Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: WildLife

Josh Hutcherson, left, and AnnaSophia Robb, right, star in Walt Disney's film production of 'Bridge to Terabithia.' The film follows the two friends as they create a fantasy world to escape the real world's harsh realities. They also like to run around and dress in Hot Topic punk outfits from 1997.

Walt Disney and the equally family-friendly company Walden Media have been successful with their last big films: "Charlotte's Web" and "The Chronicles of Narnia." The newly released "Bridge to Terabithia" follows the tried-and-true formula: Take a successful book, throw in some CGI-animated talking animals and watch the money roll in.

In case you're not familiar with the Newbery Award-winning book by Katherine Paterson, the story focuses on a young boy named Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson). Jess spends the summer running so he can win a race at school. However, the new girl, Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb), beats everyone on the first day of school. Leslie is ostracized for beating the boys and for being just plain weird. Jess tries to avoid her like the plague so he won't be further ridiculed, but eventually he gets taken in by her offbeat creativity.

The two of them find shelter from the cruelty of the outside world by exploring the woods together. They create an imaginary land called Terabithia that can only be reached by swinging on a rope across a creek. In their imaginary land, they are confronted by make-believe creatures that take on elements of the bullies in the real word; here, they are able to defeat them.

The trailers for the film play up the fantasy elements, trying to attract the same viewers who were interested in "Narnia" or "Lord of the Rings." The book keeps the illusions to a minimum, so it was appalling to see them attempt to turn the story into something it wasn't. Fortunately, the fantasy parts are more toned down than the trailer suggests. When they are sprinkled in, they come off as cheesy. In Terabithia, the two children are tormented by a troll that looks similar to an older bully from school. The book kept this more metaphorical, whereas the film assures you can't miss the parallels. It actually drains imagination from the plot.

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