Minor spoilers ahead for A Minecraft Movie.
The creative minds behind A Minecraft Movie shared with IGN that one of the film's most hilarious scenes drew inspiration from The NeverEnding Story. In a standout moment of physical comedy, Jack Black's character, Steve, finds himself in a precarious situation. With only enough Elytra wings for Jason Momoa's Garrett and Sebastian Hansen's Henry, Steve must cling to Garrett mid-flight to avoid a perilous fall. This scene, while comedic, was deeply influenced by a classic cinematic moment.
"We definitely wanted a Falkor moment from *The Neverending Story* that was both majestic and beautiful, but also one that goes south pretty quickly," explained *A Minecraft Movie* director Jared Hess."It was so funny in between takes when they cut," added producer Torfi Frans Ólafsson. "Jack is sitting on top of Jason and they're in this complicated rig... and Jack starts singing, because he does that in between scenes, but he starts singing the words to The NeverEnding Story and riding him like he's riding Falkor."
The scene is a delightful nod to Jack Black's role as Slip in The NeverEnding Story 3, adding a layer of nostalgia and humor. Jason Momoa, who played Garrett, was instrumental in bringing this scene to life.
"I got to participate in writing that, and this big guy [Jack Black] wanted to do it too," Momoa shared with a laugh. "This was after Top Gun: Maverick came out, so I also wanted to be able to go into it and then hit the brakes and then have them slide down and I switcheroo on them. We were sitting there at the hotel dying about this idea of Jack and I doing this stunt and it made it [into the movie] and it's phenomenal."
Jack Black mentioned that there were different versions of the scene, some of which could have pushed the boundaries into a hard R-rating. "In the end, I think we made it family-friendly!" he noted.
A Minecraft Movie Gallery
20 Images
Momoa also humorously reenacted their on-set experience (watch the video to see it firsthand!).
"Let my hips guide you! You can't just ride me like I'm majestic," Momoa said. "I was dying, man. I was dying."
For more insights, check out our A Minecraft Movie review, details on the private server the team used while making the movie, and our breakdown of the film's ending and post-credits scene.
