Posted on 02/16/2007 9:56:53 PM PST by Milwaukee_Guy
A 10 year old boy and a 10 year old girl combine their art and writing talents to create a magical kingdom. Not being like all the other kids and not being fully appreciated by their parents, they embark on their own fantasy journey.
Evoking images of the "Chronicles of Narnia" and "Harry Potter" Disney paints an image of a high tech journey into yet another magical realm that children and parents can both enjoy and share together at their local theater.
HUGE SPOILER - Scroll Down at your own risk! - - - - - - -
Jessie and Leslie spent an hour and fifteen minutes feeling the taunts of their peers and the demands of their parents and begin to fantasize about a kingdom they create on a piece of abandonned property next to their homes. Fleeting glimpses of magical creatures begin to draw them into their new world.
Before the fantasy world really begins to start there's only one small problem.
Leslie (Anna Sophia Robb), venturing to their secret meeting place alone. falls off the rope they use to swing over the creek and CRACKS HER HEAD OPEN AND DROWNS.
The balance of the movie depicts the shock, horror and sadness that Jessie, his family and Leslie's parents endure during the aftermath of Leslie's demise. Jessie makes ammends with his little sister and the movie sputters to a fitfull conclusion with Jessie building a wooden bridge over the creek that Leslie drowned in.
The last 45 minutes of the picture found the audience in a shocked silence.
As we left the theater 5 to 8 year olds were crying and holding their parents as they trudged off to their cars.
This -is- an exceptionally -good- movie but my goodness IT IS DEPRESSING!
"Bridge to Terabithia" defeys classification as either a children's movie or as an adult movie. Disney had to know that to be the case and chose to market the movie as a lighthearted fantasy journey.
Bottom line, it's really an adult movie being passed off as a kids movie. Notice the PG rating on this one.
I wouldn't take a pre-teen to this movie knowing what I know now.
Regardless, it is an outstanding movie. Jessie and Leslie (Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb) put in exeptional performances for child actors and will do very well in the future.
This movie gets my 4 out of 4 hankie rating!
Yes, I think you get it. I found the book so unreadable because it's told through the young boy and Paterson makes his family so despicable. And of course, they are church goers, while Leslie's "cool" parents are former urbanites who are now living and writing in rural Virginia. There's a green place in their Terebithia where they go to be thankful. I hadn't thought about the Christ metaphor, but I think you're onto something.
I'm taking a course this semester in Young Adult Lit and I've been appalled at what I've read so far. Mostly. Although I really liked Holes by Louis Sachar. After what I've been reading, I think I'd read anything first before my child read it. Fortunately, mine is about ready to graduate from college now.
You're right. The fantasy was not in the book. The book dealt with the kids having a place to go by themselves where they could imagine what they wanted to. It was about them, not the world of their invention. I could barely read the book, I found it so dreadful.
Hey, there's always Tom Swift and Doc Savage.
I have thought the fantasy aspect of this movie to be a huge mistake since I first saw the ads. I taught this book to sixth graders. It is NOT a fanciful book.
It's not a Disney movie unless there is death involved in one way or another.
I agree. I really didn't find it to be a very good book at all. I could never figure out why people were so bit on it. My daughter didn't really like it that much either. I liked "Holes," "Harriet the Spy," and "A Year Down Under" much better.
Holes is a delightful book. Good movie too. I haven't read the others. Thanks for the recomendation.
I fail to see how anyone could think it would be okay to take a 4-year-old to any movie rated PG whether “marketed to children” or not. And I also fail to comprehend how anyone would accuse Disney of marketing this to kids. And even if that were true, the job of a parent is to educate one-self on anything capturing the interest of their child. So instead of pointing the finger at Disney, point it back at yourselves.
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