Bridge to Terabithia 2007

Bridge to Terabithia is a 2007 American fantasy drama film directed by Gábor Csupó (in his directorial debut) from a screenplay by David L. Paterson and Jeff Stockwell. It is based on the 1977 novel by Katherine Paterson and stars Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel, and Robert Patrick. In the film, adolescent children Jess Aarons (Hutcherson) and Leslie Burke (Robb) create "Terabithia", a fantasy world, which they use to cope with their troubled reality and spend their free time together. The original novel was based on events from the childhood of Paterson's son, who went on to write the film's screenplay; Csupó was hired in late 2005, and the rest of the main cast was rounded out soon after. Principal photography began in February 2006 and lasted until that April, taking place in Auckland. This was the last film for 71-year-old cinematographer Michael Chapman, who followed through with his planned retirement thereafter. Bridge to Terabithia was released in the United States on February 16, 2007, by Buena Vista Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its visuals, cast performances, and faithfulness to the source material.