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Videogame artist revisualizes ‘The NeverEnding Story’ characters for modern fans


What happens when you recreate a 1980s epic fantasy world using modern artistic techniques? Magic. 
 
Video game artist Nicolas Francoeur (“Deux Ex” and the upcoming “Thief”) recreated the characters of the 1984 classic movie “The NeverEnding Story,” giving some of the creatures featured in the film darker, more sinister appearances. 
 
While these works are glorious, they are only casual reimaginations of a very talented fan, and are not for an official revival of the movie, according to a report on Kotaku.
 
Falkor the Luckdragon, for instance, who helps the hero Atreyu in his quest, was given an elongated body in the 1984 movie. He had big, wide eyes, floppy ears, and a furry face, making him closely resemble a dog.


 
However, in Francoeur's artwork, Falkor's friendly face was changed to a more threatening one, with bright blue eyes and a sharper snout. Luckdragons do not possess extraordinary strength, but this new Falkor will make you doubt if that really is true.
 
Franceour is based in Quebec, Canada, and has been working as a concept artist and as a lead artist in the video game industry since 2006. “Among other things I had a major role in the development of a modest three-person game studio (ODD1) to a respectable 50 employees,” he declares on his website. “I’ve made illustration, concept art, textures, design, interfaces, logos. . .well almost everything.” 
 
Meanwhile, evil wolf beast and servant of The Nothing, Gmork has been made even scarier with black smoke swirling around its body. His face, seemingly devoid of fur, displays large, sharp teeth and red eyes. Even the night-black hair in his body look sharp as well. 
 
The childlike Empress in the movie was made to look more mature and ethereal in Francoeur's illustrations. Greenskin warrior and second protagonist Atreyu also looks older than the child in the film. Francoeur gave him and his horse Artax actual green linings in their bodies.
 
Other characters Francoeur recreated are the Rockbiter, Morla the ancient turtle, Whooshwoozool with his bat, and Gluckuck with his snail. — Kim Luces / KDM, GMA News