FILM · 1990 · GERMANY
The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter
13 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
13 Interesting Facts About The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter
Interesting Facts (9)
- #001
Thomas Hill is the only actor to reprise his role from the original film, returning as the bookseller Koreander. The child actors had to be recast because they had visibly aged over the six-year gap between the films and no longer looked the same age.
- #002
Just as the original The NeverEnding Story (1984) covered the first half of the book, this film covers most of the second half. The book differs from the film in many respects, however. For example, in the book Bastian's father never reads The Neverending Story, and Bastian does not return to his own world halfway through to read and experience the entire book in one sitting.
- #003
Some shots of Atreyu chasing Smurg on horseback were taken from the first film, but Noah Hathaway, who preceded Kenny Morrison in the role, does not appear in the films.
- #004
Because child labor rules limited the shooting schedule, George Miller decided to rehearse scenes only once before filming and to shoot each scene with up to three cameras, maximizing the time spent with the children on set. This created a problem, as Miller's fear of falling behind left the film far ahead of schedule and the effects team unable to complete the work needed for later scenes.
- #005
Of the three NeverEnding Story films, this is the one that does not feature the two dwarves Engywook and Urgl.
- #006
The animated short Box-Office Bunny (1990) made its theatrical debut with this film. The short can also be found on the VHS release of this film, though not on later DVD and Blu-ray releases.
- #007
Although the film includes many elements from the second half of the book it adapts, there are many differences, and the film's tone is decidedly less bleak. In the book, after saving Fantasia, Bastian never returns to his own world; he stays and travels the land, wishing things from his imagination to create challenges for himself. Each wish he unknowingly makes costs him a memory, which makes him more reckless and creates more danger in Fantasia. His progressing memory loss and the evil influence of the witch Xayide lead him to return to the Ivory Tower to declare himself Emperor of Fantasia when the Empress disappears. This leads to Atreyu and Falkor's rebellion and then to a battle in which Atreyu is nearly killed trying to stop him and the tower is destroyed. Atreyu escapes, and Bastian, pursuing him, finds himself in a village where other people live; all the previous Emperors lost every memory of their own through their wishes and cannot go home. Bastian realizes his mistakes and, with Atreyu and Falkor's help, seeks and finds the Water of Life, a mystical liquid that restores his memories and brings him home, where he repairs his strained relationship with his father.
- #008
The book Bastian reads at the beginning is titled "Medieval Epics," and the passage he reads is an adaptation of Chapter 4 of "The Nibelungenlied": Siegfried has dealt the king a mortal blow. Blood flowed from the wounds on both edges of the sword, and King Lindegast was deeply grieved. He begged Siegfried to let him live and offered him his lands.
- #009
Sandahl Bergman was offered the role of Xayide but turned it down.
Behind the Scenes (1)
- #010
Unlike the first film's effects, which relied on blue screen and scaled model creatures, this film features more life-size model work and matte paintings.
Characters & Cast (2)
- #011
It is unknown who played Rock Biter in the film, and the actor is not credited in the end credits; the actor's identity has remained a secret to this day.
- #012
After the original child actors unfortunately outgrew their roles, more than 600 children auditioned for the roles of Bastian, Atreyu and the Childlike Empress.
Deeper Meaning (1)
- #013
The colorful moth-like creature that lands on Falkor's nose is a Schlamoof, which features prominently in the second half of the novel. They began as sad, worm-like creatures called Acharis, the architects of the Silver City whose tears were the source of the acid lake surrounding it. In the novel Bastian transformed them into Schlamoofs, which made the Schlamoofs quite clownish and anarchic.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
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