Neverending Story

Theatrical Release Date: 1984 07 20 (USA)

UPC: 883929105878

Studio: Warner Home Video

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Mild Violence, Child Classic, Excellent For Children]

Summary: Wolfgang Petersen adapted Michael Ende's children's story for this charming fantasy film that spawned several sequels. Bastian (Barret Oliver) is dealing with his mother's recent death. His father (Gerald McRaney) is an imperious sort who continually lambastes Bastian for daydreaming and falling behind in school. On top of his father's badgering, he has to contend with a bunch of school bullies waiting for him in the schoolyard. One day he decides to play hooky and walks into a strange bookstore, where in the attic, he discovers a book called "The Neverending Story". As Bastian reads the book, he's enveloped in the unfolding tale. A sickly child-like empress (Tami Stronach) from a land called Fantasia is concerned about who will take over the land if she dies. She decides it is best for Fantasia if she remains alive, so she dispatches a young warrior named Atreju (Noah Hathaway) to find a cure for the empress's malady. It turns out the land is consumed with a plague called The Nothing, generated by blighted dreams and hopeless fantasies. As Atreju continues onward to search for a cure for The Nothing, he encounters an assortment of strange creatures. Bastian is so consumed with the tale that he finds himself catapulted into the land of Fantasia himself. Atreju realizes that the only way to save the land from its blight is with the help of this strange earth boy, Bastian. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Category: Children's/Family

Awards: Film Presented – Tribeca Film Festival

Neverending Story

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 03/02/2010

Audio: DHMA null, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 94 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Andrea LeVasseur

An epic fantasy that combines live action, puppetry, and animatronics, The Neverending Story delivers the goods as a mythical journey for kids. While failing to address a lot of material in the source novel of the same name by Michael Ende, the film version still manages a tense, dangerous adventure story filled with wonder. As the first English-language film for Wolfgang Petersen (director of Das Boot and In the Line of Fire), there seems to be both a sense of typical Spielberg suburban morality as well as deeper explorations into darker themes. The narrative structure makes no attempt to hide the underlying literacy message, as the bookend device of having Bastian (Barret Oliver) read the ancient story line certainly is a positive endorsement for getting kids to read more books and use their imagination. The synth-heavy soundtrack and quality of the special effects sticks this old-fashioned tale firmly in the '80s, making for a good nostalgia piece. The Neverending Story would be followed by two lesser sequels lacking the skilled direction of Wolfgang Petersen. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Nicholas Gilbert  Actor 
Darryl Cooksey  Actor 
Alan Oppenheimer  Actor 
Drum Garrett  Actor 
Mark Damon  Executive Producer 
Mark Damon  Producer 
Klaus Doldinger  Composer (Music Score) 
Bernd Eichinger  Producer 
Dieter Geissler  Producer 
John W. Hyde  Executive Producer 
Giorgio Moroder  Composer (Music Score) 
Wolfgang Petersen  Director 
Wolfgang Petersen  Screenwriter 
Robert Gordon Edwards  Executive Producer 
Herman Weigel  Screenwriter 
Günter Rohrbach  Producer 
Noah Hathaway  Actor 
Barret Oliver  Actor 
Tami Stronach  Actor 
Moses Gunn  Actor 
Patricia Hayes  Actor 
Sydney Bromley  Actor 
Gerald McRaney  Actor 
Deep Roy  Actor 
Thomas Hill  Actor 
Tilo Prückner  Actor 

Country: Germany,UK,USA,West Germany