Considering Bridge to Terabithia comes from the same studio and production company behind The Chronicles of Narnia, I was surprised to discover that it wasn’t just some super-light fantasy fare. I never did read the book, and Disney’s marketing department tried hard to exploit the fantasy elements. It was easy to assume it would be just a kiddie fantasy film. I’m glad it wasn’t.

While this story of two kids with tender lives and wild imaginations isn’t a substantial work, it is definitely the solid, family-friendly product we can expect from Walden Media and Disney.

The film follows Jesse (Josh Hutcherson), the only boy in a large family that is having trouble making ends meet. His tough-loving father doesn’t care much for the frivolities of Jesse’s drawing hobby, especially when there are chores to be done around their rural home. Jesse, too, doesn’t see them as anything special until Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb) moves in down the road.

The two quickly form a friendship as they navigate the waters of middle school together. Leslie’s unique, creative take on life inspires Jesse to continue drawing, while the pair creates the imaginary world of Terabithia in the nearby forest. The bullies they face every day become villains, and they battle them together until tragedy abruptly tears them apart.

There is no actual bridge to Terabithia until the end of the film. Jesse builds it to get across the creek that separates the everyday world from his and Leslie's magical kingdom. In the final shot we get all the fantasy elements that are promised in the advertisement, but before that we have to go through a half-hour heavy on middle school pathos.

Because of that, I wouldn’t call Bridge to Terabithia a film the whole family can enjoy. It becomes overwrought and sappy, but not until after telling the honest and inspiring contemporary story a preteen discovering the potential of his mind. Adults may find the latter part of the film a tad immature for the themes it addresses, but for a younger audience, I can’t think of a better way to get its point across.

I’m inclined to call Bridge to Terabithia a coming-of-age tale. Most of those types of films, however, are made for an audience that has long ago transitioned into adulthood. Terabithia is different because it can be a guide for adolescence, not just a retrospective of it. Without the pandering of most children’s entertainment, Terabithia becomes an accessible but honest film for the audience it is trying to entertain.

Special Features:

• Commentary by director Gabor Csupo, writer Jeff Stockwell and producer Hal Lieberman
• Digital Imagination: Bringing Terabithia to Life
• Behind the Book: The Themes of Bridge to Terabithia
• AnnaSophia Robb music video: "Keep Your Mind Wide Open"

This entry was posted on Monday, June 18th, 2007 at 8:45 am and is filed under Celebrity Gossip, Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Most kids growing up imagine a world they can escape to, a magical place where they are in control of the things that happen. Director Gabor Csupo's Bridge to Terabithia, co-written by David Paterson (the son of the writer whose novel provides the film's source material), is the story of two kids and the bond they create while imagining a magical place to call their own.

Jesse (Josh Huterson) is a quiet and thoughtful outsider in a school that seems full of bullies. Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb) is a confident and rather odd newcomer to the small-town school. While at first it might not seem that these two could be friends, they soon discover what they have in common and become inseparable. Leslie opens Jesse’s eyes to a world that he couldn’t see clearly, and she helps him to open his mind to his surroundings. Together the two create Terabithia and fight the wicked servants of the Dark Master, who is a clawed, shadowy figure.

The emphasis of the movie is on the friendship being built by these two unpopular children. While both come from different backgrounds, and their home lives are completely different, there is one common theme — loneliness. Jesse always seems to be the odd one out at home. His sisters receive most of the attention, especially the second youngest, May Belle (Bailee Madison), and Leslie seems to have all this free time while her parents, who are novelists, write.

The story that unfolds is simple but well-done. Having never read the book, I cannot make comparisons, although now I’m sure to add it to my reading list. Jesse and Leslie give each other things the other was looking for — friendship, understanding, hope — all things a person of any age can relate to on some level.

I was braced for the tragic incident that happens halfway through the movie but still I cried. (If you have seen the movie or read the book you know what happens.) Yes, that’s right. I cried and clutched my tissue like the soft-hearted fool I am. The incident was handled very well though, well-acted and thoughtful. It dealt with guilt and sorrow on a level that was easy for a younger audience to understand. I was surprised by the discussion involving religion. It seems in such a politically correct world something like that would be a big hot button. But again, it was handled thoughtfully.

I have to admit that I wish there had been more fantasy. I realize that this is a movie about friendship and the relationships you form with your family with the fantasy element secondary to that. But the glimpse at the end with the bird-cage person and the view across a shimmering landscape just made me wish for more.

The DVD comes with some nice special features. The transformation from novel to movie is discussed in the "Behind the Book" section; there are interviews with the author Katherine Paterson, the actors, as well as school teachers who discuss the themes of the book. But the most interesting part for me was Katherine Paterson and her son David talking about the book The Bridge to Terabithia and its base in reality.

When I first saw previews for Terabithia I thought, ‘I have to see it’ but once it hit movie theaters I just didn’t have the time. Having just now finished it on DVD, I’m not sure if I’m glad I waited for it or not. There are several things about this movie that stand out and some that don’t. But overall, I have to admit that this was pretty good as long as you have a box of tissue with you.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 16th, 2007 at 6:27 pm and is filed under Celebrity Gossip, Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.