I don’t remember when I first read Katherine Paterson’s “Bridge to Terabithia” but the story of friendship and a fantastic, imagined world shared by the two friends has always stuck with me. It was a page-turner that I couldn’t read fast enough and now it is a wonderful movie that I am sure I will watch again and again as time goes by.

The film starts with Jesse Aarons having a tough time. He is the middle child in a family full of girls, his parents are going through a tough financial time, forcing him to wear his sister’s hand-me-down shoes, and there are a number of bullies at school who make every day difficult as well. Josh Hutcherson does a wonderful job portraying the sullen Jesse. We know he is a good kid with a good heart but we can also see how the weight of the world seems to rest on his shoulders. Enter Leslie Burke, a spunky, artistic daughter of two writers and Jesse’s new neighbor, played by the vivacious AnnaSophia Robb. Leslie and Jesse become fast friends and soon they have created a world in the forest, Terabithia While they are the “king and queen” of the land, it is interesting to note that they always have battles to face - giant trolls, vultures, etc. and that these obstacles often mirror the ones they face in the real world. In Terabithia Jesse and Leslie are the fastest, strongest, bravest and smartest and they can overcome everything. As their confidence increases in the imagined world, it grows in the real world as well.

Do not be fooled by the trailers though, there is very little of the “Narnia” style CGI and fantasy. This is a rather small movie with grand ideas of the power of imagination, creativity and friendship. It is very powerful and moving and parents of young children should be warned of a tragic event late in the film that may be too much for younger viewers to handle. Even though I knew what was coming, I still had some tears well up in my eyes.

“Bridge to Terabithia” is a lot like the films that I grew up with and that is a good thing. It rests on a solid story and has dozens of great performances, including some very good work from Robert Patrick (the evil Terminator in “T2”) and Zooey Deschanel (Jovie in “Elf”), and it doesn’t pander to the lowest common denominator, feature silly commercial tie-ins or hyperactive editing or use of music. The film has that classic Disney live action feel and I hope that more movies like this come our way.

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