History YMMV / TheNeverendingStoryIIIEscapeFromFantasia

* AccidentalInnuendo: The great threat is called "the Nasty", leading to perhaps one of the most unintentionally funny lines ever:
--> '''Childlike Empress''': We must not give into the Nasty!
--> '''Nostalgia Critic''': Am I the only one who finds that dirty?

** Julie Cox, who played the Childlike Empress in the third film, is an example of both this and DawsonCasting, considering that she was 19 during filming and a good couple of inches taller than Jason James Richter, who played Bastian. In fact, Cox is only slightly younger in real-life than Creator/TamiStronach, the Empress from the first film -- which was made ''ten years'' before the third. That being said, Cox would actually have been a decent casting choice if the Empress had a PlotRelevantAgeUp in the film, as she ''is'' believable as an older version of Stronach's character. Thing is, the Empress is supposed to be TheAgeless and is called the ''Childlike'' Empress for a reason.

** The Rock Biter has it even worse. He and his family have been turned into bad ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' ripoff. We get an odd sit-com-esque scene at his home (which even has a TV(!!!) with his wife and son when he first shows up. Even worse, we then get a [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment really weird scene]] where he gets in his rock "car" and drives while singing ''Music/Steppenwolf''s "Born To Be Wild".

* ViewerGenderConfusion: Coil's boyish short hair and androgynous face can make it easy to mistake her for a boy if you only look at images of the movie. Only her voice and her new look following her HeelFaceBrainwashing make it clear she's a girl.

* ViewerGenderConfusion: Coil's boyish short hair and androgynous face can make it easy to mistake her for a boy if you only look at images of the movie. Only her voice and her new look following her HeelFaceBrainwashing make it clear she's a girl.
* WTHCastingAgency:
** The difference in voice actors for Falkor and Rock Biter is jarringly noticeable.
** Julie Cox, who played the Childlike Empress in the third film, is an example of both this and DawsonCasting, considering that she was 19 during filming and a good couple of inches taller than Jason James Richter, who played Bastian. In fact, Cox is only slightly younger in real-life than Creator/TamiStronach, the Empress from the first film -- which was made ''ten years'' before the third. That being said, Cox would actually have been a decent casting choice if the Empress had a PlotRelevantAgeUp in the film, as she ''is'' believable as an older version of Stronach's character. Thing is, the Empress is supposed to be TheAgeless and is called the ''Childlike'' Empress for a reason.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZqNhrXjX_PZNO-rg2s2zp1LTIJ_s8wMX movie's soundtrack]] could be considered one of its redeeming qualities, if not the ''only'' redeeming quality. It even has [[Music/{{Seal}} "Kiss from a Rose"]] before ''Film/BatmanForever'' popularized it!

* DesignatedHero: Bastian. The Old Man of Wandering Mountain describes him as "a special young human, a voracious reader, with great imagination and extraordinary courage", traits that Bastian does ''not'' possess this time around. Bastian never does ''anything'' with the power of the Auyrn and sits around hoping the problem will go away, while the bratty sister and even the ''villains'' use the power they are given.
* DesignatedVillain: Bastian's stepsister may be a witch, but she actually ''does'' something with the power she obtains, and while what she does with it is selfish, Bastian's calling her out for screwing things up falls flat since ''he'' could have avoided it all by actually ''doing something with it himself'' when he had the chance. Also, she's part of why he wins the final fight, by using the book to give him super kung-fu moves. While he's still got the amulet and ''still isn't using it''.

* JerkassWoobie: Nicole. She treats Bastian like crap before she's given a reason to really hate him and she abuses the power of the Orin (which was a result of Bastion leaving it in the open). However, the movie shows that she misses her biological father and was concerned about her mom and stepdad. Also, some CharacterDevelopment led to her bonding with Bastian, despite the earlier conflict.

** Falcor's redesign and recharacterization in the third film; suffice to say, fans were '''not''' pleased at the result.
** The Rock Biter has it even worse. He and his family have been turned into bad ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' ripoff. We get an odd sit-com-esque scene at his home (which even has a tv(!!!) with his wife and son when he first shows up. Even worse, we then get a [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment really weird scene]] where he gets in his rock "car" and drives while singing ''Music/Steppenwolf''s "Born To Be Wild".

** Julie Cox, who played the Childlike Empress in the third film, is an example of both this and DawsonCasting, considering that she was 19 during filming and a good couple of inches taller than Jason James Richter, who played Bastian. In fact, Cox is only slightly younger in real-life than Creator/TamiStronach, the Empress from the first film -- which was made ''ten years'' before the third. That being said, Cox would actually have been a decent casting choice if the Empress had a PlotRelevantAgeUp in the film, as she ''is'' believable as an older version of Stronach's character.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Falcor's redesign and recharacterization in the third film; suffice to say, fans were '''not''' pleased at the result.

* HamAndCheese: Jack Black gloriously over-the-top performance as Slip is widely considered to be a saving grace in the movie.

* TookTheBadFilmSeriously: Everyone, but especially Creator/JackBlack, who plays a poorly written, one-dimensional character like a ''diabolical mastermind.'' Possibly averted with Thomas Petruo (Large Head), who said in an interview that he had a lot of fun in the role.

** Slip, played by Creator/JackBlack, engages Bastian in a [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda martial arts fight.]]

* FandomDiscontinuity: Most fans prefer to forget this movie exists. There's even a canon reason, as the first two movies each adapt one half of the novel, so the third is an original story that can easily be ignored.

** The difference in voice actors for Falkor and Rock Biter is jarringly noticeable, not to mention John Wesley Shipp as Bastian's father vs. Gerald [=McRainey=] in the original.

* HamAndCheese: Jack Black gloriously over-the-top performance as Slip is widely considered to be the third movie's one saving grace.

** This film is WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'s first appearance.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/JackBlack plays the bully in part III.

* SoBadItsGood: At best, many people see the third movie as this, finding its artistic and creative decisions so baffling and backwards to the previous movies that they become unintentionally funny.

* AccidentalInnuendo: The great threat is called "the Nasty", leading to perhaps one of the most unintentionally funny lines ever;
-> '''Childlike Empress''': We must not give into the Nasty!

* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/JackBlack plays the bully in part III. Also, the brief appearance of Creator/DeepRoy in the first film might be worth mentioning.

* DesignatedVillain: Bastian's stepsister may be a witch, but she actually ''does'' something with the power she obtains, and while what she does with it is selfish, Bastian's calling her out for screwing things up falls flat since ''he'' could have avoided it all by actually ''doing something with it himself'' when he had the chance. Also, she's part of why he wins the final fight, by using the book to give him super kung-fu moves. While he's still got the amulet and, as noted under IdiotPlot, ''still isn't using it''.