Product Description

Fifth grader jesse aarons hopes of becoming the fastest runner in his class are dashed when new girl leslie burke outruns everybody including him. However jess & leslie soon begin a friendship & discover a magical fantasy kingdom in the forest where the two of them reign as king & queen. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 08/15/2008 Run time: 96 minutes Rating: Pg

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2486 in DVD
• Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
• Released on: 2007-06-19
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 94 minutes

Amazon.com
Based on Katherine Paterson's young-adult novel and filmed in picturesque New Zealand, Bridge to Terabithia has lessons to impart about empathy and self-expression, but the tone is never heavy-handed. Jesse (sleepy-eyed Josh Hutcherson, Zathura), a fifth-grade loner, lives in the country with his parents and four sisters, including pesky May Belle (Bailee Madison), who adores him. His strict father (Robert Patrick, The Terminator 2) works in a hardware store. Money is tight and classmates make fun of his hand-me-downs, so Jesse finds refuge in running and drawing. Everything changes when two writers and their daughter Leslie (wide-eyed AnnaSophia Robb, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) move in next door. Leslie is faster than all the boys, which initially puts Jesse off, but the two soon bond over their love of make-believe. In the forest, they find a creek that can only be crossed by rope. Leslie names the land on the other side Terabithia, where they imagine themselves rulers of the kingdom. Jesse and Leslie also connect with their unconventional music teacher, Ms. Edmonds (Zooey Deschanel, Elf), who encourages their creativity. Despite the tension at home, Jesse's personal life is finally coming together when the unthinkable happens. Will he revert to his anti-social ways or will he grow from the experience? Though aimed at all ages, pre-school students may find Terebithia's creatures frightening. For grade-school kids and up, however, there's much to savor in this smartly written, sensitively acted film. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

On the DVD
The 14-minute featurette "Behind the Book: The Themes of Bridge to Terabithia" discusses such topics as friendship and family as presented in both the book and the movie through interviews with the young lead actors, the book's author, Katherine Paterson, and several librarians and school teachers. Paterson and her son, producer-screenwriter David Paterson, also recall how an actual incident in David's life inspired the book. A six-minute visual-effects featurette looks at the film's creatures from sketch to computer design to screen, including how the features of the school kids helped shape the creatures. Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb, "chaperoned" by producer Lauren Levine, recount their experiences on one commentary track, while the second, by director Gabor Csupo, writer Jeff Stockwell, and producer Hal Lieberman, is drier but informative. Topics covered include praise for young Bailee Madison, how Zooey Deschanel wouldn't have been considered a predator back in the '70s, and the somewhat-controversial marketing campaign that focused heavily on the film's fantasy elements. Also included is Robb's music video for "Keep Your Eyes Wide Open." --David Horiuchi