''The NeverEnding Story'' (german: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a 1984

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...

co-written and directed by

Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for the World War II submarine warfare film ''Das Boot'' (1981). His other films include ''The Ne ...

(in his first English-language film), and based on the 1979 novel ''

The Neverending Story ''The Neverending Story'' (german: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. The novel was later adapted into several f ...

'' by

Michael Ende Michael Andreas Helmuth Ende (12 November 1929 – 28 August 1995) was a German writer of fantasy and children's fiction. He is known for his epic fantasy ''The Neverending Story'' (with its 1980s film adaptation and a 1995 animated television ...

. It was produced by

Bernd Eichinger Bernd Eichinger (; 11 April 194924 January 2011) was a German film producer, director, and screenwriter. Life and career Eichinger was born in Neuburg an der Donau. He attended the University of Television and Film Munich in the 1970s and bou ...

and Dieter Giessler, and stars

Noah Hathaway Noah Leslie Hathaway (born November 13, 1971) is an American actor and a former teen idol. He is best known for his roles as Atreyu in the 1984 film ''The NeverEnding Story'' and for portraying Boxey on the original television series ''Battlestar ...

Barret Oliver Barret Spencer Oliver (born August 24, 1973) is an American photographer and a former child actor. He is best known for his role as Bastian Balthazar Bux in the film adaptation of Michael Ende's novel ''The Neverending Story'', followed by roles ...

Tami Stronach Tami Stronach (born summer 1972) is an actor, dancer, and professor. Personal life Tami Stronach was born in summer 1972 in Iran. Her parents were the archaeologists David Stronach from Scotland (1931–2020) and Ruth Stronach from Israel (; 19 ...

Patricia Hayes Patricia Lawlor Hayes (22 December 1909 – 19 September 1998) was an English character actress. Early life Patricia Hayes OBE was born in Streatham,Dennis Barker, "Hayes, Patricia Lawlor (1909–1998)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biogra ...

Sydney Bromley Sidney Charles Bromley (24 July 1909 – 14 August 1987GRO Register of Deaths: AUG 1987 18 2293 WORTHING - Sydney Charles Bromley DoB = 24 Jul 1909 aged 78), credited as Sydney Bromley, was an English character actor. He appeared in more than si ...

Gerald McRaney Gerald Lee McRaney (born August 19, 1947) is an American television and film actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the television shows ''Simon & Simon'', '' Major Dad'', ''Promised Land'' and ''House of Cards''. He currently stars ...

and

Moses Gunn Moses Gunn (October 2, 1929 – December 16, 1993) was an American actor of stage and screen. An Obie Award-winning stage player, he is an alumnus of the Negro Ensemble Company. His 1962 off-Broadway debut was in Jean Genet's ''The Blacks,'' and ...

, with

Alan Oppenheimer Alan Oppenheimer (born April 23, 1930) is an American actor. He has performed numerous roles on live action television since the 1960s, and he has had an active career doing voice work since the 1970s. Early life Oppenheimer was born in New Yor ...

providing the voices of

Falkor This article lists character information from the 1979 novel ''The Neverending Story'' by Michael Ende and the film adaptations of the same name. Bastian Balthazar Bux Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and bookish boy, 10 or 11 years old, who ...

and

Gmork This article lists character information from the 1979 novel ''The Neverending Story'' by Michael Ende and the film adaptations of the same name. Bastian Balthazar Bux Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and bookish boy, 10 or 11 years old, who ...

( as well as other characters). It follows a boy who finds a magical book that tells of a young warrior who is given the task of stopping the Nothing, a dark force, from engulfing the wonderland world of Fantasia. At the time of its release, it was the most expensive film produced outside the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

or the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. It was the first in ''The NeverEnding Story'' film series. It adapts only the first half of the book, and consequently does not convey the message of the title as it was portrayed in the novel. The second half of the book was subsequently used as a rough basis for the second film, '' The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter'' (1990). The third film, '' The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia'' (1994), has an original plot not based on the book.

Plot

Ten-year-old Bastian Bux is a shy and outcast bibliophile and lives with his widowed father. One day on his way to school, Bastian is chased by bullies but escapes by hiding in a bookstore, annoying the bookseller, Mr. Coreander. Bastian's interest in books leads him to ask about the one Coreander is reading, but the bookseller advises against reading it, saying that it is not a "safe" story like regular books. With his curiosity piqued, Bastian secretly takes the book, titled ''The Neverending Story'', leaving a note promising to return it, and hides in the school's attic to read. The book describes the

fantasy world A fantasy world is a world created for/from fictional media, such as literature, film or games. Typical fantasy worlds involve magic or magical abilities, nonexistent technology and, sometimes, either a historical or futuristic theme. Some wor ...

of Fantasia slowly being devoured by a malevolent force called "The Nothing". The

Childlike Empress This article lists character information from the 1979 novel ''The Neverending Story'' by Michael Ende and the film adaptations of the same name. Bastian Balthazar Bux Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and bookish boy, 10 or 11 years old, who ...

, who rules Fantasia, has fallen ill, and the young warrior

Atreyu Atreyu is an American metalcore band from Yorba Linda, California, formed in 1998. The band currently consists of clean vocalist Brandon Saller, guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel, bassist and unclean vocals, unclean vocalist Marc "Porter ...

is tasked to discover a cure, believing that once the Empress is well, the Nothing will no longer be a threat. Atreyu is given a medallion called the

Auryn Auryn (; stylized as AURYN) was a 5-member Spanish boy band founded in 2009. Signed to Warner Music, they sang in English and Spanish. Members The band is made up of five members that appeared previously on various talent show series in Spain. ...

that can guide and protect him in the quest. As Atreyu sets out, the Nothing summons a vicious and highly intelligent

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

-like creature named

to kill Atreyu. Atreyu's quest directs him to the giant,

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

-like adviser Morla the Ancient One in the Swamps of Sadness. Though the Auryn protects Atreyu, his beloved horse Artax is lost to the swamp, and he continues alone. Morla, who is allergic to youth, doesn't have the answers that Atreyu seeks, but reluctantly directs him to the Southern Oracle, ten thousand miles distant. Gmork closes in as Atreyu succumbs to exhaustion trying to escape the Swamps, but is narrowly saved by the luck

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

. Falkor takes him to the home of two

gnome A gnome is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Its characte ...

s who live near the gates to the Southern Oracle. Atreyu crosses the first gate, but is perplexed when the second gate—a mirror that shows the viewer's true self—reveals a boy which Bastian recognizes as himself. Atreyu eventually meets the Southern Oracle, who tells him that the only way to save the Empress is to find a human child who lives beyond the boundaries of Fantasia to give her a new name. Atreyu and Falkor flee, as the Nothing consumes the Southern Oracle. In flight, Atreyu is knocked from Falkor's back into the Sea of Possibilities, losing the Auryn in the process. He wakes on the shore of some abandoned ruins, where he finds several murals depicting his adventure, including one of Gmork. Gmork then reveals himself and explains that Fantasia represents humanity's imagination and is thus without boundaries, while the Nothing is a manifestation of the loss of

hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

s and dreams. Atreyu battles and kills Gmork, as the Nothing begins to consume the ruins. Falkor manages to retrieve the Auryn and rescue Atreyu. The two find themselves in a void with only small fragments of Fantasia remaining, fearing that they have failed, until they spot the Empress' Ivory Tower among the fragments. Inside, Atreyu apologizes for failing the Empress, but she assures him that he has succeeded in bringing to her a human child who has been following his quest Bastian. She further explains that, just as Bastian is following Atreyu's story, "others" are following Bastian's, making this part of the Neverending Story. As the Nothing begins to consume the Tower, the Empress explains that Bastian must call out her new name to save Fantasia. Disbelieving he has been incorporated with the story, he denies these events actually happened. He gives in after she pleads directly to him to call out her new name, running to the window of the attic to call out "Moon Child". Bastian awakens with the Empress, who presents him with a grain of sand the sole remnant of Fantasia. The Empress tells Bastian that he has the power to bring Fantasia back with his imagination. Bastian re-creates Fantasia and flies on Falkor's back to see the land and its inhabitants restored, including Atreyu and Artax. When Falkor asks what his next wish will be, Bastian brings Falkor to the real world to chase down the school bullies. The film narrates that Bastian had many more wishes and adventures, "But that's another story".

Cast

Bastian Balthazar Bux This article lists character information from the 1979 novel ''The Neverending Story'' by Michael Ende and the film adaptations of the same name. Bastian Balthazar Bux Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and bookish boy, 10 or 11 years old, who ...

. *

The Childlike Empress This article lists character information from the 1979 novel ''The Neverending Story'' by Michael Ende and the film adaptations of the same name. Bastian Balthazar Bux Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and bookish boy, 10 or 11 years old, who ...

, to whom Bastian gives the new name "Moon Child". *

as Urgl, Engywook's wife and a healer. *

as Engywook, Urgl's husband and a scientist. *

as Barney Bux, Bastian's widowed, workaholic father. *

as Cairon, a servant of the Empress. *

as the voices of

, Rockbiter, and the Narrator (the latter three are uncredited). * Thomas Hill as

Carl Conrad Coreander This article lists character information from the 1979 novel ''The Neverending Story'' by Michael Ende and the film adaptations of the same name. Bastian Balthazar Bux Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and bookish boy, 10 or 11 years old, who ...

, a grumpy bookseller. *

Deep Roy Gurdeep Roy (born Mohinder Purba; 1 December 1957), known professionally as Deep Roy, is a Kenyan-British actor, puppeteer, and stuntman. At tall, he has often been cast as diminutive characters, such as Teeny Weeny in ''The NeverEnding Story' ...

as Teeny Weeny, a messenger riding on a racing snail. *

Tilo Prückner Tilo Prückner (26 October 1940 – 2 July 2020Robert Easton as the voice of

Morla Morla is a 16 km long river in province of Bergamo. Its source is located in Maresana in the municipality of Ponteranica, then Morla crosses the city of Bergamo, after Bergamo part of its waters are used in agriculture. One branch flows int ...

(uncredited)

Production

Author Michael Ende was initially happy about his book being turned into a film. Ende worked with Wolfgang Petersen as a script advisor and was paid only $50,000 for the rights to his book. Ende claimed that Petersen later rewrote the script without consulting him, and felt that this adaptation's content deviated so far from the spirit of his book "Fantastica reappears with no creative force from Bastian" that he requested that production either be halted or the film's title be changed. When the producers did neither, he sued them and subsequently lost the case. Ende called the film a "gigantic melodrama of kitsch, commerce, plush and plastic" (german: Ein gigantisches Melodram aus Kitsch, Kommerz, Plüsch und Plastik").

Helmut Dietl Helmut Dietl (; 22 June 1944 – 30 March 2015) was a German film director and author from Bad Wiessee. Work After leaving grammar school in 1958, Dietl completed a degree in theatre studies and history of art. He then became head of photogra ...

was originally attached to direct the film, but later dropped out and was replaced with Wolfgang Petersen. The adaptation only covered the first half of the book. German producer

saw his children reading the book, and they urged him to make a film out of it. He was reluctant to adapt the book, but agreed to do so and acquired the rights to the book. The bulk of the film was shot at Stage 1 of the

Bavaria Studios Bavaria Studios are film production studios located in Munich, the capital of the region of Bavaria in Germany, and a subsidiary of Bavaria Film. History The studios were constructed in the suburb of Geiselgasteig in 1919 shortly after the Firs ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, with the street scenes and the school interior in the real world shot in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

(the

Gastown Gastown is the original settlement that became the core of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and a national historic site and a neighbourhood in the northwest section of the Downtown Eastside, adjacent to Downtown Vancouver. Its hi ...

Vancouver Steam Clock can be seen in the bully chase scene at the end of the film, as the three bullies are chased down Cambie Street past the

steam clock A steam clock is a clock which is fully or partially powered by a steam engine. Only a few functioning steam clocks exist, most designed and built by Canadian horologist Raymond Saunders for display in urban public spaces. Steam clocks built ...

at the intersection of

Water Street Water Street may refer to: *Water Street, Hong Kong ** Water Street (constituency) around Water Street, Hong Kong * Water Street, Milwaukee *Water Street, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated village * Water Street (Augusta, Maine) *Water Street (St. Jo ...

and then on down Blood Alley),Wolfgang Petersen (2014). ''The NeverEnding Story: 30th Anniversary Edition'' Blu-ray commentary. Warner Bros. Pictures. and the beach where Atreyu falls, which was filmed at Playa de Mónsul in San Jose,

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of the same name. It lies on southeastern Iberia on the Mediterranean Sea. Caliph Abd al-Rahman III founded the city in 955. The city gr ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Music

The

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

of ''The NeverEnding Story'' was composed by

Klaus Doldinger Klaus Doldinger (born 12 May 1936) is a German saxophonist known for his work in jazz and as a film music composer. He was the recipient of 1997's Bavarian Film Awards. Life and work Doldinger was born in Berlin, Germany, and entered a Düsse ...

of the German jazz group

Passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...

. The theme song of the English version of the film was composed by

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance mu ...

, with lyrics by

Keith Forsey Keith Forsey (born 2 January 1948) is an English pop musician and record producer. Early life Forsey began his career as a percussionist in the mid-late 1960s as the drummer for The SpectrumCaptain Scarlet and the Mysterons - The Vault - Chris ...

, and performed by Christopher "Limahl" Hamill, once the lead singer of

Kajagoogoo Kajagoogoo were a British new wave band, best known for their 1983 hit single "Too Shy", which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart, and the Top 10 in numerous other countries. History Beginnings (1978–1982) Formed in Leighton Buzza ...

, and Beth Anderson. Released as a single in 1984, it peaked at No. 4 on the UK singles chart, No. 6 on the US ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart, and No. 17 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song has been covered by

Armonite Armonite is an instrumental rock musical collective from Pavia, Italy. Their debut record, ''The Sun Is New Each Day'' was produced at Abbey Road Studios and released in 2016. It features Porcupine Tree bassist Colin Edwin. In 2018, Cleopatra Reco ...

The Birthday Massacre The Birthday Massacre (abbreviated TBM) is a Canadian rock band , formed in 1999 in London, Ontario, and currently based in Toronto, Ontario. The current lineup consists of lead vocalist Sara 'Chibi' Taylor, rhythm guitarist Michael Rainbow, l ...

Creamy Creamy were a Faroese-Danish teen-pop duo, composed of Rebekka Mathew and Rannva Joensen. Their 1999 debut album, ''Creamy'', made when the pair were just thirteen years of age, was composed of euro-pop versions of children’s songs. In 2001 ...

Dragonland Dragonland is a power metal band from Sweden. The group is known for their self-produced ''The Dragonland Chronicles'' fantasy saga covering their first, second, and fifth albums, and for the original symphonic/electronic parts by Elias Holmlid ...

, Kenji Haga and

New Found Glory New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar), Chad Gilbert (lead guitar, backing vocal ...

. More recent covers were done by

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

group

Echo Image Echo Image is a Norway, Norwegian synthpop band from Fredrikstad. The band started in the summer of 1997 when Pål Magnus Rybom and Jon-Ivar Berg started experimenting with electronic music. That summer the two of them recorded a demo. Berg left ...

on their

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

maxi-single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, "In the Summertime" was the ...

''Skulk'' and by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

group Scooter on their

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

album ''

Jumping All Over the World ''Jumping All Over the World'' is the thirteenth studio album by German techno group Scooter, released in Germany in 2007. Five singles have been released from it: " The Question Is What Is the Question?", "And No Matches", " Jumping All Over t ...

''. This Limahl song, along with other "techno-pop" treatments to the soundtrack, is not present in the German version of the film, which features Doldinger's orchestral score exclusively. It was also performed by Dustin and Suzie from the television series ''

Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. Produced by Monkey Massacre Prod ...

''. In 1994,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

group Club House released the song "Nowhere Land", featuring Carl, which combines the melody of the tune "Bastian's Happy Flight" with original lyrics. An official soundtrack album was released featuring Doldinger's score and Moroder's theme tune (Moroder also rescored several scenes for the version released outside Germany). The track listing (Doldinger is responsible for everything from track 6 onwards) is as follows: In Germany, an album featuring Doldinger's score was released.

Charts

Release

* 6 April 1984 in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

() * 20 July 1984 in the

(''The NeverEnding Story'') * 6 October 1984 in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

() * 21 November 1984 in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

() * 6 December 1984 in

() * 7 December 1984 in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

() * 4 April 1985 in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

(''The NeverEnding Story'')

Box office

The film performed very well at the box office, grossing US$100 million worldwide against a production budget of DM 60 million (approximately US$25–27 million at the time). Almost 5 million people saw it in Germany, a number rarely achieved by German productions, resulting in a gross of about US$20 million domestically. It grossed a similar amount in the United States—only a modest sum in the American market, which director Wolfgang Petersen ascribed to the film's European sensibilities.

Critical reception

The film has a

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

score of 83% based on reviews from 46 critics, with an average rating of 7.00/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "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."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

gives the film a score of 46 out of 100 based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

of the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'' gave it 3 out of 4 stars and praised its visual effects, saying that "an entirely new world has been created" because of them, a comment echoed by ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

''. Ebert's co-host

Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune''. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted a series of movie review programs on television from 1975 until his d ...

said that the film's special effects and art direction were cheap-looking and that Falkor the luckdragon resembled the sort of stuffed toy you'd win at a county fair and throw out when you left. He also referred to Noah Hathaway as a "dullard" and said that the film was "much too long", even after Ebert pointed out that the film was only 90 minutes long. Joshua Tyler of CinemaBlend referred to it as "one of a scant few true fantasy masterpieces".

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...

panned the film as a "graceless, humorless fantasy for children" in a 1984 review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Canby's criticism charged that parts of the film "sounded like 'The Pre-Teenager's Guide to Existentialism. He further criticized the "tacky" special effects and that the construction of the dragon looked like "an impractical bathmat".

Colin Greenland Colin Greenland (born 17 May 1954 in Dover, Kent, England) is a British science fiction writer, whose first story won the second prize in a 1982 Faber & Faber competition. His best-known novel is ''Take Back Plenty'' (1990), winner of both majo ...

reviewed ''The NeverEnding Story'' for ''

Imagine Imagine may refer to: * Imagination Music Albums * ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008 * ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002 * ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012 * ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971 ** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...

'' magazine and stated that "perhaps the heroic quest of young Atreyu to save the land of Fantasia from the all-consuming Nothing might have been more convincing if it hadn't been so clumsily edited".

Accolades

; Wins * 1984 –

Bambi Award The Bambi, often called the Bambi Award and stylised as BAMBI, is a German award presented annually by Hubert Burda Media to recognize excellence in international media and television to personalities in the media, arts, culture, sports, and ot ...

for National film * 1984 –

Goldene Leinwand The Goldene Leinwand (Golden Screen) is an award created in 1964 by the HDF ("Hauptverband Deutscher Filmtheater e.V.", literally translated "Federal Association For Movie Theatres") and the journal ''Filmecho/Filmwoche''. Like a Golden Record, it ...

(Golden Screen Award) * 1985 –

Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor The Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor is one of the annual awards given by the American professional organization the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. The Saturn Awards are the oldest film-specialized awards t ...

(

) * 1985 – Brazilian Film Award for Best Production * 1985 – Film Award in Gold for Best Production Design ; Nominations * 1985 –

Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film The Saturn Awards for Best Fantasy Film is an award presented to the best film in the fantasy genre by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. Winners and nominees 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s External linksOff ...

and

Saturn Award for Best Music The Saturn Award for Best Music is one of the annual awards given by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The Saturn Awards, which are the oldest film-specialized awards to reward science fiction, fantasy, and horror achieve ...

* 1985 – International Fantasy Film Award for Best Film * 1985 –

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

for Best Family Motion Picture, Best Young Actor, Best Young Supporting Actress

Home media

LaserDisc

The film was released by Warner Bros. on

LaserDisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...

with a digital stereo soundtrack in 1985. A widescreen Laserdisc was released on 28 August 1991; no special features were included.

DVD

The region-1

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

was first released in 2001 by

Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

, containing only the North American release of the film. The only audio option is a 2.0 stereo mix in either English or Spanish. The theatrical trailer is the lone extra feature presented. There is also a lavish 2003 European version, which is a two-disc special edition with packaging shaped like the book from the film, and containing both the North American and German releases of the film. Various extras, such as a 45-minute documentary, music video, and galleries, are presented on the second disc. There is no English audio for the German version of the film. This edition has gone out of print. The standard single-disc edition is also available for the region-2 market. A Dutch import has also appeared on the Internet in various places, which not only contains the North American release of the film, but also includes a remastered DTS

surround sound Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener ( surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to sur ...

track, which is not found in either the German or the region-1 releases. In 2008, Czech- and Slovak-language DVD versions appeared in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Blu-ray

The first

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...

release was a region-free Dutch edition on 24 March 2007. Warner released a region-A Blu-ray edition of the film in March 2010. The disc includes a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, which marks the first time a 5.1 surround track has been included in a US home-video version of the film. No special features or theatrical trailer are included. Recent German releases feature the original Klaus Doldinger soundtrack with the original English audio track. An 30th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray was released in October 2014, which duplicates the DTS surround track of its predecessor. Originally described as a "newly" remastered version of the film, Warner released a statement indicating that "the only remastered version is The NeverEnding Story II", while not elaborating further on this current US release. The 30th Anniversary Edition contains the original theatrical trailer, a commentary track by director Wolfgang Petersen, documentaries and interviews from both 1984 and 2014, and a German-language/English-subtitled feature detailing the digital restoration process of the film.

In popular culture

* In ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'' episode "

New Kid on the Block "New Kid on the Block" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 12, 1992. After meeting his new neighbor, Laur ...

Lionel Hutz Lionel Hutz is a fictional character in the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He was voiced by Phil Hartman, and his first appearance was in the season two episode " Bart Gets Hit by a Car". Hutz is a stereotypical shady ambulance cha ...

claims to have filed a suit against the film for fraudulent advertising. * The

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...

band

took their name from the character of the same name from the film. * The

beatdown hardcore Beatdown hardcore (also known as heavy hardcore, brutal hardcore, toughguy, moshcore, or simply beatdown) is a subgenre of hardcore punk with prominent elements of heavy metal. Beatdown hardcore features aggressive vocals, down-tuned electric ...

band Nasty has song called "Fantasia" from album "Shokka" is dedicated to this film. *

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 ...

's album ''The Nothing'' is named directly in reference to the Nothing in the film. Korn frontman

Jonathan Davis Jonathan Howsmon Davis (born January 18, 1971), also known as JD or JDevil, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and frontman of nu metal band Korn, who are considered a pioneering act of the ...

chose the title as he was still struggling with the death of his estranged wife Deven Davis. Jonathan had said: "I was struggling with the thing that's chasing me – that's always freaking with me. I tried to give it a name and it just fit". * In 2019, the theme song for the film was incorporated into the final episode of the third season of the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

thriller show ''

'', which takes place in 1985, furthering its status as a staple of 1980s

pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * Pop (Gas al ...

. After the episode was aired, the Internet paid streams for the original theme songs went from 300,000 to 1.5 million downloads a month.

Possible remake

In 2009,

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

, The Kennedy/Marshall Company and Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way Productions were in the early stages of creating another adaptation of Ende's novel. They intended to "examine the more nuanced details of the book" rather than remake the original film by Petersen. In 2011, producer Kathleen Kennedy (producer), Kathleen Kennedy said that problems securing the rights to the story may mean that a second adaptation is "not meant to be". In September 2022, it was reported that a bidding war for the film and TV rights of The NeverEnding Story between studios and streamers had emerged.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:NeverEnding Story 1 1984 films West German films 1980s English-language films English-language German films 1980s fantasy adventure films German children's films German fantasy adventure films American children's adventure films American children's fantasy films American fantasy adventure films 1980s children's fantasy films Films about bullying Films about dragons Films based on fantasy novels Films based on German novels Films directed by Wolfgang Petersen Puppet films Films produced by Bernd Eichinger Films scored by Klaus Doldinger Films set in Washington (state) Films shot in Germany Films shot in Vancouver High fantasy films The NeverEnding Story (film series) Works based on The Neverending Story Constantin Film films Warner Bros. films Films shot in Almería Metafictional works 1980s American films 1980s German films