The NeverEnding Story

What’s it about?

Bastian, a troubled boy falls into the wondrous fantasy world, Fantasia, when he reads the pages of a mysterious book. As he reads, he learns that he plays a key role in saving the world from a dark force called The Nothing, which is destroying everything in its path.

The facts

• Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
• Starring Barret Oliver, Noah Hathaway, Tami Stronach, Alan Oppenheimer, and Gerald McRaney
• English language
• Runtime: 95 minutes

Why did it get this rating?

This film was cross-rated by the Film and Video Labelling Body. You can find out more about cross-rating here.

Violence and scary scenes

The violence is mild and mostly fantasy-based. It includes scary creatures, tense moments, and some scenes involving danger or loss, but there’s no blood or graphic content. The world, Fantasia, is getting torn apart by storms and collapsing landscapes, causing characters to flee or fall. Some of the strongest scenes include: 

• Bastion runs into a group of bullies who chase him down an alleyway and throw him into a garbage dumpster. A knight in armour is zapped by golden sphynxes and killed. 
• Atreyu fights a wolf-like creature called Gmork in a brief but intense scene.

Emotional scenes

Atreyu’s horse, Artax, becomes trapped in the Swamps of Sadness, a place where anyone who gives in to despair will sink into the mud. Despite Atreyu’s desperate attempts to pull him free, Artax slowly sinks and drowns. This scene is widely remembered in pop culture because it’s a deeply emotional and unexpected moment of loss that resonated with many viewers, especially children, and is often referenced in memes, jokes, and nostalgic discussions about childhood movies.

The film’s major plot centres around an unknown, evil force that is slowly destroying the world, which may be emotionally intense for some younger viewers. In one scene Rockbiter describes how his friends were taken by ‘The Nothing’, which is emotionally heavy but not shown onscreen

When content stays with you:

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.  

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• Brain development – how it works, why it matters