| The NeverEnding Story III | |
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 Canadian video poster | |
| Directed by | Peter MacDonald |
| Screenplay by | Jeff Lieberman |
| Story by | Karin Howard |
| Based on | The Neverending Story byMichael Ende |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Robin Vidgeon |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Peter Wolf |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 95 minutes |
| Countries | |
| Languages | English German |
| Budget | $25 million[2] |
| Box office | $5 million (Germany)[3] |
The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia (also known asThe NeverEnding Story III: Return to Fantasia) is a 1994fantasy-adventure film directed byPeter MacDonald. It is the third and final film in the franchise.[4] It starsJason James Richter asBastian Balthazar Bux, andJack Black in an early role as school bully Slip. This film primarily used the characters fromMichael Ende's novelThe 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 byJim Henson's Creature Shop.
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 findCarl Conrad Coreander andThe Neverending Story. The Nasties locate him, but he uses the book to escape to Fantasia, where he is reunited withFalkor,Engywook and Urgl. On Earth, the Nasties findThe 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 theChildlike Empress, who asks Bastian to findThe Neverending Story using the Auryn. Falkor, Barky, thegnomes, 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 nearMount Rushmore, and the gnomes arrive inNome, 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 returnsThe Neverending Story to Mr. Coreander.
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| Music From & Inspired By The Neverending Story III: Here Come The Fantasians | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by various artists | ||||
| Released | 1994 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 1:17:53 | |||
| Label | WEA | |||
| The Neverending Story soundtrack chronology | ||||
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| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Neverending Story" | Giorgio Moroder,Keith Forsey | Real Im-Pact | 3:36 |
| 2. | "Give Peace A Chance (Single Mix)" | Attack II, Buzz Gardner, Tom Jaques G. Cain, T. Adler (Leon), Steve Pool, Tom Card, Eric Trinkaus | Intermission | 3:52 |
| 3. | "Games People Play" | Joe South | Inner Circle | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Girly Girl" | Luci van Org, Goldkind,Ash Wednesday | Lucilectric | 3:13 |
| 5. | "Crash! Boom! Bang!" | Per Gessle | Roxette | 4:25 |
| 6. | "Kiss From A Rose" | Seal | Seal | 4:47 |
| 7. | "Mission Of Love (Radio Edit)" | Toby Gad, Jacqueline Némorin | Nemorin | 3:33 |
| 8. | "Heart Of Stone" | David A. Stewart,Shara Nelson | Dave Stewart | 4:36 |
| 9. | "Shortcut To Forever" | Peter Wolf, Ina Wolf | Phillip Ingram &Siedah Garrett | 3:31 |
| 10. | "Fantasian Homecoming" | Wolf | The Munich Symphony Orchestra | 2:50 |
| 11. | "I'm A Stoneman" | Torsten Börger, Claudia A. Wohlfromm | The Stoneman | 3:22 |
| 12. | "United (Radio Edit)" | Alex Christensen,Frank Peterson,Mark Wahlberg,Joe Paquette | Prince Ital Joe feat.Marky Mark | 4:02 |
| 13. | "Hand In Hand" | Attack II, Tom Card, Steve Pool, Tom Jaques G. Cain, Th. Adler, Erik Trinkaus | Ophelia | 4:07 |
| 14. | "Back & Forth (LP Version)" | R. Kelly | Aaliyah | 3:51 |
| 15. | "Fire" | Alex Auer, Hans Mappes, Maik Hahn, Rod Gammons | Shyboy | 3:38 |
| 16. | "How, How (The Pre Mix)" | Boris Blank,Dieter Meier | Yello | 5:54 |
| 17. | "Nasty World" | Börger, Wohlfromm, Windsor Robinson | Real Im-Pact | 4:05 |
| 18. | "Dream On (The Neverending Story)" | Gad, Némorin | Nemorin | 3:52 |
| 19. | "Born To Be Wild" | Bonfire | The Stoneman | 3:38 |
| 20. | "Shortcut To Forever" | Peter Wolf, Ina Wolf | The Munich Symphony Orchestra | 2:38 |
| Total length: | 01:17:53 | |||
In February 1993 at theAmerican Film Market,Peter MacDonald was hired byCineVox Entertainment to direct the fantasy adventureThe NeverEnding Story III, from a script byJeff Lieberman, with production scheduled for summer of that year.[2] The film was announced with a budget at $25 million with producerDieter Geissler, who produced the first two entries, andTim 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 withJason James Richter cast as Bastian on the basis of his recognition fromFree Willy.[5] Author of the original bookMichael 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 onWolfgang Petersen'sThe NeverEnding Story. OnGeorge Miller'sTHE 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]
The NeverEnding Story III was first released in Germany on October 27, 1994, byWarner Bros. under theFamily 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, byMiramax Films under their Family Films label.
As of April 2022, the film has aRotten Tomatoes score of 25% based on 3 reviews from critics.[9]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]
By late December 1994, the film grossed $5 million in Germany.[3]
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