Barret Oliver plays a lonely, dreamy kid who misses his dead mother. While hiding out in a store to avoid some bullies from his school, he picks up book and begins reading a tale about Fantasia, a land where a dreadful force called The Nothing is destroying the country. As he reads the story, the boy realizes he is the only one who can save Fantasia; magically, he enters the story. This above-average children's flick is directed by Wolfgang Peterson (Das Boot). It offers some interesting characters (including a "rockbiter" and a friendly dragon) and an imaginative premise. By becoming part of this adventure, the boy is given the self-confidence he needs when he returns to the real world.