What is the iRankMovies score for The NeverEnding Story?

Name: The NeverEnding Story
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Genre: adventure, family, fantasy
Released: 1984
Duration: 1 h 41 min
Rating: 7.3

The NeverEnding Story has an iRankMovies score of 71/100, based on a weighted combination of IMDb (×3.0), Rotten Tomatoes (×2.0), Metacritic (×1.5), and TMDb (×1.0).

The NeverEnding Story (1984)

Die unendliche Geschichte

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

Release:1984

Runtime:1h 41m

Country:Germany

Director:Wolfgang Petersen

Language:German

Genre

AdventureFamilyFantasy

See the best adventure movies →

Keywords

Based On Novel Or BookWolfmagic Fairy TaleHorseMythologyChild HeroAnthropomorphism

iRank71

The NeverEnding Story rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb7.3/10· 169K votes

Rotten Tomatoes84%

Metacritic49%

TMDb7.2/10· 4K votes

With 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 7.3/10 on IMDb and 49/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been positive.

About The NeverEnding Story

While hiding from bullies in his school's attic, a young boy discovers the extraordinary land of Fantasia, through a magical book called The Neverending Story. The book tells the tale of Atreyu, a young warrior who, with the help of a luck dragon named Falkor, must save Fantasia from the destruction of The Nothing.

Cast of The NeverEnding Story

Noah Hathaway
as Atreyu
Barret Oliver
as Bastian
Tami Stronach
as The Childlike Empress
Alan Oppenheimer
as Rockbiter / Falkor / G'mork / Narrator (voice)
S
Sydney Bromley
as Engywook
Patricia Hayes
as Urgl
Moses Gunn
as Cairon - Empress' Servant
Frank Lenart
as Teeny Weeny / Night Hob (voice)
R
Robert Jadah
as Morla the Ancient One (voice)
Gerald McRaney
as Bastian's Father
Tilo Prückner
as Night Hob
Deep Roy
as Teeny Weeny

The NeverEnding Story facts

Original title: Die unendliche Geschichte
Budget: $27M
Box office: $20.2M
Collection: The NeverEnding Story Collection

Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026Methodology Data sources

Audience opinions

What the audience liked

•Child hero protagonist speaks to younger audiences while maintaining sophisticated fantasy worldbuilding
•Based on beloved novel adaptation brings anthropomorphic creatures and fantastical book store atmosphere
•Family adventure balances bullying themes with empowering message of imagination transcending reality

What the audience disliked

•Dated special effects and puppetry feel quaint compared to modern animation standards noticeably
•Pacing occasionally slows during middle passages potentially testing modern children's attention spans

Saga: The NeverEnding Story Collection