Did you know Josh Hutcherson was in a Disney movie? No...he didn't play a prince...unless you count his role as the "King of Terabithia"!
Yes, the 2007 flick, Bridge to Terabithia, based on the award-winning novel, was produced by Disney, officially kinda adding "Disney Star" to Josh's resume. (& fun fact - this is his only Disney credit as of early 2025).
As someone who grew up with both the book, which I read for English class, and the film, this one holds a special place in my heart. I was somewhat dreading watching it last night because while it's a beautiful film, it's also a sad one with some pretty serious themes.
Haven't read the book or seen the movie? Here's a quick run down: Josh's character, Jess, is your average kid from a financially-struggling family. Not only is home life tough, but so is his school life, and he deals with constant bullying...until...he meets a new friend, Leslie, played by Anna Sophia-Robb (who I also admired growing up as I was a big "Because of Winn-Dixie" fan). Together, they escape the harsh realities of life when their imaginations bring them to "Terabithia".
Okay, ready for the "spoiler alert" (if it's even possible to spoil a film from almost 20 years ago)? One day, when Leslie was playing, the rope she was swinging on broke, and she drowned in the creek. This news is devastating to Jess, and he blames himself because that same day, he went on a 1:1 field trip to an art museum with his music teacher, who he adored, and didn't invite Lelise. The aftermath of this loss is understandably tough on Jess - he struggles in school and lashes out at his little sister, May Bell, who he had a strong bond with. Thankfully, their bond bounces back in Leslie's honor. Jess introduces May Bell to the magical land he and Leslie created, declaring her princess of Terabithia.
I'm not too proud to admit I shed a few tears during my viewing (and even while writing up that plot summary) and felt blown away by the performances. In fact, I would argue that this is Baby Josh's strongest performance thus far in his career. (& that's not to say he wasn't capable before - he just had more room to fly in this film!). After all, the script challenges Josh to display some pretty difficult emotions for a kid such as fear/shame due to his parents' financial situation and grief/anger/sadness/guilt when he lost his best friend. That's a LOT of emotion to pack into an hour and 30 minute runtime but Baby Josh did it!
We've seen him cry on camera before (Miracle Dogs and Little Manhattan) but Bridge To Terabithia really revealed Josh's skills! My heart broke each time I saw him tearfully (and skilfully) mourn the loss of his friend or wrestled with the feelings of guilt and anger the accident surfaced. Anna-Sophia Robb, and Zooey Deschanel, who plays the music teacher, also had stellar performances. It's no surprise that this film was a box office success and raked in five awards at the 29th Young Artist awards.
This may be the biggest hit Josh has been part of at this point in our marathon (although, he did have a cameo-type role in American Splendor, which won Best Adapted Screenplay at the 76th Academy Awards and he was also nominated for Young Artist awards for Wilder Days, Motorcross Kids, RV, The Polar Express, and Zathura (with the last two being the wins).
If we break it down, it means that by 2008, Josh already had SEVEN award nominations and FOUR wins - not too shabby for the first six years of his career!
We still have one more film to review for 2007, so stay tuned. ;)
Peace and Joshperity,
G
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