There are some things you see as a kid that become a skewed fact that actually turns out not to be true at all, like your dad is the tallest guy in the world or your step-uncle is a fantastic kisser. This also applies to movies, where some detail sticks out for you and you turn it into a false assumption.

The Neverending Story (1984)

This movie gets a bad rap I don’t know why. Was it Atreyu and how effeminate he looks? Was it because the main baddies were basically a dark cloud and a wolf? Was it Bastian who was the lamest and wussiest kid in movie history? The very annoying Limahl title song? Beats me. It’s no more or less weird and disturbing than Labyrinth or The Dark Crystal—both films that have not only stood the test of time but have gained more popularity with their cult status. Maybe because it was Jim Henson’s influence on them but seriously The Neverending Story is actually, in my opinion, darker, more ominous and just as fantastic if not more than most of the 80s fantasy movies. Its also a hero’s quest in the vein of Clash of the Titans and Lord of the Rings. GRANTED, I have not seen it for a very very long time but from what I do remember it had a lot of scary and foreboding scenes.

Anyway, at the end of the movie, the little girl empress of Fantasia is begging and pleading with Bastian (the kid reading the book) to give her a name. Giving her a proper name will stop The Nothing (the void of darkness threatening to destroy the kingdom of Fantasia) and restore peace. At first Bastian is bewildered by a book communicating directly to him as he reads it and is very confused why he should be the one to have the power to save Fantasia. After much pleading and at the verge of tears, the empress convinces Bastian, who is very upset and emotional about the whole ordeal and screams out:

“All right! I’ll do it! I’ll save you! I will do what I dream!

MOOOOOOOOOTHEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!!”

I later learned it was actually “Moonchild.” Now I know why this movie gets a bad rap.

Back in the day I always thought it was Mother because Bastian lost his mom or she left. Whatever the case may be, it was just he and his dad and he mentions he dreamed about her in the beginning of the film. So I naturally thought he wanted to name the empress Mother to compensate for the lack of his mom. For a young boy that’s kinda deep to think even though I was incorrect. After learning it was actually Moonchild I was very letdown as my version was waaaay better.