Bridge to Terabithia

Village Voice Jessica 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.

Washington Post Ann 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.

Los Angeles Times Alex 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.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

This is easily the best family feature of the early year.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha 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.

The New York Times Jeannette 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.

Empire Angie Errigo

A thoroughly pleasing family film with fine performances and honest, affecting real situations mixed with joyful adventure.

Austin Chronicle Marrit 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.

TV Guide Angel 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.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

Csupo needed two very gifted leads to do this beloved story justice, and found them in AnnaSophia Robb and Josh Hutcherson.

New York Post Kyle 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.

Chicago Tribune Michael 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.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

There's a persistent innocence to this movie that will work wonders on all but the most churlish.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

It's like an After-School Special version of "Pan's Labyrinth ," and I actually mean that as a compliment.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven 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.

San Francisco Chronicle Peter 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.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jennie Punter

Both a cathartic and a creative family entertainment.

Miami Herald Peter 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.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Paula Nechak

The two young actors -- Hutcherson and Robb -- are terrific and unpretentious.

The Hollywood Reporter Michael 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.

Variety Justin 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.

Chicago Reader J.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."

USA Today Claudia Puig

For a movie about the power of imagination, Bridge to Terabithia is not as clever as you would hope.

Entertainment Weekly Gregory 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.

Wall Street Journal Joe 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.