Bridge to Terabithia
Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: February 16, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Village VoiceJessica Grose
Director Gabor Csupo of Rugrats "fame" steer clear of cutesy tween stereotypes, but it's Jess's relationship with his father, played by Robert Patrick, that elevates Terabithia from a good kids movie to a classic contender. Read full review
90
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
The news is good for Bridge to Terabithia fans. The beloved children's book has not just survived but thrived in its adaptation to the screen. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesAlex Chun
A wonderfully heart-wrenching love story for tweens, teens, and even adults who fondly remember when a friendship could be ignited by a gesture as simple as offering a stick of Juicy Fruit. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
This is easily the best family feature of the early year. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
This is Csupo's feature directorial debut, but as creator, producer, and writer of "Rugrats" and "The Wild Thornberrys," among several other series, he's had a long career in animation, and he handles the CGI setpieces masterfully. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJeannette Catsoulis
Consistently smart and delicate as a spider web, Bridge to Terabithia is the kind of children’s movie rarely seen nowadays. And at a time when many public schools are being forced to cut music and art from the curriculum, the story’s insistence on the healing power of a nurtured imagination is both welcome and essential. Read full review
80
EmpireAngie Errigo
A thoroughly pleasing family film with fine performances and honest, affecting real situations mixed with joyful adventure. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarrit Ingman
When the special effects aren’t getting in the way, the kids’ imaginary scenes have a hazy, shimmering quality, as if the potential of a long afternoon with no homework could be measured in waves. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Elaborately mounted, expensively produced and filmed with style and empathy, it's an adaptation of Paterson's Newbery Medal-winning book that manages to expand the original vision, yet preserve much of its intense emotion. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
The two young actors -- Hutcherson and Robb -- are terrific and unpretentious. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Csupo needed two very gifted leads to do this beloved story justice, and found them in AnnaSophia Robb and Josh Hutcherson. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle Smith
Has buckets of gentle sincerity. Since there aren't any dumb jokes or hip visuals, it's easy to get caught up in the simple messages: Be good to your sister, don't be a bully, use your imagination in a pinch. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineAngel Cohn
Parents should be warned that the novel ventures into some emotionally dark territory that could be upsetting to very young or sensitive children, and might want to consider reading and discussing the book together before seeing the film. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
There's a persistent innocence to this movie that will work wonders on all but the most churlish. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
It's like an After-School Special version of "Pan's Labyrinth ," and I actually mean that as a compliment. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Bridge to Terabithia the movie, like the book, is buckets-of-tears sad. Director Csupo and company manage to get that - the simple power of a story about kindred souls, about loss, about the limitless possibilities of a lively mind - just right. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
Bridge to Terabithia is a good movie, but it could become truly great with a director's cut that leaves the fantastic elements a little more vague. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie Punter
Both a cathartic and a creative family entertainment. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldPeter Debruge
[Csupo's] take on Bridge to Terabithia doesn't pander or misrepresent, but instead illustrates the power of open-mindedness in both its forms: creativity and acceptance. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
The fantasy-adventure incorporates the novel's magical and emotional elements without overplaying either -- a balance that hasn't always proven easy to maintain in the world of kid-lit adaptation. Read full review
70
VarietyJustin Chang
Some literal-minded attempts at magical realism are redeemed by the film's emotional texture, winning chemistry between the tyke leads and scrupulous adherence to a childlike point of view. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
This family feature from the Christian production company Walden Media is something of a disappointment after its excellent "Holes" and "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
For a movie about the power of imagination, Bridge to Terabithia is not as clever as you would hope. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyGregory Kirschling
The movie -- which never decides if it's a fantasy or coming-of-age story -- spends a lot of time away from Terabithia; that also leaches out the wonder. The boy seems more excited that Zooey Deschanel is his hottie music teacher than he is to see tree men in the forest. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Though the first-time director, Gabor Csupo, has achieved distinction as an animation artist, he lacks experience directing actors. The best adult performance in the film is that of Zooey Deschanel; she comes off -- again, agreeably -- as self-directed.
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