The NeverEnding Story

"A boy who needs a friend finds a world that needs a hero in a land beyond imagination!"

1984 1h 41m DE

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 4,527

AdventureFantasyFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

While hiding from bullies in his school's attic, a young boy discovers the extraordinary land of Fantasia, through a magical book called The Neverending Story. The book tells the tale of Atreyu, a young warrior who, with the help of a luck dragon named Falkor, must save Fantasia from the destruction of The Nothing.

“A boy who needs a friend finds a world that needs a hero in a land beyond imagination!”

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Cast

Noah Hathaway
Atreyu
Barret Oliver
Bastian
Tami Stronach
The Childlike Empress
Alan Oppenheimer
Rockbiter / Falkor / G'mork / Narrator (voice)
Sydney Bromley
Engywook
Patricia Hayes
Urgl
Moses Gunn
Cairon - Empress' Servant
Frank Lenart
Teeny Weeny / Night Hob (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Writers: Wolfgang Petersen, Herman Weigel, Peter Classey
Languages: English
Countries: Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 75% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The NeverEnding Story Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, shot by Jost Vacano. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Klaus Doldinger. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jane Seitz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Noah Hathaway and Barret Oliver and Tami Stronach carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A boy who needs a friend finds a world that needs a hero in a land beyond imagination!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Wolfgang Petersen directs. Jost Vacano behind the camera. Klaus Doldinger scores. Jane Seitz cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Germany. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 75% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
242 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "The NeverEnding Story Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, shot by Jost Vacano. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Klaus Doldinger. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jane Seitz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Noah Hathaway and Barret Oliver and Tami Stronach carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A boy who needs a friend finds a world that needs a hero in a land beyond imagination!".
9IMDB entry: tt0088323 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 21 themes, including "based on novel or book", "wolf", "magic", "fairy tale".
11Released under 32 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jost Vacano
Original score: Klaus Doldinger
Editing: Jane Seitz
Costume design: Count Ul De Rico
Makeup / hair: Brigitta Ansary
Stunt coordinator: Tony Smart
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $27,000,000
Box office: $20,158,808
Return: 75% of budget
Original language: DE
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The NeverEnding Story (1984)

Part of

The NeverEnding Story Collection

A boy who needs a friend finds a world that needs a hero in a land beyond imagination!

Also by

Wolfgang Petersen

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-06-08
★ 6/10
I remember seeing this film when I was young - spurred on by the Limahl theme song that was in the charts at the time, and rather enjoying it. Based on just the first half of Michael Ende's original novel, it's a gentle fantasy tale of a young boy - "Bastian" (Barret Oliver) - who is being bullied by three classmates. When one day he seeks refuge in a bookshop, the owner shows him a mysterious book that he "borrows" and reads - introducing him to the magical, and dangerous, kingdom of "Fantastica" where he learns that it's benign, kindly young "Childlike Empress" is dying and that only he can help "Atreyu" (Noah Hathaway) save her and everyone from disaster at the hands of "The Nothing". The youngsters are strong with their performances, and Wolfgang Petersen's adaption of his own screenplay remains reasonably faithful to the delicate story with clever, engaging animation - a combination of intricate puppetry and blue-screen effects that is both charming and fun: the luck dragon ("Falkor") and the "Gmork" greatly add to the story of wishes and secrets as "Bastian" races against time to accomplish his task. Time has been quite kind to this film (apart from, maybe, the haircuts!) and it still holds up well.
r96sk2024-08-02
★ 9/10
A fantasy flick of real quality! I got to watch this at the cinema thanks to its release as part of its 40th anniversary, the second movie I've seen re-released on the big screen after 'Trainspotting' back in May. That Danny Boyle flick from 1996 is great, as is this Wolfgang Petersen feature from 1984. I wasn't sure what to expect, I only knew of its genre and that famous theme song. One of the first things to note about 'The NeverEnding Story' is how well it has aged, it looks awesome. The practical effects still look top quality and are super effective, I watched 'Big Trouble in Little China' yesterday and that has aged rather poorly in the effects department - and was released two years after this! I really loved seeing the world come to life. The effects are a big reason for that, though this shows the importance of getting strong voice actors. Alan Oppenheimer is fantastic in the roles of Falkor, Gmork and Rockbiter, credit to Robert Easton as Morla too. As for the 'normal' actors, Sydney Bromley, Moses Gunn and Tilo Prückner are excellent in their respective roles. Younger actors Barret Oliver, Noah Hathaway and Tami Stronach all do good work. I could've done without, and this my only thing close to a criticism (which it even isn't), the constant leaps back to the reader (Oliver's Bastian), it's not bad but sometimes doesn't feel necessary; less is more, sorta thing. A brilliant film, one with an edge to it as well... 🕊️🐎