Bridge To Terabithia (merged) - Discussion (1 Viewer)

I don't know how I missed this, but I just learned that Disney and Walden Media are making Bridge to Terabithia for 2007! This is one of my favorite books, written by Katherine Paterson and winner of the Newbury Medal. It was for me, my adult introduction to children's literature; and I've taken as many friends as I can Terabithia.

I've found the official website and watched a snippet of the trailer. It seems at least adequate. But I'm still anxious -- as LOTR fans worried over those movies, and as I wondered about The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, now I wonder if my favorite book will be revealed on screen, or mocked with mediocrity.

Anyone else know about the movie? Or even familar with the book?

[EDIT]
I watched the entire trailer. Oh. It's all wrong. This is not good. I'm not sure what story is being told, but it doesn't seem to be the book I read. I hope I'm wrong, but this is not at all how I'd expect the movie to go. :frowning:

One thing I don't understand is how (book spoiler) Leslie's death will play given they've literalized all of Jesse and Leslie's imaginings. To go from CG faeries and monsters to a girl dying in a creek when an old rope snaps seems like it will be rather thematically jarring. I can only hope they're playing up the fantasy elements for the trailer, since so much of the books took place in reality, however you measure it.

Adam, I share your concerns. The book is set in the real world, and is not fanciful. Even the descriptions of Terabithia are modest, not involving wholesale adventures.

To sell the movie as a The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe tale (children entering a fantasy world via a personal portal) suggests a core misunderstanding of the story.

Even using a muted A Beautiful Mind approach, to visually show the childrens' imaginings is something I'd disagree with. The story is the relationship of Jess and Leslie, not their particular visions of Terabithia.

I hope the trailer misrepresents the movie. I so want this to do the book right.

I imagine they couldn't get financing unless they 'showed' Terabithia. My hope is that we've seen about fifty percent of the Terabithia footage in the trailer, and if you're going to sell a movie, sell the fantasy, it's hot right now.

I can't imagine them changing the ending of the book. the made for tv version was such a literal interpretation of the book I'll be interested in seeing how this one pans out.

I had no idea there was a TV version!

I hope that ultimately it follows the mold of Holes which was a successful book to movie translation. It kept the magic of the book, without involving excessive special effects silliness, or invented subplots.

Noooo!

I can't really add more than that. :frowning:

Where can one find this made for tv version eh?

you can find the made for tv version on netflix.

Is anybody planning to see this one when it opens next week? I had never read the book until I took a class in children's lit, but oh, I loved it so much - I must have cried for an hour when I finished it. What a lovely friendship story, I just adored it. The trailer makes me all sorts of happily nostalgic. (Even if I did have to write a paper on the book.)

I know absolutely nothing about this story, but the trailer looks great.

I hope to see the film in the theater.

JC

I remember reading the book at school, remember liking it, but don't really remember much about it - except for the ending, which I faintly remember.

I am interested in seeing it, out of curiosity.
Plus, I think a friend of mine at Weta Digital may have worked on it - I must check with him.

Thread already started here:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...d.php?t=247283

Doesn't really look anything like the book, but the early reviews have been promising.

I don't think the story will veer too far away from the book - I read in an aritcle that Daniel Paterson wrote it (the son of the author) and I think the story is based on something that happened to him in his childhood. I'm thinking it'll be pretty faithful, and pretty good.

The creatures, etc. in the trailer look really neat to me, so I'm interested in seeing the other effects and stuff, because WETA does such amazing work. (I am a fan for life after LOTR.)

Well - you never know - but Walden Media are the same folks who made Holes, which I thought was very nicely done. They're also the folks behind Amazing Grace, which I have seen, and is quite good.

I never trust trailers anymore. So I wouldn't panic over what the marketing department has cooked up to sell the movie.

BtoT might be just fine. I'm reserving judgement until I can see for myself.

i'm not familiar with the book. never heard of it.
the trailer, to me, look like a cash in on the chronicles of narnia.

The new trailers on TV look very bad. My one hope is that the previews show the full extent of the digital scenery, and fully misrepresent the actual content of the movie. The face of the giant suggests connection back to the core story, so perhaps this is the case

I hope my fears are misplaced; that Terabithia the movie is every bit as wonderful as the book.

Looks like the previews ARE misleading to what the actual film is about. This is from Scifiwire.com

"The filmmakers behind Disney's upcoming fantasy film Bridge to Terabithia disavowed any connection with the movie's ad campaign, which they told SCI FI Wire was deliberately misleading. The ads show a boy and girl entering a fantasy world; the scene actually takes place at the end of the movie.

"I believe it's a stretch, and it's a very difficult decision on Disney's part, but we the filmmakers had nothing to do with that promotion," said director Gabor Csupo (The Wild Thornberrys). "We don't really think that it's an appropriate way of selling the movie, but they're convinced that that's the way to get kids interested, and hopefully they will be positively surprised. If they are anticipating a Harry Potter movie, then we are in trouble. It is not a Harry Potter kind of a movie."

The film is based on a book by Katherine Paterson, which tells the story of a friendship of a boy and girl who are bullied at school and escape into their own fantasy world of Terabithia. The book was published 30 years ago, and it took 17 years for Paterson's son, David, to co-write the screenplay and produce the project. Director Csupo said the novelist was happy with his vision: "She was very pleased from the beginning, because we did not want to turn the movie around or do a movie like the ad campaign is suggesting. We didn't want to do a movie like that."

David Paterson, who also serves as one of four producers credited for the film, said: "As a producer I can explain it in simple monetary terms: If you need honey, get a bear. And I can tell you if everyone who read the book brought three friends, then it would still lose money."

David Paterson added: "Although there is a generation that is very familiar with book, if you are over 40, then you probably haven't, and we need to reach them. ... Everyone who read the book and sees the trailer says, 'What is this? This is nothing like the book. What are you doing, Dave?' And I say, 'You know what you're seeing is 15 seconds of a 90-minute film. Give me a little leeway and respect. Go see it, and then tell me what you think.'"

When the younger Paterson first saw the trailer, he wasn't thrilled. "The lights came up, and all these suits were very happy, and I said, 'Well, my mom is going to hate it.' And they said, 'What do you mean?' And I said, 'I don't remember that from the book.'"

Katherine Paterson then accompanied her son to another meeting. "When they brought the lights up after showing me the trailer, I said, 'Well, I'm glad I had a talk with David beforehand,'" she said.

The writers do say they are happy with the outcome of the overall film, starring Josh Hutcherson (Zathura), AnnaSophia Robb (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Zooey Deschanel (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day). It opens nationwide on Feb. 16."

Thanks for the article, DavidPla. It disappointing, if true, that the marketing department has so little respect for the source material that they're selling a different movie than what's being made.

But it's much more exciting, as a fan, that Katherine Paterson and her son are involved and committed to overseeing a faithful adaptation of the book! I hope the filmmakers succeed in creating the wonderful movie I expect.

That is exactly what I expected.

Thanks for that review Abby. I am really looking forward to opening weekend. Sounds like a great one for the kids and for us to enjoy.

JC

Looks like James Berardinelli really liked it too. 3.5/4....


Looking forward to seeing this.