I must have been about 4, maybe 5. I saw The Neverending Story for the first time at grandma's house, sitting in the living room with my 2 cousins. I loved the movie, but there were some parts that scarred me for life. Of course I can watch the film now and still experience it with glee every time…but that day, so long ago, is a day I will never forget.
First off I hated the part where Artax dies in the Swamp of Sadness. It was horrible. It made me very unhappy. It still does. Not to mention the fact that I had a big ole insta-crush on Atreyu ( who didn't, am I right ladies?), and didn't like to see him so upset. It was all very emotional and intense for a small girl.
Of course after seeing what happened to the knight when he tried to pass the first gate…I wasn't too excited to have Atreyu try his luck. I don't remember breathing during this scene at all.
Then there was Gmork. Need I say more?
Then at the end of the movie, the Ivory Tower is crumbling after all of Fantasia has already been destroyed. Very heavy stuff here. I was so caught up in the moment, I was certain that the Childlike Empress ( who was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen up to that point in my young life) was going to die.
I began crying inconsolably behind grandpa's big recliner until my mother found me there and assured me that the Childlike Empress was NOT dead, and look how how her and Bastian are rebuilding all of Fantasia now. I will always remember wiping my nose and tear stained face on the back of my sleeve and watching the end of the film- feeling afterwards not just a little bit silly.
Well that's my story. Tons more where that came from. I'll be posting again soon.
Sincerely,
Audrey Spindler
Hey now- what a beautiful traumafession this is!
If you ever catch me NOT crying while watching that Artax scene that person is NOT me but an impostor!
If I had my way this movie would be mandatory viewing for all humans.
Thank you so much for sharing this Audrey! You made my day.
Yeah, when that horse gives up hope in the Swamp of Sadness, that is pretty much one of the saddest and most traumatizing movie scenes of all time. The Luckdragon kind of helped me cheer up though.
I suspect those Sphinxes are strippers in the off season. Talk about silicon sisters…
Seriously, is there anyone who DOESN'T cry when poor Artax dies in the swamp? That part is just so…upsetting, even now that I'm an adult. It even makes you forget that he comes back at the end.
I can sit and watch a hundred humans get sliced and diced, but animals? Nope. I have to change the channel when those ASPCA commercials come on. Can't even listen to them.
I just saw that you all posted my story! Yay! I was happy to share. I just discovered this site, and I have to say I just love it. I grew up watching horror films with Mom from a very young age, so there weren't many things that really got to me. It took me a while to remember the feelings I had when I watched this movie for the first time. It was one of the few times in my life that a movie actually disturbed me in some way. Other ones- such as the movie "Dolls" for example, also stick out in my memory, but alas, other readers have already beaten me to it. 🙂
I first saw The Neverending Story when I was twelve years old, which was in 1994. Like you, I got a tremendous instacrush on Atreyu. I thought Noah Hathaway was absolutely beautiful <3. Anyway, the horse's death didn't actually make me cry, because that was before I began crying at movies…but it did disturb me and I never liked that part. What grossed me out was what became of the knight who tried to cross that gate and lost confidence…yuck!