Jonathan crushed by THE NEVERENDING STORY (1984) Movie Reaction FIRST TIME WATCHING 

"They look like big, good, strong hands, don't they... " Even decades later that line breaks my heart every - single - time. The movie (and the book it is based on) "not pulling punches" as you put it is what makes it so powerful - high stakes, great heartbreak, great joy and great wisdom. The 80's were still a time when stories for children were not yet watered down to be so overly "children friendly and appropriate" that they became so safe and always happily-ever-after that you completely stopped to even expect something bad to happen.

First time I saw this movie was when I was in a psychiatric ward in a children's hospital. This movie was played so often that it was forever printed on my mind. The little man with the racing snail is the same actor that played all the oompa loompa's in the Tim Burton, Charlie and the Chocolate factory.

"People who have no hopes and dreams, are easy to control...and whomever has the control, has the power"...that is incredibly deep and true about the world, and you will never hear a kids' movie today ever again explain something that plainly. The Gmork is one of the realest villains in a children's movie...

I am 44 years old, and I still bawl my eyes out every time. I even own the book.

Gerald McRaney is best known for the tv series Major Dad.

Before Deadpool and Ferris Bueller were breaking the fourth wall, *The NeverEnding Story* gave us its own Russian nesting doll revelation. As Bastian follows the events in Fantasia, you’re right there with him, and so are we-watching you, watching him, watching Atreyu.

There's something so satisfying about seeing a film reach the right audience. Really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on this classic :)

This was one of my favorite movies as a kid. I hadn’t seen it in many years and worried that it wouldn’t be as good. Watching it through your eyes brought back all the fantasy, wonder and everything that I loved about it. Thank you for this reaction.

I was born in '81. This is one of my favorite childhood movies. Also on the list is Labyrinth, The Princess Bride, Legend, The Dark Crystal, Flight of the Navigator, Hook, and many more. Fantacy movies from that era didn't shy away from deep topics for children. It was fun to rewatch these as I grew up and I would gain new perspectives and insight. I'm a mother of two teenage sons now and it has been such an adventure.

I never noticed it as a kid but during the initial Ivory Tower sequence, there are several silhouettes of various pop culture characters such as Mickey Mouse & Gumby, along with some Star Wars characters, suggesting that Fantasia was home to all creations born of the imagination.

Fun reaction! I've read the Empress, Moon Child, aka Mondenkind, actress had a bit of a lisp due to the clip on teeth she had to wear

In the book, Artax can speak. The Swamps of Sadness scene in the book is BRUTAL.

When I was in college, I found the soundtrack at a used CD store. When listening to it, the music from Artax’s death scene made me cry. That’s how much this movie affected me from my childhood. Similarly, the Gmork music made my heart race.

The German version of this movie (it's a movie from Germany) has differen't music and it's cut (just seconds) differen't to lean even more into the sadness and depression of Bastian. Absolutely wonderful movie that i will always love and will always cry to.

In the book, Bastian's mother's name was Moon Child. Clearly she was a hippie, or an ex-hippie, at the very least.

It was the IN fitness/health idea at the time that it was good for you to eat or drink a raw egg and that’s what the dad did in the beginning

In the 1980's, emotionally traumatic kids movies. In the 2000's, participation ribbons.

You’re probably too young for this but what I remember the dad from was the TV show, Simon and Simon. I can’t remember if it was in the 80s or 90s. And this is one of my all time favorite movies!! This and The Princess Bride. I had a black lab once and I named him Sebastian after this movie

I remember watching this movie as a little kid when it first came out in theaters, I was roughly the same age as the characters in the movie so I felt very in tune with their story, and it did inspire me to have a very vivid and vast imagination. one of the more pleasant surprises when watching Stranger Things was when I believe it’s season three they actually have an entire arc surrounding the never-ending story. You should really watch stranger things.

I can't await to see the remake🐺 May the auryn protect you all🥨

May I suggest reacting to: Watership Down, Plague Dogs, Return to Oz, and The Last Unicorn.

Had to subscribe just for that Thick 44 shirt

If you haven't seen it you should watch D.A.R.Y.L. It stars Barrett Oliver who plays Bastian. Another 80's fantasy you could watch is Ladyhawke.

I got a question. For you would you be interested at looking at these two movies called see spot run and the rocketeer

Just throwing these out there: The last star fighter Enemy mine Dragon Slayer

Cut to you getting the whole point of this film before we even meet Atreyu!!!! No other reactor has gotten it as soon, and some not at all. Most of us saw this as kids so the whole Bastian dealing with grief metaphor went right over our heads as well.

You had me at Krull

Fun fact I'm the kid I don't know why I was so drawn to this movie I was super super drawn to the series I mean not the cash grabby 3rd one but I will tell you having the main characters first name be my last name with pretty cool and then the guy that got to play him in the sequel his last name was my first name but with an s

Amazing work, doing 80s fantasy.This movie kind of came & went when it came out. But it’s become a genuine classic. Also try Legend, Dragonslayer, Return to Oz and Greystoke.

I love you reactions. It brings me back to when i saw these movies in the 80s. Hope you do Willow next

An amazing and horrifying, awesome movie about a kid is 'The Book of Henry" Is intense and awesome, but deals with some pretty aweful things, definitely needs a warning.

i would love to see your reaction to the film The witches from 1990. I wanted to recommend it especially now that October is just a month away.

Alright cutie, Just a Gen X, our movies were shockingly layered

Dads doing the bare minimum, not even taking him to school? I'm sorry but those of us raised in the 80s were not pampered by our parents like todays kids are. We were capable of doing things on our own. I was walking to school alone in grade 1 at the age of 6.

Next movie, watch Flight of the Navigator

I agree with Basitan. If you're late to the test in first period anyways, might as well not show up to school at all.

i like your line of thinking but your wrong The Neverending Story, the boy Bastian is both reading the book and entering the book's world the book is not Bastian own trials of life and has nothing to do with his dead mother the man at the book store/shop told him its dangerous for him cause the things in the book come to life and take the reader into the book and things come out of the book

Great reaction insights by Jonathan. More recommendations ??? Zatoichi (1962) and a few of the 25 other films in that series. Letter to 3 Wives (1949) Witness for the Prosecution (1958) Heidi (1937) It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) The Great Dictator (1940) The Great Race (1965) Splendor in the Grass (1961) Sex & the Single Girl (1964) Mad Love (1935) On a Clear Day (1970) Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan (1984) Touch of Evil (1958) The Muppet Movie (1979) The Stranger (1946) The Firm (1983) Max Headroom (1987, 14 episodes) The Prisoner (1967, 17 episodes) The Thin Man (1934) Tommy (1975) Also these 3 with a strong warning for violence; The Accused (1988 - don't watch alone) Prime Suspect (1989, 7x2 episodes) Touching Evil (1997, 16 episodes)

You need to watch Legend. Tom Cruise and Tim Curry are in it.

Everyone thinks the dad is mean or harsh. That is literally the most empathetic conversation any '80s father could have with his son after the loss of his mother. The father is also grieving, yet he acknowledges Bastion's pain but also recognizes that you can't live in grief. He never raises his voice -- not even the tiniest bit. (f-cking unheard of, certainly in my family) Even some of his admonitions are half-hearted; you can feel a bit of a smirk about drawing horses ("unicorns -- they were unicorns") in his math book. The dad doesn't say he's disappointed in Bastion; he says that he's disappointed that Bastion didn't try out for swim team that year, meaning that Bastion had been on the swim team in previous years. But he isn't disappointed in Bastion. His son is even confortable being the one to start a conversation about his mother and having had a dream about her. It's not like his dad says, "What's your damn problem, huh? Snap out of it. We all have things to deal with." His dad helps him with the jar and gives him a comforting wink, and then Bastion, unsolicited, opens up to his dad. His dad does his best, even as he himself has to deal with the grief of having lost his wife. (edit: If you need any proof that the father has a lot more to him, which that first scene shows, Mr. Corporate Man fell in love with and married a woman named Moonchild. Seriously. Let that sink in. The dad is GOOD.) That first scene is genuinely one of my most favourite in all of cinema.

My dog's name was Falkor. I miss him. 😢Although I do have a new dog, I've named him Fizzgig

In the beginning of the movie during the Father-Son chat, Bastian tells his dad he was drawing unicorns, his dad replies "What?" Bastian replies with "nothing." This is the point where the Nothing starts eating up Fantasia, starting with the unicorns you never see, as they were already gone by the time he starts reading the book.

Steven Spielberg was given the original Auryn prop by director Wolfgang Petersen as a "thank you" gift for his help with the film! It hangs in a glass display in Steven Spielberg's office!

"If he doesn't ride a unicorn in this book ...." - oh boy, just you wait!

What’s really crazy if you think about Jonathan, is that all of the viewers watching you watch this movie are somehow taking part in your own story as you experience it. Adds a whole extra layer to it.

As a kid in the 80s (born late '76), it's always interesting to see adults react to what we saw as kids and reinforces that the 80s was the best decade to be a kid in. I might be 47 now, but there are 3 moments for the 80s that still cause a few tears, the Swamp of Sadness & Artax being one of those. Alan Oppenheimer voiced both Falkor and G'Mork, but also Skeletor, an absolute legend.

Eggs, orange juice and cayenne or tabasco - hangover cure. The dad is drinking his grief away. Edit: Also, Bastian's mother's name was Moonchild. It's hinted that she and the dad were both hippies in the 70's.

When I saw this film in theaters I was a child. I remember not thinking about the meaning of Bastion’s grieving. I saw it as a kid close to my age going on an adventure. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized its meaning. This is what makes a story a classic that can draw in all ages.

This film has traumatized generations.

This movie greatly helped me deal with the death of my father when I was 9 (saw the movie like a year or so later). I needed all the darkness in this movie. Also, I never really heard the mother's name. I assumed it was garbled somewhat intentionally so we would all put our mother's name in that shout. My friends and I, watching this in the theater, were betting that his mother's name was Hope. It wasn't until I read the book later on that I found out her name was Moon Child.

6:14 This movie is based on a novel written by German writer Michael Ende so don't assume American standards to do things. In Germany kids usually go to school by themselves, that is perfectly normal. The dad acts quite differently from his book version btw. He is in so much pain about the death of his wife that he is barely functioning anymore. You really should read the book.

The boy who plays Atreyu also played Boxie from the original Battlestar Galactica

Child of '81 here. This movie is powerful! I mean he's kind of a little shit, but his heart is so brave and kind. Looks like I'm not gonna have kids of my own to share this with, but it still means a lot to see other men recognize empathy as strength.

Engywook's wife was also Finn Raziel in Willow.

A tweet by Tami Stronach, the actress who played the Childlike Empress, posted upon being asked what Bastian’s mother’s name is: “Well, wonder no longer. Bastian’s mother’s name was ‘Moonchild!’”

I love your reaction so much! 😍🤣🥰 Never seen anyone geek out so much over a movie breaking the 4th wall! It was how I felt when I watched this for the first time. 😂

If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend you do. The events of the film are only about the first third of the story. The rest of it is Bastian wishing Fantasia ( or rather, Fantastica in the book) back into existence and he has a truly wild imagination. It's nuts.

I’m so glad you’re watching these Jonathan!! You’re bringing a big smile to my heart and recreating good memories for me!🥰🙏🏼

I absolutely love Jonathan, I 100% would support if the channel was 100% Jonathan Reacts XD

The swamp of sadness scared me as a child 😭

Atreyu killing Gmork is one of the most satisfying film moments ever.

This is why I feel us GenX’ers have such a unique outlook on life. We were introduced to pain, suffering and the beauty of life at an early age. We were not talked down to by the media of the time but treated as adults even as children. I’ll always be thankful to be a child of the 80’s.

THIS is a FANTASY film, but not a CHILDRENS film necessarily.

The 80’s didn’t know how to hold punches. Imagine being 8-12 years old watching the horse scene. Can’t take a break, can’t pause. It was rough

42:30 Movies were just different back then, especially kids movies. They dared to be deep and have mature themes in them, especially before the invention of the PG-13 rating. They respected the intelligence of kids to not only grasp these concepts, but to grow as a result of thinking about them. We 80s kids were a different breed :)

I'm sure you heard this song in stranger things. PS, Nice shirt, Rip Thick44

As Tolkien wrote, when a Fairy-story is good, “the story-maker proves a successful ‘sub-creator’. He makes a Secondary World which your mind can enter. Inside it, what he relates is ‘true’: it accords with the laws of that world. You therefore believe it, while you are, as it were, inside”

Noah Hathaway technically wasn't acting in the swamp sequence. They were filming on a wet stage, and Noah's costume somehow got caught in the machinery. So he actually was getting dragged into that muck, and he was in genuine danger of drowning. The panic you see, is real.

Just a heads-up: I was wondering why this had so few views but it is unlisted! I happened to find it by looking through the channel's catalogue. Was this intentional? It would be a shame if people who don't know the movie missed out on it and your reaction. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I saw the movie when it came out either on VHS rental or TV here in Germany. At the time it was definitely a huge thing, the movie and the book too which IIRC became a bestswller again. Just a point or two I would like to make: I think you were a bit harsh on the father, he certainly didn't come across to me as a bad parent. And certainly not as "the evil" of the story 😃 As difficult as it is for his son, he certainly was right on telling him he had to also do his schoool work etc. At the end of their talk he affectionately strokes his son's head. That reinforced the impression that they essentially had a good relationship. Remember, the father had also lost his beloved wife of many years, possibly decades. So he also was grieving and trying to cope with the situation. Anyway, cheers for the reaction and the nostalgia of a time seemingly gone by when Kids or Family movies were for all ages and didn't treat younger viewers like idiots and dumb down everything but also handled difficult subjects.

in case no one else has said, his mother's name is Moon Child. Growing up with this beautiful classic I could never understand what he said

there are many themes in this movie- and all are about dealing with LOSS in different ways.

Genuinely traumatizing as a kid in the 80's. First time we learned you could die because of sadness

Dragonslayer, starring Peter MacNicol and Caitlin Clark. Watch it!

Scholastic Book Fairs. Yup - Remember those. Good 90’s memories!

Yes, raw egg and OJ is the original nutrient smoothy. Eggs contain every protein and vitamin except vitamin C, which Orange Juice contains. The cooking process removes some of that nutrient. While Apple juice contains far more vitamin C than orange juice, that isn't as well known, and the natural viscosity and texture of orange juice can conceal the taste and texture of raw eggs that many find displeasurable. Plus the combination gives the resulting solution a wide range of levels the mixture can be aerated to, depending on personal preference. This makes eggs and OJ the perfect balanced nutritious meal relied on by health professionals and athletes for the past few centuries. (Ever since mass transit made oranges as widely available as eggs)

I saw this when I was little, Im now in my 40's, and this film has been with me my whole life. Always in my mind, in the background somewhere, then pops back up, and i have to watch it. ive prob seen it close to 200 times by now. something about it just stuck with me. every bit of music is amazing. sometimes i just start humming the different themes randomly.

I was 8 when this movie was shown at the theater. At the same time, they were also showing A Nightmare On Elm Street in another theater. Guess what! I begged my late dad to bring me to see "Nightmare" instead. I know how twisted that is. But it seemed like I was more curious about horror than a kid's movie.

This was one of my favorite films as a child. I had a cat named Falcor, and I’ve had a horse named Artax. I literally wear the Auryn around my neck daily. I always know someone is cool when they recognize what it is.

So, I watched this as a kid. I'm about the same age as the actor I think, maybe a year younger. From what I remember, there were no parts that were too tough. The parts I understood, I was old enough to enjoy, and the parts I wasn't old enough for, I just didn't understand. It gave the movie a lot rewatchability in that the older I got, the more I enjoyed it.

Another classic one is Labyrinth with David Bowie and Jennifer Connely

There were a lot of movies like this in the 80s> Return to Oz, Labyrinth, Legend, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Time bandits, Princes Bride...This movie also has sequel(s)? I watched only one as a kid and even if it has bad score on imdb I don't think it's that bad. I think kid from SeaQuest tv show plays the lead. But the best content of this type was Jim Henson's series of 9 episodes called "The Storyteller" with John Hurt.

Of all the traumatizing things in this movie, the raw egg in OJ leaves the worst impression.

16:25 Bro, how TF did you make this story deeper than it already is? 😮😅

Great reaction Jonathan to a 80s classic Big thumbs up.

In my almost 40 years watching this movie, I never noticed the giant footprints until you pointed them out 😮

Those oracles helped a lot of young men through puberty 😅

My 2 boys still love this film today at 34 and 37 years old! Beautiful story.

Great reaction, Jonathan! I never miss a reaction to this film, and yours had been one of the best I've seen so far. This movie broke my 4 year old heart, but I've cried watching it as an adult and father several times since. It just hits so much harder once you've grown up and can personally appreciate the message. You earned this subscriber's loyalty today!

Welcome to the generational trauma that is this movie.

Bro, I've seen this movie at least 100,000 times, and I've never had the insight that Bastion was ALSO being tested by the mirror gate when Atreyu was. But of course...it's a mirror gate. Works both ways. I can pretty much cite this movie line for line, and you just taught me something about it on your first watch through. Color me impressed my friend.

9:51 note: the attic is full of all the art and theater props, that the school no longer uses.

I recommend Legend (1985) starring Tim Curry (as Darkness) and Tom Cruise. Watch the US theatrical release with the Tangerine Dream soundtrack. Probably the best creature makeups I’ve ever seen. We had so many awesome dark fantasy movies in the 80’s, such as Willow, Labyrinth, Return to Oz, and The Dark Crystal. This was scary and so sad watching it as a kid, but it was a family favorite because of the creativity, story and music. I love first watch reactions to this…it makes me feel like I get to watch it anew.

one of my all time fav's

ARTAX. still not over it

For those who really enjoyed the metafictional, nesting-realities aspects of this story, I'd highly recommend the works of Grant Morrison. They're a writer (mostly for comics, but also plays, screenplays and novels) that positively delights in playing with these ideas.

If it helps, the actors playing Atreyu and Artax bonded really hard and he adopted the horse and took him home.

Interesting fact about this scene in the swamps of sadness. One horse they used actually drowned from the lift malfunctioning not to mention Noah Hathaway about did too.

The guy who played Gimli is also the voice of tree beard, Jonathan Rhys Davies. The Rockbiter is voice by Alan Oppenheimer. He does a few voices in the movie including Falcor.

I strongly recommend reading the book if you enjoyed this story. The Childlike Empress is given so much more strength and agency in the book, and it has so much more to say about environmental conservation, the need for "home", the desire to care for others, the importance of memories, forgiveness, and so many more wonderful concepts.

As Bastian was with Atreyu, you were with Bastian. And as you were with Bastian, others were with you. It was us here in the comments. We were with you on your journey watching Bastion's journey watching Atreyu's journey.