History WMG / TheNeverendingStory

** If anything, [[NewMediaAreEvil the notion that TV was seen as 'evil' was waning away]] when the movie was made. And the humongous amount of fanworks based on TV shows (and comics, and movies...) show us that TV didn't rot anybody's imagination. As long that you can daydream about yourself next to Captain Nemo in the Nautilus, or Captain Kirk on the Enterprise, your imagination is strong, and Fantascica will be stronger than ever. If anything, [[TVTropesWillEnhanceYourLife the very existence of TVTropes shows that TV never weakened anybody's imagination!]]

The Childlike Empress doesn't care if humans escape from Fanstastica or not, even though she can't live without them.
Also, she shows signs of Sloth by not giving orders.

[[WMG: The G'mork was lying about Fantasia being the world of human fantasy.]]
Or at least choosing his words carefully. Fantasia isn't the realm of the fantasies of all of mankind, it's the world born of the imagination of one specific person at a time. The one that dreamed up Fantasia? Moon Child. When she died, Fantasia passed onto her son who was the only person in the world to be as greater dreamer as she was. So why is Fantasia dying? Because Bastian is so broken up with grief over his mother's death, that he can't dream as he once did. The description of the Nothing and its effects sound very similar to depression caused by grief. A dead emptiness, a loss of hope, an inability to imagine or dream, etc. The Nothing is a manifestation of Bastian's depression. Hell, it's servant is a literal black dog that pursues the story's protagonist who is part of Bastian. This explains why the Nothing is a recent phenomenon and why Bastian finally starting to move beyond his grief and be able to dream again, is what destroys it. The explanation that's sort of given as to why the Nothing has just now suddenly started to appear is the usual NewMediaAreEvil excuse. But that doesn't really make sense when you think about it. For one, TV and video games rotting a person's brain is suspect anyway. Plus, Fantasia is meant to be human fantasy, not just ''book'' human fantasy. So, what, people like Disney, Miyazaki and Newell have no imagination? Don't buy it for a second. Human fantasy may be evolving with new media, but it isn't dying. Finally there's just the sheer numbers to contend with. There're more people alive in Bastian's time than have ever been. So even if ninety percent of human beings had lost the ability to dream through watching TV, there still should be enough left to keep Fantasia alive. What about cultures that have no new media? Don't they count? Anyway, Bastian pushes through the funk he'd been lost in, decides to dream again and Fantasia is healed. When he dies, it'll pass onto someone else and keep on going forever that way. As for why the G'mork lied to Ateyu, either he just didn't know (why would he? The Nothing is never presented as being all knowing, just powerful and deadly) or he didn't want to give away too much. Fun to torment Atreyu, too dangerous to tell him the truth.

[[WMG: Everything is really Fantasia and there is no real world]]

** Mr. Coreander ''did'' say there were other doors into Fantasia.

[[WMG: The deterioration in Fantasia, the character derailment, bad pop culture references and a lot of the other "quirks" in the 3rd movie are a result of TV rotting Bastian's imagination]]
It makes sense. The world becomes less vivid and cohesive, everyone becomes more shallow and changes in nonsensical ways, and Bastian can no longer think with as much imagination as before. The Childlike Empress arbitrarily restricts his wish, because that's what they do in FairyOddParents

[[WMG: Bastian's father is abusive]]
...and probably caused his wife's death, somehow. Bastian is a lot like his mother, so he gets a lot of abuse from his father. He reads books to escape thinking about it. Fantasia represents his childhood, memories of his mother, the things he likes in books, The Nothing is anxieties and fears, especially about growing up and living without his mother.

[[WMG: The Manipulators are The Grey Men from {{Literature/Momo}}]]

* When Fantasians fall victim to The Nothing, they turn from dreams into lies - Gigi looses his ability to dream and instead begins to lie, when the Grey Men make him a TV star and he is kept under constant stress and pressure to succeed as a consequence

[[WMG: All of fiction lives in Fantasia]]
During the Ivory Tower scene near the beginning of the first movie, you can JUST make out [[MickeyMouse Mickey Mouse]], Gumby and even a few [[StarWars Star Wars characters]] gathered in the small crowd atop the tower. At first glance, these seem to be little more than {{Easter Egg}}s the filmmakers snuck in for funsies. That is, up until you remember that Fantasia is the realm of Human Fantasy. As in, the realm of imagination and fiction. So while Mickey and Chewbacca weren't book characters, they were nonetheless in their own stories, and all stories are true in Fantasia.

Basically, Fantasia is home to every fictional character.....ever.

[[WMG: Former visitors to Fantasia]]

* Confirmed by the author [[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figuren_und_magische_Gegenstände_in_der_Unendlichen_Geschichte#Die_Inschrift_.E2.80.9ETu.2C_was_du_willst.E2.80.9C in a text in his Nachlass]], with some bashing of the movie for good measure: ''"[...] der Satz ursprünglich aus dem Englischen stammt, und zwar von dem Schriftsteller Aleister Crowley (gestorben 1947), und dort heißt: ‚Do what thou wilt‘ (feierliches Kirchenenglisch). Das ‚Do what you dream!‘ ist Petersens Interpretation, und zwar die falsche. Es ist genau der Irrtum, dem auch Bastian unterliegt und um dessentwillen er aus Phantásien nicht mehr zurückfindet. Auch er meint zunächst, es ginge darum, zu tun, was man wünscht, ersehnt, gern möchte. Der Löwe Graógráman wird zornig, als Bastian ihm diese Deutung sagt. Seinen ‚Wahren Willen‘ finden, heißt ganz und gar nicht, zu tun, was man möchte. Diese Formel ‚Tu, was du willst!‘ geht über Rabelais bis zum Heiligen Augustin zurück."''

*** The Old Man warned her quite strongly that neither he nor she would be able to escape the time loop unless her BatmanGambit worked and Bastian named her.

* Confirmed by the author [[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figuren_und_magische_Gegenst%C3%A4nde_in_der_Unendlichen_Geschichte#Die_Inschrift_.E2.80.9ETu.2C_was_du_willst.E2.80.9C in a text in his Nachlass]], with some bashing of the movie for good measure: ''"[...] der Satz ursprünglich aus dem Englischen stammt, und zwar von dem Schriftsteller Aleister Crowley (gestorben 1947), und dort heißt: ‚Do what thou wilt‘ (feierliches Kirchenenglisch). Das ‚Do what you dream!‘ ist Petersens Interpretation, und zwar die falsche. Es ist genau der Irrtum, dem auch Bastian unterliegt und um dessentwillen er aus Phantásien nicht mehr zurückfindet. Auch er meint zunächst, es ginge darum, zu tun, was man wünscht, ersehnt, gern möchte. Der Löwe Graógráman wird zornig, als Bastian ihm diese Deutung sagt. Seinen ‚Wahren Willen‘ finden, heißt ganz und gar nicht, zu tun, was man möchte. Diese Formel ‚Tu, was du willst!‘ geht über Rabelais bis zum Heiligen Augustin zurück."''

The entire story is built around the desire to realize one's True Will through going through multitudes of inferior wishes that may help or hinder you in this search. The AURYN is inscribed with the words "Do what you wish", a variation of the Code of Thelema: "Do what thou Wilt, shall be whole of the Law". Like many unfamiliar with the philosophy, Bastian assumes it's a hedonistic command to do as you please, when its real purpose is to encourage you to find your deepest Wish, that is, your True Will. And Bastian's true wish at the end is to love and be loved, which mirrors how the Code continues: "Love is the Law, Love under Will". And finally, the name which Bastian gives to the Childlike Empress is Moon Child, which is almost certainly a direct reference to a novel and ritual by the same name from Aleister Crowley, the founder of the Thelemic faith. There are many other lesser parallels, but these are the most noticeable.

[[WMG: Bastian's father is abusive]]]

and probably caused his wife's death, somehow. Bastian is a lot like his mother, so he gets a lot of abuse from his father. He reads books to escape thinking about it. Fantasia represents his childhood, memories of his mother, the things he likes in books, The Nothing is anxieties and fears, especially about growing up and living without his mother.

* Gmork says that the Manipulators tell lies to humans to gain power over them - By stealing a human's time, the Grey Men gain absolute power over them, as Master Hora explains. They gain that power by distortinng the truth and make people believe their lies
* When falling victim to the manipulation, the people in The Neverending Story just as the citizens of the unnamed city in Momo loste their ability to dream and their happiness.

* What metaphor? They all by tell you this point blank.

During the Ivory Tower scene near the beginning of the first movie, you can JUST make out [[MickeyMouse Mickey Mouse]], Gumby and even a few [[StarWars Star Wars characters]] gathered in the small crowd atop the tower. At first glance, these seem to be little more than easter eggs the filmmakers snuck in for funsies. That is, up until you remember that Fantasia is the realm of Human Fantasy. As in, the realm of imagination and fiction. So while Mickey and Chewbacca weren't book characters, they were nonetheless in their own stories, and all stories are true in Fantasia.

Basically, Fantasia is home to basically every fictional character.....ever.

During the Ivory Tower scene near the beginning of the first movie, you can JUST make out [[MickeyMouse Mickey Mouse]], [[Gumby Gumby]] and even a few [[StarWars Star Wars characters]] gathered in the small crowd atop the tower. At first glance, these seem to be little more than easter eggs the filmmakers snuck in for funsies. That is, up until you remember that Fantasia is the realm of Human Fantasy. As in, the realm of imagination and fiction. So while Mickey and Chewbacca weren't book characters, they were nonetheless in their own stories, and all stories are true in Fantasia.

* Why Desire? The Childlike Empress is a child's vision of Dream, and the Auryn is one of his Dream Gems. We know the Endless look different depending on who sees them (Martian Manhunter sees him as a flaming skull while Shazam simultaneously sees him as we do) and Fantastica is the world of story and archetype just like the Dreaming. The Old Man of Wandering Mountain is either Destiny, or a dream of Destiny: since stories of the Endless are told, then [[RecursiveCanon Dreams of the Endless exist.]]

Or at least choosing his words carefully. Fantasia isn't the realm of the fantasies of all of mankind, it's the world born of the imagination of one specific person at a time. The one that dreamed up Fantasia? Moon Child. When she died, Fantasis passed onto her son who was the only person in the world to be as greater dreamer as she was. So why is Fantasia dying? Because Bastian is so broken up with grief over his mother's death, that he can't dream as he once did. The description of the Nothing and its effects sound very similar to depression caused by grief. A dead emptiness, a loss of hope, an inability to imagine or dream, etc. The Nothing is a manifestation of Bastian's depression. Hell, it's servant is a literal black dog that pursues the story's protagonist who is part of Bastian. This explains why the Nothing is a recent phenomenon and why Bastian finally starting to move beyond his grief and be able to dream again, is what destroys it. The explanation that's sort of given as to why the Nothing has just now suddenly started to appear is the usual NewMediaAreEvil excuse. But that doesn't really make sense when you think about it. For one, TV and video games rotting a person's brain is suspect anyway. Plus, Fantasia is meant to be human fantasy, not just ''book'' human fantasy. So, what, people like Disney, Miyazaki and Newell have no imagination? Don't buy it for a second. Human fantasy may be evolving with new media, but it isn't dying. Finally there's just the sheer numbers to contend with. There're more people alive in Bastian's time than have ever been. So even if ninety percent of human beings had lost the ability to dream through watching TV, there still should be enough left to keep Fantasia alive. What about cultures that have no new media? Don't they count? Anyway, Bastian pushes through the funk he'd been lost in, decides to dream again and Fantasia is healed. When he dies, it'll pass onto someone else and keep on going forever that way. As for why the G'mork lied to Ateyu, either he just didn't know (why would he? The Nothing is never presented as being all knowing, just powerful and deadly) or he didn't want to give away too much. Fun to torment Atreyu, too dangerous to tell him the truth.

Or at least choosing his words carefully. Fantasia isn't the realm of the fantasies of all of mankind, it's the world born of the imagination of one specific person at a time. The one that dreamed up Fantasia? Moon Child. When she died, Fantasis passed onto her son who was the only person in the world to be as greater dreamer as she was. So why is Fantasia dying? Because Bastian is so broken up with grief over his mother's death, that he can't dream as he once did. The description of the Nothing and its effects sound very similar to depression caused by grief. A dead emptiness, a loss of hope, an inability to imagine or dream, etc. The Nothing is a manifestation of Bastian's depression. Hell, it's servant is a literal black dog that pursues the story's protagonist who is part of Bastian. This explains why the Nothing is a recent phenomenon and why Bastian finally starting to move beyond his grief and be able to dream again, is what destroys it. The explanation that's sort of given as to why the Nothing has just now suddenly started to appear is the usual NewMediaAreEvil excuse. But that doesn't really make sense when you think about it. For one, TV and video games rotting a person's brain is suspect anyway. Plus, Fantasia is meant to be human fantasy, not just ''book'' human fantasy. So, what, people like Disney, Miyazaki and Newell have no imagination? Don't buy it for a second. Human fantasy may be evolving with new media, but it isn't dying. Finally there's just the sheer numbers to contend with. There're more people alive in Bastian's time than have ever been. So even if ninety percent of human beings had lost the ability to dream through watching TV, there still should be enough left to keep Fantasia alive. What about cultures that have no new media? Don't they count? Anyway, Bastian pushes through the funk he'd been lost in, decides to dream again and Fantasia is healed. When he dies, it'll pass onto someone else and keep on going forever that way.

Or at least choosing his words carefully. Fantasia isn't the realm of the fantasies of all of mankind, it's the world born of the imagination of one specific person at a time. The one that dreamed up Fantasia? Moon Child. When she died, Fantasis passed onto her son who was the only person in the world to be as greater dreamer as she was. So why is Fantasia dying? Because Bastian is so broken up with grief over his mother's death, that he can't dream as he once did. The description of the Nothing and its effects sound very similar to depression caused by grief. A dead emptiness, a loss of hope, an inability to imagine or dream, etc. The Nothing is a manifestation of Bastian's depression. Hell, it's servant is a literal black dog that pursues the story's protagonist who is part of Bastian. This explains why the Nothing is a recent phenomenon and why Bastian finally starting to move beyond his grief and be able to dream again, is what destroys it. The explanation that's sort of given as to why the Nothing has just now suddenly started to appear is the usual NewMediaIsEvil excuse. But that doesn't really make sense when you think about it. For one, TV and video games rotting a person's brain is suspect anyway. Plus, Fantasia is meant to be human fantasy, not just ''book'' human fantasy. So, what, people like Disney, Miyazaki and Newell have no imagination? Don't buy it for a second. Human fantasy may be evolving with new media, but it isn't dying. Finally there's just the sheer numbers to contend with. There're more people alive in Bastian's time than have ever been. So even if ninety percent of human beings had lost the ability to dream through watching TV, there still should be enough left to keep Fantasia alive. What about cultures that have no new media? Don't they count? Anyway, Bastian pushes through the funk he'd been lost in, decides to dream again and Fantasia is healed. When he dies, it'll pass onto someone else and keep on going forever that way.