On this day in 2007, Bridge to Terabithia materialized in theaters. The Disney/Walden Media collaboration tells the story of youngsters Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) and Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb) who, tired of being bullied at school and neglected at home, escape into the woods where Leslie opens Jess’s mind to the amazing kingdom of Terabithia. It’s a secret land where they reign supreme among the giants, ogres, and other fantastical creations they create. Katherine Paterson, author of the classic novel that the movie is based on admitted, “My fear was that when the book was put into a movie, especially a movie with special effects, was that a story of two friends creating a kingdom out of their imagination would get lost in translation. I don’t think it did. I think the director and cinematographer and the actors were able to show us in a remarkable way that Terabithia is a product of the children’s imagination.”
