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The Neverending Story

Play trailer 1:22 Poster for The Neverending Story PG 1984 1h 34m Kids & Family Fantasy Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
84% Tomatometer 49 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
On his way to school, Bastian (Barret Oliver) ducks into a bookstore to avoid bullies. Sneaking away with a book called "The Neverending Story," Bastian begins reading it in the school attic. The novel is about Fantasia, a fantasy land threatened by "The Nothing," a darkness that destroys everything it touches. The kingdom needs the help of a human child to survive. When Bastian reads a description of himself in the book, he begins to wonder if Fantasia is real and needs him to survive.
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The Neverending Story

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Critics Consensus

A magical journey about the power of a young boy's imagination to save a dying fantasy land, The NeverEnding Story remains a much-loved kids adventure.

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Critics Reviews

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Ed Potton The Times (UK) The effects look cardboardy by today’s standards but the puppets and animatronics are great, especially Falkor, the dog-like “luck dragon”. Rated: 4/5 Aug 2, 2024 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian There’s no doubt of the rousing urgency and terrific design of this likable movie. Rated: 4/5 Aug 1, 2024 Full Review Ian Nathan Empire Magazine This was sweet and charming at the time but now it just lacks either the comedy or sophistication of kids' fantasy film that we've all become accustomed to. Rated: 2/5 Nov 26, 2012 Full Review Charles Mudede The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Though not as wonderfully bizarre as Jim Henson's Labyrinth, it does have an existential monster called the Nothing—it's something like a black hole that sucks the life out of a fantastic world. May 10, 2024 Full Review Carey-Ann Pawsey Orca Sound If you are looking for a family film that will not be offensive to any member of the family then Wolfgang Petersen’s (Troy, The Perfect Storm) “The Neverending Story” is a safe pick. Rated: 3/5 Sep 25, 2022 Full Review Andrew Galdi Movie Bitches This movie is dark! Aug 4, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Sheena P Very entertaining movie... Enjoyed the classic very much. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/12/23 Full Review Gregory Such nostalgia! This movie is still perfect! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/21/22 Full Review Richard L Great acting. Dated animations. Impressive plot and plot twists. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/21/22 Full Review Horror fan 4 Terrible movie with questionable effects. The story was neverending. Tim Treakle Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 11/17/25 Full Review E M. Pure magical magnificence. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/21/25 Full Review Michael E Blatant false advertising. It ended. And then they made a sequel. Which also ended. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 09/13/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Neverending Story

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Cast & Crew

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Wolfgang Petersen

Director

Barret Oliver

Bastian

Noah Hathaway

Atreyu

Tami Stronach

The Childlike Empress

Moses Gunn

Cairon

Patricia Hayes

Urgl

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The Neverending Story

The Neverending Story: Trailer 1 The Neverending Story: Trailer 1 1:22 View more videos
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The Neverending Story

The Neverending Story (1984) A scene from "The Neverending Story." (L-R) Sydney Bromley as Engywook and Patricia Hayes as Urgl in "The NeverEnding Story." Deep Roy as Teeny Weeny in "The NeverEnding Story." A scene from "The NeverEnding Story." Noah Hathaway as Atreyu in "The NeverEnding Story." (L-R) Noah Hathaway as Atreyu and G'mork in "The NeverEnding Story." Noah Hathaway as Atreyu in "The NeverEnding Story." Noah Hathaway as Atreyu in "The NeverEnding Story." (Top-Bottom) Noah Hathaway as Atreyu and Falkor in "The NeverEnding Story." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis On his way to school, Bastian (Barret Oliver) ducks into a bookstore to avoid bullies. Sneaking away with a book called "The Neverending Story," Bastian begins reading it in the school attic. The novel is about Fantasia, a fantasy land threatened by "The Nothing," a darkness that destroys everything it touches. The kingdom needs the help of a human child to survive. When Bastian reads a description of himself in the book, he begins to wonder if Fantasia is real and needs him to survive.
Director
Wolfgang Petersen
Producer
Bernd Eichinger, Dieter Geissler
Screenwriter
Wolfgang Petersen, Herman Weigel
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Brothers
Rating
PG
Genre
Kids & Family, Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 20, 1984, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jul 21, 2024
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2009
Runtime
1h 34m
Sound Mix
Surround
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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