Okay, "The NeverEnding Story" is DEEPER than I thought...

So, I was rewatching "The NeverEnding Story" the other day (nostalgia, am I right?), and I started thinking about Bastian. Not just as the 'kid reading the book,' but as, like, the actual savior of Fantasia. We're told Atreyu has to go on this epic quest, yeah, but is he REALLY the chosen one? Or is Bastian's IMAGINATION the actual power source? I'm leaning towards the latter. Think about it: every time things get bleak, it's Bastian who has to name things, to believe, to imagine a solution. Atreyu's just... really good at riding Falkor and throwing spears. And then there's the whole 'losing your memories' thing at the end. Creepy, right? My theory? It's not just a plot device. It's about the dangers of escapism. Bastian gets so caught up in Fantasia that he almost forgets his real life, his real name! He’s literally sacrificing himself to stay in the book. It’s a dark mirror to how some people lose themselves in fantasy worlds to avoid dealing with real-world problems, y'know? Maybe that sounds a bit pretentious for a kid's movie, but I think there's someting to it. Maybe it's just all those years of analyzing character motivations talking, but I honestly believe that Bastian's journey is the more relevant one in the story, even if he's not IN Fantasia the whole time. Like, Atreyu's brave and all, but Bastian's facing his own kind of fear and loneliness when he chooses to save a world he loves and then chooses to come back to reality. Which, by the way, makes it even more poignant that he still has his bullies to confront when he returns! I love that ending. Messy, but true. Anyone else had similar thoughts, or am I just overthinking a childhood classic? (Probably the latter, lol)