Tami Stronach From 'The Neverending Story' Returns To Screen In New Film 'Man & Witch'

TV & Film

Aug 12

Fans of the 1984 children’s classic fantasy film, The Neverending Story, might remember then-10-year-old actress Tami Stronach as the diminutive “Childlike Empress” of the film’s fantasy world setting of Fantasia. Years later, she has returned to her original passion for acting starring in a new fantasy film entitled Man & Witch: Dance of a Thousand Steps, written by her husband Greg Steinbruner, to help encourage her to return to acting.

In the years since starring in The Neverending Story, adapted from the novel written by author Michael Ende, Stronach has been busy dancing with the Neta Pulvermacher and Monica Bill Barnes dancing companies before starting her own dance company. She has also performed theater with Flying Theater Machine Company in New York City.

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According to Stronach, the film is heavily inspired by The Neverending Story:

“I really credit The Neverending Story for inspiring me to be an artist, for inspiring me to make things,” Stronach, 51, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview. “It was a story that said, ‘Go make things. Go be creative.’ I really took that mandate seriously.”

The film is about a goatherd (played by Stronach’s husband Greg), seeking help from a witch (Stronach) to break a curse that prevents him from taking a wife. The witch sets the goatherd off on a series of impossible tasks, which includes the titular “Dance of a Thousand Steps”, partly choreographed by Stronach. Stronach stressed the fantasy kingdom in the film as being full of diverse characters, including people of color and LGBTQ+ characters:

“We’re just trying to present a fantasy world the way the real world is,” she said. “It’s full of lots of people.”

Several notable actors familiar with the fantasy genre join Stronach and her husband in the film including Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Jennifer Saunders (Shrek 2), and Michael Emerson (Lost). Jim Henson's Creature Shop, responsible for hit 1980s fantasy films such as The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, also made puppets for the film. Fans interested in more information about the film and its creation should also check out a recent podcast interview with Stronach on the Stuck in the 80s Podcast here. The film debuted in theaters on July 27, 2024.

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