On DVD

When I sat down with my two children, aged 8 and 12, to watch A Bridge to Terabithia, we had no idea what to expect. Little did we know what a treat was in store.

From the opening credits each of us was immediately drawn into the lonely world of country boy Jess (Josh Hutcherson), whose only escape from the trials of home and school life is to pour out his unspoken emotions onto the pages of his sketch pad. 

With the arrival of new girl and fellow odd-one-out, Leslie (Annasophia Robb), life finally begins to look up for Jess. And what follows is a touching and honest exploration of the difficult journey through adolescence and the power of true friendship.

Blessed with a vivid imagination and a sense of adventure, Leslie invites Jess to join her in creating the magical world of Terabithia, filled with giants, ogres and other fantastical creatures of which they are the self-professed rulers.

And as they learn how to manage their kingdom, both for the first time feeling truly valued for who they are, so their strength and confidence in themselves grows, spilling over into, and improving their real lives in ways they had never dreamed possible.

Produced by Walden Media, of Narnia fame, and directed by Gabo Csupo (Rugrats) fans of mystical special effects will not go unsatisfied. But, like the characters, the audience is judged clever enough to understand that this wonderful kingdom is not real, while relishing the freedom from boundaries that its creation offers. So the battered old tree house is just that – except in our minds.

This, for me, was the joy of the film; the simple, insightful honesty and poignancy of emotion which will, I think, whisk a lot of adults straight back to their youth.

Based on the 30-year-old novel by award-winning author Katherine Paterson, this is a bittersweet tale, with a large dose of sadness thrown in for good measure.

But ultimately it is an uplifting and thought-provoking film. As we turned off the DVD each of us had something to say about it, which doesn’t always happen, and each had enjoyed the story for different reasons.  For us it was one of those rarities – a true family film.

The DOOR has 5 copies of Bridge to Terabithia to give away - write to DVD Competition, The DOOR, Diocesan Church House, North Hinksey Lane, Oxford OX2 ONB by 10 January. The winners will be drawn at random.