Bastian finds a magical book in an old bookstore that takes him on an adventure into the land of Fantasia.
- Tom MajskiNovember 29, 2025I know its cliche to say, but damn kids films were better in the 80s. The neverending story is just so chock full of unbridled imagination and fun, with the slighty scary edge it needs to be a total classic. The story of Atreyu and Artax (cries) travelling accross Fantasia to stop The Nothing is so so cool. Its a dark fantasy introduction for kids like none other and framed in the amazing and relatable way of Bastian reading the story and becoming more and more part of the adventure. It pulls a neat trick of balancing emotions. I watched it with my six year old and whilst she was definately a little nervous, it never really scared or upset her. Just the right balance to show kids that movies can be so much more than the earliest stuff they watch. Exciting times for us because this is the gateway into some other amazing kids movies - roll on Ghostbusters!
- naren shenoyJune 25, 2026I’m a child of the 80s, so take this review with that bias in mind. Movies in the 80s were just different. In a good way. Then Never Ending Story represents the best and worst aspects of 80s fantasy movies. Low budget and high imagination results in a movie that has withstood the test of time. Are there parts that are hokey, sure… but the plot moves and has a nice little a emotional punch. With the exception of Gerald Ramsey, I don’t think any of the actors were really ever seen again, but man, what a way to burn bright and fast! For those who were born after the 80s, this is as representative as it gets.
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The NeverEnding Story was released on July 20, 1984.
The NeverEnding Story was directed by Wolfgang Petersen.
The NeverEnding Story has a runtime of 1h 33m.
The NeverEnding Story was produced by Dieter Geissler, Bernd Eichinger, Bernd Schaefers.
Bastian finds a magical book in an old bookstore that takes him on an adventure into the land of Fantasia.
The key characters in The NeverEnding Story are Atreyu (Noah Hathaway), Bastian (Barret Oliver), The Childlike Empress (Tami Stronach).
The NeverEnding Story is rated PG.
The NeverEnding Story is a Family, Fantasy, Adventure film.
The NeverEnding Story has an audience rating of 8.1 out of 10.
The NeverEnding Story had a budget of $27M.
The NeverEnding Story has made $20.2M at the box office.