Based on Katherine Paterson’s popular Newbery Award-winning novel of the same name,
Bridge to Terabithia is part family drama, part adolescent fantasy — a
wonderful little movie about friendship, as well as about the power and exhilaration of
a blossoming imagination.

Zathura’s Josh Hutcherson (above, right) stars as Jess, a reserved 11-year-old who’s a bit
of an outsider at school and home as well. When he strikes up a
friendship with the quirky new girl in town (AnnaSophia Robb, of
Because of Winn-Dixie), together they create a secret, magical kingdom that serves as their joint escape. There they play-act a series of fantastical escapades
against figurative representations of school bullies and, in the
process, change each other for the better. The movie mines a deep reservoir of genuine feeling that’s often missing
in adolescent entertainment, combining it with just the right amount of
sensory pleasures. For a short review of the film, from CityBeat, click here. Alternately, for a longer look at the movie and Walden Media’s new lock on kids’ lit, in a piece from FilmStew, click here.