The NeverEnding Story

The NeverEnding Story (1984)

Name: The NeverEnding Story
Genre: children's film, drama film, fantasy film, sword and sorcery film
Released: 1984
Duration: 94 min
Cast: Barret Oliver, Deep Roy, Gerald McRaney, Moses Gunn, Noah Hathaway

A bookish boy is drawn into a fantasy world that is being swallowed by the Nothing, and must help a young warrior save it.

Details: 94 min · children's film · drama film
Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
Format: Live-action
Country: Germany
Animals: Horses & ponies, Sea animals

PetActing ratings

4/5 Paw Score

A fantasy classic; the horse scene is hard to forget.

Does the animal die?

Reveal answer (spoilers)

Yes, an animal dies.

Artax the horse sinks in the Swamp of Sadness.

Is an animal hurt or in danger?

Intense: animals in serious danger or distress

A horse is in distress in a famously upsetting scene.

Real animals or CGI?

Mix of real animals and CGI

A mix of real horses, puppets and effects.

On-set animal welfare

Not publicly documented.

Tearjerker level

💧💧💧💧💧 5/5

The horse scene is infamous.

Kid-friendliness (animal scenes)

Ages 8+

The horse scene and some monster peril.

Breed / species accuracy

Not applicable

Breed accuracy not assessed in this draft.

Animal cast

Animals featured: horses, turtles.

Where to watch

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Sources

title, release year, runtime, genres, directors, countries, identifiers: www.wikidata.org (retrieved 2026-10-24)
cast: www.wikidata.org (retrieved 2026-10-24)
animals in the film: en.wikipedia.org (retrieved 2026-10-24)
animals in the film: en.wikipedia.org (retrieved 2026-10-24)

Facts last checked 2026-10-24. Ratings are PetActing's own opinion, never copied from other sites.