Friendship
The central theme of the movie is the theme of friendship, shown through Jess and Leslie. Jess comes from a poor family and is a target to school bullies, while Leslie is the new girl at school who everyone perceives as odd. They bond over being misunderstood and feeling neglected by their parents and let their imagination flow in the forest, imagining a land called Terabithia with mystical creatures and no limits on what is created there. The movie teaches the power of friendship by showing that both Leslie and Jess grow and become stronger together, standing up to their bullies and getting over their insecurities.
Loss
Leslie dies at the end of the movie while Jess is away on a trip with his music teacher. Jess feels immense guilt because he didn’t invite her as well, and refuses to accept the truth of her passing. He returns to Terabithia and calls out to her until his father catches up to him. His father finally shows parental emotional care by acknowledging how Jess feels about the senselessness of it all, and the pain he suffers. He tells him to cherish Leslie’s memory and the gifts she gave him, so that she can keep on living. Loss, grief and acceptance are shown in Jess, from his refusal to accept the loss, to his acceptance with building a bridge to Terabithia to cherish what Leslie left behind.
Childhood and neglect
Right from the start, it is shown that Jess is being neglected in his family. His parents refuse to sacrifice any money for new shoes, so he has to wear his sister’s. His father refuses to show him any affection and undermines his passion for art, deeming it useless. Leslie’s parents are extremely busy, so she feels neglected too, they don’t have much time to spend with her. Jess and Leslie bond over being outcasts, and their imaginary kingdom could be interpreted as a children’s way of coping with the neglect and vulnerability they feel in the real world.
