The NeverEnding Story (1984)
"Die unendliche Geschichte" (original title)

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

Director:

Wolfgang Petersen

Writers:

Wolfgang Petersen (screenplay), Herman Weigel (screenplay),

Stars:

Barret Oliver, Gerald McRaney, Noah Hathaway

5 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Barret Oliver	...	Bastian
Gerald McRaney	...	Bastian's Father
Drum Garrett	...	1st Bully
Darryl Cooksey	...	2nd Bully
Nicholas Gilbert	...	3rd Bully
Thomas Hill	...	Carl Conrad Coreander
Deep Roy	...	Teeny Weeny
Tilo Prückner	...	Night Hob
Moses Gunn	...	Cairon
Noah Hathaway	...	Atreyu
Alan Oppenheimer	...	Rockbiter / Falkor / G'mork / Narrator (voice)
Sydney Bromley	...	Engywook
Patricia Hayes	...	Urgl
Tami Stronach	...	The Childlike Empress / Southern Oracle

Storyline

Bastian is a young boy who lives a dreary life being tormented by school bullies. On one such occasion he escapes into a book shop where the old proprieter reveals an ancient story-book to him, which he is warned can be dangerous. Shortly after, he "borrows" the book and begins to read it in the school attic where he is drawn into the mythical land of Fantasia, which desperately needs a hero to save it from destruction.

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Plot Keywords:

book | boy | bully | attic | empress | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

West Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 July 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

The NeverEnding Story

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Filmstudios, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$27,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

SEK 6,459,147 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Neue Constantin Film, Bavaria Studios, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 94 min (international)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Falkor is actually a 43-foot long motorized creature with 6,000 plastic scales and pink feather-fur. His head his three feet tall and long, and has a long tongue in the mouth.

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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.)

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Quotes

Bastian: How many wishes do I get?
The Childlike Empress: As many as you want. And the more wishes you make, the more magnificent Fantasia will become.
Bastian: Really?
The Childlike Empress: Try it.
Bastian: My first wish is...

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Connections

Spoofed in The Venture Bros.: Showdown at Cremation Creek: Part 2 (2006)

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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.

User Reviews

Life without Fantasia

The boy Bastian (Barret Oliver) misses his mother, who has died, and is bullied at school by three bullies. One day, he is running away from the three boys and hides in a bookstore, where the owner shows him a book that he has never read called "The Neverending Story".

Bastian does not resist and shoplifts the book, leaving a note telling that he will return the book after he reads it. He goes to the school attic and anxiously reads the book that tells the story of the magic kingdom of Fantasia that is doomed to destruction, unless the boy Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) can save it. But he needs the help of an Earthling boy to avoid that The Nothing destroys his world.

The first times that I saw "Die Unendliche Geschichte", a.k.a. "The Neverending Story", I was younger and younger and I simply loved it. Twenty-eight years later, I have just bought the Blu-Ray and after watching it again, I liked but less that I remember.

The state of art especial effects in 1984 is now dated and the acting is only reasonable. But the story of the coming of age by force of a boy that sees his innocence lost due to the death of his mother and bullying at school has a beautiful message in the end and is still worthwhile watching it. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A História Sem Fim" ("The Neverending Story")