The Neverending Story (1984) | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

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Where to Watch The Neverending Story What to Know Critics Reviews Audience Reviews My Rating Cast & Crew More Like This Related Movie News Videos The Neverending Story Photos The Neverending Story
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

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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The Neverending Story (1984) | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Ed Potton 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 The Neverending Story (1984) | Rotten Tomatoes (2) 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 The Neverending Story (1984) | Rotten Tomatoes (3) 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 The Neverending Story (1984) | Rotten Tomatoes (4) 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 The Neverending Story (1984) | Rotten Tomatoes (5) 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 The Neverending Story (1984) | Rotten Tomatoes (6) 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 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/12/23 Full Review Gregory Such nostalgia! This movie is still perfect! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/21/22 Full Review Richard L Great acting.Dated animations.Impressive plot and plot twists. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/21/22 Full Review Isaac O While the special effects are a bit dated, they only add to the charm of this classic fantasy epic! Iconic characters, iconic places, iconic dialogue... what's there not to love about The Neverending Story?Also we can all agree that Gmork gave us nightmares as kids. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/24/24 Full Review Si N 40 years later this Movie still stands up. Watched recently with my Daughter and a friends children and they were captivated from beginning to end. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/16/24 Full Review Alexandre N A charming world with great visuals. However, poor writing makes the story a bit of a head scratcher. Big thumbs up for Falco, an awesome character. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/12/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

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

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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

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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