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The NeverEnding Story

Original title: The Neverending Story
  • 1984
  • PG
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
164K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,284
134
Noah Hathaway, Sydney Bromley, Tilo Prückner, and Deep Roy in The NeverEnding Story (1984)
Official Trailer 2
Play trailer1:22
13 Videos
99+ Photos
Adventure EpicFantasy EpicQuestSword & SorceryAdventureDramaFamilyFantasy

A troubled boy dives into a wondrous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.A troubled boy dives into a wondrous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.A troubled boy dives into a wondrous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.

  • Director
    • Wolfgang Petersen
  • Writers
    • Wolfgang Petersen
    • Herman Weigel
    • Michael Ende
  • Stars
    • Noah Hathaway
    • Barret Oliver
    • Tami Stronach
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    164K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,284
    134
    • Director
      • Wolfgang Petersen
    • Writers
      • Wolfgang Petersen
      • Herman Weigel
      • Michael Ende
    • Stars
      • Noah Hathaway
      • Barret Oliver
      • Tami Stronach
    • 435User reviews
    • 107Critic reviews
    • 49Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 9 nominations total

    Videos13

    The Neverending Story
    Trailer 1:22
    The Neverending Story
    The Neverending Story
    Trailer 1:23
    The Neverending Story
    The Neverending Story
    Trailer 1:23
    The Neverending Story
    What to Stream With Your Family Right Now
    Clip 3:57
    What to Stream With Your Family Right Now
    Neverending Story: Rock Eater (Blu-Ray)
    Clip 2:05
    Neverending Story: Rock Eater (Blu-Ray)
    Neverending Story: First Gate (Blu-Ray)
    Clip 1:59
    Neverending Story: First Gate (Blu-Ray)
    Neverending Story: Morla (Blu-Ray)
    Clip 2:05
    Neverending Story: Morla (Blu-Ray)

    Photos270

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    Top cast25

    Edit
    Noah Hathaway
    Noah Hathaway
    • Atreyu
    Barret Oliver
    Barret Oliver
    • Bastian
    Tami Stronach
    Tami Stronach
    • The Childlike Empress
    Gerald McRaney
    Gerald McRaney
    • Bastian's Father
    Chris Eastman
    Chris Eastman
    • 1st Bully
    • (as Drum Garrett)
    Darryl Cooksey
    • 2nd Bully
    Nicholas Gilbert
    • 3rd Bully
    Thomas Hill
    Thomas Hill
    • Carl Conrad Coreander
    Deep Roy
    Deep Roy
    • Teeny Weeny
    Tilo Prückner
    Tilo Prückner
    • Night Hob
    Moses Gunn
    Moses Gunn
    • Cairon
    Sydney Bromley
    Sydney Bromley
    • Engywook
    Patricia Hayes
    Patricia Hayes
    • Urgl
    Beth Anderson
    • The 2nd Balladeer
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    Donald Arthur
    • School's Caretaker
    • (uncredited)
    Willie Coppen
    • Fantasia Inhabitant
    • (uncredited)
    Bernd Eichinger
    Bernd Eichinger
    • Man next to Man Who Drops Milk
    • (uncredited)
    Dee Harris
    • The Balladeers' Lead Guitarist
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Wolfgang Petersen
    • Writers
      • Wolfgang Petersen
      • Herman Weigel
      • Michael Ende
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews435

    7.3164.1K
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    Featured reviews

    10TheLittleSongbird

    Drop Dead Gorgeous!

    The NeverEnding Story is one of my all time favourite movies, it is just so magical. The music is brilliant, and the story is a magical, simple and effective one. The scenery, sets and costumes were visually a feast to the eyes, just gorgeous to look at, and if it didn't get any awards for best art direction, then that is a massive shame, because it was so beautiful to watch. Falcor was a fantastic character, a very warm and loving character, that you just have to love. I have to admit though, Gmork is very scary. The acting is fantastic, Barret Oliver very spirited as Bastian, and Noah Hathaway born to play Atreyu. And Tami Stromach as the Childlike Empress has a small but wholly relevant role in the film. This film is practically perfect in every way and has a wonderful message, don't miss it! The second film's okay, but the third one is god awful and should be in the bottom 100. 10/10 for this though. Bethany Cox
    7elisa-grant

    Magical and sweet

    Just rewatched with my 9yr and she loved it! Saw it accepted by her with the same enthusiasm I had as a kid!

    Yes, it's dated. Yes, the acting isn't the best. But... it is so magical and super sweet. Also very telling... in 1984 they told us that hope was disappearing and despair was setting in. A prediction of things to come - at least from 2020 to now in 2022!
    JohYowza

    My life changed that autumn afternoon...

    The Neverending story is by far the best "Fantasy" film ever made and I doubt that it will ever be topped. I saw this movie with my dad one cold autumn afternoon, and my life changed forever that day. This movie taught me that fantastic places and wonderful creatures really do exist. You only have to want them to. Even today, aged 23, working in the computer industry, I find myself slipping in the Neverending Story soundtrack in my CD player and dreaming away to Fantasia...

    This movie the most beautiful and touching movies ever created. It's an example of a timeless story, told with wonderful creatures and dazzling vistas of the land of Fantasia. The amazing and perfect soundtrack help capture your heart and won't let go until the end credits fill the screen. At which time you notice that you've been crying for the last ½ hour. I consider myself extremely lucky that this wonderful movie was shown to me at such a young age, telling me that the world is what you make of it.

    And luckily, this September I can watch it all on DVD!!

    This is a masterpiece, nothing less
    bladeventrue

    still great viewing,after many years

    i still remember seeing this movie when it first came out on the big screen,i was 17,it may have been 84/85,it was still a time of the big old picture theaters,it was a full house,the audience was fairly young,but i noticed there seemed to be a lot of mature people as well-for the duration of the movie, myself and the people around me were engaged and totally engrossed in the viewing.i also remember something i hadn,t seen before,when the movie finished,the whole audience stood up and started clapping,this at a time in new zealand when not every one owned a video machine-after all this time,even with so many distractions,home computers,playstations and everyday general living this movie still is a classic and even someone my age(34)it helps to take me back to my child hood times-a place filled constantly with dreams,a place where there was no dilemmas,no stress and being a kid was all about playing and having fun-i introduced this movie to my niece and nephew,a few years back and they absolutely loved it-a gentle reminder to the magic of being a kid-enjoy
    10Banshee57

    Dark, if not surreal fantasy delivers a good message.

    Finally, the truth about stories. The fact is, nothing ever really ends, and thusly, someone had to say so. That's what this movie does, and it does it ever so elegantly. A young boy, who knows so much about the "Lord Of The Rings", and "Beowulf" is about to find out something more real as he borrows a mystical book he finds enchanting. the even more powerful fact, is that once the book is opened, it will never close. Just as life never really ends on this earth, neither to stories. The book, titled "The Never Ending Story", is about Fantasia, a world that is dying, and an unbelievably horrifying substance known as "The Nothing", is enclosing it. A young warrior must face the danger of finding a cure. On earth, or in the book, life is intertwined to reach the ultimate answer to a young boys fears, and a young warriors quest. Film is full of some really lovable characters such as Falkor, the luck dragon, and the Rock Biter. Then, there is the Gmorg, whom I believe, is the most wretched creature in cinema. That thing is scary! In any case, film starts out as colorful and mystical, and grows dark and nightmarish with every scene, leading to a wonderful message about the substance that keeps Fantasia , and every other world out there, alive. Beautiful, just beautiful. A classic.

    More like this

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      With a budget of 50 million Deutsche Mark (about $27,000,000), this was the most expensive film ever produced in Germany at the time.
    • Goofs
      When Atreyu is in the Swamps of Sadness with his horse, the horse sinks because it gives into the sadness, but Atreyu doesn't sink, even though he is crying and sad that his friend has died. Though not properly shown in the movie, the book explains how AURYN is protecting him. (His eventual near-sinking at the end of the scene, which never occurred in the book, is due to the plot changes that were made for the movie.)
    • Quotes

      Rock Biter: They look like big, good, strong hands, don't they? I always thought that's what they were.

    • Alternate versions
      The Warner Bros. Pictures logo and it's closing Saul Bass variant are both plastered with the 1992 variant in the DVD version, and 2003 variant in the Blu-ray version.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Neverending Story/The Last Starfighter/Electric Dreams/That Sinking Feeling (1984)
    • Soundtracks
      The Neverending Story
      Music by Giorgio Moroder

      Lyrics by Keith Forsey

      Performed by Limahl Feat. Beth Anderson (uncredited)

      Guitar solo Dee Harris (uncredited)

      Courtesy of EMI Records, Ltd.

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    FAQ23

    • How long is The NeverEnding Story?Powered by Alexa
    • Why does Atreyu have to go alone and leave behind his weapons when he goes out on his journey to save the world?
    • What name does Bastian scream out the window towards the end of the movie?
    • What are the differences between the US theatrical cut and the German theatrical cut?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 20, 1984 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • West Germany
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La historia sin fin
    • Filming locations
      • Blood Alley, Gastown, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada(alley that Bastian is chased into)
    • Production companies
      • Constantin Film
      • Bavaria Studios
      • Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $27,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $20,192,381
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,325,823
      • Jul 22, 1984
    • Gross worldwide
      • $20,289,924
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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    Noah Hathaway, Sydney Bromley, Tilo Prückner, and Deep Roy in The NeverEnding Story (1984)
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