Books are generally better at this kind of thing than movies. With books, readers conjure their own personal versions of make-believe worlds, while movies must commit to a single vision and show it on screen, often limiting the very imagination such stories were designed to encourage.

Bridge to Terabithia features just enough computer-generated effects to convince us that Jess and Leslie aren't crazy, but it resists showing too much of their world. The approach allows audiences to fill in what's missing themselves, an elegant solution that gives viewers quite a bit more credit than children's movies typically do.

This is precisely the kind of film parents ask for, one that reflects Christian values without necessarily being overtly Christian (although one key scene does feature Leslie asking whether God really damns those who don't believe).

It's a heavy story, as fans of Katherine Paterson's Newbery Medal-winning book will recall, adapted with intelligence and grace by her son David and fellow screenwriter Jeff Stockwell. Of course, there's no shortage of children's movies about school-bus bullies or fitting in as the new kid in town. However, by supplying just the right details, the filmmakers take special care to make every character into a real person.

Seventh-grade terror Janice Avery (Lauren Clinton) stands guard over the bathrooms, making other kids "pay to pee," but she also cries in a stall when she has problems. And mean-streak Scott Hoager (Cameron Wakefield) may be a pest on the playground, but seems to enjoy singing in music class.

Rather than making these bullies cartoonish Draco Malfoy types, the movie lets its heroes imagine them as monsters in Terabithia, where Jess and Leslie learn that they possess the courage to stand up to the goons' attacks -- and better yet, befriend them. But these lessons are just a smokescreen for what Bridge to Terabithia is really about, and the movie falters at just the moment it should be most effective.

Something devastating happens to Jess and Leslie's friendship, and though the filmmakers admirably resist imposing a happy ending, they treat the twist a bit too gently for us to feel appropriately devastated.

Still, animation pro Gabor Csupo (who helped create Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys) is remarkably good with child actors, and he understands that selling the real-world material is more important than creating flashy fantasy sequences. His 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.

[as featured in The Miami Herald]