The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia ** (1994, Jason James Richter, Melody Kay, Jack Black, Carole Finn, Ryan Bollman, Freddie Jones, Tony Robinson) – Classic Movie Review 7165

Peter MacDonald takes over as director for the 1994 Part III of the children’s hit adventure saga that started in 1984 with The NeverEnding Story – and now it really does seem like a NeverEnding Story!

Jason James Richter from the Free Willy films takes over as the little American boy called Bastian, who this time is being bullied by school bullies The Nasties, but manages to escape from them by hiding in the library, where he of course soon discovers the NeverEnding Storybook and dives through the portal from Earth into the imaginary land of Fantasia. Then The Nasties steal the book and it is up to Bastian to retrieve it. In another plotline, Bastian’s father re-marries, but at first he has trouble with his new stepsister Nicole (Melody Kay).

An overdose of reality intrudes on the previous two chapters’ fantasy-driven adventures, which make this third adventure a shade less winning, but it remains pleasant, quite jolly and still entertaining enough for tolerant children and their parents. There is an early role for Jack Black as Slip. And it has a good cast – Carole Finn, Ryan Bollman, Freddie Jones as Mr Coreander, Julie Cox, Moya Brady, Tony Robinson as Engywook, Thomas Petruo, Tracey Ellis, Kevin McNulty, Nicole Parker, Adrien Dorval, Kaefan Shaw and Gordon Robinson.

The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia (1994) was originally called Die unendliche Geschichte III: Rettung aus Phantasien. It is directed by Peter MacDonald, runs 90 minutes, is made by Cinevox Filmproduktion, Studio Babelsberg, Dieter Geissler Filmproduktion and Warner Bros, is released by Warner Bros and Miramax (US), is written by Jeff Lieberman, is shot in Eastmancolor by Robin Vidgeon, is produced by Dieter Geissler, is scored by Peter Wolf and is designed by Rolf Zehetbauer.

It was shot in the Bavaria Studios, Munich, Bavaria, and Studio Babelsberg, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany; and on location in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, South Dakota, US,

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7165

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