ROTTEN TOMATOES: "Terabithia" Starts Production Down Under

"Terabithia" Starts Production Down Under

by Scott Weinberg | February 17, 2006

ComingSoon.net shares with us a press release from the workaholics over at Walden Media, and the newest news is this: Production has already begun on Walden & Disney's "Bridge to Terabithia," a sprawling fantasy adventure inspired by the works of author Katherine Paterson. Flick's got a pretty solid cast & crew lined up, too.

Bridge to Terabithia, the motion picture adaptation of Katherine Paterson's Newbery Honor award winning best-selling novel, began principal photography on location in Auckland, New Zealand. The project is a co-production between Walden Media (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Because of Winn-Dixie) and The Walt Disney Studios. International sales and distribution will be handled by Summit Entertainment.

Josh Hutcherson (Zathura, The Polar Express) stars as Jess Aarons, an 11 year old boy whose efforts to be the fastest runner in his grade are thwarted by a new girl who outruns all the boys. AnnaSophia Robb (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) stars as Leslie Burke, the new girl who becomes friends with Jess despite their awkward introduction.

She ultimately opens up a world of imagination for Jess in the land of Terabithia that changes his life forever. "Bridge to Terabithia" also stars Zooey Deschanel (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Elf) as Miss Edmunds, the music teacher at Jess and Leslie's school, and Robert Patrick (Walk the Line, Ladder 49, Terminator 2: Judgement Day) joins the cast as Jess Aarons' father.

Together Jess and Leslie create the world of Terabithia, an imaginary kingdom filled with all manner of magical beings. While the real world of family and school may be filled with challenges, in Terabithia, Jess and Leslie rule as King and Queen.

Brimming with fantastical creatures, palaces and beautiful forests - the kingdom of Terabithia will be brought to life by the creative wizards at the Academy Award winning visual effects facility Weta Digital in Wellington, New Zealand. Weta Digital is responsible for effects in the Academy Award winning "Lord of the Rings" films and King Kong and is co-owned by a team of Academy Award winners including director Peter Jackson, effects specialist Richard Taylor and editor Jamie Selkirk.

The film marks the big screen directorial debut of famed Academy Award nominee and Emmy-Award winning animator Gabor Csupo (Rugrats in Paris, The Wild Thornberrys Movie). Former Production President of Universal Pictures Hal Lieberman (Around the World in 80 Days, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) produces with Lauren Levine (I am David), and the author's son David Paterson (Love Ludlow), who wrote the screenplay, based on the novel by Katherine Paterson, with revisions by Jeff Stockwell and Kevin Wade.

The talented team of filmmakers includes two-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Michael Chapman (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Fugitive), Production Designer Robert Gillies (The World's Fastest Indian, Boogeyman), Costume Designer Barbara Darragh (River Queen, The Frighteners) and film editor John Gilbert ("The Fellowship of the Ring").
Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia is a timeless classic from one of the world's most renowned children's book authors.

Ms Paterson is the author of 14 novels, numerous non-fiction and essays for children and young people including Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved, both winners of the prestigious Newbery Medal in 1978 and 1981. Her novels have sold over 5 million copies since 1978 and are published in over two dozen languages worldwide.

Bridge to Terabithia will film on location in West Auckland, New Zealand including the rural forest areas of Riverhead and Puhoi. The company will film for 10 weeks and production will conclude in early April 2006, with Walt Disney Pictures planning an early 2007 release.

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(1-20 of 23 posts) | Reply

insanemansam5 writes:
on Feb 17 2006 07:10 AM

What's another film shot in australia with the execeptions of mad max and parts of crocidile dundee

(Reply to this)

Cindy_Lou_Who writes:
on Feb 17 2006 08:33 AM

[b]Insanemansam5, you really should read more than th[/b]
Australia? Just because the headline said it's being filmed down under, you naturally assumed it was Australia. If you actually had read the article, you would have quickly discovered that it's to be shot in a completely different country. Assuming that down under only refers to Australia is the same as saying America only refers to the United States.

(Reply to this)

ArmyofJuan writes:
on Feb 17 2006 12:11 PM

America does refer to the united states. When has it been used for aomething different? Unless of course you say the "Americas" then of course your talking about the whole area of north and south america. But I'v never heard the term "America" used for something else other than reffering to the united states of america. Please feel free to correct me if needed.

(Reply to this)

Ashron writes:
on Feb 17 2006 01:03 PM

Well, here in the US "down under" does tend to refer to Austrailia, even though technically it's not correct. Lighten up, Cindy, and get your fist out of insaneman's throat. As for what other movies were shot in Austrailia, off the top of my head I can think of Gallipoli, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Man from Snowy River, and parts of Mission Impossible 2. Give me some time and I could probably pop out a few more if you wanted.

(Reply to this)

lovelykeira writes:
on Feb 17 2006 01:30 PM

This sounds ok but not very original, I do like Deschanel, and Patrick though.

(Reply to this)

dracus writes:
on Feb 17 2006 01:35 PM

What is wrong with what Cindy said? Insanemansam5 is a prime example of why the rest of the world considers us here in the USA ignorant assholes. Look, he never read the article and that shows his ignorance for commenting on something without knowing what he was talking about. As for America, she's right. America is made up of three Americas: North, Central and South and there are a lot more countries in it than ours. Maybe if we all looked beyond our borders once in a while, we'd be reminded that we are not the only ones on this planet. Maybe then, the rest of the world wouldn't be so pissed off with our smug self-righteousness and stop trying to kill so many of us. But if we did something as sensible as that, we wouldn't be 'Americans' now would we?

(Reply to this)

Super Simba writes:
on Feb 17 2006 04:04 PM

They made us read this book in middle-school. For some reason, all the books we read contained an important death at the end.

(Reply to this)

VML writes:
on Feb 17 2006 05:07 PM

Wow, I never thought this movie would be a big-epic film. Sounds interesting. I like the cast also.

(Reply to this)

utti writes:
on Feb 17 2006 08:40 PM

Having lived in New Zealand I can say that kiwis do consider themselves living "down under," although they are sometimes in the shadow of bigger Australia. Also, outside the U.S., "America" (i.e. "Oh you're from America?") does tend to refer to Americans only.

Back to the actual film topic, I never thought that it'd be a big budget fantasy film either. I wonder how many other popular books will be filmed in New Zealand with Weta doing the effects - the country's on a roll.

(Reply to this)

ArmyofJuan writes:
on Feb 18 2006 12:10 AM

In reply to this comment (#831239)
Exactly. No one says "Oh, you're American?" to someone from central or south america. Most normal people would say, "Oh, you're el salvadorian?" or "Oh, you're Brazilian?"

(Reply to this)

Super Simba writes:
on Feb 18 2006 06:15 AM

SOOOO.....Terabithia. Sounds decent, huh?

(Reply to this)

Ashron writes:
on Feb 18 2006 06:48 AM

In reply to this comment (#831236)
I don't think there was anything wrong with WHAT she said, it's HOW she said it. Her answer is a prime example of why I consider most Americans (and I'm one, obviously) rude assholes. She could have said something like "Actually they're filming in New Zealand, not Austrailia." or "according to the article, it's New Zealand." But no, like many people who link the anonymity of forums to an open pass for rudeness (and as I'm sure you know, there are many forums much worse than these) she chose to go the low route, with the (albeit implied) statement "you're an idiot because you didn't read the article." That's all I'm saying.

And the fact still remains that if you ask Americans what country they associate with down under, 95% will say Austrailia. Right or wrong, that's just how it is.

(Reply to this)

a limited run film writes:
on Feb 18 2006 07:55 AM

um... back to the movie... i'm looking forward to this. bridge to terebithia was my favorite children's book growing up. but i hope that the film doesn't focus too much on the special effects, because the real story is not in the make believe "terebithia," but in the relationship of the characters. actually, i never imagined that this story would need special effects....

(Reply to this)

Angel_of_death writes:
on Feb 18 2006 11:36 PM

Um as someone who lives in New Zealand I can say I don't know anyone who likes it when we are referred to as Down Under, we hate being associated with Australia. And the more movies they film down here the better.

(Reply to this)

Cindy_Lou_Who writes:
on Feb 19 2006 08:01 AM

Sheesh, lighten up on the world politics everyone! All I said was, and I'll say it again, is that Insanemansam5 or anyone else for that matter should at least read past the headline before making a comment. But since politics has been brought up, I have to agree with Dracus when he/she said that we here in the US must really come across as ignorant to the rest of the world when we make such rash comments. Besides, if I were a Canadian or Mexican these days, I wouldn't want to be called an american, especially when it comes to safety while travelling abroad.

(Reply to this)

synergyred writes:
on Feb 19 2006 08:44 AM

Okay... so who's going to cry?

I know I did when I read the book and I plan on bawling when I see it in the theaters.

(Reply to this)

bigcfk writes:
on Feb 19 2006 09:53 AM

isnt Bridge to Terabithia the book where they use a Tree swing or something to go over a river?

and isn't New Zealand considered down under?

And technically Austrailia too, since Austrailia is a continent and includes the surrounding areas? I dont know, im just guessing
(cindy, please dont fist my throat)

(Reply to this)

nickb1016 writes:
on Feb 19 2006 04:45 PM

[b]take it easy[/b]
Gosh is this cnn.com or a movie website calm down all though i can say it is funny that whatever his name commented with out reading the article but seriuosly what does it say about us that we actuall read the other coments

(Reply to this)

Simsgil writes:
on Feb 20 2006 09:04 AM

[b]Special Effects?[/b]
They're obviously adding an entire fantasy element to the story that was not in the book. Jess and Leslie simply played in the forest.

On a side note, I was once in a bar in Vancouver and when speaking to the local, he asked if I was American. That term is used for somebody from the U.S. like it or not

(Reply to this)

Krooked writes:
on Feb 20 2006 05:24 PM

[b]Am I the Only One?[/b]
I read this "book" when I was twelve. I was irritated by the death at the end (which I realized was a complete cliche) and I overall hated this book. Maybe the new fantasy angle will work for the movie.

(Reply to this)

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