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Generation In-Between: A Xennial Podcast
Xennial co-hosts Dani and Katie talk about their analog childhoods, digital adulthoods and everything in between. If you love 1980's and 1990's pop culture content, this is the podcast for you!
Generation In-Between: A Xennial Podcast
NeverEnding Story: A Xennial Rewatch (and First Watch)
Do you have a soft spot in your heart for flying dragons with puppy heads? Have you spent your life looking for a magical bookstore?
If you ever wished you could be part of your favorite book, you might be a Xennial NeverEnding Story fan. And we are too.
Join us as we discuss one of Dani's favorite childhood movies, and Katie's first watch of it. Dani brought along some facts about the movie, including some fun Easter eggs.
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Did you ever hope that you'd come across an old bookstore where you could get your own?
Speaker 2:magical storybook. Do you remember having a crush on Atreyu the warrior or the childlike empress, or both?
Speaker 1:Did you ever long to ride on the back of a luck dragon, especially to scare the school bullies who shoved you in a dumpster?
Speaker 2:If you still carry around trauma from seeing Artax in the swamp of sadness, you might be a Xennial and you might remember the movie the NeverEnding Story. Hi, everyone.
Speaker 1:I'm Dani and I'm Katie and you're listening to Generation In Between, a Xennial podcast where we revisit, remember, rewatch and sometimes relearn all kinds of things from being 80s kids and 90s teens and today we are talking all about a favorite 80s movie of mine.
Speaker 2:I cannot wait for this discussion. I'm so excited. The Never Ending Story yes, I seriously love this movie so much as a kid, which you are probably not surprised at all now that you've seen it?
Speaker 1:Not at all.
Speaker 2:And I watched it on VHS repeatedly. I still remember the case, like it was one of the paper cases, that you pull the movie out the bottom, yep, yeah. So, katie, do you have any childhood memories associated with?
Speaker 1:this movie. I knew even less about this movie than I thought. That is so good, I'm so glad.
Speaker 1:Because I was like, yeah, it's the one where the grandpa's telling the kid a story and she's like that's the Princess Bride. And I was like, oh then, I literally know nothing about this movie. I don't know how. I mean, once I saw the Luck Dragon I was like, okay, I've definitely seen that before, but that may be more of a pop culture thing, not because I've actually seen the movie. Um, also, it's adorable, it's like a puppy. I'd love.
Speaker 2:Okay. So you did like falcor, I did like. Okay, I was like, if she says she doesn't like falcor, I'm walking out this fucking room done.
Speaker 1:I mean no, we'll get there, we'll get there, okay, but, um, but a negative, negative. Not negative in a bad way, but like zero memories of this movie. I love that, so your first time watching it was literally yesterday yesterday Well, overnight into yesterday, because Katie has no time to watch a movie I was up late for just craziness at my house and so I was wide away. So I was like you know what? I'm just gonna watch it, and it was late for me Like I go to bed early.
Speaker 2:Yeah, midnight when I started watching it.
Speaker 1:I didn't finish it. I watched like 40 minutes of it and then watch the rest the next day.
Speaker 2:Oh, that was a pivotal point, to make a pause there.
Speaker 1:So here's the thing about me I can fall asleep at any point in anything Like my husband's a huge Miami Heat fan and I was watching, um, it's basketball. Okay, there you go. Hey, at least I know that much and I was like, oh, I'm gonna watch.
Speaker 1:It was like a championship game and people were screaming and stuff and you were and I fell asleep in the fourth quarter oh my god, I was up that whole time and I he just looks over my head's like on the pillow on the couch, sound asleep, and it's not even like a diss on sports, like literally I can fall asleep. I'll say I could probably fall asleep. And if?
Speaker 2:I and it's not even like a diss on sports, like literally I can fall asleep. I'll say I could probably fall asleep.
Speaker 1:And if I know what's happening I stop, whatever the thing is. Sometimes that doesn't even happen. Then I gotta be like well man, where was I? Oh my God, hilarious.
Speaker 2:That's my friend. Amber is like that. She can fall asleep anywhere, anywhere, at any point in time. She says her butt has an off switch, so as soon as she sits down, everything shuts down Right. Not like her butt shuts off. It's like when you sit.
Speaker 1:Like when you sit, it goes click and it weren't like power down, yeah, like, oh, you're sitting still. Yeah, that's it. Oh, I love that.
Speaker 2:All right. So this is exciting because I've seen this movie a bajillion times but I hadn't watched it as an adult, I don't think since, like college. Oh, wow, okay. So it's been a while since I saw it. So Troy and I and Cooper sat down. Well, cooper like half watched it because he like kind of wanted to see what the big deal was, but also didn't care. So he was like on his phone the whole time. This is what Cooper told me at the end. He said the only good thing about that movie was like the last 15 minutes, and I was like you can get out of here, like go away anyway. So here's what we're going to do. We're going to kind of do like we did when we watched the wizard. I'll give a little summary. I'll give a few basic ass facts about the movie.
Speaker 1:We'll talk about ass facts, not ass facts like weird ass toys no, no, no.
Speaker 2:But we, sorry, sorry, basic facts about the movie, some stuff about a few of the actors, because there's really only two main actors and then one semi-main, and then whatever right, and then we'll start talking about our thoughts on the movie. You have notes?
Speaker 1:yeah, you got your notebook um, I do actually, I have them in them on my phone because I was sitting in bed when I was watching.
Speaker 2:So I'm going to throw in some facts as we chat through our thoughts. Okay, sounds good. Chronologically, I was very organized with this. I had my thoughts and then I did research and then I placed the research into my thoughts.
Speaker 1:Look at that, you're amazing, amazing I know I love how organized you are today.
Speaker 2:I am today, sorry. Here's some basic background. This movie never ending story was made in 1984, um, and it's actually based on a 1979 novel, german novel, um. Did you find them? Uh, yeah, okay okay, she's like frantically searching and I'm just making sure that she really does have them and you know what?
Speaker 1:I labeled it as never ending story and I couldn't find it.
Speaker 2:I don't know what I was looking for.
Speaker 1:I think I was looking for like podcasts or something, so I opened a couple of the wrong ones before I found the correctly correctly labeled one. But we're in business.
Speaker 2:Yeah, uh, so this movie was based on a german novel 1979 by the same name. The author's name is michael. Okay, guys, there's some words that I'm probably gonna mispronounce because it's german, so I don't know. It's e and d? E. So how do you think you say that e and d?
Speaker 2:e probably just nd is that like german, and I don't know nd nd and I don't know whatever, um anyway, so the majority of this movie actually was made in germany. Okay, um, they filmed it at some studios in munich, but the scenes of bastion at home, um in the bookstore and then where he's like running away from the bullies in the side streets, that was actually shot in vanc.
Speaker 1:So, okay, I was trying to figure out what major city it was, because it wasn't giving New York no. And then I was like, is it Chicago, cause like the brick?
Speaker 2:So I was, I was curious so Vancouver which I've never been to, but me neither, me, neither. So this movie actually is only based on the first half of the novel. I have not read it, but guess what's in my Amazon cart right now?
Speaker 1:The first half or the second half the book.
Speaker 2:So the movie. Oh, it's one book. It's one book, yes, correct, sorry, it's one book, but this movie only covers the first half. Got it? Okay? So I'm going to get the book and I'm going to read it and I'll let you know this. But there was a sequel made in 1990 called the NeverEnding Story 2, the Next Chapter, and it does cover the second part of the book and adds in some extra stuff too. Ok, have you heard of the second one?
Speaker 1:Just when I was sort of when you were looking at my own things. For this I had learned that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, obviously they had to recast the main three roles, right, because they were older, right? You know who played Bastion.
Speaker 1:Who.
Speaker 2:Xenial fact Jonathan Brandis. Oh yeah, and I was like, did I ever watch this? And so I looked at the preview and as soon as I saw it I remembered Okay, I must have gone to the movies to see this, but I must not have liked it, because I did not have it on VCR tape. Oh, no, vcr tape, no one it may, we may have taped it from, like HBO or something like a home tape, but I, I don't. I need to rewatch it. But anyway, there is a third film in the series too. That was made in 94, called the never ending story, part three. Oh wow.
Speaker 2:But, it has nothing to do with the book, it's just like an extended adventure and it did not do well.
Speaker 1:Okay, like they should have just stopped. They should have stopped. Yeah, you know I kind of get doing part two if you didn't do the whole book the first time, right, but like after that, leave it be.
Speaker 2:I was like, leave it alone, leave it alone. So here's the thing the author actually did help develop most of the script, but then when the movie came out, most of the script. But then when the movie came out, he hated it. He like publicly bash it. He threw together a press conference what, I'm not kidding, um, when the film released in Germany and he referred to the film as quote, unquote, revolting yeah. And he, he demanded that his name don't even appear in the in the credits. He said do not put my name on that piece of trash.
Speaker 1:Now. So is there a different German version, or is it all one version? It was released in Germany, then it was released here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there is a different US version, which we'll talk about in a second but it's only like seven minutes different. And it's the same characters and people and stuff.
Speaker 1:Okay, Okay, that was what I was wondering, so he hated it.
Speaker 2:He did not like he's and this was a quote of his that he said at his press conference. The makers of the film simply did not understand the book at all. They just wanted to make money.
Speaker 1:Ooh.
Speaker 2:And there's a few distinct things he really hated which we'll get into when we start talking about them.
Speaker 1:What does he mean? We'll get there, tell me.
Speaker 2:OK, we'll get there with some more specifics.
Speaker 1:And did they take his name off the credits?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Dang, yeah. He was like do not associate me bitches, I mean that's the name of his book, though right yeah. So so, even if they take your, name off. I know it's going to be associated with your book. I'm excited to read the OG book, though, and compare it, because it will be interesting, so anyway. So let's talk. Something that is super iconic about this movie is the theme song.
Speaker 1:Yes, now, you hadn't seen the movie, but you'd heard the theme song I had, yes, okay, it's not coming to me right now, but as soon as I heard it playing, I was like oh, that's, I don, I don't okay.
Speaker 2:So we all know I am horrible remembering lyrics. Yeah, this song has been stuck in my head and I cannot. I don't know any of the words, except the chorus that says never ending story oh whoa, oh whoa. The beginning says like look around. No, that, no, that's wrong, that's not it. But anyway, I asked my husband. I was like do you actually know the words to that song, girl? He knew all of them. What's the best memory? I swear it's. I was like okay, well, nevermind, you're like you're supposed to make me feel better, but now I am awful with song.
Speaker 2:You know this. I am awful. I cannot remember stuff. So anyway, the theme song is like epic. It is iconic 80s theme song for me. It was written by a man named Keith Forsey. It was composed by this is such a fun name Giorgio Maroder. I like that. That's fancy name. It's performed in French and English by a pop singer by the name of Lamal L-I-M-A-H-L. Lamal Is he?
Speaker 1:French or American, I don't know. Okay, I didn't care enough to look that up. Seems French based on that name.
Speaker 2:But who knows, they have additional vocals on there with Ann Calvert and Beth Anderson. They're the ones that are in the background, okay. But anyway, it actually is not in the German version of the film, right, but the song reached top spot on music charts in Swedeneden, okay, and in norway, and it hit number 17 on the us billboard charts okay, and it sold more than 200 000 copies in the uk dang, so it was kind of like a worldwide almost phenomenon yeah, like an international hit and actually in recent years.
Speaker 2:It had a resurgence. Did you watch stranger things? No, okay so in season three and the finale, the character dustin and his girlfriend sing this on the phone. I can't, I don't want to say too much, because if y'all haven't watched stranger things, no spoilers. But they're. They sing it on the phone. Oh and um, there's a reason why, like that's pivotal to the plot and I'm not going to say it. And so when that episode aired in 2019, the song had this new resurgence and Spotify streams for the song increased by 400%.
Speaker 1:Dang yeah. So quick side note to that, I went and saw a musical this weekend called Stranger Sings. Yes, it's funny. I've watched it, which is like a weekend called stranger sings.
Speaker 2:Yes, it's funny, I've watched it.
Speaker 1:Parody yeah and and it was funny regardless, but it did make me like I really should watch stranger things yeah, you're not gonna get I feel like you enjoyed it because I yeah
Speaker 1:it's like a whole inside joke, that whole yeah, and I kind of picked up on some of the things, like after the jokes were. A couple of times I was like, oh so this person must be like this or this must happen to this person. But it just made me like, ok, I really need to actually watch the show. It's good now. You know eight years later.
Speaker 2:Well, season five is about to come out, so binge it up. Now's the time.
Speaker 1:Now's the time, it's really good and it's got so much nostalgia in it. That's part of the fun of it, for, like people our age, I feel like part of my job as a podcaster is to watch it.
Speaker 2:It is, so I can just be like this is for work. I didn't watch it till last year. Okay, I was way late to the party, as I usually am.
Speaker 1:Me too, me too.
Speaker 2:Okay, as is checks. So here's another little interesting fact, and then I'll tell you some stuff about the actors. So Steven Spielberg actually helped Wolfgang Peterson cut the U? S version of the film. He needed to kind of quicken the pace a little bit. So Steven Spielberg helped him to kind of edit it without taking anything big out, because it's the funny thing is the U? S version is only seven minutes shorter. So I'm like, how is that? Was that even worth?
Speaker 1:a cut at all Seven minutes.
Speaker 2:Like well, I don't know with Americans, I don't know, Seven minutes could be.
Speaker 1:They probably had some data that was like if it's an hour and 23 minutes, yeah, More engagement. If it's an hour and 30 minutes, we lose everybody.
Speaker 2:I don't know minutes, we lose everybody. I mean, americans are seven minutes off, yeah, so anyway. But Steven Spielberg had all these like special editing techniques where he knew that he could take like a few seconds from here or there and not make a big difference. So he helped him.
Speaker 1:It's funny that you said that because there were a couple parts in the film that to me and I know we're going to share our feelings later dragged, like I was like, okay, what's going to happen? Like taking a drink of coffee, eating a bite of food, petting my dog, and I'm like, oh my God, he's still standing there staring at that thing. So it's funny that you say that, because maybe those seven minutes would have made those moments even longer for me Could be.
Speaker 2:There are a few times. I looked up and I'm like I didn't miss anything. Oh my God, I can't wait to talk about this. That guy is just standing there. What's going on? Well, okay, in order to thank him, wolfgang, which I just like saying that name, mr Peterson, whatever he gave Steven Spielberg the original Orin that Atreyu wears, really.
Speaker 2:So, he has it in a case like in his office somewhere. That's so cool, yeah. And Sarah, our friend Sarah, who is also a big 80s fan. She told me she has one like a replica, orin. I was like, well, now I need that. Anyway. So, speaking of characters, we're going to talk about just three. We're to talk about bastion, atreyu and the childlike empress. Okay, they do have some really interesting things. So barrett oliver is, uh, the kiddo who played bastion, the other things he was in in the 80s. He was in a short film that, if you've never watched it, look it up. Tim burton did it. It's actually a disney tim burton short called called Frankenweenie. It's black and white and it's about a boy who wants to bring his dog, his dead dog, back to life.
Speaker 2:Oh it's really good. So, anyway, he was in Frankenweenie in 1984, around around the same time that's about the same time, okay. And then he was in the movie cocoon, oh, and the sequel oh. So that was 85 and then 88. I think he plays a grandson of one of the. Have you seen Cocoon? I have.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a long time ago. Yeah, same but.
Speaker 2:I have so. And then he played an android in 1985 in the movie Daryl D-A-R-Y-L.
Speaker 1:Never heard of it.
Speaker 2:Never heard of it. Never heard of it, uh, but he was also in some, of course is the 80s. So he's in some miniseries and made for tv movies, including the secret garden and an episode of the twilight zone. So he was kind of like an 80s kid actor. But he left acting in 89. Yeah, he wasn't in it very long and he eventually shifted his interest and his focus to photography, specifically 19th century techniques, what I know. So he he actually like, became this, like renowned photographer. His work's been in museums and galleries. He's worked on several films. He did some film work um, in cold mountain, remember that maybe with Nicole Kidman and a Guinness commercial in Ireland, ireland. So that was like some random fact I came across.
Speaker 1:I feel like that is, first of all, very cool. Yeah, very niche, but if you have the money from that kind of stuff, as a young person most of us, if we have a passion that specific, it's like we have to work. Yeah, a couple decades to be like.
Speaker 1:now I'm going to sail a boat or be in plays again or whatever. Right, true, but like he kind of could skip over that time of having to establish your life and finances. I mean, I don't know anything about his finances, but I'm just guessing. Well, money buys you leisure, and I think like being in movies. These types of movies too. The cinematography of those may have also inspired his visual yeah approach. Even though he's a photographer, not a cinematographer, I'm sure that artistic medium sort of like influenced him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would imagine so he um, actually now teaches photography in la. Very cool. So wouldn't that be cool if you're like barrett my? My photography teacher was Bastion and never ending story. But he's not the only one with an interesting career outside of acting. So Noah Hathaway played a tray you um, he actually got a start at the age of three doing commercials. He was so cute, um. But he got his big break in the show um Battlestar Galactica in 1978. He was a kid actor on that show Again. He was in several guest roles on popular shows, including Family Ties shows we've talked about. This was funny. He played a character named Harry Potter Jr in the movie Troll in 1986. What Nothing to do with where JK.
Speaker 1:Rowling got the name for her.
Speaker 2:Harry Potter. I mean, I looked it up, but she could lie.
Speaker 1:She is a liar. That's what I mean. Yeah, she borrowed from a lot of things. Yeah, she did, she did so anyway.
Speaker 2:Also, harry Potter, I think, is a common UK name, probably, but I looked up I was like Troll and I look up the preview and I was like, oh my God, I remember watching this terrible movie.
Speaker 2:Yes. Anyway, he left acting for a while and then he returned back for his first adult role in 94 in the film to die to sleep, which I've never heard of. But interesting facts which we'll talk more about as we get going into the movie. He did most of his own stunts for this movie and that was part of why they cast him. They wanted a kid who was athletic to be able to do his own stunts.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, how old was he though?
Speaker 2:I think I have that later 13 something. He wasn't, he was. I want to say he was preteen, because I don't think he had a deep voice yet, which we're going to talk about later too, true, true, um, he actually was due to appear in a broadway show uh, chaplain alongside gene kelly and ann margaret, but he decided to do never ending story instead because he was a trained dancer. Ah, got it, yeah, so he chose to do never ending story instead of the broadway show which was smart.
Speaker 1:I mean, it lives on forever.
Speaker 2:So he actually taught dance in his late teens. He taught advanced jazz and street dance Nice, but then he had a really bad injury at 18 and he had to stop dancing and I don't know what it was, but something that. Yeah, but he's also a trained martial artist, okay.
Speaker 2:So, he's got black belts and like several multiple forms of martial arts, he also competed as a Muay Thai boxer. Muay Thai, muay Thai, yeah, boxer. And he spent time racing motorcycles. So it sounds like he's an adrenaline junkie and he's very like active. But guess what? He's also a tattoo artist. Oh my gosh, I know, and he said when he first started tattooing, in his first three weeks he did 15 tattoos of the orange symbol.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, I love that. So if you listen to our Dawson Creek episodes, you know that I actually thought an episode was called X-Ray once, because when you watch in Amazon Prime, which we used to watch in there, it says X-Ray at the top. But I never noticed it. So I just thought that was the name of the episode. It wasn't. It's an Amazon thing. But we were both like what the heck is that? Yeah, what does that even mean? I figured it is when they insert like all the different trivia and comments throughout the movie. So did you watch it? So I watched it that way. Okay, so I saw some facts as they were coming through. Did it say this? It didn't say all of that, but it did say he was actually injured three times in the filming.
Speaker 2:Yes, which I have more, which you have later? Okay, I have later.
Speaker 1:But I was like oh, because you can like have x-ray turned on where you're watching.
Speaker 2:So it's like pop-up video. Remember pop-up video on?
Speaker 1:VH1? Yes, and it's like at the bottom, so it's not on your screen. Yeah, but like a couple times, and what's really interesting is, if it's something that's a spoiler, it's blurred until you click it. Oh, I love that.
Speaker 2:So it will say spoiler warning.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's so they're like when this, this I'm totally made up, this didn't happen in this movie. But like when so and so like dies in the blah, blah blah. But like if you're not to that point you're yeah, or? Whatever, or it's like that scene, so you can choose to like read those or not nice.
Speaker 2:So that's what x-ray is um. I did, of course you did. I knew it.
Speaker 1:I wanted to know what's gonna happen.
Speaker 2:See I hate spoilers, but I feel like you don't mind them sometimes I. It depends, yeah it depends.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't want to know who like the killer is. Yeah, but if you're gonna tell me like I don't know, like something that happens with the are they puppets in this movie, I don't know then go ahead and tell me I don't know there are.
Speaker 2:There is some puppetry, but anyway, all right. So that's that's. That's Bastion and Atreyu, and now we're just going to talk about the childlike Empress. She had some interesting facts too. Her name is Tammy Stronach. She has been a dancer her whole life, from like a super young age. This was her first film and then she didn't act again until 2008. Dang, and she was 11 when she was cast, okay, in this movie. Um, she said it was never her intention to be a child film actor and she pursued a career in dance and theater. That's what she wanted to do, um, she. So it was kind of a fluke that she got cast, because when she went to this, um, when she auditioned for this, she didn't realize it was for a movie. She thought it was a play. I did see that on X, yeah, yeah. But then, even though she decided to not continue acting, she said producers kept sending her scripts, but most were weird and inappropriate for her age.
Speaker 1:Oh, I hate that so much Because she was a beautiful child.
Speaker 2:Gorgeous. Another funny thing was she lost two of her front teeth during filming and she had to wear fake teeth. And you can kind of tell, because she talks with a little bit of a lisp and that's why she had fake teeth. Aw, I know.
Speaker 1:Isn't that funny, that is really funny.
Speaker 2:But that's really all I have about her, because it wasn't you know she left.
Speaker 1:That was all I thought too. I did see the thing about the teeth, yeah. In X, see the thing about the teeth, yeah, and I never thought about that when I was a kid, but you probably didn't hear it. Like I don't think if you're not listening, for like the lisp or whatever, you don't hear it true you know true, yeah, all right, so let's go.
Speaker 2:Let's talk about our rewatch. That's all my basic facts. I have more, okay, as we go, I want to know what the first thing you wrote down is. Oh, okay, wait, should I ask Before we go, before we get into it, what Okay?
Speaker 1:Should we do the first thing? Okay, I can't wait.
Speaker 2:So if we had to give this a rating Between one and five stars, oh God, look at her face, I can't wish y'all could see the eyes.
Speaker 1:Should I go first? Yeah, well, you know I'm going to say five. I guess I would probably say like four. Oh, all right, I think I would say four.
Speaker 2:All right, yes, let's go. So you like this? Better than Labyrinth.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, I did so you like this better than Labyrinth. Yeah, okay, I did. I don't think I would watch it again, but I did think it was a good story. You know the parts I like the most, the reality parts. Oh, jesus, katie, like when he's like in the attic, no, no.
Speaker 2:You're going to laugh when I tell you my first note. I used to fast forward the first few minutes of the movie to get to where he was going to read the book. This is my first note.
Speaker 1:It's like a run on sentence.
Speaker 2:Okay, here we go.
Speaker 1:Opening song was fun, didn't? Would recommend Didn't recognize a single name in the opening credits. Then recognize the dad as major dad from the 90s sitcom oh yeah, burke's husband. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then I said, oof, what is with this dad?
Speaker 2:oh my god, okay, I love 12, 33.
Speaker 1:Here's what I wrote oh god, that was your first notes mine was no, that song still slaps I did, did say pretty good opening number, I know so we agree.
Speaker 2:Okay, and I said it's so iconic and then I put beginning images with all the clouds, so cool.
Speaker 1:Come on, that was cool. I guess I like them when the luck dragon was flying through them. Later, the clouds.
Speaker 2:Go back and watch the first few seconds it's cool imagery yeah, because the opening was more like.
Speaker 1:It was just like a sunrise, like, yeah, the clouds are really cool. Go back and look.
Speaker 2:I think you will appreciate them. Then you were just not knowing what you're getting into and you're like I don't want to watch this. I was settling in right, you didn't want to watch it so like it's.
Speaker 1:I was like I don't know any of these names on the screen, what's going on? But here's the thing.
Speaker 2:Every this is. I wrote this down because every weird, nerdy, bookworm kid who grew up in the 80s wanted to find a magic bookstore like that where you could literally be in the story. We all loved this movie Like if you were a weird kid like Bastion. You're kind of I'm raising my hand For example yeah, for example me, you.
Speaker 2:That's why we like loved it so much and that's why I'm saying I think if you would have watched it, you weren't a weird kid, but if you would have watched it when you were a kid, I think if you would have watched it you weren't. You weren't a weird kid, but if you would have watched it when you were a kid, I think you would feel different now.
Speaker 1:I think the plot device of that is strong, yeah, yeah, that like you could be especially if you're a bookworm who reads a lot of, you know, fiction that you could be and that these you're not just, it's not just a one way street, but they're dialoguing with you somehow. Yes is really cool. Cool because then you think to all the books you've read that you loved, that you would have loved to be a part of, or whatever, and so I, I loved that. Yes, I do think that's very cool. Yeah, yeah, but I mean you did, you did give it a four out of five.
Speaker 2:So that's pretty impressive.
Speaker 1:Four out of five will not watch again, but for not, because it's a terrible movie, not not like labyrinth labyrinth, you gave what. So labyrinth isn't terrible. Probably labyrinth would probably be a 2.8. Holy shit, not even a three, a three.
Speaker 2:I was going to say David Bowie, doesn't give it a three. I love David. Okay, okay, so deserve a three, three bump it up Point, two, points, all um. Okay. So, like you said, I remember fast forwarding my vcr tape past the beginning with he's with his fucking dad making the egg shake, but also so, so and like fast forwarding it to get to where he started reading the story.
Speaker 1:Like that's where I wanted to start so you fast forwarded through like the bookstore and all that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you just went to where he well once I knew the movie super well so he had a key to the attic at his school.
Speaker 1:No, it was in.
Speaker 2:It was like in a little it was in a lockbox that was broken, so it was just hanging there. Yeah, oh, it was the 80s. Okay, there was no security. Yeah, kidding, they're like I broken box who gives a shit and the skeleton in the attic was okay.
Speaker 1:Was that like a decoration or what? I don't know if someone died up there we did in my house.
Speaker 2:We were like talking, we're like how come in movies? Like every attic anywhere has like just all this cool shit that's like sort of organized into a mess, like our attic has probably like dead ants and like right, maybe alive our attic, was not it either?
Speaker 2:yeah, I mean for real, but anyway, okay, so something I did a trivia point I will say you know, the land in the book is called Fantasia. Yes, so Troy was like, well, couldn't they have thought of something more original than Fantasia? Hello, the Disney movie, that was from the 50s, 60s or whatever. Right, yeah, well, I found out. The author did not name the world Fantasia after the Disney movie. The book was written in 79. I don't know when Fantasia came out, but the original German name for the land was you can see, I'm going to just try Fantasian, do you think that's right?
Speaker 1:P-H-A-N-T-A-S-I-A-N. Oh yeah, With a P-H Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, in German. Okay, and the English translation of the book calls it Fantastica. Okay, and the movie's Fantasia. They said it's a closer translation to what the author called it in the book. So the English translation of the book Fantastica is not as close of a translation to Fantasian, as Fantasia is. Does that make sense? It does Okay, word whatever.
Speaker 1:So in case you were wondering, In English we use like fantastic Right To not mean something that's.
Speaker 2:It just means something that's great or good or we like. Not a phantom from another area, or fantasy, or whatever. I get that so.
Speaker 1:But fantasia is not also not very original.
Speaker 2:They couldn't have come up with something else, they just wanted to be close to the yeah, yeah, okay I think that that that was kind of their goal, and I'm wondering too, since the author did help develop some of the script. I wonder if that was one of his things right, that seems like something that he would say. Yeah, Like hey, that doesn't really, that doesn't translate. Fantastica is not what I meant. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:But also Fantastica is a fun word. Fantastica.
Speaker 1:Anyway.
Speaker 2:I like it All right. What else you got, oh? Before I sorry, once he starts reading and they're in Fantasia. I remembered when they showed all the little characters. I loved that sleepy bat.
Speaker 1:Do you remember the sleepy bat?
Speaker 2:Oh God so cute, isn't he so funny. I loved him so much. And the fast snail.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, oh yeah, they're like the racing snail you can't get anywhere on a snail. It's a racing snail. I love it and I did love that. Okay, good, I thought that was really cute and the rock biter Adore, I don't know.
Speaker 2:You didn't like the fucking rock biter. What's the deal with him? He has a baby in the second one.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's cute. I know I would watch for that.
Speaker 2:Really cute. Didn't understand why he was at right there then, like he was going through the forest to get away from the nothing. Okay, so then he just like sat down. He said can I join you?
Speaker 1:yeah, and that's, I don't know. Community, I don't know katie.
Speaker 2:You're like what was his purpose and going? He was trying to get away from nothing. He was trying to see what they were doing well, they weren't friends they weren't friends yet but it's, you know, like any old story, like you come across a campfire. Hey, fellas, can I join you?
Speaker 1:to join this but they didn't have like holiday in. He was so um, such a presence that I just was like, oh, what's like happening with this guy? And then he's like I'm gonna sit here with you and I was like, and oh my gosh katie, you're so funny, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I wish somebody told me, um, I was talking to my podcast with somebody I can't remember who it was. Now, um, and they were like y'all should do like a mystery science 3000, where you sit down did you ever watch that show? Yeah, and like you film yourself talking as we watch a movie.
Speaker 1:Yes, we might have to do that. Well, we had talked about maybe doing something like that with some of the John Hughes movies. I know That'd be fun.
Speaker 2:But that'd be a really long podcast episode.
Speaker 1:We could just do soundbites maybe, and people wouldn't have to listen to it. You could watch the YouTube video of us watching it. That'd be more interesting.
Speaker 2:We'll figure it out Anyway.
Speaker 1:Anyway, that would be fun though. Anyway, so the Sleep, so the sleepy bat, yay, all right, what else do you?
Speaker 2:have? Uh, let me see, I don't know. I have the question about the rock biter I liked the racing snail.
Speaker 1:Um, she said, I don't know, I I don't. So I was a little confused about and maybe it's because I was tired when I watched this part, like why he's at the council, okay, atreyu, and like like I understood what they were telling him he needed to do, but I didn't understand, like why him and all that. Do you know? Yeah, I do actually Tell me.
Speaker 2:Well, he was at the council, okay. So when he appears at the council, I instantly remembered oh my God, I had such a crush on him, like I completely forgot that. That was like a childhood and I was little. But I remember that I was like, oh, I used to like have the hots for a trade, you, and not realizing that's what it was Right. But anyway, um, he appeared because they you know the childlike impresses dying. They need to save the Fantasia from the nothing. There's only one warrior of this group of warriors who can defeat because he's like this, great warrior of his people.
Speaker 1:so they call him up, not realizing he's a child like they send for him okay, makes sense they did explain that, but you're probably nestling in your pillow for it I have so many pillows, um, so yeah, but you know now that I think about it. He's a younger version, but Tom Cruise in Legend had a similar look, maybe.
Speaker 2:I have a thing yeah.
Speaker 1:They looked like each other.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:So fantasy warriors? I guess Fantasy warriors that's your, yeah.
Speaker 2:Take my husband, write it down.
Speaker 1:Write it down. Write it down. That's the haircut. Oh, Troy would have to grow his hair out for a while.
Speaker 2:I have tried to get him to grow it out. It grows really fast, but he's so used to military life. Yeah, he can't. And he has curls. Yeah, he would have like Brant hair. I would love that. I would too.
Speaker 1:He won't do it.
Speaker 2:He will not do it.
Speaker 1:I mean, his hair looks fine now.
Speaker 2:But you know what? It's his hair. He's the one that has a tint to it, and if it annoys him, then he gets to do what he wants, bottom line he doesn't get to tell me what he likes about my hair. True, yeah, I mean he does.
Speaker 1:He can, but he doesn't.
Speaker 2:I'm just going it dark.
Speaker 1:It's actually kind of fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I like it too. Yeah, I like it.
Speaker 2:Anyway, all right. So I have a bunch of trivia. So the council scene and Fantasia I've got a bunch. So this I had not heard about and I had to look it up after I read it and it was the funnest Easter egg. So Fantasia is supposed to be like a realm where all fiction resides. Okay, got it. So the director decided to make some additions to that council scene where they're meeting. All the characters in that scene are meant to be representative of various fiction tales. Okay, so, as like an Easter egg, there were characters added from other films.
Speaker 2:So if you go back and watch this um, like I said, wolfgang peterson was a good friend of steven spielberg um, et is in the scene. He's in it, yes, and not like for like, you have to like. You know he's like in the background. When the camera first comes, you see him from far away. You can start seeing the characters. Okay, et is there, as well as some Star Wars characters. You can see Chewbacca, ewoks, yoda and C-3PO oh, my God, okay. Plus there's also Mickey Mouse and Gumby Gumby. Yes, yes, wow, okay. So go back everybody. If you're not driving a car I know a lot of people listen to us when they're driving. Yeah, pause it Remember, remind yourself later and go look it up. It is really. That's probably the funnest Easter egg I think I've ever learned doing research.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that. Um another fun piece uh, a tray use skin is actually green in the book. Did you see that? I think that's pretty common and they said they tried it. Yeah, they did. They tried to paint it for the film, but it just didn't translate.
Speaker 1:I think, that's okay.
Speaker 2:I think it's fine. I don't think it adds or takes away from the story, but I don't know. The author may have been pissed about that, but anyway. So this was interesting. So Noah Hathaway was like a guest speaker at a like a a Comic-Con thing it's called Dragon Con in 2010. He revealed that most of the lines you hear in the movie are not his voice. What, yeah, he said. Another actor was brought in to dub over his voice that had a lower pitch and an accent, wow. And the voice actor is not named in the credits. So I'm interested about that whole thing. Like, did he get paid? I'm sure he did, like a one-time shot, but then they didn't name him, so they didn't have to give royalties.
Speaker 1:Maybe or just signed a confidentiality agreement because maybe they didn't want people to know.
Speaker 2:it was dubbed over which is why I said he must have been. I should have looked up how old he was, but it doesn't. It doesn't matter no um, so I. He must have been before his voice changed, right and so they wanted the actor to have. They needed to have a different yeah, so he said most of what you hear is not him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean that does feel kind of like an 80s thing to do in a movie. I think nowadays people wouldn't really care and they'd think it was kind of cool, but they were again making children older appear older than they need to be. Right, you know happens to boys too, sure does, and so you know his regular voice for being. That age wasn't deemed acceptable for this hero's role. Right so they brought in somebody else.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so there's that Also. Speaking of voices Rockbiter, falkor and Gamork, that's the scary wolf. They're all voiced by the same actor. That's cool. His name is Alan Oppenheimer. Okay, oppenheimer, probably Oppenheimer. Cooper was like is that the Oppenheimer? And we were like no, no relation.
Speaker 1:Well, I don't know. They could be related. I doubt it. It's just not the same person.
Speaker 2:No, so it same voice. And actually troy figured that out. He's like he paused it and you know you can pause it and like see who it is. Yeah, so that was interesting. Um, also, this is just a random music fact the metalcore band atreyu is named after this film. Yeah, makes sense. And then um corn actually had an album called the nothing and they also said it was because of this film.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love that, I love how it influences it. And back to the voice actor thing oh yeah, I love how really good voice actors can do so many voices, I know, and it's not even like impersonations although most of them can also do impersonations it's like making up their own voices.
Speaker 1:And if you think of a Frank Oz you can kind of hear it yeah yoda and the miss piggy, like, if you really listen, but it's, they're still two very distinct voices and um. A lot of the actors on the simpsons are like yeah, they voice several frank azaria.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh my gosh. All over the place, bajillion characters. They're so good and we have a couple friends who are amazing.
Speaker 1:Voice Carlos and Tom are like oh yeah, they're really they can impersonate and they can create all kinds of voices, yeah totally, yeah, anyway, all right.
Speaker 2:So what else do you have before I start talking about the death scene?
Speaker 1:So first of all, that's one of the things I had. I just went ahead and scrolled through that one. I didn't watch the whole thing. You didn't watch it. Once he started to sink, I was like I'm good Because I already knew it was going to happen. I know, and I just I was too sad. I've been on a very like I've always loved animals, but I've just been on a very like I love animals so much kick lately. I don't know why. You're like Elmira on Tiny Toon. I hated them before but now I don't know. I've always loved animals but, like I know what's going to happen, I can't watch. So I just wanted to tell you that well, I will give you good news.
Speaker 2:No animals were harmed at all in that scene. That's good, because it was the 80s, so sometimes you don't know, I mean children were harmed in this movie, I know the horses were fine and I do have some facts. So the R-Tax death scene. I said this is why all 80s kids have anxiety, right Swear, because like I watched that when I was like five, oof yeah.
Speaker 2:Right 80s movies were wild y'all Okay. So here's the deal, noah Hathaway again. He like has so many good interviews where he just like told all this cool stuff. So thank you, noah Hathaway, for filling us in. Um, he actually said the director was a perfectionist who sometimes required 40 takes before he was satisfied with one scene Dang, which is very rare in movies and TV and such. So Hathaway actually said a three-month movie turned into a full year.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 2:Dang and he said there are two iconic scenes this one, Artax's death scene in the Swamp of Sadness, and then where the giant turtle comes out. He said it took two months to shoot those scenes.
Speaker 1:Just those two scenes Each or together. Either way.
Speaker 2:Oh, I don't know, but either way, because they're not long scenes, no yeah. Another reason, though, that the swamp season took the swamp season the swamp scene took a long time to film. It wasn't just because he was a perfectionist, but it was because of the horses. So most horses won't walk into deep pools of mud if they have a choice Right Like they know that looks stupid. I'm not doing that Correct. So it took two trainers seven weeks to teach the horse playing Artax to stand still. They had a hydraulic platform, so he just went down and it would put him in the swamp and just lower him down up to like his chin or whatever.
Speaker 2:So they had to train him to stay calm and, like, do all this stuff so it would just lower him down, um, without him trying to swim or run out, right. So seven weeks. But they used they actually used two identical horses for that scene and they were, um, you know, professionally trained, so they didn't train them before filming, they just like showed up filming and they were like.
Speaker 1:Well, now we have a seven week training on our hands. I don't know or maybe they didn't know, but I mean I don't know how.
Speaker 2:I don't know how everything goes with a film like I don't yeah I mean you probably don't start training animals until you start the process of the making the film.
Speaker 1:I suppose like yeah right, I don't know. I feel like if it's going to take a month or more to train, you would know in the script and start training them.
Speaker 2:But then if you don't have, probably in the film process. Yeah, you don't have the money.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right, right, and it could have been the kind of thing. They maybe weren't even sure how they were going to do it until they were on set and then figure out the mechanics of it right and and how they can get the horse to do it Right.
Speaker 2:Safely Correct, yeah so. Yeah, it took them a long time. They had two horses, they kind of alternated between the two horses, okay so, but both horses were unscathed, good, Maybe traumatized like all of us, but well, hopefully not. I know.
Speaker 1:Hopefully they got lots of treats.
Speaker 2:Um, speaking of animals, let's talk Falcor. Okay, I'm so glad I was like she has to love him.
Speaker 1:She has to love Falcor. I loved when I mean I loved Falcor. The only only thing I didn't like about Falcor I didn't love the voice. Oh really, I know Alan Oppenheimer is mad at me somewhere, but like I don't know, it just didn't match. I don't know, I just would have thought.
Speaker 2:Okay, so let's hear your voice.
Speaker 1:Cuter voice. Oh gosh, what's the line he says? Well, I'll tell you what.
Speaker 2:Cooper, didn't Cooper? He creeped Cooper out, especially when he said I like children and he winked oh yeah, that was weird. And Cooper was like as soon as he did that he's like well, he's creepy. And I'm like it's so funny, cause when I was a kid I never thought that you just thought oh, what a friendly being. But instantly Cooper's like no sir, you're a fucking creepy dragon. That's so funny, so now, so do that Say.
Speaker 1:I like children. Oh God, okay, in a friendly voice. Let's see, I'm envisioning his brain so I can do it the way I would have heard it. His brain, what I meant? His face. I said brain. We don't have all day here, Katie, I like children. That just sounds like you.
Speaker 2:I know. So you just want him to sound like you. We're not voice actors, so whatever we are not. We are not. I mean, that would be cute. I'm trying to imagine Falcor with the voice of Katie Parsons.
Speaker 1:I think if he was a full-out dragon, the voice would have worked.
Speaker 2:He was a full-out dragon.
Speaker 1:But he had a dog head, he had a puppy head Right and that wasn't intentional. And he didn't have a dragon head.
Speaker 2:Right, it wasn't intentional to make him look like a dog. That's just what happened. I know what were they trying to make him look like A dragon, a luck dragon.
Speaker 1:Okay, but I think the dog threw me off with the voice. His voice seemed too serious for such a whimsical creature To me. I don't know, I mean, I get that, you know, that's the only thing. But I did love it and I loved when atreyu woke up I know oh my god, I love that.
Speaker 2:It's so cute and look, every 80s kid who saw this movie dreamed of writing on falcor oh yeah, every 80s kid I still want to and I'm for almost 45 years old. Um, I have some fun facts about falcor. Okay, okay, okay. So there were at least two Falcor models that they created. One was used for closeups and it was kind of like a puppet head, and the other was like a large, full size version. So the full size Falcor was built by a guy named Giuseppe Tortora.
Speaker 2:I know fun names right. They used airplane steel for the frame, and the head alone weighed more than 200 pounds.
Speaker 1:I bet, though, for Tina Big.
Speaker 2:I know he was 43 feet long and he was motorized. He had 6,000 plastic scales, dang, and then he had pink feather fur, which was adorable, so cute. His head alone is three feet tall and long, dang, I know, and this about died. So I read this in the facts and then Sarah actually told me she knew about this, so we talked about it for a minute. They have a life-size prop of Falkor at the Bavaria film park in Munich, dang, and you can go and climb on his back and take pictures of him. That's. That is really cool.
Speaker 1:I would want to do that on my fucking bucket list.
Speaker 2:I want to go there, I don't even care about the rest.
Speaker 1:What else is happening in Munich? Who cares I?
Speaker 2:want to go have a German beer and ride Falcor.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's it. That's all Just a little request.
Speaker 2:It's a small thing I'm just like envisioning if you and I go to Munich. Oh God, we go have a German beer, go in there. I would lose my shit and you would be like voicing Falkor I'd be like Falkor.
Speaker 1:say it like this I like children. No, no, really try it again.
Speaker 2:That would be amazing. Yeah, that would be cool. So that's my little fun facts about Falcor. I liked him a lot. Yeah, I really liked him?
Speaker 1:Did you literally like only have like a few notes? Yeah, okay, I'm just now coming from my, from my head, um, and then I took screenshots.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:That's good X-ray stuff, that's fun. But you've hit on most of it so well. We're not done yet.
Speaker 2:No, I still got more. Okay, so while we're talking characters and you're searching the old couple that's at the Oracle oh, okay, they cracked me up now more than I remember as a kid, because they're like an old married couple.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And I'm like oh, I get it now. Like they're constantly like ribbing each other and like insulting each other, and I'm like got it, you get it yeah. I get it Like I. I feel that those old people and Troy and I were both cackling Cause. It was like, oh yeah, they were great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I liked them a lot. I wish there was like more of them, but I know like once they start the journey, they're not in it anymore.
Speaker 2:So.
Speaker 1:I understand, but like I was, I liked them a lot.
Speaker 2:They were funny. Yeah, they were fun. Um, okay, so let's talk about the Sphinx statues, okay. Are you ready? Yeah, this was one where I was like why is this not over yet? So even as a kid I remember thinking why, with the different angles of all the boobs on the Sphinx statues, first of all they have to have big old nipples like, couldn't it have just been like you know?
Speaker 2:like how some shape yeah, this is a kid's movie, guys and look, bodies are great and fine, but like it was a lot. In fact, this was one of the parts of the movie that michael endy or end or whoever however you say, hated. He hated the Sphinxes, and let me tell you what he said about him. He said, quote the Sphinxes are quite one of the biggest embarrassments of the film. They are full bosom strippers who sit there in the desert.
Speaker 1:Dang so. So how were they described in the book? I don't know, I haven't read it.
Speaker 2:Not the way that they were portrayed there, and like, and even Cooper was like okay, like that's a lot, because it was like not only like a glimpse of him, it was like close up, and then it was like the under boob, and then it was the side boob, because this is the scene that I was like.
Speaker 1:why? Why is this taking so many frames? Why do you think we needed all the angles of the boobs. Well, I didn't like it. I didn't either. I don't need that. If you're gonna cut out seven minutes, steven, why don't you cut out eight?
Speaker 2:you want to know why of the boobs you want to know why? Why patriarchy?
Speaker 1:yeah, misogyny, leave the titties in, yeah you know, put a little like little mermaid shell of it, like or not even just just like, make it a statue like just make it yeah because the coolest part of those was like the eyes, yeah well, he didn't like the lasers either.
Speaker 2:Oh okay, so I don't know.
Speaker 1:I don't know in the book I will get back to you guys what he would have expected. Yeah, yeah, I don't know but he hated it.
Speaker 2:Okay, I can see why. I mean, I did too yeah same.
Speaker 1:I agree with you, but it was funny how like the old guy was like in the thing in the telescope.
Speaker 2:Yeah, whatever that was, that was so funny like no wonder he watches that all the time it's just my little spot where I come and sit, no biggie no big. I just stare at the stone boobs all the time. Oh my God, Okay. So then the all right. The scene where Atreyu's riding Falkor and the music starts, that was the amp up moment for 80s kids in that movie. I did love that and I still like still sitting on my couch I was like, okay, that still pops off, yeah Right.
Speaker 1:Totally, I liked it. I liked it. That's why I said the clouds later. Yes, I liked the clouds later on.
Speaker 2:Because, all right, the synthesizers get going, falcor is going.
Speaker 1:Although it was very like, um like, all the different, like scenic areas they go through was a little corny. It reminded me of Soarin' at Epcot, but I said you said the same thing Well.
Speaker 2:I said it should be a theme park ride, so somebody needs to come on, somebody needs to.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean Disney doesn't know, never Ending Story. But no. I don't, and neither does Universal, so I don't know. But somebody needs somebody. Who's Somebody?
Speaker 1:in.
Speaker 2:Munich needs to make this. Somebody needs to make a theme park. That is all 80s nostalgia.
Speaker 1:That'd be amazing. That'd be amazing and Falcor could be like the ride of Falcor. The Legend of Falcor could be one. The Legend of Falcor.
Speaker 2:I love it. Oh, my God.
Speaker 1:Somebody take this idea Except you need a new voice.
Speaker 2:Yeah, with a voice by.
Speaker 1:Katie Parsons. Everyone, would everyone be like? That ride was great, except for the voice.
Speaker 2:He sounded like a princess when did falcor become a princess hello okay, so that was all fun stuff. Can we talk about the nothing right quick? Yes, so the metaphors for the nothing hit me different as an adult. What did you think about it? Did you just take it?
Speaker 1:for surface value? I think so.
Speaker 2:Was.
Speaker 1:I supposed to think more about it.
Speaker 2:I don't know I was just very deep. Well, I had a glass of wine, so I was feeling very deep into my thoughts Because, as a kid, the nothing is just ruining everything. But as I was sitting there, I was like, okay, but are there also metaphors for like environmental stuff? Like we're ruining, like it takes over everything, or is it just like how sadness and depression feels like the nothing as it washes over you?
Speaker 1:Like everything's wiped out.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's where my brain went, guys. I got super deep just for a few minutes though.
Speaker 1:It's like that. Well, I don't like it, but the wasteland right.
Speaker 2:Like that idea where yeah, it hit me a little different as a grownup Like did it make you sad?
Speaker 1:when you thought about all that, or were you just like, or were you just like? Oh, I think it means this yeah, it made me sad.
Speaker 2:But then I was like, and I remember going like this to my husband it made me sad, but then I was like, and I remember going like this to my husband, like padding hat because he's sitting next to me and I was like, oh my god, like the metaphors are so deep. And he's like, okay, I'm trying to watch this stupid movie, shut up. No, he didn't say that, but he would never say that. No, he would not. I mean, he would, but not in that moment. That wasn't that was.
Speaker 1:That moment didn't warrant it.
Speaker 2:No, um, but okay. Well, you didn't have the same deep thoughts, you were just trying to get through.
Speaker 1:I was All right.
Speaker 2:So then another sad part, the quote that I will always remember when the rock biter, and that scene at the end where he's like he's like these look like good strong hands, don't they? But I couldn't save them. They, but I couldn't save them. Oh, come on, yeah, and he said it like three times he's like they look like good strong hands, but I, you know, or whatever, I don't remember the rest of it, I just remember that part.
Speaker 1:But he couldn't save his little friends oh sweet, oh, I mean, and that's very relatable, right, because you can have all the things in the world, correct things, whether it's knowledge or equipment or finances or whatever, not to get too deep or morbid, but like you can't necessarily save someone from something unexpected, or illness or the nothing or theof.
Speaker 2:See.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I see.
Speaker 2:I was like deep in my feelings for a little bit in this movie.
Speaker 1:So are those concepts then I guess you'll tell us when you read it, that are in the book?
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 1:Or did they kind of make up their own moral for the movie?
Speaker 2:I'll let you know. Okay, let me know. It's in my Amazon cart. I'm waiting to hit buy, do you? I just like add well, because I wait. Yeah, I like put. I put so much stupid shit in there all the time and then I let myself think about it for a while.
Speaker 1:Yeah, actually today I'm just gonna buy it yeah um, I waited anyway.
Speaker 2:Okay, so we're on this final scene, the final few scenes of the movie, and trey goes. So you know they have the gamork and he's talking to a trey and trey. This is his hot take. He goes. They really did it up with the animatronics noses in this movie, didn't they?
Speaker 1:The noses, oh my God.
Speaker 2:Yes, and Cooper was like, oh my God, it's driving me crazy. I didn't even notice. But then I couldn't stop Go back to that scene and watch Gmork's nose and it's like all over the place, like his nostrils, and it's like moving all around like what, and I was like, oh man, they really like they really that was maybe that had a nose specialist on staff, but it's like they really did it up.
Speaker 1:They really wanted you to know that they were expressing themselves through their nose.
Speaker 2:I was like, was like, yeah, okay, so this was one of the scenes where, um noah hathaway atreyu got hurt okay, so he nearly lost an eye in this scene because, um, the robot that was gamore malfunctioned a little bit and one of its claws slashed his face like right by his eye.
Speaker 2:Oh, my god you know he like jumps on him or whatever. Also, the robot was like super heavy so when it landed on him he like completely lost his breath. Like it totally took his breath out, yeah jeez. So, um, it injured him pretty badly and they only ever got one shot of that scene. So what you see in the movie is when he got hurt I mean for this director.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. But what are you gonna do like you can't risk actually losing his eye and having him get like crushed?
Speaker 2:okay, but how scary does that sound? Like a robot malfunctions and like scratches you by your eye sounds like a horror movie.
Speaker 1:It almost crushes you, right.
Speaker 2:Scary Right, it's scary Danger zone. I don't like it. Alright. So moving on from scary, let's talk about the Childlike Empress. Yes, oh my god, I remember her as a kid. I was like she is so pretty.
Speaker 1:She really is, isn't she just like an angelic? I think that's it.
Speaker 2:it, and it was the soft lighting as well oh, of course, I mean, I mean the, but I mean she's pretty anyway, but yes, and her voice was voice was so good a plus on the voice for that one and it was really hers. Yeah, because she was supposed to be childlike.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean she was a child but like yeah, is there some sort of like meaning to that that the empress is a childlike Empress instead of just like an Empress? It's just her appearance.
Speaker 2:Like she's very old, but she looks childlike, so she's childlike. Yes, that makes sense.
Speaker 1:That's why they call her childlike Instead of child.
Speaker 2:Empress Because she's not a child. Okay, yeah, I don't think she's immortal. I don't know. I have to read the book I got to find out.
Speaker 1:I should have read the book. Let me know, let me know. Yeah, that's okay, that's okay.
Speaker 2:Okay, I remember thinking how cute she was, how beautiful she was, and I'm like, oh, did I have a crush on her when?
Speaker 1:I was a kid and I didn't realize it.
Speaker 2:No, yeah, maybe I did?
Speaker 1:You had a crush on everyone in this movie.
Speaker 2:Well, not the dragon, no there.
Speaker 1:And the old couple just kidding and it was appropriate for my age. But anyway, okay. Do you know the name that Bastion gives her? Did you read that in your trivia? Yes, okay, tell the audience. Moon, oh my God. Moon, something. Moon, bright or moon, what is it? Moon beams, no, what is it Moon child? Moon child.
Speaker 2:Okay, I actually did not know, ever know.
Speaker 1:He yells that, though right he does.
Speaker 2:But it's hard to hear what he's saying. Yes, okay, I've never known what that was and I was actually talking to people in my cast in the green room that I was like we're going to do a never ending story episode, and Anthony actually said to me, do you know the name that he calls? And I was like no, and he said it's Moonchild. That was the name of his mother. So his mother's name was Moonchild. Yeah, and that's in the book. Okay, yeah, and honestly, I never knew that and I have seen this movie an eleventy bazillion times.
Speaker 1:It is hard to hear Because I saw it on the little x-ray thing and then when he like yelled it or whatever and all the music was playing, I was like if you didn't have closed caption on or something, Well, and in the 80s we didn't have that which you wouldn't have had, so it would be hard to hear.
Speaker 2:I figured the name he gave her.
Speaker 1:She had such a beautiful name, but he doesn't say what it is. He just says like yeah.
Speaker 2:So that is in the book. But there is tons of like lore and Reddit rabbit holes. You can go down about the name and like all this stuff if you would like to venture, but the basic bottom line is it's in the book and that's why it's in the movie it's.
Speaker 1:I don't know why her name. Was debating like why oh?
Speaker 2:there's all kinds of stuff, okay, like all kinds of like lore and background and like all this random. It's a fun trip to take if you got the time. But basically, bottom line fact is it was in the book. In the book, mother's name thanks anthony for giving me that flag. And then I then that made me go look up some more stuff and, um, yeah, so moon child, but you didn't hear it.
Speaker 1:You looked at the closed captions, right, because I could see that before got it, so I don't know if I would have heard it, but it sounds like probably not. Yeah, based on like what you're saying I could never understand it. I wouldn't have known what he said.
Speaker 2:Because he's yelling out the window into the storm Right and I remember as a kid being like what is he saying?
Speaker 1:Do you think they did that on purpose so you couldn't hear it? I don't know.
Speaker 2:Because as a kid I thought, oh, we're not supposed to be unknown. That's what I thought as a kid. You know what I mean. Right, like it's only supposed to be known in that land, okay, but also, how much did you love where the Empress starts?
Speaker 1:talking to you. That was pretty cool. Okay, thank you. I'm so glad you thought that I loved everything about her.
Speaker 2:I, as a kid, that's the best she's like and somebody else is venturing into the story right now and she's like looking and I'm like it's me.
Speaker 1:It's me, Moon Child it's me. Sometimes I just don't understand why certain characters are who they are and how I don't know.
Speaker 2:I like the idea, though. It's okay. You know what it is, it's just fantasy is not your favorite genre? I think yeah, and that's okay. I don't like some of your genres, that's true. It's true and that's okay.
Speaker 1:And a lot of 80s movies for kids were in the fantasy genre, right, and I didn't watch them as a kid, right. So I think it's different to come to it for now and be like, especially because and it also makes them very interesting to watch a lot of it's so outdated as well so if I watch, like a current fantasy movie.
Speaker 1:I might feel differently. I probably still wouldn't like it, but I'd be like four points, one and a half, um, but these have like both things for me. Yeah, I'm like what's happening? Why did people like this? But I'm coming from a contemporary adult brain, but this one.
Speaker 2:You can at least understand why people liked it.
Speaker 1:I did yeah so that's good, so that maybe that made the difference it's a sweet movie.
Speaker 2:It is sweet. Yeah, maybe that made the difference for you. Maybe it did. Um, okay, okay, the ending. I loved it Again. Every nerdy, awkward Xenial bookworm. That scene where Falcor is fucking chasing the bullies.
Speaker 1:Let's go, and they go down the alley. Yes and they think they lost him, but he just like squeezes in. Yeah, that was really good.
Speaker 2:Can you imagine, though, if you saw a fucking dragon after you?
Speaker 1:No, and I hope I never know what that feels like, because that's probably the end of my time here on Earth. But what if it's not? What do you mean?
Speaker 2:What if he's coming to get you to go to Fantasia? Oh, I love how I'm like. No, what if the dragon's coming to get you?
Speaker 1:I'm like immediately dead, murdered by a dragon Left in a dumpster in an alley for someone to find.
Speaker 2:Oh, anyway, it still hits the heartstrings. I still love this movie. This movie still hits for me. I really liked it. Yeah, I really liked it. Some movies don't still, but this one. I could watch this all the time and Jamie and my cast their dog's name is Artax Cute and we were talking about oh yeah, we're going to do Never Ending Story and he's like oh, my dog's name is Artax. I was like what he's like? Thank you for getting that, because most people don't get the reference Like Artax is like our.
Speaker 2:What, yeah, yeah, anyway, I don't know what kind of dog it is, though Obviously, I didn't ask because I don't like dogs.
Speaker 1:I wonder if it's a white dog.
Speaker 2:I'm sure what? If it's not, I'll ask him.
Speaker 1:I need a picture next time. Say Katie would like one. It's just a ploy for me to see a picture of someone's dog which I will always look at Y'all just send Katie all the dog pictures.
Speaker 2:I like cats too. Send me cat pictures. You send me the cat ones. I do not care about your dogs. Send Danny the cat ones.
Speaker 1:And you know what? I had this thought when I was watching this. I was like you're going to be like what Of all the thoughts?
Speaker 2:in the world. This is the thought you had.
Speaker 1:I was like I think I could have been a horse girl. You know how? Like what do you mean? Like a centaur? No, like, no, no, no, no. I know I couldn't have been a centaur. Like a horse girl. Yeah, have you ever heard of like a horse girl? Is a girl who's like like girls, who like horses, like young women and they're like all into it, like their life is their horse. I feel like Jen Raymond was a horse girl, wasn't she?
Speaker 2:Didn't she? I swear to God.
Speaker 1:I thought you meant See, this is fantasy. Mind immediately goes real life caring for horses and brushing them, and like feeding them apples. I'm dead. I think that would have been a very fun childhood for me. You could still do that. You could still be a horse girl, I guess. Yeah, maybe it's never too late. Still be a centaur too, if you really want to be. I mean, I guess, whatever you say, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Well, we're at the end. We're at the end. That was fun. You don't have any man. You had like three notes.
Speaker 1:And honestly I think, like all the things I took screenshots of you mentioned, let's just check. Oh, it's a picture of me and my dog, like five pictures. She's checking for her notes and it's just her and her Labradoodle this is about how he almost lost an eye, which he already talked about.
Speaker 1:The two teeth that fell out of the princess Is your stomach? Okay, I'm hungry. My stomach's hungry, oh, okay, here's the other one. Noah Hathaway was hurt another time in the movie While learning to ride a horse. The horse threw him off and stepped on him oh shit. And then, while shooting the drowning sequence, in the Swamp of Sadness, his leg got caught on the elevator and he was pulled underwater. He was unconscious by the time they pulled him out. What I didn't come across. That that's crazy. That's what it looks like, by the way, damn, but yeah, like, if I was his child's mother, I'd be like you know what?
Speaker 2:let's go back to broadway like maybe that's a better path let's go be in the chaplain but it was the 80s of it all I'm sure 80s parents.
Speaker 1:They just dropped his ass off yeah, they were like 16 hour day bye and my friend go and take a nap, oh lord, all right. Well, thank you for doing all that, and thank you for like letting me into your childhood memories of this movie that I only gave up four out of five too, I appreciate it.
Speaker 2:I can't. I I'm ready to hear the feedback on this episode, because real ones out there are gonna be like messaging us like Danny, you forgot to say this, danny, you forgot to say I know, guys, I can't put it all, we've only got like an hour and some change for these episodes. Yeah, but we I still like to hear all the facts.
Speaker 1:That's what I was going to say. I still like it.
Speaker 2:I still like to hear what, but that's why we know we can't have Exactly All right.
Speaker 1:Well, great job, and thanks everybody for listening to Generation Inbetween and make sure you are reviewing us wherever you are listening. Yes, following us everywhere, including YouTube and TikTok, and if this is your first episode that you found us, I hope you'll stick around and listen to some more. We have like over 100, I think I know. Yeah, so something else I'm sure you could be interested in if you really like this movie Maybe our Labyrinth episode, maybe our Legend episode.
Speaker 1:There'll be more, and there'll be more Dark Crystal's coming. Dark Crystal's coming, yes. So thanks everybody for listening and we'll see you next time.
