Seems like the horses story ended

What a young movie!

Small clarification, he gets stuck in the swamp of despair basically. He only gets stuck and dies because he loses hope. Atreyu tries to cheer him up and give him hope, and it's that scene that's depressing AF. It's like something out of old yeller.

I think the OP is from the movie Signs?

Well, do you recall how fulfilling the wishes demands a sacrifice of Bastian's memories and self?

One might alternatively phrase that as wish fulfillment, if one was tricky writer sort.

One might also note that the Story demands Bastian pass it on to another child if he wants his own memories back. Once he realizes he is not willing to give up his last memories of his father.

Passing to a new host once it has drained Bastian of what it wants and his defenses prevent it from gaining more, as it were.

A successful parasite is not one that kills its host, after all, it's one that spreads and grows.

And then it evolves and spreads to a new, American movie going population where that message isn't profitable so it just becomes a standard chosen one story.