What happens when a children’s movie understands grief better than most adult films?

In this Wistful Wednesday episode of Parallel Frequencies with Just Blane & Coco, the hosts revisit The NeverEnding Story through an adult lens—unpacking why this 80s fantasy classic still resonates in a world struggling with burnout, apathy, and meaning loss.

From Fantasia’s “Nothing” as a metaphor for emotional numbness, to Gmork’s chilling truth about control and hopelessness, this episode explores how imagination isn’t escapism—it’s survival. Coco brings in Jungian psychology, tarot symbolism, and folklore to reframe the Childlike Empress as the spark of creation itself, while Blane connects nostalgia, MTV’s cultural collapse, and modern creativity fatigue.

This conversation is about grief, imagination, ...