The Ending Of The NeverEnding Story Finally Explained

Once upon a time there was a boy named Bastian Balthazar Bux (Barrett Oliver) who was having a rough go of things. His mother had recently passed away, and his father (Gerald McRaney) couldn't relate to his sensitive and still grieving young son. One day, after getting thrown into a dumpster by a trio of bullies, Bastian finds sanctuary in a bookstore. The proprietor Mr. Coreander (Thomas Hill) is reading a special book he says isn't safe for children — so naturally, Bastian steals the book and holes up in the attic at school to read it. As he does, he realizes that he might be closer to the story than he ever imagined. 

Adapted from the book by Michael Ende, The NeverEnding Story reached cinemas in 1984 as the most expensive German film production in history, an investment that paid dividends as the film did well in cinemas and continues to be beloved by adults and kids alike. Practical special effects and puppetry have aged the film beautifully, even under the unforgiving glare of high definition. This magical tale about the power of storytelling and faith has so many messages that, like The NeverEnding Story itself, are timeless. Let's hop on Falkor and explore. This is the ending of The NeverEnding Story, finally explained.

Bastian has his own part to play in The Neverending Story; at first, it involves simply reading and witnessing the events unfolding for Atreyu and Fantasia. His father is always telling him to get his head out of the clouds, and Bastian can't help but respond by going higher up. He's grieving the loss of a mother who seemed to support her son's sensitivity and daydreaming. Escaping into flights of fancy like doodling unicorns in math class or a special book that's unlike all others is actually a healthy and healing coping method in the short term. When Atreyu loses Artax, Bastian weeps along with him, relating to such a great loss at such a young age. Simply being witness to another's story can also be a heroic act. 

Bastian starts out as an armchair hero, watching from a distance, but as The NeverEnding Story unfolds, he realizes that he might be the most important hero of them all. And to honor his cherished mother and her memory, he even gives her name — Moon Child — to the Childlike Empress, saving her and Fantasia. As Bastian makes his wishes, he ensures that all the friendships made before the Nothing's rampage remained intact. He makes sure to restore Fantasia to the glory he could only imagine — and ultimately gets to experience firsthand on a ride with Falkor. Bastian even has the opportunity to give his bullies a taste of their own terrible medicine. 

If it seems silly that a new name might save someone's life then you haven't considered the power of what we call things or the power in words themselves. Bastian is called terrible names by the school bullies, and this certainly affects how he feels and sees himself. With the arrival of the Nothing, the Childlike Empress also loses an aspect of herself that must be reinvented, and one way to accomplish this is by adopting a new moniker. This new name would be a new start for not just the Empress, but for her whole world. Not to mention the name Bastian chooses for the Empress — Moon Child — perfectly suits her, as well as being a beautiful tribute to his dead mother. 

In real life, parents choose their children's names to have meaning and power in the long term. Sometimes when people get married they change their name to signify this new union. Some immigrants may also change their names in order to assimilate with the majority culture. In the transgender community, choosing a new name is the opportunity for a whole new start at existing in a life-affirming way that fits their gender. Names have power, and a new name is a new beginning.

"Never give up hope and good luck will find you," Falkor tells Atreyu after taking him to the Southern Oracle. This sweet luck dragon is easily one of the most beloved characters in The NeverEnding Story. Between his hearty chuckle and his sly wink, Falkor is a reminder that we must always fight against the kind of hopelessness embodied by the Nothing. While many times luck is actually a product of good circumstances, timing, and privilege, the luck symbolized by Falkor is about the faith that goodness — and good people — will ultimately prevail. While Fantasians consider the Ivory Tower their beacon of hope, humans watching The NeverEnding Story are drawn to Falkor and his joyful presence. Even when Atreyu is convinced that he failed to find the human child who could give the Empress a new name, Falkor comforts him and reminds him that he did his very best. Falkor reminds us that sometimes, even if we fail, we still deserve credit for our efforts. 

Sometimes, the older people get, the more cynical they become. They've watched their childhood dreams fizzle into nothing. They get caught up in work, the duty side of family, and this can quickly turn into bitterness and resentment — just as it does with Bastian's father, who is all business and can't understand why his son can't move on from his mother's death as quickly. He sees Bastian's sensitivity as weakness that needs to be corrected. 

In the temple at the end of Fantasia, Gmork says to Atreyu, "Fantasia is the dreams and hopes of mankind. People have started to lose their hopes and forget their dreams.... Because people who have no hope are easy to control. And whoever has control, has the power." This is a scarily true statement in our own human world, where every day, people lose hope and turn to all kinds of ways not to care about others.  

Gmork also calls the Nothing "a kind of despair," one that's been in Fantasia much longer than it seems. Morla the Ancient One has been living in a state of apathy for hundreds of years. Her catchphrases are "Not that it matters," "We don't even care whether or not we care," and ultimately, "Nothing matters." Atreyu and Bastian both refuse to accept these supposedly grown-up truths. The NeverEnding Story reminds us to never stop believing. 

The NeverEnding Story is packed full of important themes and messages. Another of its most fundamental is about the dangers of bullying, including the parents treat their children. The bullying that Bastian deals with from his classmates is awful and humiliating, to the point where his health is even put in danger from being thrown into a filthy dumpster.

But the quiet bullying he endures from his father is far more insidious. Bastian's dad shames him for being interested in things for only a short amount of time and then moving on. Bastian's father doesn't seem to understand that this is exactly how children develop and figure out what they like, who they are, and what skills they might have to develop. Bastian's father also softly berates him for his keen imagination, daydreaming, and drawing doodles of unicorns in class. To an extent, these are all healthy coping mechanisms for a child grieving the recent loss of his mother. If Bastian's father was really so concerned about his son's behavior, he should have taken him to a child psychologist to get checked out. This is one of the more painful aspects of the film, and explains why Bastian wouldn't want to come back to Earth so quickly once he finally visits Fantasia.

The NeverEnding Story adaptation focuses on the first half of Michael Ende's beautiful book, about how a little boy saves the world through reading. The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter was released in 1990 with an entirely new cast except for Thomas Hill, who reprises his role as grouchy bookstore owner Carl Conrad Coreander. In this sequel, Bastian is trying out for the diving team, but cannot seem to get over his fear of heights and take the leap. When the Auryn calls to him, he returns to Fantasia where a new evil, the Emptiness, is being fueled by a sorceress named Xayide (Clarissa Burt). Xayide tricks Bastian into making wishes, all the while stealing his memories of Earth and home. 

1994's The Neverending Story III diverges completely from Ende's book and returns with yet another new cast. This time Bastian battles the Nasty, and reunites with many characters from the original film, like Ergyl and Engybook. 

When Atreyu reaches the boundaries of Fantasia, he finds a temple in ruins with elaborate paintings. He's shocked to see the paintings are of him and everything he survived. The NeverEnding Story suggests that Atreyu's journey has happened many times before, and will probably happen again. This cycle of life and destruction and life emerging again is a neverending story. But more than that, the neverending story is also the fight against apathy and hopelessness, and replacing them with hope and faith. Like the symbol of Auryn with two snakes entwined eating their own tales, not only does the story within The NeverEnding Story play on a sort of loop, but the important themes from the story continue to be relevant in the human world. The fact that after so many decades people still watch, engage with, and adore The NeverEnding Story is simply a testament to the everlasting power of this triumphant tale.