Minecraft Movie's Funniest Scene Inspired by The NeverEnding Story

Minor spoilers ahead for A Minecraft Movie.

The creative team behind A Minecraft Movie shared with IGN that one of the film's most humorous scenes drew inspiration from The NeverEnding Story. In the movie, a scene features Jack Black's character, Steve, riding on Jason Momoa's character, Garrett, due to a shortage of Elytra wings. This moment, filled with physical comedy, showcases Steve's frantic efforts to stay atop Garrett, preventing a perilous fall. The scene is not only meant for laughs but carries a deeper cinematic nod.

"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."

This scene is particularly amusing because Jack Black previously portrayed Slip in The NeverEnding Story 3, adding a layer of nostalgia and connection. Jason Momoa, who played a crucial role in bringing this scene to life, also contributed to its script.

"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, "I don't know if it made it in the final cut because there were different versions of that scene, but it could have gone hard rated R. In the end, I think we made it family-friendly!"

A Minecraft Movie Gallery

20 ImagesMomoa also hilariously reenacted their on-set dynamic (watch the video to see this 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, read our A Minecraft Movie review, discover how the team utilized a private server during the film's production, and explore our detailed explainer of the film's ending and post-credits scene.