Sometimes a film comes along and is able to capture the imagination of an entire generation. It becomes an instant classic yet is somehow able to reinvent itself time and time again for each new generation.
Few films have been able to do this better than The NeverEnding Story . See for yourself and check out these incredible 10+ The NeverEnding Story behind the scenes secrets that fans didn’t know!
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1. Falkor’s appearance was interpreted by director Wolfgang Petersen.
Just to clarify: Falkor isn’t a dog at all. He’s what’s known as a Luck Dragon. According to an interview SFX lead Brian Johnson gave with SciFi Now , Brian wasn’t a fan.
“The shaggy golden retriever/dragon, which was Wolfgang ’s interpretation, worked fine but it didn’t really do it for me.”
2. Getting Artax to sink in the Swamps of Sadness wasn’t easy.
As you can imagine, it goes against every natural instinct a horse (or any animal for that matter) would have!
It took handlers countless hours of training to be able to get the animals comfortable with filming the scene.
3. Steve Spielberg owns the original Auryn prop!
Director Wolfgang Petersen reached out to Spielberg for advice with the film. As a way of saying thank you for his input, Petersen gifted Spielberg with the Auryn !
No wonder Steven’s career has been so successful — he’s probably wishing upon the Auryn!
4. At the time, the film was the most expensive movie in the history of German cinema.
By today’s standards, the budget for The NeverEnding Story was incredibly modest — roughly $25 million total. Even though the film opened to mixed reviews, it was a financial success thanks to the international box office.
5. Making the movie took both a physical and mental toll on Noah Hathaway.
Noah reflected during an interview with The News Tribune , stating that “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.”
6. The movie is based on a book written by Michael Ende.
Sadly, Michael hated the film version. His comments at a press conference in Stuttgart, according to People , were highly critical:
“The makers of the film simply did not understand the book at all. They just wanted to make money.”
There was one scene in particular that infuriated Ende the most.
During an interview given by Michael in the official NeverEnding Story Documentary , Ende absolutely rips the film apart, lamenting that “The Sphinxes are quite one of the biggest embarrassments of the film. They are full-bosomed strippers who sit there in the desert.”
7. Bastian is Canadian!
In a manner of speaking. While a good portion of the film was shot in Germany, there were some scenes that needed to be done on North American soil.
Bastian’s neighborhood in the film was shot on location in Vancouver, BC .
8. Some of the best scenes in the book didn’t make the final cut of the film.
This is based largely due to the limitations surrounding special effects at the time.
I guess that means that we’re due for a reboot of The NeverEnding Story ! Thoughts?
9. The theme song for the film is a total banger.
Not only did the song chart well but it was produced by a man named Giorgio Moroder .
That name might not carry a lot of sway outside of Europe, but he’s one of the most important and influential artists in the history of electronic music.
10. Noah Hathaway sustained a very serious injury.
While he was riding the horse, Artax, the animal got spooked and jumped a fence — with Hathaway still in the saddle.
The horse ended up landing on top of Noah, cracking several of the vertebrae in his back.
11. There once was a period of time where you could get an Auryn tattoo by Atreyu himself!
For awhile, Noah Hathaway was working as a tattoo artist in Europe. He said during an interview with The News Tribune that “I wouldn’t do another Auryn tattoo because I did 15 in three weeks,” he said. “It is very flattering though.”
12. Barrett Oliver always showed up ready to work!
SFX guru Brian Johnson had only nice things to say about Barrett during an interview with SciFi Now :
“Barret Oliver was an absolute gem . Barret Oliver delivered all the time, he was just brilliant, absolutely brilliant, and he did Coccoon and a load of other things. Good boy.”
But one actor in particular proved to be far more difficult.
“Noah Hathaway was a bit of a pain in the arse , frankly,” Johnson continued. “It was very difficult for Wolfgang to get anything out of him.”
This kills me because I freaking loved Atreyu in the first film.
Although Noah tells a much different story.
The former child star describes director Wolfgang Petersen as an all-out perfectionist.
Hathaway claimed in an interview with the News Tribune that “A three-month movie turned into a year. It was a lot of work.”
