In respect to my thoughts on Falcor rescuing Atreyu and how it applies to the deus ex machina plot device (around the 1:10:00 mark) I will add that despite holding to my opinions here, the scene is completely different (and better!) in the novel and does not rely on a deus ex machina at all. In fact, it is Atreyu that helps Falcor! Read the book its amazing.

I never saw this as a kid so 3 minutes in your video I paused it and watched it for the first time now as an adult. It was one of those movies that just hit me so hard emotionally because of where Im at in my life despite it being for kids. It was just so symbolic and cathartic. The ending 4th wall stuff was just wild. I love that it has reverence for fiction and how important it can be for people.

Falcor is a cinematic legend. Those scenes of Atreyu flying through the clouds were wish fulfilment for kids.

I think the alchemical symbolism of this film has to be one of its best features. The duality of the gold and silver serpents in the AURYN, the solar/lunar, conscious/subconscious, active/passive, masculine/feminine, fire/ice, Atreyu/Bastian, dichotomy of the Oracle and Mirror Gate.

Even the four elements, found in the rock-biter (Earth, the Body, and the Material, obviously), snail and rider (Water, Emotions, and Intuition), Night Hob and his bat (Air, the Intellect), and Atreyu and Artax (Fire, Courage, and the Will), were all reflective of the Path of Initiation.

For Mike and Casen: this podcast is my favorite piece of media ever in history. It makes me feel like I’m not alone in the world. You’ve already achieved in my mind
The creation of something great

Thanks so much for having me (Keith) on the show again, to discuss one of my favorite movies of all time. When it's time for the Dark Crystal or the Labyrinth, you know where to find me. Do what you dream!

Need more podcast that make men emotional in my life. It's so healing

I always remarked to friends and fellow fans of this film that as a kid I did not know what fear was until i saw this movie. I have no memory of being afraid, terrified, until that scene where Atreyu and Artex are relaxing on the grass by the stream. Its a picture of serenity, calm, peace and beauty. They leave and moments later the Gmork is upon that very place. It suddenly struck me how vulnerable they were, how pure nightmare fuel can appear when and where you least expect it. You are never safe so long as evil terror exists.
I couldn't fall asleep unless the cupboard and wardrobe doors were closed in my room. I imagined those green eyes suddenly appearing in the blackness of the wardrobe. It would be the last thing i would see before he launched out at me.

Imagination can be a double edged sword, sharpening your two strongest and most basic emotions: hope and fear.

The To the Moon games is a great take on "story in a story," with the doctors as the first layer, the patient's memories as the second layer, and the player's inputs create a third layer.
Masterpiece of a series.

I remember skipping school, riding my bike up to the theater to see this movie it was must see.

I want dark, disturbing childrens movies back!

One aspect of the book that I found very interesting when I read it at around 11 years old that starts very early on is the "and that's another story" asides.
We get little summaries of things that take place outside of the plot of the story, but caused by events in the story, they keep coming up and then at the end Bastian can't go back to the real world until he finishes every story he started. All the "and that's another story" asides need to be resolved. But it's clear that each of those asides are big stories on their own, and each of those stories will have new things that are set off by those events, that cause more stories, etc etc. Never-ending stories that will never be resolved because each new story spawns a cascade of countless new stories.
As a child the idea that every little thing that happens will have consequences, and will be a big story on its own, which then lead me to the idea that every side character is the main character of their own story, which then became every person is living their own story.
In the book of course this leads to Atreyu taking on the burden of this impossible task, freeing Bastian to go back home. Atreyu's quest and Bastian's time in Fantasia are both small parts of Atreyu's life, his story goes in forever, we only ever get to see a tiny part of it.

Didnt Atreu go through the seven stages of grief when he lost/ losing Artax? Shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing, acceptance. What a great/ sad scene.

This movie entranced me as a kid and I totally understand Casen’s point of being scared of it, even down to how unearthly beautiful the childlike empress is. Loved the analysis, guys. My favorite channel and it’s not even close.

After hearing you guys talk about this movie (and book) back for Patrons I told myself I was gonna grab a copy of the novel and read it for the first time. Just finished it last night and it was fantastic! Getting even more out this discussion this time around. Thank you all.

I always saw the grain of sand in this film as a reference to Buddhism:

"In Buddhism, "Grains of sand" symbolizes vastness, representing the immeasurable nature of experiences, births, merits, and chance, reflecting the countless accumulations and profound understanding inherent in Buddhist teachings."

And also to the quote by William Blake:

"To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour."

Basically, it's harkening back to the story's theme of putting value on imagination, and the whole of this (fictional) universe being found in the spirit of creativity.

It’s been a favorite since I could walk so maybe deeper to some 😅 but I grew up with this and never stopped watching it so Some of us always knew how deep it is as a child and adult ❤

I saw this movie when I was 5 or 6, and I've watched it twice in the last  year or so at the age of 42. I almost saw it for the 40th anniversary in a theater but there was something wrong with the projector so my friends and I just watched it at home instead (one of them had never seen it before). Watching it with someone who had never seen it opened my eyes to a new appreciation for its artistry and technical achievements (which was touched on here), and yet again the guys at Resonant Arc made me appreciate things that I had never really thought about either.

As far as the book is concerned, I have always stated its my favorite book of all-time, but I haven't read it in so long, since my 20s. I just remember by how struck I was of the themes the second half really deals with, how mature Bastian really grows in the second half. Spoilers here, but I recall a moment where he sees an image of himself, and he's not the fat little boy he used to be anymore. I don't think he's much older than he was at the start, but he's actually physically changed by a certain point that even he doesn't quite recognize himself at first. That really hit home with someone in their early 20s, and I really should read it again. I'm very curious what I'd pick out now that another twenty years have gone by. It's crazy to think that's how many years have gone by now, and that honesly kind of sucks, haha!

Great talk guys! I grew up in the Midwest and as a kid I remember adults always saying "enjoy things now because when you're an adult the real world sucks" (more or less). I saw this movie at age six and its message stuck with me even then. It was like an early warning for me to follow my dreams- which I've done even as an adult.

Atrax always stuck with me, absolutely traumatizing as a child