The average viewer's reaction to Artax's death.
As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
- "ARTAX!" Every last second of that scene, as Artax sinks to his death, with Atreyu crying and begging him to move. The Fade Out following is absolutely heartwrenching.
- It's an in-universe example as well, since Bastian has to stop reading the book to wipe away his tears at this point.
- When the Rockbiter is describing being unable to hold onto his friends
and keep them from being pulled into The Nothing. Atreyu's Heroic BSoD is also sad to listen to. While both sympathize with the other's feelings of despair, neither can really offer any words of comfort each other.Rockbiter: They look like big, good, strong hands, don't they? I always thought that's what they were. (sighs) My little friends... the little man with his racing-snail. The nighthob... even the stupid bat! I couldn't hold onto them... the Nothing pulled them right out of my hands. I failed.
Atreyu: No, you didn't fail. I'm the one who failed. I was the one chosen to stop the Nothing. But I lost the AURYN... I can't find my luckdragon... so I won't be able to go beyond the boundaries of Fantasia.
Rockbiter: Listen. The Nothing will be here any minute. I will just sit here and let it take me away too. (Raises his hands again) They look like good. Strong. Hands... don't they.
[Atreyu nods sadly] - After the Nothing erases nearly all of Fantasia, Atreyu and Falkor fly through the void with only a few fragments left. Atreyu falls into Heroic BSoD feeling that it was his fault and that he failed. While Falkor tries to comfort him, you can hear the hopelessness in the luckdragon's voice.
- "Bastian, please...save us!" Whatever else can be said about the acting abilities of the child actors, Tami Stronach's delivery of this line is heart-wrenching.
- After Bastian reads about how Atreyu and Falkor begin searching for a human child to name the Childlike Empress."I wish they'd ask me. My mother had a beautiful name."
