Tales from the Neverending Story
Encyclopedia
Tales from the Neverending Story is a one season-only TV series that is loosely based on Michael Ende
's novel The Neverending Story
, produced (in Montreal
, Canada
during December 2000-August 2002 ) and distributed by Muse Entertainment, and aired on HBO
in 2002. It was aired as 4 two-hour television movie
s in the US
and as a TV series of 13 one-hour episodes in the UK
. The series was released on DVD
in 2001.
of how Bastian discovers Fantasia from an even greater point of divergence
from Michael Ende's novel than the 1984 and 1990 Warner Brothers films had previously depicted.
Events from the novel occur out of order, and specific plot points are reversed between characters. For example; In the novel, and films it is Bastian who enters the world of Fantasia, but here it is Atreyu who enters our world. The concept of Yin and yang is introduced by altering the nature of the Childlike Empress's relationship with Xayide. In the series they are sisters with opposing ideologies. The Old Man of Wandering Mountain also takes on a larger role in the series becoming a mentor of sorts to Atreyu in much the same way as Carl Conrad Coreander is for Bastian.
The series also introduces new supporting characters. Lucas and Marely are Bastian's friends who try to defend him from school bullies, and Fly Girl is a heroine whom Atreyu meets who is on her own Quest. It is also worth noting that "Tales from The Neverending Story" is the first live action adaption not to feature the characters of Nighthob, TeenyWeeny, or Rockbiter.
Greg Kramer as Rip Rowdy
Noël Burton as Michael Bux
Emma Campbell as April
John Dunn-Hill as Coreander
Sally Taylor-Isherwood as Yonie
Audrey Gardiner as Childlike Empress
Tyler Hynes as Atreyu
Victoria Sanchez as Xayide
Johnny Griffin as Connor
Jane Wheeler as Laura Bux
Robert Crooks as Tartus
Stéfanie Buxton as Fly Girl
Emma Taylor-Isherwood as Olano
Edward Yankie as Mr. Blank
Amanda Tilson as Little Girl/Nanda
Stefano Faustini as Lucas
Brittany Drisdelle as Fallon
Valérie Chiniara as Marley
Michael Ende
Michael Andreas Helmuth Ende was a German author of fantasy and children's literature. He is best known for his epic fantasy work The Neverending Story; other famous works include Momo and Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver...
's novel The Neverending Story
The Neverending Story
The Neverending Story is a German fantasy novel by Michael Ende, first published in 1979. The standard English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was first published in 1983...
, produced (in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
during December 2000-August 2002 ) and distributed by Muse Entertainment, and aired on HBO
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
in 2002. It was aired as 4 two-hour television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
s in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and as a TV series of 13 one-hour episodes in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The series was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in 2001.
Premise
Departing from the canon of the 1979 novel The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, the overall story in the series explored the origin storyOrigin story
In comic book terminology, an origin story is an account or back-story revealing how a character or team gained their superpowers and/or the circumstances under which they became superheroes or supervillains....
of how Bastian discovers Fantasia from an even greater point of divergence
Point of divergence
In discussion of counterfactual history, a divergence point , also referred to as a departure point or point of divergence , is a historical event with two possible postulated outcomes...
from Michael Ende's novel than the 1984 and 1990 Warner Brothers films had previously depicted.
Events from the novel occur out of order, and specific plot points are reversed between characters. For example; In the novel, and films it is Bastian who enters the world of Fantasia, but here it is Atreyu who enters our world. The concept of Yin and yang is introduced by altering the nature of the Childlike Empress's relationship with Xayide. In the series they are sisters with opposing ideologies. The Old Man of Wandering Mountain also takes on a larger role in the series becoming a mentor of sorts to Atreyu in much the same way as Carl Conrad Coreander is for Bastian.
The series also introduces new supporting characters. Lucas and Marely are Bastian's friends who try to defend him from school bullies, and Fly Girl is a heroine whom Atreyu meets who is on her own Quest. It is also worth noting that "Tales from The Neverending Story" is the first live action adaption not to feature the characters of Nighthob, TeenyWeeny, or Rockbiter.
Episodes
- The Beginning - Part 1
- The Gift - Part 2
- Deus Ex Machina - Part 3
- Resurrection - Part 5
- Heart of Stone - Episode 1 (Pilot)
- The Nothing - Episode 2
- The Luckdragon - Episode 3
- Deleting Mr. Blank - Episode 4
- The Gift of the Name - Episode 5
- Home Sweet Home - Episode 6
- The Sceptre - Episode 7
- The Luck Stops Here - Episode 8
- Badge of Courage - Episode 9
- Deus Ex Machina - Episode 10
- Stairway to Heaven - Episode 11
- The Visitor - Episode 12
- Resurrection - Episode 13 (Finale)
Cast
Mark Rendall as Bastian Balthazar BuxGreg Kramer as Rip Rowdy
Noël Burton as Michael Bux
Emma Campbell as April
John Dunn-Hill as Coreander
Sally Taylor-Isherwood as Yonie
Audrey Gardiner as Childlike Empress
Tyler Hynes as Atreyu
Victoria Sanchez as Xayide
Johnny Griffin as Connor
Jane Wheeler as Laura Bux
Robert Crooks as Tartus
Stéfanie Buxton as Fly Girl
Emma Taylor-Isherwood as Olano
Edward Yankie as Mr. Blank
Amanda Tilson as Little Girl/Nanda
Stefano Faustini as Lucas
Brittany Drisdelle as Fallon
Valérie Chiniara as Marley