Bridge to Terabithia is a 2007 American fantasy drama film directed by Gábor Csupó (in his director debut) from a screenplay by David L. Paterson and Jeff Stockwell. It is based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Katherine Paterson and stars Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Bailee Madison, Zooey Deschanel, and Robert Patrick. In the film, adolescent children Jesse 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; after Csupó was hired in late 2005, 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. The film was Michael Chapman's last film as a cinematographer before his retirement and eventual death in 2020, This is also Walt Disney Pictures's last film to be distributed only in the US and Canada, before Bob Iger took over the company from Michael Eisner in 2006 and rebranded the company the same year into focusing on producing and distribute major films up until and only with 2016's The BFG.
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. The film grossed $137.6 million worldwide. At the 29th Young Artist Awards, the film won all five awards for which it was nominated.
