I used to find the theme song to be annoying. The film is about a lonely boy who escapes into a fantasy world through a fantasy novel after being bullied by some boys. The movie is satisfactory and light entertaining. The movie is ideal for children even with the outdated special effects. If you want a film to make you feel good about yourself on a rainy day, this movie will do it.

Barret Oliver plays Bastian Balthazar Bux - a proud name, if there ever was one - a studious little boy, who's quite fascinated with books and stories as means to escape his less than ideal life as a child, who has lost his mother and is bullied at school. After dodging said bullies into a bookstore, he happens upon a book called The NeverEnding Story. Taking the book to school with him he ends up lost in its pages, reading about a world being taken over by The Nothing and about the Childlike Empress and Atreyu of the Plains People, who hunt the purple buffalo.The NeverEnding is one of the most beloved classics of the fantasy genre for a reason. Partly this is because of how the film looks. The beautifully made and animated puppets are still a sight to behold and give the whole film amazing authenticity. Rock Biter, Falkor, Morla and so many more fantastic creatures, who despite clearly being puppets, feel amazingly alive and alert in every scene they're in.But the other and most important part is the story itself. The barebone plot itself is more than decent fantasy adventure, but its the subtext, to which I keep returning. This film and the original book take a step backwards and decide to examine the very act of experiencing a story, be it through the act of reading a book, seeing a film or even listening to a song. We get lost in this experience. The surrounding real world shuts down and suddenly we're there, struggling across the Swamp of Sadness or peering through the telescope of old Engywook. It's an amazing thing, but quite often it's taken for granted.Not with this story, though. And for that, if for nothing else, this is a great film.

This is my favorite film of all times. Bastian reads a book called The Neverending Story and finds out that only Atreyu can stop the Nothing from destroying Fantasia and has to save the Childlike Empress! When Bastian realizes that he is part of the story, he calls the Childlike Empress' new name. Then he rides on Falcor and gets revenge for getting bullied. The only thing I hate is when Artax sinks into the Swamps of Sadness.

To say this film is one of the great classics of my generation would be an understatement. This is one of the greatest films ever. The Basics... It was released in 1984 - when I was born... shows my age. and it continues to be played every Christmas and often on a wet weekend. Its a magical adventure with a cast of all sorts, Humans, fairies, Bug people, rock monsters and a flying dragon, and so many more. the plot is to long winded to explain here, basically its a magical quest with great set/location and a tedious link to the real world. it addresses some heavy issues: Bullying, Death, Love and fear. so far I have chosen not to show my kids. I don't want them to feel the sadness of the swamp (RIP Artax). but I know my kids will love this film when they get chance to watch it. The Bad-ish!... some people say it is a little slow, some say the acting or the lip sink is poor. but none of that matters. The film is just the right speed to really feel all the aspects. The acting is well played, can seem a little OTT at times, but that's part of the fun. and the lip sink issues actually seem to suit the characters somehow... and to be honest, you wont actually notice unless you stare and study the film, deliberately looking. I would sadly have to say that the franchise didn't quite build well... Though this film was great, the following continuations were really not as good, NES2 was OK. NES3 was worse than bilge-water.The Good... as a child I grew up watching these easy to love friends in the film. it teaches a good set of moral things about good friends. The music - especially the main theme is great... My MP3 player now has "Never ending story - Ah-h-h-ah-h-h... Make believe I'm everywhere, Im written in the lines, there upon the pages..." The film will just blow you away - I would actually say - for its time, it is an easy 80s equivalent of the Lord of the rings. If you have not seen it I demand you go watch it now ! - But first, go get some movie snacks, and a family pack of tissues per person for the swamp scene... seriously, you will be in floods of tears. My final point is that this film will do everything the old Disney (not a D film) told you their films would do... You'll laugh, you'll cry and you will enjoy every minuet.