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The NeverEnding Story III: Escape From Fantasia
US DVD cover
Directed by	Peter MacDonald
Written by	Michael Ende (characters) Karin Howard (story) Jeff Lieberman (screenplay)
Produced by	Heinz Bibo Dieter Geissler Tim Hampton Klaus Kaehler
Starring	Jason James Richter Melody Kay Jack Black Freddie Jones Julie Cox Tony Robinson
Cinematography	Robin Vidgeon
Edited by	Michael Bradsell Jim Roddan
Music by	Peter Wolf
Distributed by	Miramax Films (USA) Warner Bros. (Germany)
Release dates	October 27, 1994 June 15, 1995 February 2, 1996
Running time	95 minutes
Countries	Germany United States
Language	English
Budget	US$17,000,000 (est)

The NeverEnding Story III (1994) is the second sequel to the fantasy film The NeverEnding Story. It was directed by Peter MacDonald and starred Jason James Richter as Bastian Bux, Julie Cox as the Childlike Empress, Melody Kay as Nicole, Tony Robinson as Engywook, and Jack Black as Slip.

In the U.S., the film was called The NeverEnding Story III: Escape From Fantasia.

The movie arrived late and had a very limited release in U.S. theaters in 1996 and arrived on VHS there the same year. The soundtrack, also, was not released in the U.S., but only in Japan on CD, and in limited quantities.

Plot

Bastian Balthazar Bux has begun a new chapter in his life. His father has married again, to a woman named Jane, whose daughter Nicole is displeased by having a new family. Bastian also starts term in high school, where he becomes victim to the Nasties, a quintet of bullies led by Slip (Jack Black). He manages to get them expelled by the janitor after the Nasties trap him in the boiler room. He flees to the library where he is surprised to find Mr. Koreander and the Neverending Story. The Nasties locate him, but he escapes through the book to Fantasia.

Bastian arrives in Fantasia, where he is reunited old friends Falkor and the gnomes Engywook and Urgl. However, the Nasties find the Neverending Story and use their cruelty to bombard the land with fireballs and a storm. Meeting a walking tree gnome, Barkis, Bastian and the group of his friends head for the Wandering Mountains to speak with the Childlike Empress. She asks Bastian to find the Neverending Story with the Auryn. Falkor, Barkis, the gnomes and the Rockbiter's son, Junior, help him; a "wish overload" causes the group to scatter across Earth. Barkis ends up in a forest somewhere; Falkor saves Junior from falling to his death near Mount Rushmore; and the gnomes end up ironically in Nome, Alaska. Bastian locates Falkor and Junior. 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 effects of the Nasties cause them to fall out.

Nicole takes the Auryn from Bastian's room, discovers its wishing abilities, and takes it for a shopping trip to the local mall. Barkis arrives at Bastian's house disguised as a tree, while the Gnomes are mailed in a box. The reunited group go to the mall to find Nicole so they can get the Auryn back. Unfortunately, the Nasties gain it first, whereupon giant crusteacean creatures appear in Fantasia to kill the Empress and her advisors. Everyone in the mall begins to turn to evil, including Mr. Koreander and Bastian's parents. Nicole runs away in sadness and reveals to Bastian outside that her father was abusive and eventually divorced Jane. Bastian is struck by lightning, and begins to succumb to the cruel effects of the Nasties, but Nicole saves him. The two rush back to the mall where all the Fantasians are being held captive by the Nasties. Bastian manages to retrieve both the Auryn and the book and defeats the Nasties with a range of fighting moves. The Fantasians are sent back to Fantasia, which is restored to its former magnifience. Bastian and Nicole manage to keep their parents from divorcing, while Junior is reunited with his parents. Nicole and Bastian return to school the next day and find Bastian turned the Nasties into friendly school students. Bastian returns the Neverending Story to Mr. Koreander, who tells him that the story is not over yet.

Critcisms

It is generally regarded by fans of the original movie (The NeverEnding Story) as the weakest installment of the series and is also the only movie in the series not based on material taken directly from Michael Ende's novel. The character Atreyu was noticeably absent, having been a major character in The NeverEnding Story and The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, but Engywook, and Urgle, the two gnomes from the first film were portrayed, while they were not in the second installment.