Bridge To Terabithia (DVD)

Bridge To Terabithia



This weekend while visiting a friend we decided to have a relaxed afternoon and stick on a film and have a glass of wine. As her ten year old son was with us we decided to watch the children’s movie Bridge to Terabithia. I have heard of the film before but didn’t really know much about it. I didn’t know who was in it, what it was about or who made the film which sometimes I think ...
...him.

Bridge to Terabithia was adapted by the novel which I really want to read now to compare. The story had a good pace with plenty to keep children interested. I liked the fact that even though it is a PG it had elements to keep the adults interested too.
The ending was really outstanding and I was really surprised. It is not predictable at all and I found myself really involved. I think it has a different ending to most ... more

Bridge To Terabithia

This weekend while visiting a friend we decided to have a relaxed afternoon and stick on a film and have a glass of wine. As her ten year old son was with us we decided to watch the children’s movie Bridge to Terabithia. I have heard of the film before but didn’t really know much about it. I didn’t know who was in it, what it was about or who made the film which sometimes I think it is a good idea not knowing anything about it. I quite like these children fantasy films like The Narnia films so I thought this couldn’t be too bad. What I like about children’s DVD’s is that they are presented really nicely and this DVD was no exception. It had an outer cardboard cover and the front cover was colourful and looked very magical, which would help attracting kids to buy it (or rather their parents). Another aspect on why I don’t mind watching these films is that most of them are not very long and this film was only an hour and a half which is just right. So having our wine ready and my friends son sat on his bean bag we started it up.

INFO

Director- Gabor Csupo
I can’t say I’ve ever heard of him but Gabor has produced and worked in animation for over twenty years. He has only directed four films including ‘The Secret of Moonacre’. Other than movies I would say he is more successful in TV shows mainly for children. Some of these include a favourite of mine- Rugrats, and also The Wild Thornberry’s and he Simpsons, he was involved in all three mainly in producing them and helping with the animation. With this, this film should have quite high expectations but as I had no idea I watched this film with a totally open mind.

Writers- Jeff Stockwell and David Paterson (Screenplay)
Katherine Paterson (Novel)
Release date- 4 May 2007
Distributed- Walt Disney Pictures
Tagline- Discover a place that will never leave you and a friendship that will change you forever.
Run time- 96 Mins
UK Rating- PG

PLOT

The film follows the life of a young boy named Jesse Aarons who has a tough life in the country. He is bullied at school, ignored at home and doesn’t seem to have any motivation as he is always put down by his siblings. He is incredibly good at drawing which new girl Leslie notices. She is his new neighbour and the two of them become best friends as they are seen as outcasts by the school. Leslie is a very creative girl and has a brilliant imagination. Whilst playing in the woods nearby they create their own world called Terabithia which they escape to after school away from their troubles.
However, all seems to be well when one day tragedy strikes them leaving devastation and corruption.

CAST

Jess Aarons – Josh Hutcherson
Jess is a very likable character and we follow him through the whole film. You get to really know him and care about his feelings as we see him get bullied and try to gain a relationship with his father who has no interest. Jess is a quiet boy who does as he is told but is quite a sad and depressed person until he meets Leslie.
Josh has starred in a few other children’s films including Zathura (2005) and The Polar Express (2004).

Leslie Burke- AnnaSophia Robb
Leslie is a fun, creative girl and has a great imagination. She is open minded about everything and ignores those around her who try to upset her. She is a bubbly person who I think creates a positive feeling around those who need it. Even though she comes from a wealthy family, she is also picked on for being different to everyone.
AnnaSophia has featured in a few other films including, Jumper (2008), Spy School (2008) and Charlie and the chocolate factory, (2005). She also sings two of the songs featured in the film.

Ms Edmunds – Zooey Deschanel
Jack Aarons- Robert Patrick
Janice Avery- Lauren Clinton
Mary Aarons- Kate Butler
Bill Burke- Latham Gaines

OPINIONS

Characters and Cast

I really liked all the characters and think they were casted very well. Jess is very likable and the character development in him is brilliant. We follow him as we see this young sad kid with no real friends struggle through day to day life and then turn into a happy, full of life child with lots of ambition. I liked everything about his character and found it very interesting to see how some children even though they are not being beaten or starved are still being abused in some way which affects their outlook on life. I liked the way the audience gets to feel so involved in his life and his thoughts. Leslie was another brilliant character. She seems older than the rest in her class not in appearance but mentally. Even though she is different to the rest and gets bullied she doesn’t seem to let that affect her. She is always smiling and likes to make other people feel good about them selves. Her character is very likable and she is the main aspect of the magical touch to the film.
Other than the two main characters all of the others played their roles well. Jess’s father is played by Robert Patrick who is a very successful and well known actor. I recognised him straight away. For those who do not know his name he has starred in films such as- Balls of Fury (2007), Charlie’s Angels (2003) and Walk the Line (2005). His performance is high class and it shows how ignoring a child really takes a tole on their attitude. His character also develops through the film and it is good to see a high standard actor perform just as well in a child’s film.
Another actor/actress I recognised was the music teacher who is played by Zooey Deschanel. She has starred in many productions including Yes Man (2008) and Failure to Launch (2006). She plays an interesting role and also has a positive affect on Jess and his life.

Narrative

The story was absolutely brilliant. There are many important morals which I thought was really nice to see which included-
- Bullying. This is a major problem in many schools and young children are affected by this in different ways. Jess is bullied on a daily basis as he is quiet and sits drawing a lot. The popular children think he is a waste of space and he is pushed and called names. It shows how it can affect children and I think the film gave a good aspect on how you can avoid it. Jess comes to understand how just because you are different doesn’t mean anything and shows he doesn’t seem to care.
- Children’s Minds. This film showed how children can have such a great imagination. This world was created all by these two children and they become so involved in this world it takes over their thoughts during the day at school. It amazes me how they can create a world with creatures and rules and have great fun playing in them. I also thought how children today have no where like this to go and play which is sad, living in the country has it s positives as their were woods and plenty of games to play.
- Parenting. The film shows how different children’s upbringings can be. Jess and Leslie have very different lifestyles but still become best of friends. While Leslie has rich, caring parents she still feels a bit lonely. Jess on the other hand is totally ignored by his parents and is only spoken to when he has done something wrong or is being set chores. He craves a relationship with his father but seems that his father doesn’t want to be around him.

Bridge to Terabithia was adapted by the novel which I really want to read now to compare. The story had a good pace with plenty to keep children interested. I liked the fact that even though it is a PG it had elements to keep the adults interested too.
The ending was really outstanding and I was really surprised. It is not predictable at all and I found myself really involved. I think it has a different ending to most children’s films and it is a very unique movie.

Filming and Effects

The filming was good and the movie ran at a great pace. It wasn’t too quick but I didn’t find myself bored either. There were plenty of lovely establishing shots of the woods and where they live. The effects of the creatures were interesting. They imagine them in cartoon and then later plenty of shaped and animals become these creatures. I especially liked the warriors which were dragonflies. Their minds created these little warrior dragonflies to have mini swords and armour. It was great for small children and it was nice to see how children can make things up out of nothing.
There were no amazing special effects in it such as films like The Chronicles of Narnia, but when they were looking at Terabithia everything changed around them. The colours of the wood, the animals and their tree house, the visions are captivating and bring a new meaning to fantasy. It is very interesting and beautiful to see these creations from children’s minds.

Overall

There were many criticisms toward the film saying that the trailer misinterpreted what the film included. I think that this was because the film was not overly performed and did not include all this CGI like many new Disney fantasy classics. I liked the different technique used and I think it makes a change to see a Disney film kept quiet realistic and focuses on real life problems. The film won an award for Young Artists which is clearly shown with all the actors, five on the children won awards for this.
I think this film is really lovely and beautiful to watch. It includes many aspects of life and a nice look into children’s minds. It has an excellent cast, good soundtrack and a story of a unique friendship. Even though it is rated a PG I found the film quite sad for a kid’s film and a caution for those who cry at films this is one of them! I would recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy and adventure films and obviously those who are fans of the book.
I would defiantly rent this again and I think that adults will like it just as much as the children will.

EXTRAS

Official Website- http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/liveaction/bridgetoterabithia/

The DVD can be ordered from the Disney website and can also be found on all leading DVD stores including Play.com for £4.99.

* Many thanks for reading* Blackmagicstar4- April09. Published on Dooyoo and Ciao *

 

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