We saved a horse, we flew luck dragons, we drank wine
- Tony Elvin
- Aug 16
- 5 min read
If you are reading this .. congratulations, you escaped The Nothing!
We hope you enjoyed The Neverending Story with Wine as much as we did. As promised, here is our Neverending Story blog featuring details of the wines we tasted from the Empress' cellar in the Ivory Tower, our fantastical movie trivia, and our gallery from the within the deepest realms of Fantastia (Digbeth).
First up, here are our wonderful wines ..
Wines from the Ivory Tower
Gold medal winning Cava inspired by Barcelona’s vibrant mosaic art. Aged for 18 months for depth and complexity. Notes of crisp apple, ripe pear and brioche. Majestic customers give this a 92% approval rating.
Head winemaker Beth Liston works with 400 of California’s finest grape growers, so a real team effort. Aromas of grapefruit and gooseberry, with fresh green notes. Citrus and melon flavours, tropical fruits, a bright palate and a long clean finish.
Also known as Muscat of Alexandria, this is one of oldest grapes on the planet, almost as old as Morla. Deriving from North Africa, it made its way from Egypt to Greece, drunk by Queen Cleopatra and onto Sicily where it's known as Zibibbo. This grape loves a hot climate rather than muddy swamp though. Floral notes, citrus and Mediterranean herbs. Tastes of grapes, and also sold as a table grape.
Drop it like it's hot! You flew a dog faced dragon, then you drank a dog faced wine.
This is a 19 Crimes Wine, owned by the company that also owns US wine giant Beringer. The wine is a blend of Petite Syrah 65%, Zinfandel 30%, Merlot 5% .. well rougly, there's also a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Petite Syrah is a cross pollination of Syrah and Peloursin Noir, by Francois Durif, originating from South France in 1880. Now grown in Australia, France, Israel and California. Aromas of red fruits, sweet spice. Notes of black cherry, vanilla and candied raspberry. Falcor approves of this dog faced wine from the Ivory Tower, how about you?
Gmork the wolf is no dork, he might be a baddie but he's wise and knows a mean wine when he sees one. This is it. Good enough for the Empress’ cellar too.
French Cabernet Sauvignon from the warmest part of France, and their largest wine region, the Languedoc. Aromas of blackberry and cassis, with black cherry on the palate, light oak influence, black fruit bomb. A velvety red wine with balanced tanins that'll make you howl at moon.
20 Fun Facts About The Neverending Story
A German Blockbuster
At its release, The NeverEnding Story was the most expensive film ever produced in Germany, with a budget of around DM 60 million (≈ US $25–27 million), surpassing even Das Boot - Wikipedia
Global Success
The film grossed about US $100 million worldwide—nearly four times its production budget - Mental Floss
Ende’s Disapproval
Author Michael Ende publicly denounced the film as “revolting,” asked to have his name removed from opening credits, and even tried halting production, feeling it misunderstood his novel - Mental Floss
Sphinx Controversy
Ende was particularly embarrassed by the film’s busty, laser-shooting Sphinxes, calling them “one of the biggest embarrassments of the film” - Mental Floss
On-Set Tensions
Special effects director Brian Johnson described Barret Oliver (Bastian) as “an absolute gem,” but called Noah Hathaway (Atreyu) “a bit of a pain in the arse.” Hathaway recalled that director Wolfgang Petersen, a perfectionist, sometimes required up to 40 takes per scene - Mental Floss
Artax Scene Challenges
Training the horse for the Swamp of Sadness took two trainers seven weeks—most horses don’t willingly stand in deep mud - Mental Floss
Scenes Left on the Cutting Room Floor
The original plan included Atreyu helping Falkor escape from Ygramul the Many, but due to special-effects limits, this was cut. Falkor instead appeared mysteriously from the clouds - Mental Floss
Canadian Filming
Bastian’s real-world scenes were shot not in Germany but in Vancouver’s Gastown—a fun Canadian twist noted by a “Canuck” film setting - Mental Floss
Iconic Theme Song
“Never Ending Story,” composed by Giorgio Moroder and sung by Limahl (with background vocals by Beth Anderson), became a chart hit—#1 in Sweden and Norway, #4 in the UK, and #17 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 - Wikipedia
Unique Score Versions
The English release featured Moroder’s synth-pop tracks and Limahl’s song, but the German version used only Klaus Doldinger’s orchestral score - The Times
Auryn's Final Destination
The original Auryn medallion prop now resides in a glass case in Steven Spielberg’s office - Global Grind
Real-Life Falkor
At Bavaria Filmpark in Munich, fans can see and even climb aboard a full-size Falkor prop—a dream come true for many - Bolavip
Green-Skinned Atreyu—Scrapped
The makeup artists initially tried painting Hathaway green to match the book, but it made him look like a fungus, so the idea was dropped - Global Grind
No Horses Harmed
The emotional sinking scene of Artax was carefully staged—two horses were trained and rotated to ensure their safety - Bolavip
Animatronic Marvels
Falkor was an incredible feat—a 43-foot-long, motorized puppet covered in thousands of plastic scales and fake fur, with a three-foot head and a moving tongue - Bolavip
German Box Office Hit
Nearly five million people watched it in German cinemas—an extraordinary achievement for a domestic film at the time - Bolavip
Actor Honors
Noah Hathaway earned a Young Artist Award nomination and won the Saturn Award for Best Younger Actor for his role as Atreyu - Wikipedia
Tattoo Trend
Hathaway has said that many fans have tattooed the Auryn amulet. In one three-week span, he tattooed fifteen clients with it - Wikipedia
Cultural Comebacks
The film experienced a resurgence when its theme song featured in Stranger Things Season 3 finale—Spotify streams spiked by 400% - TIME
New Adaptations Ahead
A fresh, live-action adaptation of Ende’s novel is in the works from See-Saw Productions, in partnership with Michael Ende Productions. This marks a new cinematic chapter for Fantasia - EW.com
'Storrrrryy!' here is our Storybook Gallery from the evening ..
Thanks again to everyone that risked their lives against The Nothing for a few wines from the Ivory Tower in great company with Bastian, Atreyu, Artax, Limahl and the Wine Events Crew.
We hope to see you again soon!
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