It may very well be hokey to kids, but it's nice to see a depiction of a world where learning is, well, fun.Įven more shocking (especially given the conservative right's championing of Disney's recent 'Chronicles of Narnia'), 'Terabithia' makes the brave step of letting Leslie question not just authority, but religious extremism, as well. The adults are not all stupid or evil, an even the teachers (usually played as buffoons or abusive tyrants) are positive and encouraging. The film also happily doesn't revel in so many of the cliches that usually haunt these types of fantasy films. That makes 'Terabithia' much more low-key (if no less effects-heavy) than large-scale filmed epics like 'Narnia' or ' Eragon,' but arguably far more relatable and inspiring. It's an adventure not about stunted immaturity, but the accepting of responsibility - instead of merely retreating into juvenile silliness, these teens have the far more demanding task of making their world a better place. Rather than telling yet another story about children stuck in oppressive environments who discover a doorway to a fantastical world, here we have ordinary, everyday kids who manage to create the magical out of the mundane themselves. One of the many things I found so refreshing and pleasurable about 'Bridge to Terabithia' is that, for once, the fantasy is entirely in the minds of the teen protagonists. Will carry with him for the rest of his life. But Terabithia has plenty of lessons to teach about real-life, too, including some unexpectedly painful ones that Jess Jess has been bullied at school and misunderstood at home, so new girl in town Leslie brings him into the woods to open his mind to the amazing, imaginary kingdom of Terabithia - a secret land where the two pre-teens reign supreme among the giants, ogres and other fantastical creatures they create. Such was my experience with 'Bridge to Terabithia.' From reading the Blu-ray box cover, at first I worried that this might be a cheap Disney knock-off of such fantasy faves like 'The NeverEnding Story' or 'The Dark Crystal,' but in reality 'Terabithia' is a true gem - an underrated sleeper that I personally preferred to much more popular and highly-acclaimed films such as 'The Chronicles of Narnia' and 'Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.'īased on the prize-winning young adult novel of the same name by Katherine Paterson, 'Bridge to Terabithia' tells the tale of fast friends Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) and Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb).

Often the best movie experiences are those you go into without any preconceived notions or expectations.

Bridge to terabithia book cover