Jess Aaron: Josh Hutcherson
Leslie Burke: AnnaSophia Robb
Maybelle Aarons: Bailee Madison
Mr. Aarons: Robert Patrick
Walt Disney Pictures presents a film directed by Gabor Csupo. Written by Jeff Stockwell an David Paterson. Based on the book by Katherine Paterson. Running time: 95 minutes. Rated PG-13 (for thematic elements including bullying, some peril and mild language). Opening today at local theaters.
-- "Pure Imagination," from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"
Imagination is a terrible thing to waste. What a dull world it would be without it, how sad and colorless and boring, indeed.
That may be simplifying the message in the new film "Bridge to Terabithia," but then again the movie, based on the award-winning children's novel by Katherine Paterson, is all about the imaginary worlds inside our minds, specifically, the minds of young children, and those fabulous far-away places residing therein that are both irresistible and terrifying. When the real world deals you a rotten hand, you can be Cinderella at the ball, or Joe DiMaggio at the plate, or a tiny Hobbit on a quest, or even the king of Terabithia. Marvelous.
Though the book has been brought to the big screen by the dream factory at Disney, "Terabithia" is not the typical saccharine family fare the studio is famous for, and that's a very good thing. Instead, this delightful and sometimes dark fantasy-adventure never loses touch with reality, even though much of the film takes place within the limitless imagination of two young kids.
Jess (Josh Hutcherson) is a 10-year-old loner, an artist of some means, constantly sketching fantastic creatures and mythological worlds in his notebook. It is his escape from the real world where he is picked on regularly at school, and on the school bus by the cool kids, and even at home by his older sisters. His parents (Robert Patrick and Kate Butler) are struggling to make ends meet, so much so that on the day of a big race, Jess (who fancies himself the fastest kid in school) is forced to wear hand-me-down pink sneakers from one of his sisters.
Enter Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb), the new girl in school. She's a loner from the city, incredibly intelligent, the daughter of fiction writers, who is blessed with an imagination that rivals Jess'. Her talent is storytelling -- writing aloud as she races with the wind, creating vivid stories of kings and princesses and ogres and giants. This is her escape from a real world that can't keep up with all she envisions.
At the aforementioned school race Jess and Leslie set in motion the friendship that will change their lives forever. One day, as the two are racing through the woods, they come upon a dangling rope suspended over a creek. They grab it and swing across and enter the imaginary world of Terabithia, where they reign as king and queen. Here they battle mythical creatures, from giant armor-clad squirrels to hairy vultures to a she-giant who's brought down by a good dose of tickling. Dragonflies morph into an army of glistening gold warriors. Trees come to life as a menacing horde. An old abandoned tree house becomes their mighty fortress.
"Terabithia" works on so many levels because it never talks down to its intended child audience, while it maintains enough intelligence to ably pique the interest of adults. Hungarian director Gabor Csupo, known mostly for his animation work on "The Wild Thornberrys," "The Rugrats" and "The Simpsons," keeps the special effects smartly in check. Though they never quite achieve the violent intensity of those used throughout "Lord of the Rings" or the elegant dreaminess of those in "The Chronicles of Narnia," the effects in "Terabithia" are highly stylized and quite potent.
Ultimately, the film's heart and soul rests on the abilities of its young lead characters to make us really see the world through children's eyes. The dynamic duo of Hutcherson and Robb do not disappoint. Throughout the film, we feel Jess' pain, his joy, his sadness, thanks to a sensitive and believable performance by Hutcherson, whose credits include "Zathura" and "RV." Even Jess' innocent crush on the school's foxy young music teacher (Zooey Deschanel) is so genuine that our hearts can't help aching over what he's going through.
As Leslie, Robb (the sweet Opal in "Because of Winn-Dixie" and the spoiled brat Violet in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory") dazzles with her sparkling blue eyes and million-watt smile. She makes Leslie an outsider with a heart of gold, whose funky retro-metro wardrobe is something she wears quite well, but will never win her points with the cool girls in school. They are two fine young actors who command the screen as few of their tween contemporaries can.
"Bridge to Terabithia" is all about meeting your first best friend, and holding on to that friendship with all your might. It's about childhood, about playing and running and just being a kid, with all the pitfalls and pratfalls, with all the joy and the pain. It's about real life.
Imagine that.