FILM · 2007 · USA
Bridge to Terabithia
28 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
28 Interesting Facts About Bridge to Terabithia
Interesting Facts (23)
- #001
Katherine Paterson wrote the novel in 1977 to help her eight-year-old son cope with the shocking death of his best friend, who was killed by lightning; that son, David Paterson, grew up to produce the film.
- #002
AnnaSophia Robb came up with the name the Dark Master; during production it had been called the "Key Monster."
- #003
Since the film was shot out of order, a scale from 1 to 10 helped Josh Hutcherson pitch Jess's reactions to the computer-generated imagery, with his view of Terabithia from the treetops rated a perfect 10. In the same way, the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance) guided Josh's performance, making it more authentic and moving.
- #004
When AnnaSophia Robb heard about the film, she wrote director Gabor Csupo a letter about how much she loved the book and how excited she was, and that letter helped her win the part of Leslie.
- #005
The film drew some criticism for being marketed as a lavish fantasy adventure in a magical land, when most of it takes place in the real world and is about children coping with life's painful realities; the fantasy scenes take up only a small part of the running time.
- #006
It's the first and, as of 2024, only Disney feature built around the permanent death of a major child character.
- #007
New Zealand has no squirrels, so every squirrel shot was either filmed beforehand or added digitally.
- #008
The wide shots of Miss Edmunds driving Jess to the museum were flipped so that New Zealand's left-hand traffic would appear to be driving on the right.
- #009
Near the end, the paints Jess squeezes into the creek, the ones Leslie gave him, aren't real acrylics or oils but mayonnaise and food coloring, so the creek wouldn't be polluted and the "paint" would biodegrade.
- #010
The emotional Terabithia scene in which Jess, after imagining the Dark Master chasing him, finds comfort in his father's arms took 14 takes and a whole day, lunch break included.
- #011
As Leslie walks to the swing under the tree house telling Jess about Janice Avery's home life, Jess limps slightly; Josh Hutcherson had developed stress fractures in his back from constant workouts and overactivity.
- #012
In early meetings, producer David Paterson found studios hated the project because Leslie dies; many suggested she should just have a minor accident or slip into a brief coma.
- #013
When filming wrapped, AnnaSophia Robb fought hard to keep the shoes she'd worn throughout the film; she ended up with two pairs of pants instead.
- #014
In the scene where Jess and his dad play with the car set, the radio is playing "Keep Your Mind Wide Open," sung by AnnaSophia Robb, who also appears in the song's music video for the film.
- #015
New Zealand stood in for Virginia so the filmmakers could be close to Weta Digital.
- #016
Because it was easier for WETA, the big panoramic shot of Jess and May Belle in Terabithia (around 1 hour 30 minutes in) uses CGI versions of them rather than the actors.
- #017
The Juicy Fruit company made special wrappers for Leslie's gum in the film; according to AnnaSophia Robb, the sticks themselves don't actually say Juicy Fruit.
- #018
Besides the camera rigged to pull down the rope swing as the kids look up at the sky, a second rig captured what the children see as a POV (point of view) shot.
- #019
The sandy-haired little girl in a blue dress during the "Free to pee" chorus is Gabor Csupo's daughter Ruby; she walks straight toward the camera behind May Belle.
- #020
Screenwriter Jeff Stockwell says the Dark Master grew out of the Hornapoligist, a rhinoceros-like creature that appears in the film only as a drawing, in the background of the end credits.
- #021
Scott Hoager, Gary Fulcher's sidekick, was invented for the film.
- #022
The S-shaped bend of the river in Terabithia matches part of the 2006-2022 Disney logo.
- #023
In the book, eight months pass between Jess and Leslie's first meeting and the accident. The film leaves the timeline vaguer and skips key moments like Christmas: in the novel Jess gets his paint set for Christmas and Leslie gets Prince Terrien, whereas in the film Jess gets the paints for his birthday and Leslie gets the dog at no particular time. Still, their meeting at the start of the US school year (as in the book) and Leslie joining Jess's family at church on Easter Sunday show the time they spend together closely follows the novel.
Production Story (1)
- #024
The book's Christmas scenes were changed to Jess's birthday for budget reasons.
Behind the Scenes (2)
- #025
AnnaSophia Robb's stunt double was a boy named Tyrone Costelloe.
- #026
On the 'Anna Faris Friends' podcast (at 14:34), AnnaSophia Robb said Josh Hutcherson was her first love: they fell for each other during filming and even kissed. After the shoot ended she was devastated to be apart, and heartbroken all over again when he started dating Shannon Wada, especially since the two of them were still doing promotional tours together; he even brought Shannon to the Bridge to Terabithia premiere.
Characters & Cast (1)
- #027
Seeing this film convinced Bethany Hamilton to recommend AnnaSophia Robb for the lead in Soul Surfer (2011).
Deeper Meaning (1)
- #028
An opossum was supposed to appear in the greenhouse, but since opossums aren't native to New Zealand, the production couldn't import one; instead they used a common brushtail possum, an Australian native brought to New Zealand by early settlers for its meat and fur.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
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