] By August 2012 the script was being rewritten, with Singer explaining that "It will exist, I think, quite well between the Glen Larson and Ron Moore universes".[28] On April 7, 2014, the studio hired Jack Paglen to write the script for the film.[29] On February 12, 2016, Universal signed Michael De Luca, Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark to produce the Battlestar Galactica film.[30] On June 9, 2016, Lisa Joy was reportedly writing the film, and Francis Lawrence was in talks to direct.[31] On December 18, 2018, it was reported that Jay Basu (The Girl in the Spider's Web) had been hired to rewrite Joy's script.[32] On October 22, 2020, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Simon Kinberg will be writing and co-producing the film with Dylan Clark.[33] Cinema releases Besides a re-edited version of the pilot, released in Canada, Europe, parts of Latin America, and, following the broadcast of the series, in the U.S., two other Battlestar Galactica feature films were released in cinemas. Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack and Conquest of the Earth were made up of various episodes of the original series and Galactica 1980 respectively. (See List of Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series) and Galactica 1980 episodes § Theatrical releases) Attempted revivals The original series maintained a cult fandom, which has supported efforts by Glen A. Larson, Richard Hatch, and Bryan Singer (independently of one another) to revive the premise. Richard Hatch produced a demonstration video in 1998–99 which featured several actors from the original series combined with state-of-the-art special effects. This video, titled Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming, was screened at some science fiction conventions, but it did not lead to a new series. In 1999, the producer of Wing Commander, Todd Moyer, and the producer of the original TV series, Glen Larson, planned to produce a motion picture based on the TV series.[34][35][36] It would have featured Battlestar Pegasus. In 2000, the director and an executive producer of the X-Men movie, Bryan Singer and Tom DeSanto, began developing a Battlestar Galactica TV miniseries under the auspices of Studios USA for the Fox TV network. A continuation of the original series but set 25 years later, Singer and DeSanto's version included several members of the original cast reprising their original roles and the introduction of newer characters. It was intended to be telecast as a backdoor pilot in May 2002, and pre-production commenced and sets had even been partially constructed with a view to filming starting in November 2001.[37] However, production delays caused by the September 11, 2001 attacks meant that Bryan Singer had to drop out, due to his commitment to direct the X-Men 2 movie. This caused the executives of Fox TV to cancel the project. Books Both the original and the reimagined series have had books published about the series, academically oriented analysis, novelizations, and new works based on the characters. Original series books These Battlestar Galactica softcover novelisations were written by Glen A. Larson with the authors listed below.[38] They were critically disparaged, but proved popular, with the first novel selling over a million copies within its first year.[39] The first ten novels adapt the episode of the same title except as indicated. All novels except Battlestar Galactica 14: Surrender the Galactica! (ACE publishing) were originally published by Berkley, and have been republished, recently, by I Books, which called them Battlestar Galactica Classic to differentiate it from the reimagined series. The episodic novels featured expanded scenes, excerpts from "The Adama Journals," more background on the characters, and the expansion of the ragtag fleet to almost 22,000 ships as opposed to the 220 in the TV series. A new book series written by series star Richard Hatch starting in the 1990s continued the original story based on his attempt to revive the series, and ignored the events of Galactica 1980. His series picked up several years after the TV series ended, and featured Apollo in command of the Galactica after the death of Adama, a grown-up Boxey, who was now a Viper pilot, and the rediscovery of Commander Cain and the battlestar Pegasus, who had started a new colony and was preparing to restart the war with the Cylons. Episodic novels Battlestar Galactica, with Robert Thurston (novel version of "Saga of a Star-World") Battlestar Galactica 2: The Cylon Death Machine, with Robert Thurston (novel version of "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero") Battlestar Galactica 3: The Tombs of Kobol, with Robert Thurston (novel version of "Lost Planet of the Gods") Battlestar Galactica 4: The Young Warriors, with Robert Thurston (adapts "The Young Lords") Battlestar Galactica 5: Galactica Discovers Earth, with Michael Resnick (adapts the Galactica 1980 three part episode) Battlestar Galactica 6: The Living Legend, with Nicholas Yermakov Battlestar Galactica 7: War of the Gods, with Nicholas Yermakov Battlestar Galactica 8: Greetings from Earth, with Ron Goulart Battlestar Galactica 9: Experiment in Terra, with Ron Goulart (adapts the titular episode as well as "Baltar's Escape") Battlestar Galactica 10: The Long Patrol, with Ron Goulart Original novels Battlestar Galactica 11: The Nightmare Machine, with Robert Thurston Battlestar Galactica 12: "Die, Chameleon!", with Robert Thurston Battlestar Galactica 13: Apollo's War, with Robert Thurston Battlestar Galactica 14: Surrender the Galactica!, with Robert Thurston Original novels by Richard Hatch Battlestar Galactica: Armageddon, with Christopher Golden Battlestar Galactica: Warhawk, with Christopher Golden Battlestar Galactica: Resurrection, with Stan Timmons Battlestar Galactica: Rebellion, with Alan Rogers Battlestar Galactica: Paradis, with Brad Linaweaver Battlestar Galactica: Destiny, with Brad Linaweaver Battlestar Galactica: Redemption, with Brad Linaweaver Reimagined series books Tor Science Fiction has published the following works in both hardcover and paperback format. Battlestar Galactica by Jeffrey A. Carver The Cylons' Secret by Craig Shaw Gardner Sagittarius Is Bleeding by Peter David Unity by Steven Harper Academic analysis Cylons in America: Critical Studies in Battlestar Galactica[40] So Say We All: An Unauthorized Collection of Thoughts and Opinions on Battlestar Galactica, edited by Richard Hatch Battlestar Galactica and International Relations[41] by Nicholas J. Kiersey and Iver B. Neumann (editors) An Analytical Guide to Television's Battlestar Galactica[42] by John Kenneth Muir Comic books Main article: Battlestar Galactica (comics) A series of comic book publishers have adapted Battlestar Galactica since its inception. Marvel Comics published a 23-issue comic book series based upon the show between 1978 and 1981. Walt Simonson, who later wrote and drew Thor and had a long stint on Marvel's Star Wars comic, was the artist for the series at its conclusion. Other comics have since been published by Maximum Press, Grandreams, Look-in magazine, Realm Press, and Dynamite Comics. Dynamite Entertainment was the last company to publish comic books featuring both the classic and reimagined Battlestar Galactica series. They also released a 4-issue Galactica 1980 comic miniseries written by Marc Guggenheim. The limited miniseries was a re-imagining of the original series but at the end featured a second, smaller Battlestar (replacing the original which was destroyed) also named Galactica but strongly resembling the ship seen in the reimagined Sci-Fi Channel series.[citation needed] Games Video games Further information: List of Battlestar Galactica video games Mattel Battlestar Galactica game, circa 1978 In 1978, Mattel Electronics released a handheld electronic LED game based on the series. The player tries to defend Galactica from kamikaze Cylon Raiders by manipulating a switch on the game unit to direct their fire, triggered by a red button to the left of the unit.[43] In November 2003, shortly before the premiere of the re-imagined TV series, Sierra released a 3D space combat Battlestar Galactica computer game for the original Xbox, PlayStation 2, and PC. The game took place 40 years before the original series and featured an ensign Adama flying a Viper during the Cylon war. The game was developed by Warthog.[44] There is also a 2D Xbox 360 Live Arcade title called Battlestar Galactica wherein players can co-op or dogfight with up to 8 people over Xbox Live.[45] Battlestar Galactica Online was a 3D browser-based MMOG released as an open beta on February 8, 2011 by Bigpoint Games.[46] Battlestar Galactica Deadlock is a 2017 3D turn based strategy game (released on PC, Xbox One and PS4) featuring the First Cylon War. The game is developed by Black Lab Games and published by the Slitherine Software. Tabletop games The original series inspired a Battlestar Galactica board game. The game is set during a training mission, where two to four players maneuver pieces representing Colonial Vipers to capture a damaged Cylon Raider. Play includes using terrain elements and a number of special-ability cards to the players' advantage.[citation needed] In 1979, FASA released a tabletop counter piece game for Battlestar Galactica based on the fighter combat, which included the Galactica and a Cylon Basestar to be launched from, attack with and be attacked/defended. The counters for the Vipers and the Raiders included three model versions MKI/MKII/MKIII, not just the MKII Viper and Raider MKI.[47] Wiz Kids, Inc. (a collectible game manufacturer) produced the Battlestar Galactica Collectible Card Game based on the 2003 mini-series and 2004 TV show. The premier set of this game was released in May 2006. After the release of one expansion set, Wizkids cancelled the game on March 13, 2007.[48] A Battlestar Galactica role-playing game was released in August 2007 by Margaret Weis Productions at Gen Con.[49] In 2008 Fantasy Flight Games produced Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game, based on the 2003 re-imagined series. It is a semi-cooperative game of strategy for 3–6 players with some players being Cylon agents, either aware at start of the game or become aware later, as sleeper agents. Each of the 10 playable character has its own abilities and weaknesses, and they must all work together in order for humanity to survive, as well as attempt to expose the traitor while fuel shortages, food contaminations, and political unrest threaten to tear the fleet apart.[50] The game had three expansions, Pegasus, Exodus and Daybreak.[51][52] In 2018, Ares Games released Battlestar Galactica: Starship Battles, a miniature game by Andrea Angiolino and Andrea Mainini simulating space duels between Vipers and Raiders, with expansions including further models. The game is based on the 2003 re-imagined series, but the license will also allow use of spaceships from the original series, with a game approach similar to Wings of War.[53] Theme park attractions Battle of Galactica opened June 9, 1979 as an event on the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood at a cost of $1 million, the most expensive special effects attraction ever built at the park at the time.[54] This high-technology attraction featured animatronics and live actors in a spectacular laser battle based on the television series, with a 200-foot long spaceship that "swallowed" the passengers.[54] This was the first themed attraction to feature Audio-Animatronics characters outside Disney Parks, and was the first dark ride to combine sophisticated animatronics and lasers with live actors. It was replaced in 1992 by the foundations of Back to the Future: The Ride. A Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon roller coaster opened March 18, 2010 at Universal Studios Singapore. The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began their acting career as a child. To avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor. Closely associated is teenage actor or teen actor, an actor who reached popularity as a teenager. Many child actors find themselves struggling to adapt as they become adults, mainly due to typecasting. Macaulay Culkin and Lindsay Lohan are two particular famous child actors who eventually experienced much difficulty with the fame they acquired at a young age. Many child actors also become successful adult actors as well, a prime example of this being Jodie Foster, who was 12 years old in the film Taxi Driver in 1976 and went on to become an adult star with variety of films including The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Contents 1 Regulation 1.1 California 1.2 United Kingdom 2 Issues 2.1 Ownership of earnings 2.2 Competitive pressure 3 Post-childhood success 3.1 Other careers 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Regulation In the United States, the activities of child actors are regulated by the governing labor union, if any, and state laws. Some projects film in remote locations specifically to evade regulations intended to protect the child. Longer work hours or risky stunts prohibited by California, for example, might be permitted to a project filming in British Columbia. US federal law "specifically exempted minors working in the Entertainment Business from all provisions of the Child Labor Laws." Any regulation of child actors is governed by disparate state laws. California Due to the large presence of the entertainment industry in Hollywood, the state of California has some of the most explicit laws protecting child actors. Being a minor, a child actor must secure an entertainment work permit before accepting any paid performing work. Compulsory education laws mandate that the education of the child actor not be disrupted while the child is working, whether the child actor is enrolled in public school, private school or even home school. The child does their schoolwork under the supervision of a studio teacher while on the set. United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a child actor is defined as someone under school leaving age.[1] Before a child can work, they require a performance license from their Local Education Authority as well as a licensed chaperone; a parent can only chaperone their own child, if they are a licensed chaperone, and a chaperone's duties include acting in loco parentis and record arrival and departure time from the work place, the time a child is working, their breaks and the amount of tutoring.[1][2] A child requires three hours minimum of tutoring daily and a lesson must be a minimum of 30 minutes to count towards the total and with regards to 16 and 17-year-olds in further education, considerations are made in regards to their studies.[3] There are regulations and guidance to safeguard all actors under the age of 18; OFCOM guidance states a child's health and safety, wellbeing and welfare is paramount in television production and factors such as their age, maturity and life experiences can affect their performance.[4] OFCOM also advises that broadcasters undertake risk assessments, consider seeking expert advice and follow best practise.[4] Issues Ownership of earnings Before the 1930s, many child actors never got to see the money they earned because they were not in charge of this money. Jackie Coogan earned millions of dollars from working as a child actor only to see most of it squandered by his parents. In 1939, California weighed in on this controversy and enacted the Coogan Bill which requires a portion of the earnings of a child to be preserved in a special savings account called a blocked trust.[5] A trust that is not actively monitored can also be problematic however as in the case of Gary Coleman who after working from 1974, later sued his adoptive parents and former business advisor for $3.8 million over misappropriation of his trust fund.[6][7] Competitive pressure Some people[who?] also criticize the parents of child actors for allowing their children to work, believing that more "normal" activities should be the staple during the childhood years. Others[who?] observe that competition is present in all areas of a child's life—from sports to student newspaper to orchestra and band—and believe that the work ethic instilled or the talent developed accrues to the child's benefit.[citation needed] The child actor may experience unique and negative pressures when working under tight production schedules. Large projects which depend for their success on the ability of the child to deliver an effective performance add to the pressure.[citation needed] Ethel Merman, who several times worked in long-running stage productions with child actors, disliked what she eventually saw as their overprofessionalization - "acting more like midgets than children" - and disapproved of parents pushing adulthood on them.[8] Post-childhood success This section possibly contains synthesis of material which does not verifiably mention or relate to the main topic. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. (May 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Jodie Foster in 1974 There are many instances of troubled adult lives due to the stressful environment to which child actors are subjected. It is common to see a child actor grow up in front of the camera, whether in films, television shows or both. However, it is not uncommon to see child actors continue their careers throughout as actors or in a different professional field. Jodie Foster started acting at age three, becoming the quintessential child actor during the 1970s with roles in films such as Tom Sawyer (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), Bugsy Malone (1976), The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976), and Freaky Friday (1976). A child prodigy, Foster received her first Academy Award nomination at age 13 and later took a sabbatical from films to attend Yale University. She made a successful transition to adult roles, winning two Academy Awards for Best Actress before the age of 30, and starring in several successful and acclaimed films such as The Accused (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Nell (1994), Maverick (1994), Contact (1997), and The Brave One (2007), thus establishing herself as one of the most accomplished and sought-after actresses of her generation. She has also ventured into directing and her directing credits include films such as Little Man Tate (1991), Money Monster (2016) and television shows such as House of Cards, Orange Is the New Black, and Black Mirror. Now adults, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, the three leads of the acclaimed Harry Potter film series (2001–11), starred in all the installments in the series, and have since continued to act in film, television, and theater in their early thirties. Dakota Fanning rose to prominence after her breakthrough performance at age seven in the film I Am Sam (2001). Her performance earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination at age eight in 2002, making her the youngest nominee in SAG history. She later appeared in major Hollywood productions, in such acclaimed blockbuster films as Man on Fire (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Charlotte's Web (2006), Hounddog (2007), The Secret Life of Bees (2008), Coraline (2009), The Twilight Saga film series (2009–12), The Runaways (2010), and The Motel Life (2012). Fanning's younger sister, Elle Fanning also rose to prominence as a child actress, having appeared in many films since before she turned three. Miranda Cosgrove, known mainly for her role on Drake & Josh as a child, gained more attention for her role as a teenager in the show iCarly. Since the end of the show she has been featured in other roles, including as the voice of Margo in the Despicable Me franchise. Once she was of age, she decided to pursue a college degree in film at the University of Southern California.[9] Shirley Temple became a public figure and diplomat, beginning in the 1960s. Some of her duties included representing the United Nations, and becoming a U.S. ambassador in countries such as Ghana and Czechoslovakia.[10] Mary-Kate Olsen was treated for an eating disorder, deemed anorexia, but her twin sister remained less troubled. In an article with the magazine Marie Claire, Mary-Kate expressed the bittersweet nature of the twins' childhood. "I look at old photos of me, and I don't feel connected to them at all," she said. "I would never wish my upbringing on anyone... but I wouldn't take it back for the world." The twins now have continued success in the fashion industry with an estimated net worth of approximately $100 million. Since the beginning of her career at age 15 in 1999, Mandy Moore is one of the child stars to have success as an adult. Drew Barrymore started acting at age three. During her childhood she battled with drugs, but today she continues to act in films. Natalie Portman took a small break in acting to get a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Harvard University before continuing her career as an actress. Rider Strong, known as "Shawn Hunter" in Boy Meets World, was educated at Columbia University and now runs a successful blog and published a graphic novel.[11] Neil Patrick Harris got his acting start in Doogie Howser, M.D. He continues to act in television, films and theater. Jonathan Lipnicki, known mostly for the Stuart Little films, now successfully competes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[11] Sara Gilbert is known for her role on Roseanne and is now successful as a talk show host on The Talk. Also from Rosanne, Michael Fishman continued to work in film, but behind the scenes and has since been nominated for an Emmy for the work he did in Sports Science.[11] Kirsten Dunst and Lacey Chabert both made the transition from a child actress to an adult actress with a rough patch including depression. After a stay in a rehabilitation center, Dunst was able to recover and continue her career. She proves that the pressures of growing up under the spotlight may not come without repercussions.[12] Roddy McDowall, who had a long and distinguished career including as the regular star of the Planet of the Apes series; Micky Dolenz, who started his career as a child star in the 1950s, grew up to be a musician of the successful 1960s pop group The Monkees, which had its own successful television show; Ron Howard, who, in addition to being the star of both of the long running The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days television series, became an Academy Award-winning director in adulthood; Elijah Wood, who continued his career successfully into adulthood starring as Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings film series and starring as Ryan Newman in the television series Wilfred. Other child actors who have continued their careers into adulthood include Mandy Moore, Rose Marie, Hayley Mills, Ann Jillian, Johnny Whitaker, Kathy Garver, Tim Matheson, Bonnie Franklin, Melissa Gilbert, Danielle Brisebois, Erika Eleniak, Max Pomeranc, Christina Ricci, Shelley Fabares, Candace Cameron Bure, Karron Graves, Gaby Hoffmann, Hilary Duff, Molly Ringwald, Stacy Ferguson, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lisa Whelchel, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Soleil Moon Frye, Melissa Joan Hart, Dean Stockwell, Kurt Russell, Fred Savage, Neil Patrick Harris, Michelle Chia, Shawn Lee, Joshua Ang, Aloysius Pang, Raven-Symoné and other Academy Award winners and nominees include; Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Scarlett Johansson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, Helen Hunt, Irene Cara, Reese Witherspoon, Hilary Swank, Christian Bale, Saoirse Ronan, Brie Larson, Regina King, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, Elizabeth Taylor, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Other careers Many actors' careers are short-lived and this is also true of child actors. Many actors out of personal choice that start their careers as child actors decide not to pursue the same careers as adults, Shirley Temple became a public figure and diplomat. Peter Ostrum, appearing in his only role, the title character of Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory became a large-scale veterinarian surgeon. Whilst Jenny Lewis, formerly of film Troop Beverly Hills in 1989, is a well-known singer-songwriter indie rock musician. In Poland, former child actors and identical twin brothers Lech and Jarosław Kaczyński became successful politicians, at one time Lech being President and Jarosław the Prime Minister. The NeverEnding Story (German: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a 1984 West German-produced English-language epic fantasy film based on the novel of the same name by Michael Ende, about a boy who reads a magical book that tells a story of a young warrior whose task is to stop a dark force called the Nothing from engulfing a mystical world. The film was produced by Bernd Eichinger and Dieter Giessler and directed and co-written by Wolfgang Petersen (his first English-language film) and starred Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Patricia Hayes, Sydney Bromley, Gerald McRaney, Moses Gunn, and Alan Oppenheimer as the voices of both Falkor and Gmork (as well as other characters). At the time of its release, it was the most expensive film produced outside the United States or the Soviet Union. The film was the first in The NeverEnding Story film series and later followed by two sequels.[3] Ende felt that this adaptation's content deviated so far from the spirit of his book that he requested that production either be halted or the film's title be changed; when the producers did neither, he sued them and subsequently lost the case.[4] Ende called the film a "gigantic melodrama of kitsch, commerce, plush and plastic" [Ein "gigantisches Melodram aus Kitsch, Kommerz, Plüsch und Plastik"].[5] The film only adapts the first half of the book, and consequently does not convey the message of the title as it was portrayed in the novel. The second half of the book would subsequently be used as the rough basis for the second film, The Next Chapter. The third film, Escape from Fantasia, features a completely original plot. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Music 4 Reaction 4.1 Release dates 4.2 Critical response 4.3 Box office 4.4 Awards 5 Home media 5.1 LaserDisc 5.2 DVD 5.3 Blu-ray 6 Legacy 6.1 Music 7 Warner Bros. planned adaptation of the novel 8 References 9 External links Plot Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and outcast bibliophile ten-year-old, teased by bullies from school. On his way to school, he hides from the bullies in a bookstore, interrupting the grumpy bookseller, Mr. Coreander. Bastian asks about one of the books he sees, but Mr. Coreander advises against it. With his curiosity piqued, Bastian seizes the book, leaving a note promising to return it, and hides in the school's attic to read. The book describes the Fantasy world of Fantasia slowly being devoured by a malevolent force called "The Nothing". Fantasia's ruler, the Childlike Empress, has fallen ill, and Atreyu is tasked to discover the cure, believing that once the Empress is well, the Nothing will no longer be a threat. Atreyu is given a medallion named the Auryn that can guide and protect him in the quest. As Atreyu sets out, the Nothing summons Gmork, a vicious and highly intelligent wolf-like creature, to kill Atreyu. The Auryn, based on the Ouroboros, representing infinity/eternity. The original prop is now owned by Steven Spielberg.[6] Atreyu's quest directs him to the advisor Morla the Ancient One in the Swamps of Sadness. Though the Auryn protects Atreyu, his beloved horse Artax is lost to the swamp, and he continues alone. Later, Atreyu is surprised by the sudden appearance of Morla, a giant turtle. Bastian, reading, is also surprised and lets out a scream, which Atreyu and Morla appear to hear. Morla does not have the answers Atreyu seeks, but directs him to the Southern Oracle, ten thousand miles distant. Atreyu succumbs to exhaustion trying to escape the Swamps but is saved by the luckdragon Falkor. Falkor takes him to the home of two gnomes that live near the entrance to the Southern Oracle. The gnomes explain that Atreyu will face various trials before reaching the Oracle. Atreyu proceeds to enter the Oracle, and is perplexed when one second trial, a mirror that shows the viewer's true self, reveals a boy which Bastian recognizes as himself. Bastian throws the book aside, but after catching his breath, continues to read. Atreyu eventually meets the Southern Oracle who tells him the only way to save the Empress is to find a human child to give her a new name, beyond the boundaries of Fantasia. Atreyu and Falkor flee before the Nothing consumes the Southern Oracle. In flight, Atreyu is knocked from Falkor's back into the Sea of Possibilities, losing the Auryn in the process. He wakes on the shore of the abandoned ruins, where he meets Rock Biter, who laments the loss of his friends. Atreyu finds a series of paintings depicting his quest. Gmork reveals himself, having been lying in wait and explains that Fantasia represents humanity's imagination, and that the Nothing represents adult apathy and cynicism against it. Atreyu fends off and kills Gmork as the Nothing begins to consume the ruins. Falkor, who had managed to locate the Auryn, rescues Atreyu in time. The two find themselves in a void with only small fragments of Fantasia remaining, and fear they have failed when they spot the Empress's Ivory Tower among the fragments. Inside, Atreyu apologizes for failing the Empress, but she assures him he has succeeded in bringing to her a human child who has been following his quest: Bastian. As the Nothing begins to consume the Tower, the Empress pleads directly to Bastian to call out her new name, but in total amazement that he himself has been incorporated into the story as the child they were looking for, totally denies the events as just being a story and Atreyu dies as a result. Bastian runs to the window and calls out the name he had selected into the storm, and loses consciousness. When he wakes, he finds himself in blackness with the Empress, with only a grain of sand, the last bit of Fantasia remaining. The Empress tells Bastian that he has the power to bring Fantasia back with his imagination using the power of the Auryn. Bastian re-creates Fantasia, and as he flies on Falkor's back, he sees the land and its inhabitants restored, and that Atreyu has been reunited with Artax. When Falkor asks what his next wish will be, Bastian then brings Falkor back to the real world to chase down the bullies from before. The film ends with the narration that Bastian had many more wishes and adventures, and adds: "but that's another story". Cast Falkor the Luckdragon Main article: List of The Neverending Story characters Barret Oliver as Bastian Balthazar Bux. Noah Hathaway as Atreyu. Tami Stronach as The Childlike Empress, to whom Bastian gives the new name of "Moon Child". Patricia Hayes as Urgl, Engywook's wife and a healer. Sydney Bromley as Engywook, a gnomish scientist. Gerald McRaney as Mr. Bux, Bastian's widowed, workaholic father. Moses Gunn as Cairon, a servant of the Empress. Alan Oppenheimer as the voices of Falkor, Gmork, Rock Biter, and the Narrator (the latter three are uncredited). Thomas Hill as Mr. Coreander, a grumpy bookseller. Deep Roy as Teeny Weeny, a messenger riding on a racing snail. Tilo Prückner as Nighthob, a messenger riding a narcoleptic bat. Darryl Cooksey, Drum Garrett, and Nicholas Gilbert as Ethan, Todd, and Lucas, three bullies who torment Bastian. Production The adaptation only covered the first half of the book. The majority of the film was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich, except for the street scenes and the school interior in the real world, which were shot in Vancouver, Canada (the Gastown steam clock can be seen in the bully chase scene near the beginning[7]),[8] and the beach where Atreyu falls, which was filmed at Monsul Beach in Almería (Spain). It was Germany's highest-budgeted film at the time. Music The film score of The NeverEnding Story was composed by Klaus Doldinger of the German jazz group Passport. The theme song of the North American release of the film was composed by Giorgio Moroder with lyrics by Keith Forsey, and performed by Christopher "Limahl" Hamill, once the lead singer of Kajagoogoo, and Beth Anderson. It was released as a single in 1984, it peaked at No. 4 on the UK singles chart, No. 6 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has been covered by The Birthday Massacre, Creamy, Dragonland, Kenji Haga, and New Found Glory. More recent covers were done by Norwegian synthpop group Echo Image on their 2001 maxi-single Skulk and by German techno group Scooter on their 2007 album Jumping All Over the World. This Limahl song, along with other "techno-pop" treatments to the soundtrack, is not present in the German version of the film, which features Doldinger's orchestral score exclusively. In 1994, Italian house music group Club House released the song "Nowhere Land," featuring Carl, which combines the melody of the tune "Bastian's Happy Flight" with original lyrics. An official soundtrack album was released featuring Doldinger's score and Moroder's theme tune (Moroder also rescored several scenes for the version released outside Germany).[9] The track listing (Doldinger is responsible for everything from track 6 onwards) is as follows: [show]The NeverEnding Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) In Germany, an album featuring Doldinger's score was released. [show]Die Unendliche Geschichte — Das Album Reaction Theatrical international release poster by Renato Casaro Release dates Some international release dates: 6 April 1984 in West Germany (Die unendliche Geschichte)[10] 20 July 1984 in the United States (The NeverEnding Story)[11][12] 21 November 1984 in France (L'Histoire sans fin)[13] 6 December 1984 in Spain (La Historia Interminable)[14] 7 December 1984 in Italy (La storia infinita)[15] 4 April 1985 in the United Kingdom (The NeverEnding Story)[16] Critical response [icon] This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2016) The film has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 82% based on reviews from 38 critics. The critical consensus reads: "A magical journey about the power of a young boy's imagination to save a dying fantasy land, The NeverEnding Story remains a much-loved kids' adventure."[17] Metacritic gives the film a score of 46/100 based on reviews from 10 critics.[18] Film critic Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars and praised its visual effects, saying that "an entirely new world has been created" because of them,[19] a comment echoed by Variety.[3] Joshua Tyler of CinemaBlend referred to it as "One of a scant few true Fantasy masterpieces".[17] Vincent Canby panned the film as a "graceless, humorless fantasy for children" in a 1984 New York Times review. Canby's criticism charged that parts of the movie "sounded like 'The Pre-Teenager's Guide to Existentialism'". He further criticized the "tacky" special effects, and that the construction of the dragon looked like "an impractical bathmat".[20] Box office The film performed poorly at the box office, grossing $20,158,808 at the US box office[2] against a production budget of DM60 million (approximately US$27 million at the time). Almost five million people went to see it in Germany, a number rarely achieved by German productions, resulting in a gross of about US$20 million domestically. It also grossed a similar amount in the United States; only a modest sum in the American market, which director Wolfgang Petersen ascribed to the film's European sensibilities.[21] Awards Wins 1984 - Bambi Award for: National film 1984 - Golden Screen Award 1985 - Saturn Award for: Best Performance by a Young Actor 1985 - Brazilian Film Award for: Best Production 1985 - Film Award in Gold for: Best Production Design Nominations 1985 - Saturn Award for: Best Fantasy Film, and Best Music 1985 - International Fantasy Film Award for: Best Film 1985 - Young Artist Award for: Best Family Motion Picture, Best Young Actor, Best Young Supporting Actress. Home media LaserDisc The film was released by Warner Bros. on LaserDisc with a digital stereo soundtrack in 1985. A widescreen laserdisc was released on 28 August 1991; no special features were included. DVD The Region 1 DVD was first released in 2001 by Warner Bros, containing only the North American release of the film. The only audio option is a 2.0 stereo mix in either English or Spanish. The theatrical trailer is the lone extra feature presented. There is also a quite lavish 2003 European version, which is a two-disc special edition with packaging shaped like the book from the film and containing both the North American and German releases of the film. Various extras, such as a 45-minute documentary, music video, and galleries, are presented on the second disc.[22] However, there is no English audio for the German version of the film. This edition is currently[when?] out of print. The standard single-disc edition is also available for the Region 2 market. A Dutch import has also appeared on the Internet in various places, which only contains the North American release of the film but also includes a remastered DTS surround track, which is not found in either the German or the Region 1 release. Also, in 2008, Czech- and Slovak-language DVD versions appeared in Czech Republic and Slovakia. Blu-ray The first Blu-ray release was a region-free Dutch edition on 24 March 2007. On 2 March 2010, Warner released a Region A Blu-ray edition of the film. The disc includes a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, which marks the first time a 5.1 surround track has been included in a US home video version of the film. No special features or theatrical trailer are included.[23] Recent German releases feature the original Klaus Doldinger soundtrack with the original English audio track. On 7 October 2014, a 30th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray was released, which duplicates the DTS surround track of its predecessor. Originally described as a "newly" remastered version of the film, Warner released a statement indicating that "the only remastered version is The NeverEnding Story II", while not elaborating further on this current US release.[24] The 30th Anniversary Edition contains the original theatrical trailer, a commentary track by director Wolfgang Petersen, documentaries and interviews from both 1984 and 2014, and a German-language/English-subtitled feature detailing the digital restoration process of the film. Legacy The film has since been an inspiration in popular culture. Music The American metal band Atreyu derived their name from the character of Atreyu. The Mexican pop punk band Fälkor derived their name from the character of Falkor, changing the styling of the middle a for ä. The American rock band Bayside have used quotes from the film as titles of their songs. Examples include "They look like strong hands" and "They're not horses, they're unicorns". The American rock band Rooney made reference to the film in the song "I'm Shakin'" ("I tossed and turned all night 'cause I was looking for an ending / This was so because I watched all day The NeverEnding Story with Atreyu") The American pop punk band, New Found Glory, covered the film's theme song on their album, From the Screen to Your Stereo. Timo Tolkki wrote the 9:56 song "Fantasia" for Stratovarius album Elements Pt. 1 (2003) The Spanish indie-rock band Vetusta Morla derived their name from the character of Morla the Ancient One ("vetusta" means "ancient" in spanish). The American rock band The Aquabats describe Falkor's potential romantic life in their song "Luck Dragon Lady!" on the album Hi-Five Soup!. Warner Bros. planned adaptation of the novel In 2009, it was reported that Warner Bros., The Kennedy/Marshall Company and Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way were in the early stages of creating another adaptation of Ende's novel. They intend to "examine the more nuanced details of the book" rather than remake the original film by Petersen.[25] In 2011, producer Kathleen Kennedy said that problems securing the rights to the story may mean a second adaptation is "not meant to be."[26] List of The Neverending Story characters From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2017) This article may be written from a fan's point of view, rather than a neutral point of view. (July 2015) This article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. (July 2015) This article lists character information from the book The Neverending Story and the film adaptations of the same name. Contents 1 Bastian Balthazar Bux 2 Atreyu 3 Carl Conrad Coreander 4 The Childlike Empress 5 Engywook and Urgl 6 Falkor the Luckdragon 7 Gmork 8 Grograman 9 Morla 10 The Old Man of Wandering Mountain 11 Pyornkrachzark 12 Gluckuk 13 Whooshwoozool 14 Blubb 15 The Southern Oracle 16 Xayide 17 Ygramul 18 Other characters 19 Fantasian creatures 20 References Bastian Balthazar Bux Bastian Balthazar Bux First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Portrayed by Barret Oliver (1st film) Jonathan Brandis (2nd film) Jason James Richter (3rd film) Christopher Bell Mark Rendall Information Species Human Gender Male Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and bookish boy around 12 years old who is neglected by his father, who is still mourning the sudden death of his wife (she died of an unspecified illness). He is a dreamer, who is shunned by other children due to his immense imagination. During a visit to an antique bookstore, he steals a curious-looking book titled The Neverending Story, and upon reading it he finds himself literally drawn into the story. Halfway through the book, Bastian becomes a character in The Neverending Story, in a world called Fantastica ("Fantasia" in the films, which is closer to the German original "Phantásien"). He is bestowed the magical amulet AURYN, which allows his wishes to be granted. As the story progresses, Bastian slowly loses his memories of the real world as his wishes carry him throughout Fantastica and change him into a completely different person. Deluded by the witch Xayide, Bastian moves to the Ivory Tower and tries to have himself proclaimed Emperor. The ceremony is interrupted by Atreyu, who is nearly killed by Bastian. Eventually, Bastian realizes that he is beginning to lose himself, and starts a desperate last-ditch quest for his one true desire. In the end he forgets even his name, but with the help of Falkor and Atreyu, who promise to finish the stories he started, he manages to return to the human world with the capability of loving, which was his deepest (and thereto unknown) desire, and bringing to his father the Water of Life, curing him of his melancholy. Bastian and Coreander exchange tales of their adventures in Fantastica, and Coreander reveals that a person can return to Fantastica as many times as they can think of new names for the benevolent Childlike Empress, and predicts Bastian will show others the way to Fantastica. He has been portrayed by five different actors: 1984: Barret Oliver in The NeverEnding Story. 1990: Jonathan Brandis in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter.(J. Michael Haney, Jr. as Young Bastian) 1994: Jason James Richter in The NeverEnding Story III. 1996: Christopher Bell provided the voice of the character in The Neverending Story animated series. 2001: Mark Rendall in Tales from the Neverending Story Atreyu Atreyu First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Portrayed by Noah Hathaway (1st film) Kenny Morrison (2nd film) Dominic Zamprogna (Animated series) Tyler Hynes (TV series) Information Species Greenskin warrior Gender Male Atreyu (German: Atréju) is the protagonist of the mysterious book that Bastian reads. To the readership, Atreyu is a metafictional character, existing fictionally and within the reality of the book itself. He is described as having green skin and blue hair. He is a young warrior from the Grassy Plains (in German, "The Grassy Sea"). His parents were killed by a Purple Buffalo soon after he was born, and his entire village raised him; wherefore his name means "son of all" in his native language. He is summoned by the Childlike Empress to save the land of Fantasia by finding a cure for her illness, and given AURYN, an amulet that makes whoever wears it the Childlike Empress' herald. During the quest to find a cure, he meets Falkor the luckdragon, who becomes his steed after the death of his horse 'Artax'. Bastian, reading Atreyu's story in the real world, experiences everything Atreyu does; this proves Fantasia's solution and the Empress' cure, in bringing Bastian to Fantastica to give the Empress a new name. Atreyu features largely in the second half of the novel, as Bastian travels Fantasia far and wide as its savior. They quickly become friends, but as Bastian continues to use AURYN, he becomes arrogant and gradually loses his memory. When Bastian has lost even his name, Atreyu and Falkor offer favorable testimony to the powers in AURYN, who allow Bastian's return to the human world. With their friendship restored, Atreyu promises to finish the stories Bastian has begun in Fantastica. In the 1984 film version, the character of Atreyu is played by Noah Hathaway. His skin is not olive green as described in the book; though it was attempted to do this through makeup, it never made it to the final production.[1] As such, his people were called the 'Plains People' instead of Greenskins. The character also makes a return appearance in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, played by Kenny Morrison. In the 1995 animated show, Atreyu and his people are, as in the original novel, green-skinned; but this version of Atreyu has a younger sister named Saiya, and his outward appearance has been patterned after Noah Hathaway from the first movie. In the 2001 Hallmark Channel mini-series, Tales from the Neverending Story, he is portrayed by Tyler Hynes and the character's people are called the Woodland People. He is shown to have a romantic relationship with a young aviatrix called "Fly Girl", and to be something of a village innocent. Atreyu in popular culture The American metalcore band, Atreyu, took its name from this character from The Neverending Story. Atreyu and Artax inspired Listener's song "Failing is Not Just for Failures". In Comedy Central's Workaholics season 5 episode 10 (Trivia Pursuits), Adam and Blake argue over who gets to be Atreyu when deciding on their costumes for an upcoming 1980s trivia contest against three Asian men who are also street racers. Carl Conrad Coreander Carl Conrad Coreander First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Portrayed by Thomas Hill John Dunn-Hill Freddie Jones Information Species Human Gender Male Occupation Book shop owner Carl Conrad Coreander (Karl Konrad Koreander in German) is a cantankerous bookseller, and the name of his bookstore makes for the first words in the novel, the heading of the prologue being "skooB dlO srednaeroC darnoC lraC", the store name when viewed through the window from the inside outwards. Bastian finds the Neverending Story in his store. While Coreander is distracted by a telephone call, Bastian steals it and takes it to school with him. In the end, the novel makes it clear that Mr. Coreander is one of the few humans who has been to Fantastica and returned. He and Bastian come to a better understanding and share telling the stories of their adventures to one another. Both he and Bastian share the oddity of triple letter initials, an insight into their mutual connection to Fantastica. Coreander is portrayed by Thomas Hill in the first film, and was the only actor who reprised his role in the second film; however, in the third film, he is played by Freddie Jones. In the television series, Tales from the Neverending Story, he functions in a double role as a wizard in Fantasia wherein he is called "the Curiosity". The Childlike Empress Childlike Empress First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Portrayed by Tami Stronach Alexandra Johnes Julie Cox Audrey Gardiner Lisa Yamanaka Information Aliases Moon Child, Golden-Eyed Commander of Wishes Species Fantastican Gender Female Occupation Goddess of Fantasy The Childlike Empress (Die Kindliche Kaiserin in German) is the mysterious and benevolent monarch of Fantastica, who resides in the capital called Ivory Tower in the heart of the realm. Although she is nominally the ruler of Fantastica, she rarely interacts with the outside world. Should she die, Fantastica and all Fantasticans would cease to exist. The amulet known as the 'AURYN' is her emblem, and those who wear it are her representatives. As explained by Morla the Aged One, her lifetime is not measured in years or in time ("she is much older than the oldest inhabitants of Fantastica, or rather, she is ageless"), but by names, which only the imagination of a human child can give her. When she begins to need a new name, she begins to fade away, causing the Nothing to appear in Fantastica. She sends Atreyu on the Great Quest, which brings Bastian Balthazar Bux to Fantastica, and Bastian gives her the name of 'Moon Child' (Mondenkind in German), which restores Fantastica and begins the second half of the novel. Her description is that of an indescribably beautiful young girl, appearing no older than ten, yet much older than the oldest Fantasticans. Her hair is snow-white, as is her gown, and her eyes are the color of gold, earning her the title "Golden-Eyed Commander of Wishes" (Goldäugige Gebieterin der Wünsche in German). The role was portrayed by Tami Stronach in Wolfgang Petersen's 1984 adaptation, by Alexandra Johnes in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990) and by Julie Cox (apparently as an adolescent) in The NeverEnding Story III (1994). In the films, her hair is dark, rather than white, and in the first film, she is dressed like a bride. In the 2001 television series Tales from the Neverending Story, the Empress, again depicted with dark hair, was played by Audrey Gardiner. The Empress was also featured in an animated Neverending Story television series (episodes of which were edited into a film), in which she had golden hair and wore a green gown. Her voice was provided by Lisa Yamanaka. Engywook and Urgl Engywook and Urgl First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Portrayed by Engywook: Sydney Bromley (1st film) Tony Robinson (3rd film) Urgl: Patricia Hayes (1st film) Moya Brady (3rd film) Information Species Fantasian Gnomes Occupation Engywook: Researcher of the Southern Oracle Urgl: Housewife Engywook (Engywuck in German) and his wife Urgl, called in German the "Zweisiedler" (neologism from "Einsiedler" hermit; roughly "doublitarian") are a quarrelsome pair of gnomes who live close to the Southern Oracle. Engywook is a research scientist who has studied the Southern Oracle and her three gates for most of his life, but has never entered any. His wife Urgl often gets in his way while brewing potions in a large cauldron for healing wounded people. Engywook can observe the Riddle Gate, also known as the Sphinxes, from his telescope on a hilltop overlooking the first gate. In the book, Urgl removes poison from Atreyu and Engywook instructs him about the three gates that lead to the Southern Oracle. This scene is portrayed in the 1984 film. Engywook is played by Sydney Bromley and Urgl is played by Patricia Hayes. In the third film of the series, Engywook (played by Tony Robinson) and Urgl (played by Moya Brady) have moved to a forest and still argue continuously. The house is stepped on by Bastian during his return trip to Fantasia, although it is then completely destroyed by the Nasties. The two go with Bastian, Falkor, and Bark Troll to find the Empress for help, but are stranded on Earth and arrive in Alaska, where they mail themselves to the others and return home, their house rebuilt. Falkor the Luckdragon Falkor Bavaria Filmstadt - NeverEnding Story, Falkor the Luckdragon.jpg "Side view Falkor", an original prop used by Bavaria Film Studios First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Portrayed by Alan Oppenheimer (1st film) Donald Arthur (2nd film) William Hootkins (3rd film) Information Species Luckdragon Gender Male Falkor (Fuchur in German) is a companion of Atreyu and Bastian. He is the only luckdragon to appear, although five others are mentioned in passing. He helps Atreyu find a cure for the Empress after escaping the web of Ygramul the Many. The original name "Fuchur" is derived from Japanese "Fukuryuu" (福竜 or 福龍, "lucky dragon").[citation needed] It was changed in the English translation because the pronunciation of the original name is similar to that of the agentive form of an English expletive. Personality wise, Falkor is optimistic, friendly, dignified, helpful and wise, trying to help Bastian remember to "never give up and good luck will find you." Falkor has an elongated body with rudimentary paws and pink scales and hairs that appear white in dull light. His head is described less precisely, though his eyes are given the colour of rubies. In the illustrations of the German novel, he appears much like an oriental dragon or his appearance is of a dog (Goldendoodle); whereas a cover for the book by Dan Craig illustrated Falkor as lion-like; and in the 1984 film adaptation of the novel, as well as its sequels, Falkor has canine features upon a white furred body and is pleased by affectionate scratchings behind his ear. Luckdragons possess neither an immense physical strength, nor great magical talents, though they can exhale fire, which is blue, as when Falkor fights Ygramul. Their only distinctive ability that sets them apart is incredible luck in everything they do, as shown when Falkor locates and rescues his companion after being lost in a violent, blinding storm. When in flight, a luckdragon is in constant motion. Luckdragons never stop drawing air and heat through their scales, which makes eating unnecessary and makes submersion in water deadly to them. Luckdragons are capable of sleeping while flying, and prefer to occupy as much open space as possible. In the first film, Falkor is voiced by Alan Oppenheimer. In the second film, Falkor is voiced by an uncredited Donald Arthur. In the third film, Falkor is performed by Gord Robertson and voiced by William Hootkins. Bavaria Film Studios retains a "side view Falkor" which tourists can climb and ride. The prop is the last remaining version of Falkor from the original film and was used for blue-screen side angle shots. Gmork Gmork Ogmork.jpg Gmork, as he appears in the 1984 motion picture. First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Portrayed by Alan Oppenheimer (uncredited) Edward Yankie (TV) Don Francks (cartoon) Information Species Wolf Gmork is one of the main villains of the story. He is the servant of the power behind the Nothing. His appearance in the book is that of a large, wolf-like creature with night-black fur and capable of human speech; but the film gives him blue-black fur and luminous green cat-like eyes, as well as more fangs than an ordinary wolf would have. In Latin Spanish dubbing, Gmork is alternatively (and erroneously) known as "La Nada", "The Nothing". Gmork's primary mission in the Neverending Story is to kill the young warrior Atreyu. He, and other dual-natured creatures like him, are able to travel between worlds, changing into a Fantastican or a human depending upon the world, in appearance only. Atreyu finally meets Gmork in Spook City, where he is chained, and Atreyu employs the name 'Nobody' to hide his identity in shame of his failure to complete his quest. Gmork confesses that he has been hunting a boy sent on a quest by the Childlike Empress to find her a new name, but lost him early on. He then met the Princess of Darkness, Gaya, who upon hearing of his mission to help the Nothing, chained Gmork with an unbreakable chain (reminiscent of Fenrir in Nordic mythology) and leapt into the Nothing, leaving him to starve. Gmork explains to Atreyu the nature of the Nothing, and that a Fantastican who enters it, must become a 'lie' in the human world. Eventually, Gmork reveals the name of the boy he is pursuing, and Atreyu reveals his identity, which causes Gmork to laugh until he finally succumbs to starvation. As Atreyu approaches the dead wolf, the carcass grabs Atreyu in its jaws, which, ironically, prevents Atreyu from succumbing to the overpowering urge exerted by the Nothing to throw himself into it. He is freed from Gmork's grip by Falkor, who escapes with him to the Ivory Tower. In the film, Gmork almost manages to kill Atreyu in the Swamps of Sadness, but Atreyu is saved by Falkor. Their meeting in Spook City occurs in the film as well, where Gmork attacks Atreyu, impaling himself on an improvised stone knife held by the young warrior. Grograman Grograman First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Portrayed by Gary Crawford (cartoon) Information Aliases The Many Colored Death Species Lion Occupation Guardian of the Desert of Colors Grograman, known as The Many Colored Death (Graógramán, der Bunte Tod in German), is the guardian of Goab, the Desert of Colors, which exists in a symbiosis with Perilin the Night Forest. He appears in the form of a huge lion, who changes colors to suit the color of sand under his feet and changes all life around him into sand. Grograman turns into an obsidian statue at night to allow the growth of Perilin. Grograman is the first creature Bastian meets upon his arrival in Fantastica (if the Childlike Empress is to be excluded). Bastian is protected from the effect of Grograman's death aura by AURYN and is thus the first living being ever to make friends with him. Grograman is the first one who teaches Bastian something of the nature of Fantastica and he gives Bastian his magic (and seemingly intelligent) sword Sikanda. One night, Bastian is called away. He promises to return, but is ultimately unable to keep his promise (the story states, however, that one day someone would fulfill the promise in Bastian's name). In the animated series, Grograman burns down Perilin to protect Fantastica from being overrun by its roots and branches. He is later captured by Xayide and freed by Bastian. Morla Morla First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Portrayed by Robert Jadah (film) Pam Hyatt (cartoon) Information Aliases The Ancient One Species Giant Turtle Morla, known as The Ancient One (Die Uralte Morla in German), is a giant turtle who, because of their size, is mistaken for a mountain. They live in the Swamps of Sadness, which might be either the cause or the result of their melancholy mindset: as the oldest living Fantastican (after the Childlike Empress and the Old Man of Wandering Mountain, who are both ageless), they have grown indifferent to the fate of Fantastica and their own survival. Reluctantly, they inform Atreyu that the Empress needs a new name and they point Atreyu to the Southern Oracle. Morla speaks in the 'royal we' or nosism. In the film, they have allergies to youth (Atreyu) and sneeze violently in its presence. Here, they know nothing about the illness of the Empress, but they send Atreyu directly to the Southern Oracle. The Old Man of Wandering Mountain The Old Man of Wandering Mountain First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Portrayed by Freddier Jones Information Occupation Chronicler The Old Man of Wandering Mountain (Der Alte vom Wandernden Berge in German) is an elderly chronicler whose chronicle contains all events in Fantastica. He lives alone in an egg-shaped home on top of the Wandering Mountain, which can be found only by chance or fate. The Old Man appears in the story when the Childlike Empress is forced to use drastic measures to make Bastian fulfill his part in the story. As she approaches his mountain, the Old Man tries to dissuade her from entering to the point of insulting her. On her request, the Old Man reads from his chronicle (starting with Bastian entering the book shop). As he reads, all events happen again and as they happen again, he writes them down again beginning a vicious circle of eternal repetition which finally drives Bastian into calling out the Empress' new name. The Old Man does not ultimately appear in the first film and his appearance in the third film differs drastically from the book. He possesses the Great Book which can seemingly write the future on its own accord. He dwells in a hidden crystal cave where he can see outside events using a "magic mirror". He is visited by the Childlike Empress and her guard Big Head, who remain with him until the end of the Nastie Crisis. In this film, he grovels before the Empress and sees it as an honor that the monarch would visit him. Pyornkrachzark Pyornkrachzark First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Information Aliases Rockbiter Species Rockbiter Occupation Messenger Pyornkrachzark (Pjörnrachzarck) is a Rockbiter (in German Felsenbeisser) riding a stone vehicle. He is a large creature made completely of stone. The Rockbiter species are named due to their diet of rocks and earth-based materials. The Rockbiter seen in the film particularly has a liking for limestone. In the novel, the Rockbiter only appears early in the novel among the messengers sent to see the Childlike Empress at the Ivory Tower during the "Nothing" crisis; whereas in the film he ultimately reappears, encountered by Atreyu. He has lost faith in himself after failing to save his travelling companions from the Nothing, and advises Atreyu to flee. During the end of the film, he and his two traveling companions wave at Bastian as he flies by on Falkor. In the second and third films, Rock Biter's wife appears in the third film and his son appears in the second and third. Rock Biter Junior is the same size as a human, and is rather gluttonous and playful. He is sent to Earth during a wish overload caused by Bastian, Falkor, Bark Troll, Engywook, and Urgl; whereupon he is saved from falling to his death by Falkor and they are reunited with Bastian. Rock Biter and his wife nearly split due to the absence of their son and the further effects of the Nasties, who are in possession of the book and AURYN; but the family are reunited at the end of the film. Rock Biter also sings a rather corrupt version of Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf. Gluckuk Gluckuk (Ückück in German) is a tiny man (Winzling) riding a racing snail. He was sent by his race to see the Childlike Empress at the Ivory Tower during the "Nothing" crisis. In the film, he is ultimately called Teeny Weeny and portrayed by Deep Roy. Whooshwoozool Whooshwoozool (Wúschwusul) is a Nighthob (Nachtalb) who rides on a bat. He was sent by his race to see the Childlike Empress at the Ivory Tower during the "Nothing" crisis. Blubb Blubb is a will-o'-the-wisp. He was sent by his race to see the Childlike Empress at the Ivory Tower during the "Nothing" crisis. Blubb is ultimately not in the film version. The Southern Oracle Southern Oracle First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Information Aliases Uyulala; The Voice of Still Occupation Oracle The Southern Oracle, also named Uyulala (Uyulála in German), is a mysterious and all-knowing oracle guarded by three magical gates. She is depicted as a disembodied, continuous female voice who speaks in - and can only understand - rhymed speech and otherwise sings ceaselessly to maintain her existence. The ancient, giant turtle Morla tells Atreyu that Uyulala is the only one who knows who can give the Childlike Empress a new name and prevent her from dying; and with the help of Ygramul's poison, Atreyu transports himself near the oracle instantly. There he learns from the gnome Engywook, that to speak with Uyulala he must pass through the three gates: The first gate is the Great Riddle Gate, which consists of two Sphinxes who face one another. Those caught between their gaze are frozen on the spot and doomed to remain until they solve every riddle in the world or until they die. The second gate is the Magic Mirror Gate, which is a large, circular, moon-like mirror, which reflects the absolute truest nature of the observer. This often frightens people into retreat or hysteria; but the observer, to pass this gate, must walk through its reflection. The third gate is the No-Key Gate, which is a keyless door and physically indestructible, but responsive to a person's will. Only by losing the desire to enter may one get it to open. Once past, Atreyu learns the reason why the Childlike Empress is ill and what he must find in order to restore her health. Uyulala is then quiet and the Southern Oracle with its three gates is silently destroyed by the Nothing. Passing through the first two gates causes Atreyu to first lose all fear (the Great Riddle Gate), and then all memory of himself (the Magic Mirror Gate). This allows him to open the No-Key Gate, whereat Bastian's voice keeps the now empty-minded Atreyu from wandering. The film version of the Southern Oracle shares the generalities; but the first gate judges whether the person attempting to pass through it "feels his own worth"; if the person is doubtful of its ability to pass through safely, the two Sphinxes incinerate the visitor. The second gate is a mirror much like the book's description, located in a snowy wilderness; and there is ultimately no third gate (which, as the third gate would have stood for the precise contrary of "felling one's own worth", somewhat turns the message to the contrary). The Oracle itself is ultimately two blue glowing Sphinxes exactly like the yellow sphinxes at the first gate, and also speaks in prose. As with the book, the Oracle crumbles and dies after revealing the cure for the Childlike Empress' condition. In Tales from the Neverending Story, a hero must pass through the Riddle Gate, which tests his confidence in himself. He must then answer a riddle and pass through a mirror that displays the necessary thing he needs. In the case of Atreyu, he lands in a library owned by the wizard nicknamed "the Curiosity", who teaches him to read. Thereafter he passes through a glass door on which the name Uyulala is inscribed, to find the Oracle much as she is described in the book. In The Neverending Story cartoon series, the Southern Oracle is depicted as two sphinxes facing each other and are voiced by Ellen Ray Hennessy. Xayide Xayide First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Portrayed by Clarissa Burt (film) Victoria Sanchez (TV series) Janet Laine-Green (cartoon) Information Aliases Mistress of Horok Castle Species Fantastican Gender Female Occupation Sorceress Xayide (Xayíde in German) is one of the main villains of the story. She is an evil sorceress who appears later in the book after Bastian enters the world of Fantastica. Xayide lives in a castle shaped like a hand, called “Horok, the Seeing Hand”, because its multitude of windows appear like human eyes. Xayide's most striking physical feature are her heterochromatic red and green eyes. She has the ability to control anything empty, and thus she employs as guards empty suits of plate armour. She presents to Bastian a warm and worshipping exterior, in hope to herself replace the Childlike Empress as ruler of Fantastica. Realizing she cannot defeat Bastian by force, she persuades him to invade the Ivory Tower. After losing Bastian, she is crushed to death by her iron minions who resist her waning magic. The book's chapters follow an alphabetical order pattern of the first word; thus her name serves well for the difficult "X" word in Chapter 24, where she meets her demise. Xayide is portrayed by actress and model Clarissa Burt in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, which is loosely based upon the second half of the novel. In the adaption, she is the personified avatar of an entity similar to the Nothing, called 'the Emptiness', which is born of the dying imagination of the collective human species. In both media she gives Bastian the belt Ghemmal, which turns its wearer invisible and was intended to spy on Atreyu. She meets her end in the film when Bastian uses his last wish to give her a sense of compassion, whereupon she destroys herself to amend the damage done by her. In the miniseries Tales from the Neverending Story, Xayide is portrayed as the Childlike Empress' sister and the ruler of a 'Dark City'. Ygramul Ygramul First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Portrayed by Marilyn Lightstone (cartoon) Information Aliases The Many Species Insect Hive Ygramul, or The Many (Ygramul, die Viele in German), is a creature that lives in the land of Dead Mountains. Ygramul is portrayed as a shapeshifter, who often takes form of a giant spider and builds webs to catch its prey. The creature is actually composed of many little hornet-like insects who share a single hive mind. Ygramul's poison is deadly and kills within one hour, but grants the victim the ability to teleport to any location within the land of Fantastica before succumbing to its effects. In the book, this poison is the means by which Atreyu travels to the home of Engywook and Urgl, near the Southern Oracle. At this point in the story Falkor the luckdragon is introduced; he is caught in Ygramul's web, and also uses the power of Ygramul's poison to follow Atreyu. The lingering effects of the poison are nursed out of the two by Urgl, while Engywook, a scholar of the Southern Oracle, instructs Atreyu on the challenges he is to encounter within the Oracle's demesne. In The Neverending Story cartoon series, Ygramul is shown in her spider form. In "To Save Falkor," Bastian encountered Ygramul in the Dead Mountains while looking for a cure for Falkor's illness. Other characters Bastian's Dad Bastian's Dad (portrayed by Gerald McRaney in the first film, John Wesley Shipp in the second film, Kevin McNulty in the third film) is described to have grown distant from his son after the death of his wife, although this changes when he and Bastian are reunited at the end of the book. In the second film, Bastian's father is given the first name Barney Bux and follows Bastian's journey by reading the book and reunited with his son at the conclusion of the film. In the third film, he appears to have no memories of reading the book. He marries a woman named Jane and thus gains a new family, along with a daughter named Nicole who plays a main role in the third film. Bark Troll Bark Troll is a supporting character and friend of Bastian who appears in The Neverending Story cartoon, and the third film which is based on the characters as they appeared in the animated series. Note: Making no appearance in the original book. He is loosely based on three characters of a species called bark trolls, that appeared briefly to advise Atreyu about the Nothing. Cairon Cairon (Caíron in German) is a herald of the Childlike Empress and in-between bearer of AURYN who passed it to Atreyu. In the book, he appears as a black elderly centaur with his lower half with the striped pattern of a zebra. In the first film, he ultimately appears as a humanoid Merman (performed by Moses Gunn). By his name and status of a centaur and physician, Cairon is an allusion to the mythological Greek Chiron. Dame Eyola Dame Eyola (Dame Aiuóla) is a plant taking the form of a motherly woman who lives in the House of Change, who cares for Bastian. The Four Heroes The Four Heroes are our swordsmen who appear in the second half of the novel, said to be the bravest and strongest warriors in all of Fantastica, who participate in a tournament in the Silver City of Amarganth. One is identified as Hero Hynreck (or Huunreck), who is infatuated with Princess Oglamar; the other three, Hykrion, Hysbald and Hydorn, accompany Bastian on his journey and swear allegiance to him. They are often portrayed as cheerful beings, but when Bastian decides to make himself an emperor, they get drunk and become useless. They survive the battle against Atreyu's rebellion but lose track of Bastian, and go their separate ways to look for him. Note: The Four Heroes do not appear together in any adaptation (film or television series) of the book. However, Hykrion and Hynreck appeared separately in episodes of the Tales from The Neverending Story television series; "Home Sweet Home" & "The Gift of the Name", and "The Luck Stops Here". Although unconfirmed, there is a scene in the first film which serves as an indirect "reference" to the Four Swordsmen. Namely an unnamed knight who (unsuccessfully) tries to pass through the ′′′Sphinx Gate′′′. Michael Ende and Wolfgang Peterson collaborated on the script for the first film which incorporated new scenes by Ende to help reinforce the essence of the story on screen. Ende claimed that Peterson later secretly rewrote the screenplay, but it is possible that this is one of Ende's additions. Grograman Grograman (Graógaman, der Bunte Tod') is also known as the Many Colored Death. A lion-like creature that lives in Goab, the Desert of Colors which exist in symbiosis with Perilin, the Night Forest. Ilwan Ilwan (Illuán) is a blue genie with a bird's beak in place of his nose and mouth. Ilwan was only featured in the novel where he became one of Bastian's closest servants, but was killed during the battle for the Ivory Tower. Nimbly Nimbly is a bird-like creature in the second film and does not exist as a character in the book. He is Xayide's spy, who encourages Bastian to use up his memories wishing, but later has a change of heart. In the book, there is a species called Nimblies, who are rabbit-like creatures with feathers instead of fur. Querquobad Querquobad, the Silver Sage (Quérquobad der Silbergreis) is the ruler of the silver ship city of Amarganth, which was built by the Acharis and swims on a lake made by their tears. Shadow Goblin Shadow Goblin is a character in the animated series who is a master thief of Fantasia. The Shadow Goblin wants nothing more than to become the richest people in Fantasia. Vermin 'Vermin is a bat-winged rat who is the Shadow Goblin's henchman. Vermin's job is to spy all over Fantasia for something worth stealing and the Shadow Goblin is the one who steals it. While Shadow Goblin wants to become rich, Vermin mostly thinks about foot. Shexper Shexper/Shakespeare is mentioned in Chapter XVIII (18) when Hykrion, Hysbald, and Hydorn sing a song ("When that I was a little tiny boy, With Hey, Ho, the wind and the rain..."). They mention that that song was sung by one called "Shexper", which is a mispronunciation of the name "Shakespeare", which alludes to the possibility that the real Shakespeare once visited Fantasia the same way Bastian did. Smerg Smerg is a dragon created by Bastian for Hynreck to slay and prove his worthiness to Princess Oglamar. He had the tail of a scorpion, back legs of a grasshopper, and the wings of a bat. Smerg had the heads of a male and female instead of eyes. He is featured in the second film when Bastian wishes him into existence (as in the novel), but in the film was meant to be a new steed to carry Bastian. Tri-Face Tri-Face is a three-faced scientist who is Xayide's servant in the second film. Each face represents a part his personality and spin into place depending on his mood. This character is possibly based on a figure from the first film which had two faces, and was present at the Ivory Tower when Atreyu was summoned. Note: A similar character Threehead is a three-headed knight, and also Xayide's servant in the animated series. Each of Threehead's personalities is represented by a different head, and pop up depending on his mood. The blue-haired head is his happiness and loyalty, the red-haired head is his sadness and fear, while the green-haired head is his anger and pure evil. This character is based on a figure from the novel named Four-Quarters Troll (Vier-Vierteltroll) or Temperamentling, who becomes a member of Bastian's entourage. Yikka Yikka (Jicha) is a female mule who acts as Bastian's steed during the second half of the novel. She is quite faithful to him, but under Xayide's influence Bastian allows her to leave his side to start a family with an attractive male pegasus. Yor Yor is the picture miner of Yor's Minroud, a mine from which he excavates dream pictures (which make up the soil of Fantastica), who helps Bastian find his lost dream. Fantasian creatures [icon] This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2012) The following are a list of creatures featured in the different media appearances of "The Neverending Story": Acharis (Acharai) - The Acharis are a race of worm-like creatures so ashamed by their own ugliness that they hide underground and constantly cry. Their acidic tears eat away the soil around them, allowing them to mine Fantastican silver (the only element which is impervious to their tears), which they use to construct beautiful buildings. Bastian pities them and transforms them into the Shlamoofs (Schlamuffen): anarchist, clown-faced flying creatures who destroy all of the work they did as Acharis. They pursue Bastian and demand that he becomes their leader, but they are driven off by Atreyu and Falkor — unfortunately too late before their screaming destroys the fragile picture of his father that Bastian previously excavated from Yor's Minroud. Four Winds Giants - Four giants who guard the winds of Fantastica. They constantly fight with each other, which causes the separation of Atreyu and Falkor in the novel. The four of them by name are: Lirr, the black North Wind, Sheerek (compare with sirocco), the sulfur-yellow South Wind, Baureo (compare with Boreas), the leaden-gray East Wind, and Mayestril (compare with mistral), the fiery-red West Wind. Uncharacteristically silenced by the power of the AURYN, it is through the Wind Giants that Atreyu learns that Fantastica has no boundary. In the film, they are ultimately replaced by the Nothing. Greenskins (Grünhäute) - Also known as the Grass People (Grasleute), these are Atreyu's people, a folk of hunters and gatherers with a culture and lifestyle very similar to the North American Plains Indians. As their name implies, their skin is of an olive-green hue, and their hair is blueish-black. Their home is the Grassy Sea, a vast prairie in an undisclosed part of Fantastica bordered by the Silver Mountains range. Iceheads (Eisbolde in German, a merging of the words "ice" and "kobold") - A race of creatures which reside in the Mountains of Fate, where the Childlike Empress encounters the Old Man of Wandering Mountain. They are described as giant humanoids covered in (or made of) ice who move so slowly that a single footstep takes years to complete. As a result, they are fairly isolated even from their own kind and more so from any other living creature in Fantastica. Nighthobs (Nachtalb) - The Nighthobs are a race of nocturnal humanoids that live in the southern regions of Fantastica. They have sharp features, wild hair, and wear drab clothing. Nighthobs are known to employ large bats that they fly much like a hang glider. The most notable of the Nighthobs was Vooshvazool, who was sent on the mission to the Ivory Tower. Rockbiters (Felsenbeißer) - The Rockbiters (or Rockchewers in the book) are large rock creatures that eat rocks and delight in different geological varieties. Rockbiters are often seen riding stone bicycles. Despite their gargantuan size and intimidating appearance, Rockbiters are generally kind and concerned with the well-being of Fantasticans smaller than themselves. Sassafranians (Sassafranier) - A race of human-like people from the novel who are born elderly. Their physical age regresses as they advance in years, and they die when they reach infancy state. Tinys (Winzlinge) - A race of tiny people that ride on Racing Snails. They are quite sophisticated, but due to their size they live in trees, erecting entire villages whose dwellings are connected by a huge number of ladders, slides and stairways. Unlucky the Rabbit (Unlucky the Rabbit) - Large rabbits that are often victims of Rock Biter's bikes. These are original characters from the third film. Yskálnari - A race of humanoid people living at the edge of a sea of mist, which can be navigated only by boats fashioned from special reeds, which are propelled by willpower (achieved by the Yskálnari through ritual singing). Commonly also called Mist Sailors, their name actually means The Conjoined Ones (Die Gemeinsamen). While Bastian joins them for a while during his quest for the Waters of Life, he discovers that the Yskálnari have no concept of individualism. In the animated series, the Yskálnari are depicted as identical-looking seal-like humanoids manning conventional wooden ships which can navigate the Mist Sea. The following creatures appear in the first film in the Childlike Empress' throne room and are unnamed[2]: Big-Headed Rock Creatures - A race of creatures made of rock that have big heads that are present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness. Bird Humans - A race of bird-headed humans that are present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness. Elephant-Headed Creature - A humanoid elephant that is present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness. Four-Faced People - A race of humans who have four faces. They are present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness. Monkey-Headed Creature - A creature with a monkey head that is present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness. Palm-Topped Creatures - A race of humanoids with palm tree-like growths on top of their heads that are present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness. Three-Headed Creature - A creature that has an unspecified head, a wolf head, and a goat head that is present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness. Two-Faced People - A race of humans with two faces that have two noses, two mouths, and three eyes. They are present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness. Die unendliche Geschichte ist ein erstmals 1979 im K. Thienemanns Verlag erschienener Roman von Michael Ende. Das Werk ist ein zugleich märchenhafter, phantastischer und romantischer Bildungsroman[1] und gehört inzwischen zu den neuen Klassikern der Kinder- und Jugendliteratur.[2][3] Der Großteil der Handlung spielt in einer Parallelwelt, Phantásien genannt, die durch das „Nichts“ zerstört wird – immer größere Teile des Reiches verschwinden einfach, ohne dass etwas davon zurückbleibt. Eine Art Rahmenerzählung besteht aus Sequenzen, die in der Menschenwelt angesiedelt sind. Jede dieser Welten stellt eine der beiden Hauptpersonen des Romans. Bastian Balthasar Bux ist ein Menschenjunge, der zunächst nur einen Roman über das Land Phantásien liest, doch die Geschichte wird für ihn mehr und mehr zur Wirklichkeit. Schließlich wird er selbst ein Teil davon, bis er kurz davorsteht, sich in der Phantasiewelt zu verlieren. Atréju hingegen ist ein junger phantásischer Jäger, der im Auftrag der kranken Herrscherin des Reiches, der Kindlichen Kaiserin, nach der Ursache für ihre Krankheit sucht, um dadurch Phantásien zu retten. Er wird später zu Bastians Freund und hilft ihm, den Weg zurück nach Hause zu finden. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Inhalt 2 Figuren 2.1 Bastian Balthasar Bux 2.2 Die Kindliche Kaiserin 2.3 Atréju 2.4 Fuchur 3 Entstehungs- und Publikationsgeschichte 4 Auflagen 5 Interpretation 6 Kritik 7 Auszeichnungen 8 Adaptionen 8.1 Film und Fernsehen 8.2 Hörspiel 8.2.1 1980er Jahre 8.2.2 2010er Jahre 8.3 Hörbuch 8.4 Ballett 8.5 Oper 8.6 Theater 8.7 Legenden von Phantásien 8.8 Spiele 8.9 Disneys Lustiges Taschenbuch 9 Übersetzungen 10 Sonstiges 11 Literatur 12 Weblinks 13 Einzelnachweise Inhalt → Hauptartikel: Inhalt und Interpretation der Unendlichen Geschichte Bastian Balthasar Bux ist ein zehn oder elf Jahre alter, in sich gekehrter Junge. Sein Vater hat den Tod seiner Frau, Bastians Mutter, nie verkraftet, flüchtet sich in seine Arbeit und beachtet seinen Sohn kaum noch. In der Schule ist der Junge ein Außenseiter und wird von seinen Klassenkameraden schikaniert. Auf der Flucht vor ihnen rettet sich Bastian in das Antiquariat des Buchhändlers Karl Konrad Koreander. Dieser liest gerade in einem geheimnisvollen Buch mit dem Titel Die unendliche Geschichte. Für Bastian erscheint dies als das Buch der Bücher, denn er hat sich schon immer eine Geschichte gewünscht, die niemals endet. Als das Telefon klingelt, verlässt Koreander den Raum. Bastian kann nicht widerstehen, stiehlt das Buch und flüchtet mit ihm auf den Dachboden seiner Schule. Dort beginnt er, Die unendliche Geschichte zu lesen. Diese handelt von Phantásien, dem Reich der Phantasie. Die Kindliche Kaiserin, Herrscherin dieses Reiches, ist schwer erkrankt und droht zu sterben. Indem ihre Krankheit voranschreitet, ist auch Phantásien selbst dem Untergang geweiht. Das Land und alle Wesen, die darin leben, werden nach und nach vom Nichts verschlungen, und es bleibt buchstäblich nichts von ihnen übrig. Deshalb sendet die Kindliche Kaiserin Atréju aus, einen grünhäutigen Jungen in Bastians Alter, der genau jenen Mut, jene Tapferkeit und jene Entschlossenheit besitzt, die Bastian an sich selbst so sehr vermisst. Er soll ein Heilmittel für die Kindliche Kaiserin beschaffen und so Phantásien retten. Atréju reist von Ort zu Ort und spricht mit den verschiedensten Bewohnern des Reiches. So findet er nach und nach heraus, dass er selbst nicht in der Lage ist, Phantásien zu retten. Seine Aufgabe besteht darin, ein Menschenkind nach Phantásien zu führen, das der Kindlichen Kaiserin einen neuen Namen geben kann. Nur dadurch kann sie wieder gesund werden. Indem Bastian Atréjus Abenteuer mit Spannung verfolgt, lässt er sich von ihm Schritt für Schritt nach Phantásien führen. Obwohl Bastian es zuerst nicht wahrhaben will, kann er den Fortgang der Geschichte beeinflussen. Als Bastian schließlich begreift, dass er allein der Retter Phantásiens ist und nicht Atréju, auf den er so große Hoffnungen gesetzt hatte, fürchtet er, die Kindliche Kaiserin könnte ihn für unwürdig befinden. Deshalb traut er sich nicht, ihren Namen, den er längst erkannt hat, laut auszusprechen. Um ihr bereits fast vollständig verschwundenes Reich zu retten, zwingt ihn die Kindliche Kaiserin, es doch zu tun. Endlich gibt Bastian ihr den verzweifelt geforderten Namen: Mondenkind. In der Folge gelangt Bastian selbst nach Phantásien. Die Kindliche Kaiserin übergibt ihm das AURYN und beauftragt ihn, mit seinen Wünschen die Welt Phantásien nach seinen Vorstellungen neu zu erschaffen. Indem Bastian ihrer Forderung nachkommt, kann Phantásien neu entstehen, und Bastian tritt die Reise an in diese für ihn völlig neue Welt. Als erstes bemerkt er die Inschrift auf der Rückseite von AURYN: Tu was du willst. Das Amulett der Kindlichen Kaiserin erfüllt jeden seiner Wünsche und so versucht er all die Schwächen abzulegen, die ihn in seinem früheren Leben gehemmt haben. Er wünscht sich stark zu sein, mutig zu sein, weise zu sein. Doch die Kindliche Kaiserin hat ihm verschwiegen, dass jeder Wunsch ihn eine Erinnerung kostet, eine Erinnerung an seine eigene Welt und daran, wer und was er dort war. Fast zu spät erkennt Bastian, dass er seine Wünsche einsetzen muss, um seinen wahren Willen zu erkennen, denn nur dieser kann ihn zurück nach Hause führen. Scheitert er an dieser Aufgabe, wird er – auf ewig dem Wahnsinn anheimgefallen – in der Phantasiewelt gefangen bleiben. Gelingt es ihm jedoch, kann er die Erfahrungen, die er in Phantásien gesammelt hat, in seine Lebenswirklichkeit mitnehmen und sie dort einsetzen, um beide Welten, die materielle Welt und Phantásien, gesunden zu lassen. Mit Hilfe Atréjus gelingt es Bastian schließlich, zu sich selbst zu finden und zu seinem Vater in seine eigene Welt zurückzukehren. Figuren → Hauptartikel: Figuren und magische Gegenstände in der Unendlichen Geschichte Bastian Balthasar Bux → Hauptartikel: „Bastian Balthasar Bux“ im Artikel Figuren und magische Gegenstände in der Unendlichen Geschichte → Hauptartikel: „Der Protagonist Bastian Balthasar Bux“ im Artikel Inhalt und Interpretation der Unendlichen Geschichte Bastian ist ein kleiner Junge von zehn oder elf Jahren. Er ist ein schüchterner und schwächlicher Bücherwurm, der in der Schule gehänselt wird. Seine Mutter ist verstorben, was auch seinen Vater sehr belastet, welcher nur selten mit ihm spricht. In der Unendlichen Geschichte wird er groß, stark und mächtig, vergisst, wer er früher war, und gerät so in große Schwierigkeiten. Die Kindliche Kaiserin → Hauptartikel: „Die Kindliche Kaiserin“ im Artikel Figuren und magische Gegenstände in der Unendlichen Geschichte → Hauptartikel: „Herrscherin Phantásiens: Die Kindliche Kaiserin“ im Artikel Inhalt und Interpretation der Unendlichen Geschichte Die Kindliche Kaiserin, Verkörperung der Phantasie, ist die Herrscherin Phantásiens, doch unter diesem Titel darf man sich keinesfalls das vorstellen, was man gewöhnlich darunter versteht. Die Kindliche Kaiserin oder „Goldäugige Gebieterin der Wünsche“, wie sie auch genannt wird, herrscht nicht und macht niemals von ihrer Macht Gebrauch. Sie urteilt niemals. Vor ihr gelten alle Wesen gleich, egal ob schön oder hässlich, böse oder gut. Obwohl sie aussieht wie ein Mädchen von etwa zehn Jahren, hat sie strahlend weißes Haar und ist alterslos. Sie ist kein Wesen Phantásiens, doch kann ohne sie nichts in Phantásien existieren. Ihre Lebenskraft bemisst sich nach Namen. Ist ihr Name in Vergessenheit geraten, braucht sie unbedingt einen neuen, sonst stirbt sie und ganz Phantásien mit ihr. Atréju → Hauptartikel: „Atréju“ im Artikel Figuren und magische Gegenstände in der Unendlichen Geschichte → Hauptartikel: „Atréju als Bastians Alter Ego“ im Artikel Inhalt und Interpretation der Unendlichen Geschichte Atréju gehört zum Volk der „Grünhäute“, die in einer Gegend leben, die „Das Gräserne Meer“ genannt wird. Obwohl er erst zehn Jahre alt ist, wird er von der Kindlichen Kaiserin zu ihrem Stellvertreter ernannt und auf „Die Große Suche“ geschickt. Die Grünhäute sind ein stolzes Volk von Jägern, schon die kleinsten lernen, auf sattellosen Pferden zu reiten. Ihre Haut ist olivgrün und ihre Haare sind schwarz wie Ebenholz. Alles was sie benötigen, fertigen sie aus Gras oder den Häuten der Purpurbüffel, die in großen Herden durch ihr Land ziehen. Atréju ist Bastians Freund und hilft ihm oft aus fast aussichtslosen Situationen. Fuchur → Hauptartikel: „Fuchur“ im Artikel Figuren und magische Gegenstände in der Unendlichen Geschichte → Hauptartikel: „Fernöstliche Einflüsse am Beispiel der vier Ling“ im Artikel Inhalt und Interpretation der Unendlichen Geschichte Fuchur ist ein Glücksdrache und gehört damit zu den seltensten Geschöpfen Phantásiens. Fuchurs Schuppen sind perlmuttfarben, schimmern rosig und glitzern weiß. Er hat eine üppige Mähne sowie Fransen am Schweif und an den anderen Gliedmaßen. Glücksdrachen haben so gut wie keine Ähnlichkeit mit „gewöhnlichen“ Drachen, wie sie beispielsweise in der Fantasyliteratur auftreten. Sie leben weder in dunklen Höhlen, in denen sie Schätze horten, noch speien sie unentwegt Feuer und Qualm oder richten aus Spaß Verwüstungen an. Sie besitzen keine ledernen Flügel und sind keinesfalls plump, sondern haben einen langen geschmeidigen Leib. Vom Aussehen und auch von ihrer Bedeutung her ähneln die Glücksdrachen in der Unendlichen Geschichte denen aus der chinesischen Mythologie. Sie sind Geschöpfe der Luft, der Wärme und unbändiger Freude. Sie sind trotz ihrer Körpergröße so leicht wie eine Feder und brauchen daher keine Flügel, um zu fliegen – sie schwimmen quasi durch die Lüfte, wie Fische im Wasser. Eine weitere Besonderheit ist Fuchurs Gesang, der wie „das Dröhnen einer riesigen Bronzeglocke“ beschrieben wird. Wer je diesen Gesang gehört hat, vergisst ihn sein Leben lang nicht mehr. Glücksdrachen scheinen nie die Hoffnung und ihren Frohmut zu verlieren; sie vertrauen auf ihr Glück und verstehen alle Sprachen der Freude. Entstehungs- und Publikationsgeschichte Im Jahre 1977 riet sein Verleger Hansjörg Weitbrecht Michael Ende zu einem neuen Buch. Ende versprach, es bis Weihnachten fertiggestellt zu haben, bezweifelte dabei aber, eine Seitenzahl jenseits der 100 zu erreichen. Als Leitmotiv nannte Ende: Ein Junge gerät beim Lesen einer Geschichte buchstäblich in die Geschichte hinein und findet nur schwer wieder heraus. Der Thienemann-Verlag segnete dieses Konzept im Vorfeld ab. Rasch erwies sich jedoch, dass der Stoff umfangreicher war, als Ende geglaubt hatte. Die Veröffentlichung musste immer weiter aufgeschoben werden. Ende versprach, dass das Buch im Herbst 1979 publiziert werden könne. Ein Jahr vor dem angegebenen Termin rief er seinen Verleger an und teilte ihm mit, dass sich die Hauptfigur Bastian aufs Entschiedenste weigere, Phantásien zu verlassen. Es bleibt ihm (Michael Ende) nicht anders übrig, als ihn auf seiner langen Reise weiter zu begleiten. Auch handele es sich nicht mehr um ein normales Buch. Es müsse vielmehr wie ein richtiges Zauberbuch gestaltet werden: ein Ledereinband mit Perlmutt und Messingknöpfen. Man einigte sich schließlich auf einen Seideneinband, den bekannten zweifarbigen Druck und die sechsundzwanzig Buchstaben-Vignetten für die einzelnen Kapitel, die Roswitha Quadflieg gestalten sollte. Die Herstellungskosten für das Buch erhöhten sich dadurch empfindlich. Dennoch kam Ende mit seiner Erzählung nicht voran, da ihm zunächst eine Idee fehlte, wie er Bastian aus Phantásien wieder in die Realität zurückholen könnte. In dieser künstlerischen Krise brach einer der kältesten Winter herein, den Ende je erlebt hatte. Die Wasserleitungen gefroren, ein Rohr platzte, das Haus stand unter Wasser, die Wände begannen zu schimmeln. In dieser schwierigen Phase kam dem Autor die rettende Idee, dass AURYN, das Amulett der Kindlichen Kaiserin, selbst den Ausgang aus Phantásien darstellt. So konnte Ende im Jahre 1979 nach fast dreijähriger Arbeitszeit endlich die Arbeit an dem Buch abschließen.[4] „In der Unendlichen Geschichte war es wiederum so, dass ich bis zuletzt nicht wusste, wo der Ausgang von Phantasien ist. Das Buch sollte ja schon ein Jahr vorher herauskommen. Der Verleger hatte Drucktermine bestellt, das Papier lag schon da, und er rief immer an und fragte: Wann krieg ich es denn nun, und ich musste immer sagen: Du, ich kann’s Dir nicht geben, Bastian kommt nicht mehr zurück. Was soll ich machen? Ich muss warten, bis es soweit ist, bis die Figur aus sich heraus die Notwendigkeit erlebt, dass sie zurückkommen muss, und deswegen wurde es eben diese Odyssee. Als wir seinerzeit ausmachten, dass ich dieses Buch schreiben sollte, als der Verleger bei mir unten gewesen war und sagte: Wie wär’s denn, wenn Du mal wieder ein Buch schriebst? – ich schreibe ja sehr ungern – sagte ich: Naja, wenn’s sein muss. Da hab ich in meiner Kramkiste herumgekruschtelt, wo ich Notizen hineinschmeiße, und da war unter anderem auch ein Zettel, auf dem stand: ein Junge gerät beim Lesen eines Buches buchstäblich in die Geschichte hinein und findet nur schwer wieder heraus. Da sagte er: Das machst Du, das hört sich gut an. Und ich dann: Ach ja, aber weißt Du, viel ist da nicht drin. Das wird vielleicht eine 100-Seiten-Geschichte. Na, um so besser, sagte er, schreibst endlich auch mal ein kurzes Buch. Und dann fing ich an. Und dann ist mir das Ding buchstäblich unter den Händen explodiert; in dem Moment nämlich, wo man das ernst nahm, sich also nicht mit ein paar Zaubertricks rettet, dass der Junge rein und wieder raus gelangt. Das ist mir zu wenig. Man überlegt sich: Was für eine Geschichte muss das sein, die den Leser geradezu zwingt, in sie hinein zugeraten, warum braucht ihn die Geschichte einfach? Naja, und so entstand nach vielen Irrtümern und Herumtasten dieses Phantasien. Dann fragt man sich als zweites: Was für ein Junge muss das denn sein? Das passiert ja nicht jedem. Was für Voraussetzungen muss er mitbringen, damit er sich überhaupt auf dieses Abenteuer einlässt? Da hatte ich erst einen ganz anderen Bastian. Ich hatte einen asozialen, einen trotzigen Jungen, der sich von selber abschließt gegen die Welt. Nur merkte ich, als ich schon mitten im Buch war, dass der ganz gewiss nie wieder zurückkommen wird. Da geht mir die Geschichte überhaupt nicht auf. Also nochmal zurück und wieder von vorne angefangen. Das, was heute im Buch steht, ist ungefähr ein Fünftel von dem, was ich in Wirklichkeit geschrieben habe. Vier Fünftel sind in den Papierkorb gewandert.“[5] Der Roman erschien erstmals im September 1979 im Thienemanns Verlag. Die Erzählung bescherte dem Autor internationalen Ruhm. Er erhielt in Folge den Buxtehuder Bullen, den Preis der Leseratten des ZDF, den Wilhelm-Hauff-Preis zur Förderung von Kinder- und Jugendliteratur, den Europäischen Jugendbuchpreis, den Silbernen Griffel von Rotterdam sowie den Großen Preis der Deutschen Akademie für Kinder- und Jugendbuchliteratur. Ein Jahr nach der Veröffentlichung bemühte sich der Produzent Bernd Eichinger um die Rechte zur Verfilmung der Unendlichen Geschichte. Trotz zahlreicher Leserbriefe, die hiergegen protestierten, gab Ende seine Genehmigung hierzu. Im Verlaufe der Entwicklung eines Drehbuchs durch den Regisseur Wolfgang Petersen distanzierte sich Ende jedoch von dem Vorhaben, da Petersens Drehbuch zu weit vom Originalstoff abweiche. Schließlich versuchte Ende den Vertrag zu kündigen, doch Eichingers Filmgesellschaft, die Constantin Film, drohte ihm mit einer Schadensersatzklage in Millionenhöhe. Endes eigene Klage gegen die Filmgesellschaft wurde abgewiesen. So musste Ende notgedrungen der Verfilmung zustimmen. Er behielt sich allerdings das Recht vor, seinen Namen zurückziehen zu dürfen. 1984 wurde der über 60 Millionen Dollar teure Film fertiggestellt. Der Autor war entsetzt über das gigantische Melodram aus Kitsch, Kommerz, Plüsch und Plastik. Er fühlte sich in seiner Ehre als Schriftsteller, Künstler und Kulturmensch tief verletzt.[6][4] Endes Nachlass liegt im Deutschen Literaturarchiv Marbach. Das Manuskript der Unendlichen Geschichte ist im Literaturmuseum der Moderne in Marbach in der Dauerausstellung zu sehen.[7] Auflagen Die erste Auflage des Thienemanns Verlags im September 1979 betrug lediglich 20.000 Exemplare. Von Beginn an positiv rezipiert, erschien der Roman im Juli 1980 auf Platz 5 der Spiegel-Bestsellerliste, in der er sich sechzig Wochen lang hielt, und erreichte in den kommenden drei Jahren fünfzehn Neuauflagen mit nahezu einer Million Exemplaren. Bis zum Tod von Michael Ende im Jahr 1995 steigerte sich die Auflagenzahl auf 5,6 Millionen. Dreißig Jahre nach ihrem Erscheinen ist „Die unendliche Geschichte“ in über 40 Sprachen übersetzt. Die weltweite Gesamtauflage beträgt 10 Millionen Exemplare (alternative Angabe: 40 Millionen Exemplare).[8][9] Das Buch ist normalerweise nicht schwarz gedruckt. Die meisten Ausgaben verwenden zwei Schriftfarben. Rote Schrift steht dabei für Handlungsstränge, die in der Menschenwelt angesiedelt sind, blaugrüne Schrift für die Geschehnisse in Phantásien, dem Reich der Phantasie (die Farben variieren). Dies erleichtert den Zugang zur Handlung, da der Protagonist, ein zehnjähriger Junge namens Bastian Balthasar Bux, sich zwischen beiden Welten bewegt. „Die unendliche Geschichte“ hat 26 Kapitel, jedes davon beginnt in alphabetischer Reihenfolge von „A“ bis „Z“ mit einer großen, reichhaltig verzierten Initiale. Die Gesamtgestaltung wurde zusammen mit der Illustratorin Roswitha Quadflieg entwickelt. In der Neuauflage des Buches von 2004 fehlen diese Initialen sowie die grüne Schrift. In der englischen Übersetzung von Ralph Manheim hat das Buch ein anderes Cover, jedoch gibt es auch dort die zweifarbige Schrift und die Initialen von „A“ bis „Z“ in alphabetischer Reihenfolge – die Übersetzung der ersten Wörter eines jeden Kapitels wurde entsprechend sprachlich angepasst. 1987 erschien die Taschenbuch-Ausgabe im dtv-Verlag, 1998 dann „Der Niemandsgarten“ als Teil der Edition Weitbrecht mit Schriften aus Michael Endes Nachlass. Darin gibt es ein gleichnamiges Romanfragment, das als Vorläufer der „Unendlichen Geschichte“ gelesen werden kann. Seit 2004 ist im Thienemann-Verlag eine Neuausgabe mit Illustrationen von Claudia Seeger erhältlich. 2004 erschien außerdem im Piper Verlag „Aber das ist eine andere Geschichte. Das große Michael Ende Lesebuch“, in dem sich das unveröffentlichte Kapitel „Bastian erlernt die Zauberkunst“ befindet. Ebenfalls beim Piper Verlag ist seit 2009 „Die unendliche Geschichte. Das Original im Taschenbuch“ erhältlich. Der Thienemann-Verlag ergänzte 2009 „Das Phantásien-Lexikon“, herausgegeben von Roman und Patrick Hocke.[9] 1979: Die unendliche Geschichte, illustriert von Roswitha Quadflieg, Thienemann, Stuttgart, ISBN 3-522-12800-1. 1987: Die unendliche Geschichte, Taschenbuchausgabe, dtv 10795, München, ISBN 3-423-10795-2. 1998: Der Niemandsgarten, aus dem Nachlass; darin das gleichnamige Romanfragment, das als Vorläufer der „Unendlichen Geschichte“ gelesen werden kann; Edition Weitbrecht, Stuttgart / Wien / Bern ISBN 3-522-72005-9. 2004: Die unendliche Geschichte, Neuausgabe, illustriert von Claudia Seeger, Thienemann, Stuttgart, ISBN 978-3-522-17684-2. 2004: Aber das ist eine andere Geschichte, das große Michael Ende Lesebuch, darin das unveröffentlichte Kapitel „Bastian erlernt die Zauberkunst“, Piper, München / Zürich, ISBN 978-3-492-04672-5. 2009: Die unendliche Geschichte, das Original im Taschenbuch, Piper 5348, München / Zürich, ISBN 978-3-492-25348-2. 2009: Das Phantásien-Lexikon, herausgegeben von Roman und Patrick Hocke, Thienemann, Stuttgart, ISBN 978-3-522-20050-9. 2014: Die unendliche Geschichte, Jubiläumsausgabe, illustriert von Roswitha Quadflieg, Thienemann, Stuttgart ISBN 978-3-522-20203-9 Interpretation → Hauptartikel: „Interpretation“ im Artikel Inhalt und Interpretation der Unendlichen Geschichte Auf die Frage nach einer Interpretation der „Unendlichen Geschichte“ gibt Michael Ende keine Antwort. Jede Interpretation sei richtig, falls sie gut sei. Nur eine Äußerung gibt es vom Autor selbst: „Das ist nämlich die Geschichte eines Jungen, der seine Innenwelt, also seine mythische Welt, verliert in dieser einen Nacht der Krise, einer Lebenskrise, sie löst sich in Nichts auf, und er muss hineinspringen in dieses Nichts, das müssen wir Europäer nämlich auch tun. Es ist uns gelungen, alle Werte aufzulösen, und nun müssen wir hineinspringen, und nur, indem wir den Mut haben, dort hineinzuspringen in dieses Nichts, können wir die eigensten, innersten schöpferischen Kräfte wieder erwecken und ein neues Phantásien, das heißt eine neue Wertewelt, aufbauen.“.[10][11] Michael Ende ist immer wieder gefragt worden, was denn die Botschaft seines Romans sei. In der Regel antwortete er auf diese Frage ähnlich wie in diesem Brief an eine Leserin: Aber Kunst und Poesie erklären ja nicht die Welt, sie stellen sie dar. Sie brauchen nichts, was über sie hinausweist. Sie sind selbst ein Ziel. Ein gutes Gedicht ist nicht dazu da, die Welt zu verbessern – es ist selbst ein Stück verbesserte Welt, es braucht daher keine Botschaft. Dieses Hinausstarren auf die Botschaft (moralisch, religiös, praktisch, sozial usw.) ist eine unselige Erfindung der Literaturprofessoren und Essayisten, die sonst nicht wüssten, worüber sie schreiben und schwätzen sollten. Die Stücke Shakespeares, die Odyssee, Tausendundeine Nacht, der Don Quixote – die größten Werke der Literatur haben keine Botschaft. Sie beweisen oder widerlegen nichts. Sie sind etwas, wie ein Berg oder ein Meer oder eine tödliche Wüste oder ein Apfelbaum.[12] Man schreibt, weil einem zum Thema etwas einfällt, und nicht, weil man die Absicht oder den Drang verspürt, dem Publikum eine wichtige weltanschauliche Lehre zu erteilen. Aber natürlich hängt das, wozu einem etwas einfällt, mit dem Welt- und Anschaubild zusammen, das man sich gebildet hat. Nur ist es mir nie gelungen alles, was in meinem Kopf vorgeht, auch unter einen Hut zu kriegen. Ich habe kein philosophisches System, das mir auf jede Frage eine Antwort bereithält, keine Weltanschauung, die fertig ist – ich bin immer unterwegs. Es gibt zwar einige Konstanten, die sozusagen im Zentrum stehen, aber nach den Rändern hin ist alles offen und vage. Eigentlich habe ich niemals für irgendein Publikum geschrieben, sondern alles ist ein Gespräch mit Gott, in dem ich ihn nicht um irgendetwas bitte (da ich annehme, er weiß sowieso, was wir brauchen, und wenn er’s uns nicht gibt, dann aus gutem Grund), sondern um ihm zu erzählen, wie es ist, ein unzulänglicher Mensch unter unzulänglichen Menschen zu sein. Ich denke, das könnte ihn interessieren, da es eine Erfahrung ist, die er nicht gemacht haben kann.[13] „Die unendliche Geschichte“ wird oft als Kunstmärchen angesehen, doch orientiert sie sich insgesamt nur begrenzt am Gattungsvorbild, dem Volksmärchen. Die Märchenelemente werden oft nur nachgeahmt oder nachgestellt und besitzen kein festes Fundament. Ende ersetzt auf diese Weise das Geheimnis der Welt, das einst im Mythos enthalten war und im Märchen einen ästhetischen Ausdruck gefunden hatte, durch das Geheimnis des Ichs. Unter Beibehaltung der märchenhaften Hülle hat Ende den Gehalt gewechselt. Ähnliche Wendungen haben sich auch in der Science-Fiction-Literatur vollzogen. Sie sind im Kontext einer postmodernen Sinnkrise zu sehen. Die Welt ist durch die Naturwissenschaften zwar erklärbarer und kontrollierbarer, aber keineswegs sinnvoller geworden. Die daraus resultierende Sinnsuche hat in der Science-Fiction-Literatur eine Thematisierung des „Inner Space“ nach sich gezogen. Bei Ende führt sie zu einer Mythologisierung des Ichs.[14] Die Märchenelemente nehmen vor diesem Hintergrund lediglich eine dienende Funktion ein; aus poetischer Perspektive sind sie anderen, märchenfremden Aspekten funktional untergeordnet. Dennoch sind sie für die Darstellung der Handlung und die Formung der Intention eminent wichtig und in hohem Maße für den Erfolg des Buches verantwortlich.[15] Die unendliche Geschichte ist eben kein analytisches oder belehrendes Buch. Dennoch enthält sie eine deutliche Botschaft. Michael Ende wendet sich gegen den Materialismus und die Geringschätzung der Phantasie.[16] Er selbst sagt dazu: „Ich habe Zeit meines Lebens nach Hinweisen und Gedanken gesucht, die uns herausführen könnten aus dem Weltbild des Nur-Beweisbaren.“.[17] Ende wirbt für einen Ausgleich zwischen der Welt der harten Fakten und der Welt der Phantasie. Es geht darum, in einer von der Technik beherrschten, geistig arm gewordenen Welt den Zauber der Existenzen, der Existenz schlechthin neu zu entdecken, oder, da alle Menschen eine Kindheit hatten, das Zauberhafte für das Erwachsenenleben fruchtbar zu machen, ähnlich, wie dies bei sogenannten „Naturvölkern“ üblich ist. Ende spricht vom Gesundwerden der Menschenwelt; es geht ihm um eine heile Welt, die er im Rahmen des klassischen Gut-Böse-Schemas konstruiert. Eine Welt, in der kein Kind sich wegen zahlreicher Unwägbarkeiten und Unsicherheiten ängstigen muss. Gibt man dem Denker der Postmoderne, Jean Baudrillard, recht, so leben die Menschen heute in einer hermetischen und nahezu unzerstörbaren Simulation von Welt, in der es das Oben und das Unten, Gut und Böse nicht mehr gibt. Dafür aber Ausbeutung, Unterdrückung, Beugung des Individuums. Daran gilt es zu arbeiten, und wenn die Sache aussichtslos erscheint: Hauptsache nicht zu den Verlierern gehören. Aus der Perspektive eines Kindes ist dies äußerst belastend. Kinder wie Naturvölker brauchen die Verzauberung, die Hoffnung auf Änderung jenseits der berechnenden Logik.[18] In seinem Gespräch mit Erhard Eppler und Hanne Tächl über die gesellschaftlich-kulturelle Lage führt Ende aus: Äußerlich haben wir alles, innen sind wir arme Teufel. Wir können keine Zukunft sehen, wir können keine Utopie finden.[19] Dem modernen Menschen fehle ein positives Bild der Welt, in der er lebt: eine Utopie, die er der Trostlosigkeit, die aus der modernen Weltvorstellung resultiere, entgegenhalten kann. Dies führe bei Kindern und Erwachsenen gleichermaßen zu einem verzweifelte(n) Durst nach Wunderbarem und einem Hunger nach Schönheit.[20] Die Nachkriegsjahre seien bemüht gewesen, alles unter einem gesellschaftskritischen, politischen, (…) aufklärerischen Bild zu sehen und hätten den Menschen noch mehr in einen Sog der Negativität, des Zorns, der Bitterkeit und der Verdrossenheit gezogen.[21] Gegen diese in der Literatur und Kunst aufgetragene Ausschließlichkeit wehrt sich Ende. Ihm zufolge ist die Zeit gekommen, der Welt ihr heiliges Geheimnis und dem Menschen seine Würde zurückzugeben:[22] „An dieser Aufgabe werden die Künstler, die Dichter und Schriftsteller einen wichtigen Anteil haben, denn ihre Aufgabe ist es, dem Leben Zauber und Geheimnis zu verleihen.“[22] Die Möglichkeiten des Schriftstellers bestünden darin, alte Werte zu erneuern oder neue zu schaffen. Auch Michael Ende folgt diesem Grundsatz und ist auf der Suche nach einer Utopie für die Gesellschaft, um deren Werte zu erneuern. Gleich Thomas Morus´ Utopia (er-)findet auch Ende ein Land, das nirgends real ist: Hier findet der Mensch die verlorenen Mythen wieder.[23] Dabei bewegt Ende sich in einer poetischen Landschaft nach den Maßstäben der vier Himmelsrichtungen: der Schönheit, dem Wunderbaren, dem Geheimnisvollen und dem Humor.[24] Die Geheimnisse der Welt offenbaren sich jedoch nur demjenigen, der bereit ist, sich von ihnen verwandeln zu lassen.[25] Um in seine Welt eintauchen zu können, müssen die Leser Michael Endes, wie der Autor selbst, Lust am freien und absichtslosen Spiel der Phantasie haben.[26] In seinem Vortrag in Japan erläutert Ende, wie das freie schöpferische Spiel beim Schreiben, aufgrund der ungeplanten Vorgehensweise, selbst zum Abenteuer wird. Zur Entstehung der Unendlichen Geschichte berichtet er: Ich habe mit dieser Geschichte buchstäblich um mein Leben gekämpft.[27] Wenn der Mensch nicht zu einem richtigen Erwachsenen geworden sei, jenem entzauberte(n), banale(n), aufgeklärte(n) Krüppelwesen, der in einer entzauberten, banalen, aufgeklärten Welt so genannter Tatsachen existiert, dann lebe in ihm das Kind fort, das bis zu unserem letzten Lebenstag unsere Zukunft bedeutet.[28] Ende widmet seine Werke dem Ewig-Kindlichen in jedem Menschen, daher seien seine Werke nicht als Kinderliteratur einzustufen.[29] Die Wahl des Märchenromans sei lediglich aus künstlerisch-poetischen Gründen erfolgt: Wenn Sie gewisse wunderbare Begebenheiten erzählen wollen, so müssen Sie die Welt ja so schildern, dass derartige Begebenheiten in ihr möglich und wahrscheinlich sind.[29] Wäre er ein Maler geworden, würde er malen wie Marc Chagall, behauptet Michael Ende in einem Fernsehinterview mit Heide Adams.[30] In Chagalls Kunstwerken findet er seine Sicht der Dinge wieder: In ihrer „Art und Weise (…) träfen sie den Herzton des Ewig-Kindlichen“, welches uns wissen lässt, dass es alles das gibt, dass es sogar wirklicher ist als alle nur diesseitige Wirklichkeit.[29] Aus dieser Erkenntnis heraus verändert Michael Ende den Satz von Friedrich Nietzsche (In jedem Manne ist ein Kind verborgen, das will spielen) zu seiner These: In jedem Menschen ist ein Kind verborgen, das will spielen.[26] Als die höchste Form des Spiels versteht Ende die Kunst. Die Poesie genauso wie die bildende Kunst erfüllt für Michael Ende in erster Linie eine therapeutische Aufgabe, denn aus der Ganzheit des Künstlers geboren, könnten sie dem Menschen diese Ganzheit wiedergeben.[31] In einer kranken Gesellschaft übernehme der Dichter die Aufgabe eines Arztes welcher die Menschen zu heilen, zu retten und zu trösten versucht. Doch wenn er ein guter Arzt ist, sagt Ende, wird er seine Patienten nicht versuchen zu belehren oder zu bessern.[32] Diesem Prinzip bleibt Ende treu. Doch sein neuer Mythos ist vor allem eine Erneuerung des Alten. Dazu verwendet Ende eine Vielzahl von literarischen Bezügen. Er verwendet altbekannte Motive, bedient sich bei zahlreichen Mythologien, der griechischen, der römischen, der christlichen.[33] Das Buch wird vorwiegend von Erwachsenen gelesen, die sich nach der Lektüre vielleicht vornehmen, auch ihre kreative, assoziative, emotionale Gehirnhälfte wieder stärker einzubeziehen.[16] Die wesentliche Aussage des Romans liegt darin, dass durch das Träumen und das Eintauchen eines Menschen in eine Fantasiewelt Ideen und Gedanken entstehen, die in die Wirklichkeit übertragen werden können, indem sie in der Realität die Augen für die „Wunder und Geheimnisse im Alltäglichen“ öffnen.[34][35] Das in der Unendlichen Geschichte vorgestellte Projekt will damit folgendes vermitteln: Sehen lernen der »zauberhaften Gestalt« der Dinge und Lebewesen und damit Neuentdeckung und Neubewertung von Eindrücken und Erfahrungen im Alltag. Lieben lernen der (Mit-) Menschen als des »wahren Wunsches« hinter allen Wünschen.[18] Ende beleuchtet Schritt für Schritt die Konsequenzen dieser an sich trivialen Feststellung. Er stellt zunächst klar, dass eine Idee, die aus der Phantasie geboren wird, als solche weder positiv noch negativ, weder gut noch schlecht ist.[36] Einer Bewertung durch menschliche Moralvorstellungen wird sie erst unterworfen, wenn aus ihr ein Handeln resultiert. Dann jedoch kann die Idee zu wünschenswerten ebenso wie zu verwerflichen Zwecken eingesetzt werden. Hier nennt der Autor insbesondere die Lüge, die in seinen Augen eine Perversion der Phantasie darstellt, die dazu dient, andere zu manipulieren und somit auf unlauterem Wege Macht über sie auszuüben. Die Phantasie selbst bleibt durch wiederholtes Lügen letztendlich auf der Strecke.[37] Nachdem er diese Basis herausgearbeitet hat, befasst sich Ende mit weiteren Aspekten der Beziehung des Menschen zu seiner schöpferischen Kraft: Realitätsflucht[38], Machtausübung, Verantwortung (vor allem im Sinne von Ingerenz, das Eintreten für die Folgen des eigenen Handelns)[39], Selbstvertrauen und zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen[40] sind wichtige Themen seiner Erzählung. Endes Einschätzung, dass die Reise in die Welt der Phantasie nur dann zu einem positiven Ergebnis führen kann, wenn sie eingesetzt wird, um auch die wirkliche Welt zu verbessern, zieht sich wie ein roter Faden durch die Handlung.[41] Dabei wählt der Autor die Charaktereigenschaften seines Protagonisten, Bastian Balthasar Bux, mit Bedacht. Schon 1973 beklagte Michael Ende in einem Brief an seinen Verleger den Funktionalisierungswahn einer seelenlosen Phalanx der Aufklärungsterroristen und wandte sich damit gegen ein ausschließlich auf Rationalität gegründetes Weltbild, das den Menschen das Träumen verbieten will.[42][43] Entsprechend ist auch Bastian Balthasar Bux ein Junge, der mit dem Leben nicht klarkommt, weil ihm das rationale, auf bloße Zweckdienlichkeit ausgerichtete Weltbild der meisten Menschen sinnlos erscheint. Wie auch sein Vater hat er den Tod seiner Mutter nie verarbeiten können. Vater und Sohn leben nur noch neben-, aber nicht mehr miteinander. Deshalb flüchtet sich Bastian in Bücher voller Phantasie, die eine Welt erschaffen, die ihm bedeutender erscheint als sein wirkliches Leben.[44] Die Reise des Protagonisten Bastian in die Welt der Phantasie, in seine eigene Innenwelt[45], ist somit als Eintauchen in eine vergessene Realität zu verstehen, in eine „verloren gegangene Wertewelt“, wie Michael Ende selber sagt, die neu entdeckt und benannt werden muss, um wieder ins Bewusstsein zu gelangen. „Nur der richtige Name gibt allen Wesen und Dingen ihre Wirklichkeit“, sagt die Kindliche Kaiserin, selbst suchend nach einem Namensgeber. Letztlich ist dies auch als Ode an die Liebe („Wasser des Lebens“) zu verstehen, die immer wieder neu entdeckt werden muss, um zu wachsen.[35] Indem der Mensch seiner Phantasie freien Lauf lässt, begibt er sich auf die Suche nach sich selbst, nach seinem wahren Ich; dem Protagonisten wird die Aufgabe erteilt, seinen Wahren Willen zu erkennen und danach zu handeln.[46] Die Reise nach Phantásien wird für Bastian also letztlich zu einer persönlichen Identitätssuche, die ihn zwingt, sich den Problemen zu stellen, die er bislang so erfolgreich verdrängt hat.[47][48][43] Schließlich gelingt es Bastian, lieben zu lernen, indem er von den Wassern des Lebens trinkt, und indem er diese Wasser zu seinem Vater bringt, erlöst er auch ihn: Tränen befreien ihn von dem Eispanzer, der sein Seelenleben gefangen hielt.[49] Der Roman ist eine Ode an die inspirative und konstruktive Kraft der Phantasie und an ihre heilsame Wirkung für die Realität.[50][43] Zugleich thematisiert er die Gefahren, die mit einer Realitätsflucht in die eigenen Phantasien verbunden sind.[51] Vergleichbare Werke sind Harun und das Meer der Geschichten, Tintenherz, Der Schatten des Windes, Das letzte Einhorn, Die Stadt der träumenden Bücher, Der Goldene Topf von E. T. A. Hoffmann und Heinrich von Ofterdingen von Novalis. Soweit es darum geht, dass man zuerst an sich selbst glauben muss, um die Welt zum Positiven zu verändern, ähnelt der Protagonist Bastian der Dampflok Rusty im Musical Starlight Express. Die Thematik, dass man Verantwortung für sich selbst und das eigene Handeln trägt, wird in ähnlicher Form in Der kleine Prinz behandelt. In Charles Dickens Werk The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain findet sich die Moral, dass man die Erinnerung braucht, um sich selbst zu finden und zu bleiben – ein Motiv, das den ganzen zweiten Teil des Buches prägt. Parallelen gibt es auch zu Endes eigenem Buch Momo. Kritik Die Literaturkritik in Deutschland zu Zeiten des Kalten Krieges nahm Michael Endes Ideen zögerlich und mit großer Skepsis zur Kenntnis. In dieser Zeit hatte Literatur vor allem politisch engagiert und realistisch zu sein, daher brachte man kein Verständnis für Reisen nach Phantásien auf. Nach dem Ende des Naziregimes herrschte die Angst in Deutschland, dass sich die Katastrophe der Schreckensherrschaft wiederholen könnte. „Wer könnte angesichts kriegsbereiter Raketenarsenale den Aufbruch ins Reich der Träume predigen?“, fragte man polemisch. Politisch engagierte Vertreter der 68er-Generation machten Ende deshalb mangelnden Realismus und eskapistische Weltflucht zum Vorwurf.[4][43][52] Andreas von Prondczynsky sah Die unendliche Geschichte als „im Netz bürgerlicher Moral und ökonomischer Zweckrationalität“ befangene Mischung von „christologischem Mystizismus“ und „Sozialkritik in der Orientierung romantischer Denkweise“. Ende übe Kritik am Vernunft-Mythos, wie er sowohl der technologischen Rationalität als auch einer ökonomisierten Subjektivität zugrunde liege. Im Widerspruch dazu verfolge er jedoch in diffusen „Mysterien der Alten“ vernunftorientierte bürgerliche Tugenden. Hermann Bausinger deutete die beiden Bücher Michael Endes, „Die unendliche Geschichte“ und „Momo“, als Eskapismus, der von narzisstischen, an der Zukunft zweifelnden Jugendlichen begierig aufgenommen wird und ihnen zur Flucht in die Unverbindlichkeit verhilft. Die präzise Trennung von Gut und Böse in Endes Phantastik ließe eine geschlossene Welt entstehen, in der nichts sinnlos, alles von Bedeutung erscheine und fern realistischer Konflikte zu folgenloser Identifikation einlade.[53] Er sprach in Zusammenhang mit Endes Werken von „Placebo-Effekten“. Die Leser sähen in Endes Erzählungen ihr Bedürfnis nach positiven Weltentwürfen befriedigt, so dass sie ihnen Wirkungen zuschrieben, deren Muster im Text gar nicht angelegt seien.[4] Von ihm und anderen Kritikern wurde Die unendliche Geschichte als Aufforderung zur Weltflucht angesehen. Dem widerspricht Růžena Sedlářová. Das Buch mache deutlich, dass der Autor nicht die Phantasie der realen Welt überordnen, sondern beide in Einklang bringen wolle, etwa indem Koreander zu Bastian in Kapitel XXVI. sagt: „Es gibt Menschen, die können nie nach Phantásien kommen […] und es gibt Menschen, die können es, aber sie bleiben für immer dort. Und dann gibt es noch einige, die gehen nach Phantásien und kehren wieder zurück. So wie du. Und die machen beide Welten gesund.“ Hier sehe man die Lehre von der Harmonie der Gefühle und der Vernunft, oder der Phantasie und der Realität, oder des Unbewussten und Bewussten. Ohne Kenntnis beider Ebenen sei es nicht möglich, zur Ganzheit zu gelangen. Bastian hätte so in dieser Geschichte seine Schattenseiten kennenlernen und sie auch überwinden und dadurch ein besserer Mensch werden können.[54] Andere Literaturkritiker warfen Ende die scheinbare Naivität seiner Botschaft vor. In seinem Roman Momo etwa fände man eine ärgerliche „Romantisierung der Armut“. Darüber hinaus mündeten alle kritischen Befunde Endes in der Empfehlung, mit Selbstfindung, Selbsterkenntnis und Selbstveränderung als vorbildlichen Lebensmustern die Schäden der Zivilisation zu beheben.[4] Tatsächlich wurde Ende nur unfreiwillig von alternativen Kreisen usurpiert. Die Flucht aus der Welt des Menschen in ein besseres Phantásien, die ihm im Rahmen der Eskapismus-Debatte immer wieder vorgeworfen wurde, war nicht Endes Anliegen: „Denn das Nichts, das Phantásien bedroht, jene banale, bedeutungslose Sphäre, in der der Aufklärungs-Terrorist lebt, in der die Phantasie geleugnet oder als Produkt von Spinnern und Mondkälbern verlacht wird – dieses Nichts hat sein Spiegelbild in der ebenso sinnlosen und banalen Welt der Alten Kaiser Stadt, in der diejenigen enden, die nicht mehr aus Phantásien herausfinden. Die Menschen, die in Phantásien ihre Erinnerungen verloren haben, haben mit ihrer Vergangenheit auch ihre Zukunft verloren.“[4] Das Gegenteil ist der Fall: Ein schönes Kunstwerk ist für Ende bereits eine Verbesserung der Welt: „Als ich aus einer Van-Gogh-Ausstellung kam, vermochte ich alle Straßen, den Park, die Gesichter der Menschen, so zu sehen wie er. Diese Fähigkeit hielt lange an, und ich kann sie auch jetzt noch jederzeit erwecken. Was heißt das aber? Van Gogh hatte mir seine Möglichkeit des Schauens mitgeteilt, seine Erfahrung. Ich war fortan um diese wesentliche Erfahrung reicher.“ beschreibt er seine Gefühle. Nach Ende interagiert Kunst also mit der Realität und erschafft eine eigene Wirklichkeit.[43] Endes Vater, der surrealistische Maler Edgar Ende, hatte seinerzeit von den Nazis Berufsverbot erteilt bekommen, weil seine Bilder nicht realistisch genug seien. Nun war es das vom Naziterror traumatisierte Deutschland, das gegen den Sohn den gleichen Vorwurf erhob. Dabei wollte Ende seine Leser keineswegs zu etwas bewegen, „zu etwas kriegen“, wie Bastian es in der Unendlichen Geschichte ausdrückt, schon gar nicht zur Flucht vor der Außenwelt. Phantásien ist kein Reich, in dem kleine dicke Jungen plötzlich zu schönen starken Helden werden. Das Gegenteil ist der Fall: Als sich Bastian weigert, in die Außenwelt zurückzukehren, bringt ihn das in existentielle Schwierigkeiten und er fällt beinahe dem Wahnsinn anheim. Realitätsflucht war es somit also wohl kaum, was Michael Ende als Ideal vorschwebte. Wohl aber, seine Leser zum Reisen nach Phantásien zu animieren. Denn in der Phantasie sah Michael Ende ein Mittel, den Problemen der Außenwelt zu begegnen. Da für ihn die Innen- und Außenwelt eng zusammenhingen, konnte man die Probleme der einen Welt nicht lösen, indem man die andere ignorierte. Nur indem man die Innenwelt gesund mache, könne man auch die Außenwelt heilen. Wer nach Phantásien reise und wieder zurückkehre, mache beide Welten gesund.[43] Anders als Bertolt Brecht glaubte Ende nicht an die bis in die 1980er Jahre dominierende literature engagée, die Gesellschaft bestimme das Bewusstsein. „Das Bild dieser Sonnenblumen hat mehr verändert als alle politische Literatur zusammen“, schrieb er über ein Bild van Goghs. 1973 beklagte er in einem Brief an seinen Verleger Hansjörg Weitbrecht den „Funktionalitätswahn“ seelenloser „Aufklärungsterroristen“, dem er, ebenso wie Ideologien, tiefes Misstrauen entgegenbrachte. Die Imagination war für ihn etwas zutiefst Persönliches.[43] Ende reagierte zunehmend gereizt auf die ständige Forderung der Literaturkritik, sich für seine Beschäftigung mit dem Phantastischen rechtfertigen zu müssen. Die Eskapismus-Debatte empfand er als „richtiggehend erstickend“. Ihn traf besonders die Tatsache, dass man sein Werk von Seiten der Literaturkritik nicht als eigenständige künstlerische Äußerung akzeptieren wollte. Man sprach ihm sein Künstlertum ab und erklärte ihn zum „Märchenonkel der Nation“, wie er es selbst einmal resigniert nannte. Für Ende war es schwer, mit der Diskrepanz zwischen enormem Publikumserfolg und der Missbilligung der Kulturkritik umzugehen.[4][43] Schon 1970 zog er deshalb die Konsequenzen und siedelte mit seiner ersten Frau Ingeborg Hoffmann nach Italien um. Auch wenn die Literaturkritik das erst recht als Flucht vor der Wirklichkeit empfand, entstanden in seinem Haus in der Nähe von Rom die Werke Momo und Die unendliche Geschichte.[43] Ende bemerkte dazu: „Seit ich phantastische Geschichten geschrieben habe, also seit dem ersten Erscheinen der Jim-Knopf-Bücher, gab es immer irgendwelche Schulmeister, die mir 'mangelnden Realismus' zum Vorwurf machten. Es gab sogar manchmal Bücher wie etwa 'Schlachtet die blauen Elefanten' oder 'Das Böse kommt aus Kinderbüchern', in denen man mich zum Repräsentanten all dessen macht, was abzulehnen sei. Sie glauben, dass das heute bei mir anders sei? Vor kurzem erst erschien in der Zeitschrift 'Konkret' ein Artikel von Erich Kuby, in welchem er mich des Faschismus bezichtigt und geradezu einen neuen Rosenberg in mir sieht. Wenn ich mich auf all diese Auseinandersetzungen einlassen wollte, dann würde ich meines Lebens nicht mehr froh werden und schon gar nicht mehr zum Arbeiten kommen.“[55] Ganz anders als die Literaturkritik erhob eine neue Lesergeneration von vierzehn- bis dreißigjährigen beide Texte, Momo und Die unendliche Geschichte, zu Kultbüchern neuer Subjektivität.[53] Auszeichnungen Der Roman wurde 1979 zum „Buch des Monats Dezember“.[9] Ebenfalls 1979 erhielt er den Buxtehuder Bullen[56]; 1980 den Silbernen Griffel von Rotterdam (alternative Angabe: 1983)[57][9], den Wilhelm-Hauff-Preis zur Förderung von Kinder- und Jugendliteratur[58], den Großen Preis der Deutschen Akademie für Kinder- und Jugendliteratur e.V. Volkach.[59] und den Preis der Leseratten des ZDF[60] Ebenfalls 1980 gehörte er zur Auswahlliste Deutsche Jugendbuchpreis[9]; 1981 wurde „Die unendliche Geschichte“ mit dem Europäischen Jugendbuchpreis der Universität Padua (alternative Angabe: 1980) und den Internationalen Janusz-Korczak-Literaturpreis[61][9] ausgezeichnet; 1982 mit dem Japanischen Buchpreis. 1983 wurde das Buch zum Kinderbuch des Jahres in Spanien bestimmt. 1988 wurde die polnische Fassung in die IBBY Ehrenliste aufgenommen. Die unendliche Geschichte stand über 113 Wochen auf dem ersten Platz der Spiegel-Bestsellerliste und hält damit den Rekord.[62] Adaptionen Film und Fernsehen Der erste Teil des Buches (Atréjus Suche) wurde 1984 von Wolfgang Petersen als gleichnamiger Fantasyfilm umgesetzt. Darsteller waren Barret Oliver (Bastian), Gerald McRaney (Bastians Vater), Noah Hathaway (Atréju), Tami Stronach (Kindliche Kaiserin), Moses Gunn (Cairon), Silvia Seidel (Fee) und andere. Heinz Reincke verlieh dem Glücksdrachen Fuchur seine Stimme. Klaus Doldinger komponierte die Musik für den deutschen Soundtrack. Das Titellied Never Ending Story, komponiert von Giorgio Moroder und Keith Forsey, war ein Charterfolg für Limahl, den früheren Sänger von Kajagoogoo. Es war nur Teil des Soundtracks der US-Fassung. Die beiden Fassungen hatten von Haus aus unterschiedliche Soundtracks (die US-Fassung enthielt neben der Musik Doldingers auch noch einige elektronische Stücke von Giorgio Moroder), allerdings wurde nach Limahls Erfolg der Film auch in Deutschland mit dem US-Soundtrack erneut veröffentlicht.[63] Dem ersten Film folgten Die unendliche Geschichte II und III, die mit dem ursprünglichen Buch nur den Titel und einige Charaktere gemeinsam haben: In Die unendliche Geschichte II – Auf der Suche nach Phantásien (1990, Regie: George Trumbull Miller) wird Phantásien von der „Leere“ bedroht. Die Urheberin dieser Bedrohung ist die Hexe Xayíde. Bastian wird hier von Jonathan Brandis dargestellt.[64][65] In Die unendliche Geschichte 3 – Rettung aus Phantasien (1994, Regie: Peter MacDonald) stiehlt eine Schülergang, die „Nasties“, in Bastians neuer Schule das Buch und bedroht Phantásien und die Menschenwelt. Im dritten Teil spielen unter anderem Jason James Richter als Bastian, Melody Kay als Bastians Stiefschwester Nicole und Jack Black als Slipp, Anführer der Nasties, mit. Der Film spielt größtenteils in der Menschenwelt, u. a. ist eine amerikanische High School hauptsächlicher Handlungsort. Während der zweite Film noch einige Handlungsstränge des Buches übernimmt, ist die Geschichte des dritten Filmes komplett neu erfunden und hat – außer den Charakteren – nichts mehr mit dem Buch gemeinsam.[66][67] 1996 wurde eine 26-teilige deutsch-französisch-kanadische Zeichentrickfassung hergestellt. Die inhaltliche Gestaltung setzte aber andere Schwerpunkte als das Buch.[68] 2001 wurde eine 13-teilige kanadische Fernsehverfilmung hergestellt, die im Original Tales from the Neverending Story (deut. Titel: Die unendliche Geschichte – Die Abenteuer gehen weiter)[69] heißt und 2004 bei RTL II ausgestrahlt wurde. Von der ursprünglichen Geschichte sind nur einige einzelne Grundelemente enthalten; viele Charaktere wurden zum Teil sehr stark verändert. Atréju-Darsteller Tyler Hynes wurde für den Young Artist Award in der Kategorie Best Performance in a TV Drama Series – Leading Young Actor nominiert. Die Kostüme der Serie gewannen den Gemini Award.[70] 2003 erschien Die unendliche Geschichte 4 – Kampf um Phantásien als Leih- und Kauf-DVD.[71] 2009 verkündete Leonardo DiCaprio seine Absicht, die Unendliche Geschichte durch seine Produktionsfirma Appian Way Productions neu verfilmen zu lassen. Eine Umsetzung dieser Pläne ist bislang nicht erfolgt.[72] Anmerkungen: Der erste und zweite Film wurden zum Teil in der Bavaria Film in München gedreht, Teile des dritten Films in Potsdam-Babelsberg. Im Filmpark sowie in der Bavaria Filmstadt befinden sich einige öffentlich zugängliche Requisiten des Films. In Babelsberg ist unter anderem der Glücksdrache Fuchur zu sehen, wobei es sich bei Fuchur um ein komplett neues Design des Drachen handelt. In der Bavaria Filmstadt können unter anderem der Felsenbeißer, Morla und die in den ersten beiden Filmen verwendete Version Fuchurs besichtigt werden. Im Falle von Fuchur kann dieser sogar geritten werden. Mit Hilfe der Bluescreen-Technik kann man sich auf einem Bildschirm über dieselbe Landschaft fliegen sehen, über die auch Atréju und Bastian im Film hinwegfliegen. Ursprünglich sollte Atréju im Film olivgrüne Haut haben, so wie im Buch beschrieben. Nach einigen Testaufnahmen mit grünem Make-up wurde dieses Vorhaben allerdings aufgegeben, da es nicht gelang, einen glaubwürdigen Farbton zu erzielen. Michael Ende schrieb extra für den Film eine zusätzliche Szene, in der Atréju einem Riesen begegnet, der durch das Nichts immer kleiner wird. Die Sequenz wurde zwar gedreht, aber schließlich aus dem Film geschnitten. Michael Ende hat die Verfilmung anfangs unterstützt, dann aber zunehmend abgelehnt und sich letztlich scharf davon distanziert (s. oben Kapitel Entstehungs- und Publikationsgeschichte). Zwei Beispiele als Begründung seiner Ablehnung der Verfilmung erwähnte er nochmals 1990 in einem über 40-minütigen Fernsehinterview mit Joachim Fuchsberger in dessen ARD-Sendung „Heut’ abend“. Ursprünglich sollte Ygramul im Film vorkommen, es wurde ein Design entworfen, doch schließlich entschied man sich gegen Ygramul, denn mit den damaligen technischen Mitteln wäre das Insektenwesen nicht glaubhaft zu realisieren gewesen. Im damaligen Filmpark Warner Bros. Movie World (heute: Movie Park Germany) gab es ein auf der Unendlichen Geschichte basierendes Wasserfahrgeschäft. Man betrat ein Haus mit Bibliothek, deren Bücher immer größer wurden. In einer Halle mit schließlich riesigen Büchern flehte die Kindliche Kaiserin in einem Einspielfilm (Darsteller unbekannt), Phantásien zu retten. Durch eine als Buchseite maskierte Tür gelangte man in eine Höhle mit Booten und reiste mit weiteren acht Personen über einen zwischenzeitlich auch reißenden Fluss (das leere Phantásien) an den bekannten Charakteren des Filmes vorbei. Zum Ende sah man in einer großen Halle den Elfenbeinturm bei Nacht wieder erstrahlen – das Land war gerettet (und man selbst nass). Das Fahrgeschäft wurde, nachdem alle Warner-Bros.-Nutzungsrechte ausgelaufen waren, in der Winterpause 2004/2005 in Mystery River umdekoriert. Das Nichts wird im Film als eine Art schwarzes Loch dargestellt, was alles in sich hineinsaugt, während es sich in dem Buch schleichend ausbreitet und Phantasien Stück für Stück auflöst. Hörspiel 1980er Jahre 1980 produzierte Phonogram eine knapp dreistündige Hörspielfassung (später von Karussell vermarktet). Für Produktion und Regie zeichnete Anke Beckert verantwortlich. Die eindringliche Musik komponierte Frank Duval. Als Erzähler fungiert Harald Leipnitz. Michael Ende selbst arbeitete sein Buch zum Hörspielmanuskript um. Daher kommt das Hörspiel dem Original näher als die Verfilmungen, auch wenn Teile der Romanhandlung für die Hörspielumsetzung entfallen mussten. Dem damaligen Medium Compact Cassette geschuldet mussten einige Passagen angepasst werden, um den zeitlichen Rahmen nicht zu sprengen. Das Hörspiel erschien in drei Teilen auf je einer Compact Cassette mit jeweils ca. 55 Minuten Laufzeit mit folgenden Untertiteln: Die große Suche Das Zeichen der Kindlichen Kaiserin Die Reise zum Elfenbeinturm Später wurde das Hörspiel im Bertelsmann-Club in einer zweiteiligen Lizenzausgabe neu aufgelegt. Alle drei Teile wurden 1989 mit je einer Goldenen Schallplatte ausgezeichnet.[73] Es existieren zwei CD-Versionen, eine bestehend aus drei CDs, die andere aus zwei CDs. Die 3-CD-Version entspricht genau den jeweiligen Compact-Cassetten. Die Version mit zwei CDs enthält jeweils den Inhalt von etwa eineinhalb Cassetten, bei dieser Version wurde ein Teil der Musik und Teile des einleitenden Erzählertextes von Die Reise zum Elfenbeinturm herausgeschnitten. Hier eine kurze Übersicht über die Kürzungen. Wenn möglich ist das jeweilige Kapitel des Buches angegeben. Es werden nur größere Kürzungen genannt, die eine wirkliche Änderung der Geschichte bedeuten. Die erste Kürzung erfolgt nach dem Ende von Kapitel IV. Die Charaktere der Zweisiedler Engywuck und Urgl wurden zu einem namenlosen „Heiler“ zusammengefasst. Der Heiler versorgt Atréju und Fuchur mit dem Gegengift gegen Ygramuls Gift. Kapitel VI wurde komplett gestrichen. Anstatt durch die drei magischen Tore geht Atréju durch ein gewöhnliches Felsentor und gelangt direkt zur Uyulála. Als Atréju in Kapitel IX in die Spukstadt gelangt, entdeckt er dort den halbverhungerten Werwolf Gmork, der von der finsteren Fürstin Gaya durch eine magische Kette gefesselt wurde. Im Gegensatz zur Buchvorlage taucht Gmork hier in der Hörspielfassung zum ersten Mal auf. Auch erfährt man im Hörspiel nicht, dass Gmork ein Widersacher von Atréju ist und den Auftrag hatte, ihn zu töten. Aus diesem Grund war er von Gaya angekettet worden. Kapitel XVI bis einschließlich XVIII wurden ebenso komplett gestrichen. Am Ende von Kapitel XV gelangt Bastian auf eine Waldlichtung, wo er Atréju und Fuchur trifft (direkt aus Graógramáns Höhle heraus, der „Tausend-Türen-Tempel“ wird ausgelassen). Die Geschichte geht weiter mit einem Bruchteil von Kapitel XIX (dem Eintreffen von Bastians „Verehrern“ aus allen Teilen Phantásiens), Kapitel XXI wird ausgelassen und direkt in Kapitel XXIII übergeleitet. Kapitel XXV wird übersprungen und die Geschichte endet mit Kapitel XXVI.[74] Die 2-MC-Ausgabe des Bertelsmann-Clubs weist zur regulären 3-MC-Ausgabe weitere Kürzungen auf. Dies betrifft hauptsächlich Sätze des Erzählers, die nicht unmittelbar zur Handlung, aber zur Tiefe der Geschichte beitragen (z. B. eine Beschreibung des Gräsernen Meeres und der Grünhäute oder die ersten Anhänger Bastians und der Orchideenwald). Wesentlich schwerer wiegt allerdings das ersatzlose Streichen der Uralten Morla; später im Hörspiel ist somit völlig rätselhaft, warum Atréju Ygramul schildert, dass er zum Südlichen Orakel möchte und woher er weiß, dass die Kindliche Kaiserin einen neuen Namen braucht. Ebenfalls geschnitten wurde der Dialog mit den Windriesen vor Atréjus Sturz; seine Ankunft im Gelichterland fällt ebenfalls etwas kürzer aus. 2010er Jahre Im Dezember 2014[75] wurde durch den WDR eine neue Version des Hörspiels unter der Regie von Petra Feldhoff veröffentlicht und mit dem Hörbuchpreis 2015 ausgezeichnet. Hörbuch Im März 2008 brachte der Audio Verlag Die unendliche Geschichte als Lesung heraus. Diese neue Fassung auf neun CDs und mit einer Laufzeit von ca. 657 Minuten wird von Rufus Beck gelesen. Auch hier ist das Buch nicht komplett, doch im Gegensatz zum Hörspiel wurden nur einzelne Abschnitte und nicht ganze Szenen ausgelassen. Am Ende fällt es jedoch besonders auf: Herr Koreander sagt zu Bastian „Lass dir etwas von einem alten, erfahrenen Phantásienreisenden sagen, mein Junge!“, allerdings wurde vorher gar nicht erwähnt, dass auch Herr Koreander in Phantasien war (genauso wurde Bastians Frage bzgl. eines Wiedersehens mit der Kindlichen Kaiserin überhaupt nicht thematisiert).[76] 2013 erschien bei Hörbuch Hamburg eine ungekürzte Lesung mit Gert Heidenreich als Sprecher.[77] Ballett 1999 wurde das Ballett Die unendliche Geschichte mit Musik von Siegfried Matthus in Magdeburg uraufgeführt.[78] Oper Der Komponist Siegfried Matthus hatte sich noch bei Michael Ende persönlich die Rechte an einer Opern­fassung der Unendlichen Geschichte gesichert. Die Matthus-Oper wurde am 10. April 2004 zeitgleich in Trier und Weimar uraufgeführt und in der Saison 2004/2005 auch am Linzer Landestheater gespielt.[79][80][81] Theater Für die Rübeländer Baumannshöhle im Harz, dem einzigen unterirdischen Theater Deutschlands, entstand eine Bühnenfassung des Werkes als Schauspiel und wurde am 26. November 2005 uraufgeführt. Die Inszenierung wurde von Mario Jantosch, dem Direktor des Harzer Bergtheaters Thale übernommen, die Rolle des Bastian spielte Kerstin Dathe.[82] Eine Fassung für die Freilichtbühnen wurde 2011 von Jens Lessing und Thorsten Heck verfasst, ihre Uraufführung unter der Regie der Verfasser findet am 9. Juli 2011 auf der Freilichtbühne in Korbach statt.[83] Legenden von Phantásien Im Umfeld der Autoren- und Verlagsagentur AVAinternational GmbH[84] entstanden im Herbst des Jahres 2003 die ersten Bände der Reihe „Legenden von Phantásien“. In dieser beschäftigen sich deutsche Autoren mit Michael Endes Unendlicher Geschichte. Schließlich erschienen die Bücher als Droemer-Knaur-Reihe. In der deutschen Fassung liegen sie in zwei verschiedenen Ausgaben vor, einer Hardcover- und einer Taschenbuchreihe. Ursprünglich waren zwölf Bände geplant, doch wurde die Reihe im Jahre 2004 nach dem sechsten Band eingestellt. Die Legenden von Phantásien sind in Deutschland, Japan, Spanien und Zypern veröffentlicht worden. Es gibt bislang keine Pläne, die Buchreihe auch auf Englisch zu publizieren. Der von Ralf Isau geschriebene erste Band trägt den Titel Die geheime Bibliothek des Thaddäus Tillmann Trutz. Es handelt sich um ein Prequel, welches die Vorgeschichte zur Unendlichen Geschichte darstellt. Hier wird erklärt, wie Karl Konrad Koreander zu dem Antiquitätenladen und an das Buch Die unendliche Geschichte gelangt. Auch werden seine eigenen Abenteuer in Phantásien geschildert. Bei den weiteren Bänden handelt es sich um unabhängige Geschichten, die in Phantásien spielen und in denen viele Details, die man aus Michael Endes Buch kennt, erwähnt oder sogar genauer erläutert werden. Bis auf den ersten Band spielen die Geschichten während oder nach den in der Unendlichen Geschichte geschilderten Ereignissen. Tanja Kinkel: „Der König der Narren“, erstmals erschienen am 1. September 2003. Ulrike Schweikert: „Die Seele der Nacht“, erstmals erschienen am 1. September 2003. Ralf Isau: „Die geheime Bibliothek des Thaddäus Tillmann Trutz“, erstmals erschienen am 1. September 2003. Wolfram Fleischhauer: „Die Verschwörung der Engel“, erstmals erschienen am 18. März 2004. Peter Freund: „Die Stadt der vergessenen Träume“, erstmals erschienen am 18. März 2004. Peter Dempf: „Die Herrin der Wörter“, erstmals erschienen am 23. September 2004.[85] Spiele 1985 produzierte der englische Spielehersteller Ocean Software mit „The Neverending Story“ ein Text-Adventure für alle damals verbreiteten 8-Bit-Homecomputersysteme.[86] 1987 erschien das Brettspiel Die unendliche Geschichte – Das phantastische Erlebnisspiel aus dem Hause Amigo.[87] 1990 publizierte das deutsche Softwarehaus Linel Trading GmbH „The Neverending Story II“ als Plattform-Action-Adventure für C64, Amiga und Atari ST. 1991 erschien zudem eine Version für MS-DOS.[88] Im Jahre 2001 wurde von der deutschen Firma Attaction das PC-Spiel Auryn-Quest herausgebracht und durch den Publisher dtp entertainment veröffentlicht. In dem Jump ’n’ Run-Game schlüpft der Spieler in die Rolle von Atréju, der AURYN wiederfinden muss. Das Amulett ist gestohlen worden, wodurch Phantásien der zerstörerischen Macht des Nichts preisgegeben ist. Weite Teile des Landes sind bereits verwüstet oder vom Nichts verschlungen. Damit Phantásien nicht untergeht, muss das Auryn zur Kindlichen Kaiserin zurückgebracht werden.[89][90] Disneys Lustiges Taschenbuch In Disneys Lustigem Taschenbuch Nr. 186 (Graf Frost und das Zepter der Zeit) findet sich mit der Geschichte Abenteuer im Comicland eine Reminiszenz an Michael Endes Roman. In der Geschichte befindet sich Donald Duck auf der Flucht vor seinen Gläubigern und versteckt sich mit einem Buch in einer Dachkammer. Die gegenüber dem Original stark gestraffte Handlung orientiert sich dabei weniger am Buch als an der ersten Verfilmung und gipfelt darin, dass Donald in das Buch gezogen wird, wo ihm einige für ihn typische Wünsche erfüllt werden: „eine Hängematte, ein paar kühle Getränke und etwas Naschwerk“ und der „Wunsch, tief und fest zu schlafen“. Donald übernimmt dabei die Rolle von Bastian, Micky Maus die des Atréju, Dumbo verkörpert Fuchur, Daisy Duck die Kindliche Kaiserin. Dagobert Ducks Glückstaler symbolisiert AURYN.[91] Übersetzungen Es existieren Übersetzungen des Buches in den Sprachen: Albanisch, Arabisch, Baskisch, Bulgarisch, Chinesisch, Dänisch, Englisch, Esperanto, Estnisch, Finnisch, Französisch, Griechisch, Hebräisch, Italienisch, Japanisch, Katalanisch, Koreanisch, Kroatisch, Lettisch, Litauisch, Mazedonisch, Niederländisch, Norwegisch, Persisch, Polnisch, Portugiesisch, Rumänisch, Russisch, Schwedisch, Serbisch, Slowakisch, Slowenisch, Spanisch, Thailändisch, Tschechisch, Türkisch, Ukrainisch, Ungarisch, Vietnamesisch[92] Sonstiges Die Vorderseite des AURYN zeigt zwei Schlangen, die einander in den Schwanz beißen. Dieses mythologische Symbol ist seit dem Altertum in vielen Kulturen verbreitet. Mehr dazu unter „Ouroboros“. Der Leitspruch „Tu was du willst“ (der auf der Rückseite des AURYN steht) und dessen Deutung, den eigenen „wahren Willen“ zu erkennen und zu leben, stammt aus der Thelema-Lehre von Aleister Crowley[93], die unter anderem die Basis für den Orden Astrum Argenteum (A∴A∴) bildete. Er findet sich zudem bei Augustinus von Hippo (Liebe (Gott) und tu, was du willst) und in François Rabelais’ Gargantua und Pantagruel, aus dem Ende ihn auch übernommen hat. In der Alten Kaiser Stadt wird eine Abwandlung des Infinite-Monkey-Theorem verwendet, bei dem die Menschen einer Stadt, die aus „Phantásien“ nicht wieder heimfinden, als eine Art Beschäftigungstherapie zufällige Buchstabenkombinationen erstellen, wie der Stadtführer – ein Affe – erklärt; der Sinn liegt darin, dass so in unendlicher Zeit alle Geschichten entstehen. Ende weist dabei ausdrücklich darauf hin, dass auch Die unendliche Geschichte darunter sein wird. Kuriosität: In dem abgedruckten Zufallstext (der mit Würfeln zustande gekommen sein soll) taucht viermal die Zeile QWERTZUIOPÜ auf – die erste Zeile der deutschen QWERTZ-Tastatur. Die US-Band Listener nimmt auf ihrem 2010 erschienenen Album Wooden Heart mehrmals Bezug auf Figuren und Geschehnisse aus der Unendlichen Geschichte. So wird beispielsweise im Song Falling in Love with Glaciers eine freie Version von Morlas Geschichte erzählt, die aber auch klare Text-Anleihen enthält: „With every morning spent not caring if she cares or not sleeping in the melt and mud, waiting for the earth to rot burying herself alive […]“ Die Metalcore-Band Atreyu benannte sich nach dem Charakter des Buches. Im Originalbuch ist die erste Zeile in Spiegelschrift abgedruckt. The NeverEnding Story (German: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a 1984 West German-produced English-language epic fantasy film based on the novel of the same name by Michael Ende, about a boy who reads a magical book that tells a story of a young warrior whose task is to stop a dark force called the Nothing from engulfing a mystical world. The film was produced by Bernd Eichinger and Dieter Giessler and directed and co-written by Wolfgang Petersen (his first English-language film) and starred Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Patricia Hayes, Sydney Bromley, Gerald McRaney, Moses Gunn, and Alan Oppenheimer as the voices of both Falkor and Gmork (as well as other characters). At the time of its release, it was the most expensive film produced outside the United States or the Soviet Union. The film was the first in The NeverEnding Story film series and later followed by two sequels.[3] Ende felt that this adaptation's content deviated so far from the spirit of his book that he requested that production either be halted or the film's title be changed; when the producers did neither, he sued them and subsequently lost the case.[4] Ende called the film a "gigantic melodrama of kitsch, commerce, plush and plastic" [Ein "gigantisches Melodram aus Kitsch, Kommerz, Plüsch und Plastik"].[5] The film only adapts the first half of the book, and consequently does not convey the message of the title as it was portrayed in the novel. The second half of the book would subsequently be used as the rough basis for the second film, The Next Chapter. The third film, Escape from Fantasia, features a completely original plot. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Music 4 Reaction 4.1 Release dates 4.2 Critical response 4.3 Box office 4.4 Awards 5 Home media 5.1 LaserDisc 5.2 DVD 5.3 Blu-ray 6 Legacy 6.1 Music 7 Warner Bros. planned adaptation of the novel 8 References 9 External links Plot Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and outcast bibliophile ten-year-old, teased by bullies from school. On his way to school, he hides from the bullies in a bookstore, interrupting the grumpy bookseller, Mr. Coreander. Bastian asks about one of the books he sees, but Mr. Coreander advises against it. With his curiosity piqued, Bastian seizes the book, leaving a note promising to return it, and hides in the school's attic to read. The book describes the Fantasy world of Fantasia slowly being devoured by a malevolent force called "The Nothing". Fantasia's ruler, the Childlike Empress, has fallen ill, and Atreyu is tasked to discover the cure, believing that once the Empress is well, the Nothing will no longer be a threat. Atreyu is given a medallion named the Auryn that can guide and protect him in the quest. As Atreyu sets out, the Nothing summons Gmork, a vicious and highly intelligent wolf-like creature, to kill Atreyu. The Auryn, based on the Ouroboros, representing infinity/eternity. The original prop is now owned by Steven Spielberg.[6] Atreyu's quest directs him to the advisor Morla the Ancient One in the Swamps of Sadness. Though the Auryn protects Atreyu, his beloved horse Artax is lost to the swamp, and he continues alone. Later, Atreyu is surprised by the sudden appearance of Morla, a giant turtle. Bastian, reading, is also surprised and lets out a scream, which Atreyu and Morla appear to hear. Morla does not have the answers Atreyu seeks, but directs him to the Southern Oracle, ten thousand miles distant. Atreyu succumbs to exhaustion trying to escape the Swamps but is saved by the luckdragon Falkor. Falkor takes him to the home of two gnomes that live near the entrance to the Southern Oracle. The gnomes explain that Atreyu will face various trials before reaching the Oracle. Atreyu proceeds to enter the Oracle, and is perplexed when one second trial, a mirror that shows the viewer's true self, reveals a boy which Bastian recognizes as himself. Bastian throws the book aside, but after catching his breath, continues to read. Atreyu eventually meets the Southern Oracle who tells him the only way to save the Empress is to find a human child to give her a new name, beyond the boundaries of Fantasia. Atreyu and Falkor flee before the Nothing consumes the Southern Oracle. In flight, Atreyu is knocked from Falkor's back into the Sea of Possibilities, losing the Auryn in the process. He wakes on the shore of the abandoned ruins, where he meets Rock Biter, who laments the loss of his friends. Atreyu finds a series of paintings depicting his quest. Gmork reveals himself, having been lying in wait and explains that Fantasia represents humanity's imagination, and that the Nothing represents adult apathy and cynicism against it. Atreyu fends off and kills Gmork as the Nothing begins to consume the ruins. Falkor, who had managed to locate the Auryn, rescues Atreyu in time. The two find themselves in a void with only small fragments of Fantasia remaining, and fear they have failed when they spot the Empress's Ivory Tower among the fragments. Inside, Atreyu apologizes for failing the Empress, but she assures him he has succeeded in bringing to her a human child who has been following his quest: Bastian. As the Nothing begins to consume the Tower, the Empress pleads directly to Bastian to call out her new name, but in total amazement that he himself has been incorporated into the story as the child they were looking for, totally denies the events as just being a story and Atreyu dies as a result. Bastian runs to the window and calls out the name he had selected into the storm, and loses consciousness. When he wakes, he finds himself in blackness with the Empress, with only a grain of sand, the last bit of Fantasia remaining. The Empress tells Bastian that he has the power to bring Fantasia back with his imagination using the power of the Auryn. Bastian re-creates Fantasia, and as he flies on Falkor's back, he sees the land and its inhabitants restored, and that Atreyu has been reunited with Artax. When Falkor asks what his next wish will be, Bastian then brings Falkor back to the real world to chase down the bullies from before. The film ends with the narration that Bastian had many more wishes and adventures, and adds: "but that's another story". Cast Falkor the Luckdragon Main article: List of The Neverending Story characters Barret Oliver as Bastian Balthazar Bux. Noah Hathaway as Atreyu. Tami Stronach as The Childlike Empress, to whom Bastian gives the new name of "Moon Child". Patricia Hayes as Urgl, Engywook's wife and a healer. Sydney Bromley as Engywook, a gnomish scientist. Gerald McRaney as Mr. Bux, Bastian's widowed, workaholic father. Moses Gunn as Cairon, a servant of the Empress. Alan Oppenheimer as the voices of Falkor, Gmork, Rock Biter, and the Narrator (the latter three are uncredited). Thomas Hill as Mr. Coreander, a grumpy bookseller. Deep Roy as Teeny Weeny, a messenger riding on a racing snail. Tilo Prückner as Nighthob, a messenger riding a narcoleptic bat. Darryl Cooksey, Drum Garrett, and Nicholas Gilbert as Ethan, Todd, and Lucas, three bullies who torment Bastian. Production The adaptation only covered the first half of the book. The majority of the film was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich, except for the street scenes and the school interior in the real world, which were shot in Vancouver, Canada (the Gastown steam clock can be seen in the bully chase scene near the beginning[7]),[8] and the beach where Atreyu falls, which was filmed at Monsul Beach in Almería (Spain). It was Germany's highest-budgeted film at the time. Music The film score of The NeverEnding Story was composed by Klaus Doldinger of the German jazz group Passport. The theme song of the North American release of the film was composed by Giorgio Moroder with lyrics by Keith Forsey, and performed by Christopher "Limahl" Hamill, once the lead singer of Kajagoogoo, and Beth Anderson. It was released as a single in 1984, it peaked at No. 4 on the UK singles chart, No. 6 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has been covered by The Birthday Massacre, Creamy, Dragonland, Kenji Haga, and New Found Glory. More recent covers were done by Norwegian synthpop group Echo Image on their 2001 maxi-single Skulk and by German techno group Scooter on their 2007 album Jumping All Over the World. This Limahl song, along with other "techno-pop" treatments to the soundtrack, is not present in the German version of the film, which features Doldinger's orchestral score exclusively. In 1994, Italian house music group Club House released the song "Nowhere Land," featuring Carl, which combines the melody of the tune "Bastian's Happy Flight" with original lyrics. An official soundtrack album was released featuring Doldinger's score and Moroder's theme tune (Moroder also rescored several scenes for the version released outside Germany).[9] The track listing (Doldinger is responsible for everything from track 6 onwards) is as follows: [show]The NeverEnding Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) In Germany, an album featuring Doldinger's score was released. [show]Die Unendliche Geschichte — Das Album Reaction Theatrical international release poster by Renato Casaro Release dates Some international release dates: 6 April 1984 in West Germany (Die unendliche Geschichte)[10] 20 July 1984 in the United States (The NeverEnding Story)[11][12] 21 November 1984 in France (L'Histoire sans fin)[13] 6 December 1984 in Spain (La Historia Interminable)[14] 7 December 1984 in Italy (La storia infinita)[15] 4 April 1985 in the United Kingdom (The NeverEnding Story)[16] Critical response [icon] This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2016) The film has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 82% based on reviews from 38 critics. The critical consensus reads: "A magical journey about the power of a young boy's imagination to save a dying fantasy land, The NeverEnding Story remains a much-loved kids' adventure."[17] Metacritic gives the film a score of 46/100 based on reviews from 10 critics.[18] Film critic Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars and praised its visual effects, saying that "an entirely new world has been created" because of them,[19] a comment echoed by Variety.[3] Joshua Tyler of CinemaBlend referred to it as "One of a scant few true Fantasy masterpieces".[17] Vincent Canby panned the film as a "graceless, humorless fantasy for children" in a 1984 New York Times review. Canby's criticism charged that parts of the movie "sounded like 'The Pre-Teenager's Guide to Existentialism'". He further criticized the "tacky" special effects, and that the construction of the dragon looked like "an impractical bathmat".[20] Box office The film performed poorly at the box office, grossing $20,158,808 at the US box office[2] against a production budget of DM60 million (approximately US$27 million at the time). Almost five million people went to see it in Germany, a number rarely achieved by German productions, resulting in a gross of about US$20 million domestically. It also grossed a similar amount in the United States; only a modest sum in the American market, which director Wolfgang Petersen ascribed to the film's European sensibilities.[21] Awards Wins 1984 - Bambi Award for: National film 1984 - Golden Screen Award 1985 - Saturn Award for: Best Performance by a Young Actor 1985 - Brazilian Film Award for: Best Production 1985 - Film Award in Gold for: Best Production Design Nominations 1985 - Saturn Award for: Best Fantasy Film, and Best Music 1985 - International Fantasy Film Award for: Best Film 1985 - Young Artist Award for: Best Family Motion Picture, Best Young Actor, Best Young Supporting Actress. Home media LaserDisc The film was released by Warner Bros. on LaserDisc with a digital stereo soundtrack in 1985. A widescreen laserdisc was released on 28 August 1991; no special features were included. DVD The Region 1 DVD was first released in 2001 by Warner Bros, containing only the North American release of the film. The only audio option is a 2.0 stereo mix in either English or Spanish. The theatrical trailer is the lone extra feature presented. There is also a quite lavish 2003 European version, which is a two-disc special edition with packaging shaped like the book from the film and containing both the North American and German releases of the film. Various extras, such as a 45-minute documentary, music video, and galleries, are presented on the second disc.[22] However, there is no English audio for the German version of the film. This edition is currently[when?] out of print. The standard single-disc edition is also available for the Region 2 market. A Dutch import has also appeared on the Internet in various places, which only contains the North American release of the film but also includes a remastered DTS surround track, which is not found in either the German or the Region 1 release. Also, in 2008, Czech- and Slovak-language DVD versions appeared in Czech Republic and Slovakia. Blu-ray The first Blu-ray release was a region-free Dutch edition on 24 March 2007. On 2 March 2010, Warner released a Region A Blu-ray edition of the film. The disc includes a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, which marks the first time a 5.1 surround track has been included in a US home video version of the film. No special features or theatrical trailer are included.[23] Recent German releases feature the original Klaus Doldinger soundtrack with the original English audio track. On 7 October 2014, a 30th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray was released, which duplicates the DTS surround track of its predecessor. Originally described as a "newly" remastered version of the film, Warner released a statement indicating that "the only remastered version is The NeverEnding Story II", while not elaborating further on this current US release.[24] The 30th Anniversary Edition contains the original theatrical trailer, a commentary track by director Wolfgang Petersen, documentaries and interviews from both 1984 and 2014, and a German-language/English-subtitled feature detailing the digital restoration process of the film. Legacy The film has since been an inspiration in popular culture. Music The American metal band Atreyu derived their name from the character of Atreyu. The Mexican pop punk band Fälkor derived their name from the character of Falkor, changing the styling of the middle a for ä. The American rock band Bayside have used quotes from the film as titles of their songs. Examples include "They look like strong hands" and "They're not horses, they're unicorns". The American rock band Rooney made reference to the film in the song "I'm Shakin'" ("I tossed and turned all night 'cause I was looking for an ending / This was so because I watched all day The NeverEnding Story with Atreyu") The American pop punk band, New Found Glory, covered the film's theme song on their album, From the Screen to Your Stereo. Timo Tolkki wrote the 9:56 song "Fantasia" for Stratovarius album Elements Pt. 1 (2003) The Spanish indie-rock band Vetusta Morla derived their name from the character of Morla the Ancient One ("vetusta" means "ancient" in spanish). The American rock band The Aquabats describe Falkor's potential romantic life in their song "Luck Dragon Lady!" on the album Hi-Five Soup!. Warner Bros. planned adaptation of the novel In 2009, it was reported that Warner Bros., The Kennedy/Marshall Company and Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way were in the early stages of creating another adaptation of Ende's novel. They intend to "examine the more nuanced details of the book" rather than remake the original film by Petersen.[25] In 2011, producer Kathleen Kennedy said that problems securing the rights to the story may mean a second adaptation is "not meant to be."[26] List of The Neverending Story characters From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2017) This article may be written from a fan's point of view, rather than a neutral point of view. (July 2015) This article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. (July 2015) This article lists character information from the book The Neverending Story and the film adaptations of the same name. Contents 1 Bastian Balthazar Bux 2 Atreyu 3 Carl Conrad Coreander 4 The Childlike Empress 5 Engywook and Urgl 6 Falkor the Luckdragon 7 Gmork 8 Grograman 9 Morla 10 The Old Man of Wandering Mountain 11 Pyornkrachzark 12 Gluckuk 13 Whooshwoozool 14 Blubb 15 The Southern Oracle 16 Xayide 17 Ygramul 18 Other characters 19 Fantasian creatures 20 References Bastian Balthazar Bux Bastian Balthazar Bux First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Portrayed by Barret Oliver (1st film) Jonathan Brandis (2nd film) Jason James Richter (3rd film) Christopher Bell Mark Rendall Information Species Human Gender Male Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and bookish boy around 12 years old who is neglected by his father, who is still mourning the sudden death of his wife (she died of an unspecified illness). He is a dreamer, who is shunned by other children due to his immense imagination. During a visit to an antique bookstore, he steals a curious-looking book titled The Neverending Story, and upon reading it he finds himself literally drawn into the story. Halfway through the book, Bastian becomes a character in The Neverending Story, in a world called Fantastica ("Fantasia" in the films, which is closer to the German original "Phantásien"). He is bestowed the magical amulet AURYN, which allows his wishes to be granted. As the story progresses, Bastian slowly loses his memories of the real world as his wishes carry him throughout Fantastica and change him into a completely different person. Deluded by the witch Xayide, Bastian moves to the Ivory Tower and tries to have himself proclaimed Emperor. The ceremony is interrupted by Atreyu, who is nearly killed by Bastian. Eventually, Bastian realizes that he is beginning to lose himself, and starts a desperate last-ditch quest for his one true desire. In the end he forgets even his name, but with the help of Falkor and Atreyu, who promise to finish the stories he started, he manages to return to the human world with the capability of loving, which was his deepest (and thereto unknown) desire, and bringing to his father the Water of Life, curing him of his melancholy. Bastian and Coreander exchange tales of their adventures in Fantastica, and Coreander reveals that a person can return to Fantastica as many times as they can think of new names for the benevolent Childlike Empress, and predicts Bastian will show others the way to Fantastica. He has been portrayed by five different actors: 1984: Barret Oliver in The NeverEnding Story. 1990: Jonathan Brandis in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter.(J. Michael Haney, Jr. as Young Bastian) 1994: Jason James Richter in The NeverEnding Story III. 1996: Christopher Bell provided the voice of the character in The Neverending Story animated series. 2001: Mark Rendall in Tales from the Neverending Story Atreyu Atreyu First appearance The Neverending Story Created by Michael Ende Portrayed by Noah Hathaway (1st film) Kenny Morrison (2nd film) Dominic Zamprogna (Animated series) Tyler Hynes (TV series) Information Species Greenskin warrior Gender Male Atreyu (German: Atréju) is the protagonist of the mysterious book that Bastian reads. To the readership, Atreyu is a metafictional character, existing fictionally and within the reality of the book itself. He is described as having green skin and blue hair. He is a young warrior from the Grassy Plains (in German, "The Grassy Sea"). His parents were killed by a Purple Buffalo soon after he was born, and his entire village raised him; wherefore his name means "son of all" in his native language. He is summoned by the Childlike Empress to save the land of Fantasia by finding a cure for her illness, and given AURYN, an amulet that makes whoever wears it the Childlike Empress' herald. During the quest to find a cure, he meets Falkor the luckdragon, who becomes his steed after the death of his horse 'Artax'. Bastian, reading Atreyu's story in the real world, experiences everything Atreyu does; this proves Fantasia's solution and the Empress' cure, in bringing Bastian to Fantastica to give the Empress a new name. Atreyu features largely in the second half of the novel, as Bastian travels Fantasia far and wide as its savior. They quickly become friends, but as Bastian continues to use AURYN, he becomes arrogant and gradually loses his memory. When Bastian has lost even his name, Atreyu and Falkor offer favorable testimony to the powers in AURYN, who allow Bastian's return to the human world. With their friendship restored, Atreyu promises to finish the stories Bastian has begun in Fantastica. In the 1984 film version, the character of Atreyu is played by Noah Hathaway. His skin is not olive green as described in the book; though it was attempted to do this through makeup, it never made it to the final production.[1] As such, his people were called the 'Plains People' instead of Greenskins. The character also makes a return appearance in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, played by Kenny Morrison. In the 1995 animated show, Atreyu and his people are, as in the original novel, green-skinned; but this version of Atreyu has a younger sister named Saiya, and his outward appearance has been patterned after Noah Hathaway from the first movie. In the 2001 Hallmark Channel mini-series, Tales from the Neverending Story, he is portrayed by Tyler Hynes and the character's people are called the Woodland People. He is shown to have a romantic relationship with a young aviatrix called "Fly Girl", and to be something of a village innocent. Atreyu in popular culture The American meta