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The NeverEnding Story III

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The NeverEnding Story III
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPeter MacDonald
Screenplay byJeff Lieberman
Story byKarin Howard
Based onThe Neverending Story
by Michael Ende
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRobin Vidgeon
Edited by
  • Michael Bradsell
  • Jim Roddan
Music byPeter Wolf
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • October 27, 1994 (1994-10-27) (Germany)
  • February 2, 1996 (1996-02-02) (United States; limited)
Running time
95 minutes
Countries
LanguagesEnglish
German
Budget$25 million[2]
Box office$5 million (Germany)[3]

The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia (also known as: The NeverEnding Story III: Return to Fantasia) is a 1994 fantasy-adventure film. It is the third and final film in the franchise.[4] It stars Jason James Richter as Bastian Balthazar Bux, and Jack Black in an early role as school bully Slip. This film primarily used the characters from Michael Ende's novel The Neverending Story (1979), with the exception of Atreyu, who is absent from the film, and introduced a new storyline. It was an international co-production between the United States and Germany. It was a critical and commercial failure.

The special creature effects were provided by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.

Plot

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

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

He later flees to the library, where he is surprised to find Carl Conrad Coreander and the Neverending Story. The Nasties locate him, but he uses the book to escape to Fantasia, where he is reunited with Falkor, Engywook and Urgl. On Earth, the Nasties find the Neverending Story and use it to bombard Fantasia with fireballs and a storm. With wooden Bark Troll, Bastian and his friends head for the Wandering Mountains to speak with the Childlike Empress, who asks Bastian to find the Neverending Story using the Auryn. Falkor, Barky, the gnomes, and Rockbiter's son, Junior, help him, but a "wish overload" scatters them all across Earth, where Barky ends up in a conifer forest, Falkor saves Junior from falling to his death near Mount Rushmore, and the gnomes arrive in Nome, Alaska. Bastian locates Falkor and Junior, and Falkor flies off to find the others while Junior stays at Bastian's house. Rockbiter sadly informs his wife that Junior is gone, and the Nasties provoke them to quarrel.

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

Cast

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Voices

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Mount Rushmore, is a national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota, United States. In the scene of the film, Junior arrives there.

Soundtrack

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Music From & Inspired By The Neverending Story III: Here Come The Fantasians
Soundtrack album by
various artists
Released1994
GenrePop
Length1:17:53
LabelWEA
The Neverending Story soundtrack chronology
The Neverending Story II - The Next Chapter: Original Soundtrack
(1990) 		Music From & Inspired By The Neverending Story III: Here Come The Fantasians
(1994)
No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s)Length
1."The Neverending Story"Giorgio Moroder, Keith ForseyReal Im-Pact3:36
2."Give Peace A Chance (Single Mix)"Attack II, Buzz Gardner, Tom Jaques G. Cain, T. Adler (Leon), Steve Pool, Tom Card, Eric TrinkausIntermission3:52
3."Games People Play"Joe SouthInner Circle3:26
4."Girly Girl"Luci van Org, Goldkind, Ash WednesdayLucilectric3:13
5."Crash! Boom! Bang!"Per GessleRoxette4:25
6."Kiss From A Rose"SealSeal4:47
7."Mission Of Love (Radio Edit)"Toby Gad, Jacqueline NémorinNemorin3:33
8."Heart Of Stone"David A. Stewart, Shara NelsonDave Stewart4:36
9."Shortcut To Forever"Peter Wolf, Ina WolfPhillip Ingram & Siedah Garrett3:31
10."Fantasian Homecoming"WolfThe Munich Symphony Orchestra2:50
11."I'm A Stoneman"Torsten Börger, Claudia A. WohlfrommThe Stoneman3:22
12."United (Radio Edit)"Alex Christensen, Frank Peterson, Mark Wahlberg, Joe PaquettePrince Ital Joe feat. Marky Mark4:02
13."Hand In Hand"Attack II, Tom Card, Steve Pool, Tom Jaques G. Cain, Th. Adler, Erik TrinkausOphelia4:07
14."Back & Forth (LP Version)"R. KellyAaliyah3:51
15."Fire"Alex Auer, Hans Mappes, Maik Hahn, Rod GammonsShyboy3:38
16."How, How (The Pre Mix)"Boris Blank, Dieter MeierYello5:54
17."Nasty World"Börger, Wohlfromm, Windsor RobinsonReal Im-Pact4:05
18."Dream On (The Neverending Story)"Gad, NémorinNemorin3:52
19."Born To Be Wild"BonfireThe Stoneman3:38
20."Shortcut To Forever"Peter Wolf, Ina WolfThe Munich Symphony Orchestra2:38
Total length:01:17:53

Production

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In February 1993 at the American Film Market, Peter MacDonald was hired by CineVox Entertainment to direct the fantasy adventure The NeverEnding Story III, from a script by Jeff Lieberman, with production scheduled for summer of that year.[2] The film was announced with a budget at $25 million with producer Dieter Geissler, who produced the first two entries, and Tim Hampton, with production to take place for six months in Vancouver and Germany.[2] Principal photography began in August of that year.[5] The film's production was motivated by the success of the previous two entries, which had collectively grossed $150 million worldwide, with the second entry also a robust seller on home video.[5] As both previous entries had struggled theatrically in the United States, the producers made a conscious effort to tailor the third entry for the American market with Jason James Richter cast as Bastian on the basis of his recognition from Free Willy.[5] Author of the original book Michael Ende had no involvement with the film, with producer Tim Hampton commenting:

We own all rights to the title now. Ende had certain rights on the previous two movies. He had a lot of control on Wolfgang Petersen's The NeverEnding Story. On George Miller's THE NEXT CHAPTER, it was more along the lines of we had to show him what we were doing at all times and then he'd give us his opinion. But here we're clear and free to do what we want.[5]

MacDonald was not allowed to cut the film himself, with the editing decisions made solely by the producers.[6]

Release

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The NeverEnding Story III was first released in Germany on October 27, 1994, by Warner Bros. under the Family Entertainment label. In the Philippines, it was released by Jemah Films on January 4, 1995, with an advanced screening on January 2.[7][8] The film was given a limited release in the United States on February 2, 1996, by Miramax Films under their Family Films label.

Reception

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Critical response

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Variety gave a negative review of the film, calling it a "charmless", "desperate" reworking of the franchise, and suggested it be subtitled 'Bastian Goes to High School'.[3]

Box office

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By late December 1994, the film grossed $5 million in Germany.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Neverending Story III (EN) [Original title]". Lumiere. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "AFM '93". Variety. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Elley, Derek (December 27, 1994). "The Neverending Story III". Variety. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  4. ^ "The Neverending Story III: Escape From Fantasia". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d Jones, Alan (March 1997). "Neverending Story III". Cinefantastique. Fourth Castle Micromedia. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  6. ^ Giesen, Rolf (2021). Golem, Caligari, Nosferatu - A Chronicle of German Film Fantasy. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1629338538.
  7. ^ "'Neverending Story 3': A magical blend of fantasy and reality". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corporation. December 25, 1994. p. 19. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  8. ^ "The Cinema". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corporation. January 1, 1995. p. 20. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
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