Question: At the end of the movie, did Bobby really fly off in the Radio Flyer plane or did Mike make that story up?
Answer: He flew off alright - straight to heaven!
Answer: Yes. He actually did fly off. Adult Mike even tells his two sons that sometime after Bobby flew off, he began receiving postcards from Bobby from every place he traveled to and still keeps sending postcards to him.
... and you don't think that the mother would have moved heaven and earth to track her son if he actually sent postcards saying he was doing fine? He was a little boy - it would be naive to believe that he just flew off and lived his best life on his own and continued flying from place to place.
Answer: According to Elijah Wood, in an even older script, Bobby did in fact die.
Question: Why is the King's face hardly ever shown?
Answer: Deliberate production choice, and to show him from the younger child's point of view - also remember The King, when in his drunken state, is a child abuser, so the younger boy will see him as a large and terrifying presence - that is, so big he won't fit in the frame of the shot.
Question: Why is Tom Hanks uncredited for his role in the movie?
Answer: He was in a very small part of the movie and at the time he had already become quite a famous star. If his name were attatched to it without being uncredited, he would have had top billing. He probably decided to remove his name from the movie so the younger actors could receive more attention. The same type of thing happens in quite a few movies I can think of.
Answer: The script's ending was ultimately changed by director Richard Donner from what writer David Evans had originally written. In the original ending, it was made clear that the Radio Flyer had actually worked and it was seen hanging (actually floating) next to the Wright Brother's plane in the Smithsonian. Donner instead wanted the ending to be a "Rorschach Test", meaning the viewer sees the ending as he or she wants. So if you perceive it as working and Bobby being free or you see it as Bobby committing suicide, etc, it's meant as a reflection on you. However, Evans has said that he never intended the ending to be, or allude to, suicide, but because of the script changes, he understands how people could make that conclusion.
Bishop73
I have watched this movie 3x in the last 2 days. It has emotionally exhausting and I have done more research on this film, the actors, the original intent for the films direction by David, I mean you would think I'm nuts! But after paying close attention, 28min into the movie, the boys discuss exploring the hill where Fisher jumped off one day. The look and sound of Bobby's voice when he said "he died, no-one can make that jump" is what leads me to believe he was telling us the viewers.
His fate. I think Mike tried to help him, and describes the idea as a "dangerous" one. In their attempt to fly, things of course go wrong and Bobby dies during the crash. However mike in his young mind, created the story of Bobby actually getting away. A grown up mike seems sad, depressed and a little off. He still struggles with his trauma.