Bridge to Terabithia is a
2007 film directed by
Gábor Csupó (co-founder of
Klasky-Csupo) for
Walt Disney Pictures,
Walden Media and
Summit Entertainment. based on the
Katherine Paterson novel
of the same name. The film was released on February 16, 2007 in the U.S. and Canada, and June 16, 2007 in New Zealand and was number two at the box office in the U.S. and Canada over its opening weekend. It was rated
PG by the
MPAA for thematic elements including bullying, some peril and mildly offensive language.
Plot
12-year-old Jesse "Jess" Aarons is an aspiring artist living in a financially struggling family. 12-year-old Leslie Burke has just moved to Lark Creek and is the new girl at Jess's school who has had trouble making friends at school and yet is full of joy and wonder with a vast imagination. She enters a running event which she wins, despite her classmates calling it a "boys-only" race. At first, Jess is quite sour about this and wants nothing to do with Leslie, but Leslie's persistence in meeting him soon pays off, and the two become very close friends. Their friendship starts when Leslie offers Jess a piece of Juicy Fruit gum on the bus, and he accepts. Jess shares his secret love of drawing with Leslie. Together they venture into the woods, where they swing across a creek on a rope and find an abandoned tree house on the other side. Here, the two friends invent a new world they call Terabithia, and it comes to life through their eyes as they explore together. Reflections of their world abound in Terabithia: in particular, the gigantic ogre bears a face that mysteriously resembles that of feared bully Janice, who even charges younger children "admission" to the ladies' room. Leslie gives Jess an unexpected birthday present, an art kit, and he gives Leslie an adorable, scruffy terrier puppy, Prince Terrien, in return, much to both of the children's happiness. Leslie thanks Jess by hugging him, revealing her secret affections towards him. Jess is a bright but not too verbal youngster, and his new-found friendship is a critical step in helping him blossom as a young man, also repairing his strained relationships with his overworked mother and aloof, nuts-and-bolts father.
