History Film / TheNeverEndingStory1984

* KnightOfCerebus: Gmork. While the situation was already grim with the Nothing gradually destroying the world of Fantasia, his introduction causes the film's narrative to become far more dark and intense. The scene where he confronts Atreyu is a nightmarish deconstruction of the nature of stories and imagination, revealing him to be an opportunistic nihilist working with the Nothing to destroy Fantasia in order to rule over the unimaginative masses left in the wake of the oblivion, proving to be an even more vile entity than the calamity destroying Fantasia.

* TheHeavy: Gmork fills this role. The Nothing is probably the actual BigBad, but Atreyu has to fight Gmork instead, as he is actually tangible. Gmork even says something to this effect:

* KnightOfCerebus: Gmork. While the situation was already grim with the Nothing gradually destroying the world of Fantastica/Fantasia, his introduction causes the film's narrative to become far more dark and intense. The scene where he confronts Atreyu is a nightmarish deconstruction of the nature of stories and imagination, revealing him to be an opportunistic nihilist working with the Nothing to destroy Fantasia in order to rule over the unimaginative masses left in the wake of the oblivion, proving to be an even more vile entity than the calamity destroying Fantasia.

** The Nothing has no appearance of anything at all; any Fantastican who looks at it feels as though they have been struck blind. This obviously presented a problem in the translation to film, so the movie instead depicts the Nothing using visuals of roiling clouds created by mixing colored oils and salt water, to create a visual indicator of its presence. The movie's version of the Nothing also acts like a black hole that sucks in the landscape--and Fantasians--while the novel's version lures in Fantasicans like moths to a flame.

* AdaptedOut: Many examples. The first Fantasican we meet in the book, the will-o-the-wisp Blubb, is absent, though the other three messengers (the Rock-chewer, the Tiny and the Night-hob) are present. Atreyu's village isn't shown as Cairon doesn't go there but instead Atreyu goes to the Ivory Tower. The purple buffalo that serves as Atreyu's animal guide and tells him about Morla. The bark trolls who show Atreyu the Nothing for the first time. Ygramul the Many, who is responsible for getting Atreyu to the Southern Oracle. The third gate to the Southern Oracle, the No Key Gate. The Wind Giants who blow Falkor off course so that Atreyu ends up in Spook City. The Old Man of Wandering Mountain. The entire second half of the book.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: In the book, Bastian was plain and fat in the real world, then appeared tall and princely once he entered Fantastica (as a result of his first wish).

* DoNotDoThisCoolThing: In-universe, Mr. Koreander tells Bastian that the book is way too dangerous for him and that he should stay with his books that are "safe". Surprising no one, Bastian steals the book the moment Koreander leaves his desk... and the latter smiles when he returns to discover the theft.

* DoNotDoThisCoolThing: In-universe, Mr. Koreander tells Bastian that the book is way too dangerous for him and that he should stay with his books that are "safe". Bastian immediately takes the book, at which Koreander smiles.

* NoodleIncident: Before Atreyu tries to get past the Sphinx Gate, we see a literal knight in shining armor try to walkthrough on his horse, only to be judged as unworthy and killed by the Gate's EyeBeams. Who he was and why he was trying to get through is never explained, and the whole scene is basically just to show the viewer how dangerous the Sphinx Gate is.

Somewhat surprisingly, it was announced that The Nothing had begun to encroach upon other universes, figuring into the plot of the 2022 Creator/WarnerBros FightingGame ''VideoGame/{{Multiversus}}''.

** Played with. [[spoiler: At the end of his quest, Atreyu has learned that the Childlike Empress can be saved if a human child gives her a new name. He returns to her with this information, only to discover that... she knew this all along. This causes Atreyu to rant that he suffered all the loss and all the horrors of his quest just to learn what the Childlike Empress already knew, but the she quickly informs him that the REAL purpose of his journey was to BreakTheFourthWall and bring Bastian to her.]]

* DeusExScuseMe: The telephone call that distracts the bookstore owner just when Bastian is about to succumb to temptation to make off with the old book he's been told not to touch.

** PlotBasedVoiceCancellation: ...leading Bastian's [[SayMyName name for the Child Empress]] ("MOON CHILD!") to be hard to discern. Even the subtitles on the DVD can't understand what Bastian says. If you know what it is, though, you can hear it.

* ExpectingSomeoneTaller:

* FramingDevice: The film starts off looking like it invokes this trope--until you realise Fantasia is another dimension and not just a story being read by Bastian.

* RaceLift: White actor Noah Hathaway is cast as Atreyu, whose appearance and lifestyle are clearly meant to suggest that of a Native American (though thankfully he doesn't wear {{Brownface}}). In the sequel the character is played by Mexican-American actor Kenny Morrison. Also, Atreyu has green skin in the book, but a normal flesh tone in the two movies. According to Hathaway they tried green makeup on him at first but it looked awful.

* AdaptationalVillainy: In the book, Gmork was helping the Nothing because he envied Fantasticans and humans for having the one thing he did not: a place to call home. This motive made him a somewhat sympathetic character, albeit a petty one who wanted to destroy two worlds out of spite. The film version, on the other hand, is a StrawNihilist who wants the power to control the despairing lives left in the Nothing's wake.

* SavageWolf: Gmork is a hitman sent by "the power behind the Nothing" to kill Atreyu and thereby doom the world.

* YourMindMakesItReal

* AbnormalAllergy: Morla, the Ancient One, is allergic to youth.

* SerpentOfImmortality: This is the visual motif behind [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/AURYN_72.JPG AURYN]], the amulet representing the power of the immortal Childlike Empress.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfRoles: Oppenheimer is not only Falkor, but also Gmork, Rockbiter and the narrator.

** Atreyu reaches the Southern Oracle with help from a monster, Ygramul the Many, whose poisonous bite gives the victim the power of instant teleportation before they die. Falcor was a victim who also used this power after overhearing Ygramul tell Atreyu about it. It was cut from the final script due to VFX limitations of the time. This also would have explained the medicine being given by the Gnomes to Atreyu and Falcor, which was to counter Ygramul's poison.

* AdaptedOut: Many examples. The first Fantasican we meet in the book, the will-o-the-wisp Blubb, is absent, though the other three messengers (the Rock-chewer, the Tiny and the Night-hob) are present. Atreyu's village isn't shown as Cairon doesn't go there but instead Atreyu goes to the Ivory Tower. The purple buffalo that serves as Atreyu's animal guide and tells him about Morla. The bark trolls who show Atreyu the Nothing for the first time. Ygramul the Many, who is responsible for getting Atreyu to the Southern Oracle. The third gate to the Southern Oracle, the No Key Gate. The Wind Giants who blow Falcor off course so that Atreyu ends up in Spook City. The Old Man of Wandering Mountain. The entire second half of the book.

* HeroicBSOD: The Rockbiter is shown to be in one near the end.

*** Atreyu goes into another one near the end; ironically, [[TheHeavy Gmork]] unwittingly gives him some information that snaps him out of it.

** Atreyu reaches the Southern Oracle with help from a monster, Ygramul the Many, whose poisonous bite gives the victim the power of instant teleportation before they die. Falcor was a victim who also used this power. It was cut from the final script due to VFX limitations of the time. This also would have explained the medicine being given by the Gnomes to Atreyu and Falcor, which was to counter Ygramul's poison.

* AdaptationInducedPlotHole: Many elements in the first film either make no sense or are not adequately explained because their meanings from the novel were either simplified or omitted. Some of the elements lost from the novel include:

* AllForNothing: Played with. [[spoiler: At the end of his quest, Atreyu has learned that the Childlike Empress can be saved if a human child gives her a new name. He returns to her with this information, only to discover that... she knew this all along. This causes Atreyu to rant that he suffered all the loss and all the horrors of his quest just to learn what the Childlike Empress already knew, but the she quickly informs him that the REAL purpose of his journey was to BreakTheFourthWall and bring Bastian to her.]]
** [[spoiler: Bastian thought the same thing, when he finally gave the Childlike Empress a new name, Fantasia completely disappeared. But only one grain of sand remained, allowing Bastian to wish to have Fantasia restored.]]

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: In the book, Cairon was a zebra-centaur who went to find Atreyu and hand him the AURYN. Here, he is a humanoid [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent merman]] who can walk on dry land.

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: In the book, Cairon was a black zebra-centaur who went to find Atreyu and hand him the AURYN. Here, he is a humanoid [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent merman]] who can walk on dry land.

* CompressedAdaptation: The film ''literally'' cut out ''half of the book''. Thanks to AdaptationDisplacement, most people don't even ''know'' anything was removed. The sequel picks up elements from the second half of the book, although it was still not quite there.

** Gmork's motivations and explanations about Fantastica and the nature of the Nothing go much deeper in the book. He reveals that he is a shapeshifter who can go between Fantastica and the human world but belongs in neither; his true motivation for wanting to aid in destroying Fantastica is envy, because he has no world to call home. He also reveals that Fantasticans enter the human world through the Nothing, but emerge as lies and delusions in the minds of humans, which increases the rate at which the Nothing spreads.

** Technically, Limahl's "Never Ending Story" qualifies; it was not present in the original German release and was later added to the film for the North American release.

* AllThereInTheManual: When Bastian names the Childlike Empress, the name he shouts is hard to make out due to DramaticThunder. Those who are familiar with the original novel will know what Bastian actually says, but the movie's soundtrack itself also gives the answer; the name of the piece of music accompanying the scene is, in fact, [[spoiler:Moonchild]].