Bridge To Terabithia - Is this too scary for a slightly anxious 6 yr old boy?

[ipanemagirl]

who sometimes finds Dr Who too much?

I just saw the trailer and it looked very scary but trailers can be deceptive.

He's been invited by a friend and would if I told him by overjoyed to go but I just wanted to check here to see if anyone could give me a more accurate frightometer reading.

I heard Natasha Walter reviewing it on Radio 4 and she said the little girl in front of her in the cinema was utterly distraught over the film's ending. She advised parents to be very cautious about young/anxious children re. this film.

well the book is pretty damned traumatic and is deemed a 9-11 read
read the synopsis

or better, get the bok from the lib and read it yourself - it's very good

(I can't stand the mans voice in the ad - do you think he talks like that all the time?)

dd is fairly timid and loved it.She's five. Wasn't frightened by the "monsters" but was rather sad at the end- she reckoned the girl wasn't really dead , only "sprained"

thanks very much, I've said no to the invite, it sounds a little grim for him for the moment.

Oh no, does the girl die?
I was hoping this might be a sop to ds2 (8)when ds1 goes to see Spiderman.
But from the synopsis and reviews I've just read I'm thinking this will totally traumatise ds2

yes, the girl dies (I think swinging on a rope which breaks, and she falls into the river). I didn't see that bit, but don't think it is actually shown, just reported, IYSWIM. The upside, though, is that the experience helps the boy to rebuild his relationship with his father and his little sister. So, there is a happy ending.

Is it traumatic, or not?
Comparable to the Lionking? Charlotte's web? or sadder?

thanks tissy
Has anyone else seen it?

I wouldn't say it was traumatic, but I suppose it depends on the child. Compared to Lion King...well, it's not a cartoon, so perhaps more "real", but then again, you don't see the chase/ death, so less terrifying.

Having said that we watched it on DVD (it was a present from a friend of dd's, and I didn't realise it hasn't been released yet, so probably a bootleg ) and dd hasn't asked to watch it again yet, and she usually wants to watch films she likes (e.g. Annie and Bugsy Malone) again and again and again!

I wouldn't say it was traumatic, but I suppose it depends on the child. Compared to Lion King...well, it's not a cartoon, so perhaps more "real", but then again, you don't see the chase/ death, so less terrifying.

Having said that we watched it on DVD (it was a present from a friend of dd's, and I didn't realise it hasn't been released yet, so probably a bootleg ) and dd hasn't asked to watch it again yet, and she usually wants to watch films she likes (e.g. Annie and Bugsy Malone) again and again and again!

thanks tissy

We went today and all loved it. I sobbed for about 20 minutes! And other bits earlier on were quite heart-wrenching too. The boys (8 and 9) didn't cry, but they enjoyed it immensely. DS1's favourite quote (Einstein) is "Imagination is everything", so he was in his element.

My daughter went to see it with Dp and although she enjoyed she was quite upset at the ending and often mentions how sad it made her (she's 5)

Reviving this to say we watched it as a late afternoon matinee on DVD today and ds (8) absolutely loved it, thought it was a wonderful film. Highly recommended but am a teeny bit surprised it was a PG and not a 12A given the subject matter. I thought it was all the more affecting because of the excellent performances of all the main characters.
Ds now wants to read the book.

It definitely depends on the child - my friend's dd (5) sobbed at the little girl's death, my two dses (6 and 10) didn't (I did though). Ds2 found it a little bit scary when the creatures are chasing them through the woods - but not too scary (he drew lots of pictures of it afterwards so I know he enjoyed it). I thought it was a lovely film - I liked that it didn't get "taken over" with special effects, something the author mentioned in one of the additional features on the DVD - she said in the book it is clear that Terabithia is entirely in the children's imagination and she hoped they would be able to communicate that in the film - I think they did.

I must get the book - I would like to read it and I think ds1 would too.

I absolutely adored this film. I loved the emphasis on imagination, and the simple pleasures of playing and imagining, rather than watching TV.

My boys loved it too, and the day after 'disappeared' off exploring for several hours: wonderful!

It is heart-wrenchingly sad though. My stoic (8 and 10 yr-old) boys refuse to cry in public, but they were sniffing. (I was sobbing buckets.)

I didn't like the book as much tbh, which is unusual for me.

no he shouldn't see it

it is emotionally jarring with the death of the main female lead and the guilt and coming to terms with death

not a film for a sensitive small child without a parent there

sorry

I bought this for the dcs (6 and 4) on holiday, in total ignorance of the story. I have to say that it is the first story they have watched without really a happy ending. At least with the Lion King the death of Mustapha has a point. Also because the death of the girl isn't directly shown I think neither of them understood exactly what had happened (so I had to watch it in order to explain it them - there are references to the rope being worn, and the boy expressed doubt the first time they crossed, but I could see why they missed it). The monsters weren't particularly scary and the dcs liked that bit.

Overall the film was a hit though and haas been rewatched a number of times. But definitely watch it with your child!

Ds was definitely very affected by the death of Leslie, but in the "right" sort of way IYSWIM - down to the sensitive direction and acting I reckon

I cried my eyes out, I had no idea what happened in it
I was quite postnatal though

TBH ipanemagirl I'm with Twiglett, I see you've said no, sounds like a good decision

My DD 10 adored it and keeps asking me to get the video.
My DS 12 felt cheated because the film was not really what was advertised and he says he didn't like it. I am sure if it wasn't advertised as another Narnia he would have enjoyed it.

My friend took her 7 yr old dd and her friend to see it and she said it was too much for them and advised me not to take my children.

Bridge to Terabithia is one of the most wonderful kids films I have ever seen BUT not for young kids and certainly not for one wh is a bit sensitive.

It was so cleverly trailered- made out it was some sort of Narnia/ magic land film when the magic land is all in the main characters imagination. Wonderful stuff- watch it yourself but not your sensitive son.