On your mark, get set, go!
- Hi!
We just moved in the old Perkins place.
I'm Leslie Burke.
Anything wrong?
- Jess Aarons.
- Nice meeting you.
- See you round.
Hurry up Jess, mommy's getting real mad.
Jessie!
- Mommy's getting mad.
You better get in.
Jessie!
- Okay, I heard you once!
- Come on.
- Look at the big Olympic star,
sweating like a knock-kneed mule.
You're disgusting, Jess, you stink.
- Get over to the sink and wash yourself.
And step on it.
This oatmeal is scorching the bottom of the pot.
- Not again, mom.
I can't stand it, mom.
Make him get a smelly self outta here.
- Get up now, Jessie,
or you're gonna get a licking.
And change those clothes.
- Yes ma'am.
- I got plenty of chores
needs doing around here after school.
Better hurry, you'll miss the bus.
- It's your turn to wash, you know.
- Is not, I washed yesterday.
- Well hurry up then.
I don't have all day.
Brenda, you let her finish.
- She is mama.
- Don't forget, Jess.
You got to clean up the yard after school.
and you still gotta mend my clothes line.
Do you hear me, Jessie?
- Yes, mama.
- Well, better hurry.
You're gonna be late.
- 22, 23, 24, 25, 26
I must be winning a popularity contest in the office.
No one else has more than 26 students.
And you, Leslie Burke, are my 27th.
I don't know where I'm going to put you.
- The floor is okay.
I mean, I don't want to be any problem.
Over there by the wall for now.
Short of knocking that wall down,
It's the best I can do.
I'm sorry.
- It's fine, I don't mind.
It's okay.
Hi.
- Jessie Aarons and Bobby Gregg.
Would you pass out the math books please?
You are responsible for these math books.
They're the only ones you're getting this year.
Tonight I'd like you to review pages 15 through 25.
You covered this last year, but it's been a long summer.
So I think we should start with a review.
- Gonna run today?
Think you can beat me?
- Maybe.
- What'd you do, practice all summer?
- Okay, how many of you guys are running?
Okay, only fifth and sixth graders
and line up in groups of three.
Okay, you guys ready?
On your marks, get set, go!
- You running?
- Yeah.
- You any good?
- Yeah, I guess so, why?
- Just asking.
- Girls don't usually hang around here.
Why don't you go back up there?
- No way, Jimmy had him.
Let them both run on the finals.
What's it going to hurt?
- You trying to take over, Jess?
- No, just try to do what's fair.
- Can I run?
- No girls allowed.
- You ain't scared to let a girl race you,
are you, Filcher?
You can run with us.
- Okay, on your marks,
get set,
go!
- Come on Jess, go!
- Okay, you had your fun.
Now go up with the girls and play hopscotch.
- I won the heat.
I wanna run in the finals.
- Girls aren't supposed to play in the lower field.
Better get up there before one of the teachers sees you.
- But I wanna run!
- You already did.
- What's the matter?
Scared to race her?
- Stand back, stand back.
Stand back.
All right, break it up.
Before somebody gets hurts.
Into my office.
I wanna know what started this.
- Jess, I'm sorry about today.
I know it's my fault.
And anyway, thanks.
Jessie, Jessie
you milked yet?
- Just going to.
- Better get to it before your pa gets home.
- Mighty late for you to be milking, isn't it son?
- Daddy, daddy!
- Hello princess.
How are you today?
- I'm okay.
Did you bring me a treat, did you?
- No sorry, I didn't have time.
Daddy, you promised.
- Lots of energy!
Big finish.
Beautiful!
I see none of you lost your voices over the summer.
Bye, bye.
- Bye Miss Edmunds.
- Bye Gary.
Bye girls.
- That was a great class today.
- Well thank you.
You like my new song?
- It's good.
- I'm glad you like it.
You can practice 'cause you're my best singers.
- Okay.
Bye, Miss Edmund. - Bye.
- Hi, is there something I can do for you?
- It's for you.
- This is beautiful, Jess, thank you
- Do you really like it?
- I think you're very talented.
Do you have more drawings?
- Some.
- May I see them some time?
- They're not...
- I'd like very much to see them.
- Okay. - Okay.
- She's pretty nice.
Reminds me of the music teacher at my old school.
You know, we used to have music there three times a week.
Not like once a week, like here.
- Three times a week?
- Yeah, we even had a special music room
with all kinds of instruments,
piano, drums, stuff like that.
- Did your old school have a gym?
- Sure.
Most schools do.
I really miss it.
I'm pretty good at gymnastics.
- I guess you have a lot of friends there.
- Yeah.
- You must hate it here.
- Sort of.
Hey Leslie, why'd you move here?
My parents are reassessing their value structure.
What does that mean?
- They decided they were too hooked on money and success
so they bought the old farm
and they're gonna farm it.
Think about what's important.
- You mean they want to live in that old place?
- Yeah.
We used to live in expensive, modern high rise.
- They can't make a go of a farm nowadays.
My dad has to go to the city and work
or we wouldn't have enough money.
- Money's not the problem.
- Sure it is.
- I mean, not for us.
See you.
- It is dark
but the sun filters through the water,
making the colors of the fish and coral
sparkle like diamonds.
Some people think it's scary underwater,
but to me it's beautiful.
One of the most beautiful places in the world.
I read this composition aloud for two reasons.
One, it is beautifully written.
And two, scuba diving is an unusual hobby for a girl.
Thank you for sharing this with us, Leslie.
And tonight for your homework,
there's going to be a special on TV
about a famous underwater explorer, Jacques Cousteau.
I want everyone to watch it
and then write one page telling me what you learned.
A whole page?
- Yes.
Does spelling count?
Yes.
One side or two?
One.
- What if you can't watch the program?
- Well tell your parents it's a homework assignment.
I'm sure they won't object.
- What if you don't have a TV?
Well in that case
one could write a one page composition on something else.
- Hi Leslie.
- Go away!
- What's wrong?
- You know perfectly well what's wrong.
- If you'd just kept quiet
you could've come to my house and watch TV.
You've got to come back to your regular seat, Leslie.
The seventh graders are going to get you
for sitting back here.
- Move, kid.
Didn't I say move kid?
- You better move, Leslie.
Doesn't look like they'll be enough room
for you and Janice.
She needs a lot of room.
- You're standing in my way.
I sit here.
Remember that.
- Weight Watchers is waiting for you, Janice.
- You're asking for it, Jess Aarons.
- She's gonna get you for that, Jess.
Boy, she's mad.
- Heck, you think I'm gonna let
some dumb cow like that scare me?
- My dad, Bill, has this thing for living in the country.
But Judy, she doesn't like to stay in a place for too long.
- So I guess it must be tough if you're always moving
from one place to another.
- It can get to be a drag.
- My mom and dad have never moved.
Unless you put the TV someplace else.
- You watch a lot of TV?
- Yeah, sometimes I come here just to get away.
And when you have three sisters
someone's always yelling.
- But it must be fun.
- Are you kidding?
They're always snooping into your stuff.
Going into your stuff.
Just the other day, I went into the kitchen.
Brenda and Maybelle had found some of my pictures.
They were sitting there staring at them, laughing.
They're just some stupid pictures, no big deal.
- They had no right to laugh at them.
- Sisters do stuff like that.
You're lucky being an only child.
- I don't know.
- At least you don't have anybody nosing into your stuff.
- You know what we need?
We need a place just for us.
It might even be a whole secret country.
And you and I would be the rulers of it.
- Okay, but where?
- Over there, in the woods.
Where no one could come find us.
- Over there?
- Come on.
It could be a magic country.
Come on.
There's nothing to be afraid of.
No one will be able to find us.
How are we going to get over there?
I've got an idea.
Hurry up.
This is dangerous.
- No, it's not, it's easy.
Come on.
Come on, you can do it.
Keep coming up.
Come on, you're not going to fall.
Wanna make a bet?
Just take it easy, come on.
It's kind of weird in here.
You're not afraid, are you?
No.
Come on.
I used to think these woods were haunted.
They are
They are?
Don't be scared.
They're not haunted with evil things.
How do you know?
- You can just feel it, listen.
This is not an ordinary place.
How about right here?
I think this will be a good place to build.
- Sure.
- No one can know about it,
or it won't be special.
- Cross my heart, it will be our secret.
- If you're going to the be the king of Terabithia
you must hold the queen's hand.
- Of what?
- Terabithia.
That's what we shall call our magical kingdom.
As ruler, do you promise to keep our kingdom sacred
and protect the magical spirit of our land?
- Yes.
What was that name again?
- That's fantastic, isn't it?
Listen to this part.
Right here.
You know he was deaf when he wrote this?
- Deaf? - Yeah.
- How did he hear it?
- He heard it,
in his head.
You know, some people don't like Beethoven.
I think he's fantastic.
Come on, sit down.
Make yourself comfortable.
By the way, I'm Bill
I'm Leslie's dad.
- Jess Aarons. - Yeah, I know.
Leslie's told me a lot about you.
She has?
- Hi! - Hi.
- Well, if you're ready, let's get going.
I'll see you later.
- You got everything you need?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
- It was nice meeting you Mr...
- Bill, and the feeling's mutual, Jess.
Now listen, you kids have a good time.
Be careful.
- We will be.
Judy will be home around 6:30
and I'll be serving supper at seven.
I'd like you're home by then.
- Okay, see you. - Bye.
- Does he do the cooking?
- Sure.
- Why?
- Cause he likes to,
and Judy doesn't get home from work until late.
And even when she didn't work, she didn't like to cook.
- What did you do?
- Ate out a lot.
That's when Bill was working late.
- Doesn't he work?
- He's writing a book.
- I mean real work.
- That is.
Why do you call them that?
- Who?
- Your parents?
Why do you call them Bill and Judy?
- Because that's their names.
I always have since I was a kid.
I thought everyone did.
You know, you should draw a picture of Terabithia
for us to hang in the castle.
No, I couldn't.
Sure you can.
I can't.
I said you can.
I said I can't.
I bet you can.
In case we're under siege,
we better find a safe place for our supplies.
- How about we put them under the quilt in the back?
- Good idea.
Wait, we need them for the celebration.
- Celebration?
- The coronation of the king and queen of Terabithia.
- The king and queen must be crowned.
Come on.
I crown you king of Terabithia.
- And I crown you queen of Terabithia.
- Jess, may I speak with you for a second?
- Sure, yes miss.
- You said you were going to bring some drawings in.
Did you remember?
- Yes ma'am.
- May I see them?
- They're not very good, I'm sure.
- I'm sure they're very good.
I had your other picture framed.
- You did?
I mean you did.
- Yes, and I enjoy it very much.
I think you're extremely talented, Jess.
- Jess, I've got to talk to you.
- In a minute.
- These are terrific.
- They're okay, they're--
- They are terrific
May I keep this?
- Sure, if you want.
- Jess, have you ever been to an art museum?
- No.
- I think you'd enjoy it.
Maybe we can go some time.
- Okay, great.
- Jess!
What's wrong?
- Okay, I'm coming.
What's up, what's wrong?
- You've gotta get Janice Avery.
She stole my Twinkies!
And daddy brung them all the way from town.
You've gotta beat her into a million pieces.
- Fighting ain't gonna get them back.
Them Twinkies are well on the way
to padding Janice Avery's bottom.
- You're just yellow, Jess Aarons.
- If he picks a fight with Janice Avery,
you know perfectly well what's gonna happen.
- Yeah, she'll beat him up.
- He'll get kicked out of school.
You know how Mr. Turner is about boys
who fight with girls.
- But she stole my Twinkies!
I'll get her, I promise.
- What you gonna do?
- I don't know.
It will take a lot of planning,
but we'll get her.
- And it's good to see you're beat to a million pieces.
- Dear Janice.
No, dearest Janice.
She's gonna eat it up, trust me.
- Dearest Janice.
- Maybe you won't believe me, but I love you.
- If you say you do not love me, it will break my heart.
So if you love me--
- Hold it, I can't write that fast.
- Meet me behind the building after school.
Love and kisses, Willard Hughes.
- Kisses? - Yeah, kisses.
Put a little row of X's in there, too.
Two more.
Gee, pretty good at that.
- Yeah, you probably had some big secret love
at your old school.
- I'm gonna kill you, Jess Aarons!
- Hey girl, you can't kill in Terabithia.
And you're in big trouble.
- Come on.
- We're gonna get in trouble.
- Just hurry.
- Which one is it?
- The one with the apple on it, hurry.
- Are these puppies really free?
- If you promise to give them a good home they are.
- I promise.
- Jess, Jess.
I've got to talk to you.
- What's wrong?
- Janice Avery's in the bathroom crying.
- Are you sure?
- Of course I'm sure.
- If she's crying it's gotta be our fault.
I didn't think that letter would upset her so much.
Well, you're the one that's always telling me I gotta care.
- But Janice Avery?
- The thought of her crying makes me feel terrible.
- It's a very complicated situation.
I can understand why Janice doesn't get along with people.
- What happened?
- Did you know the father beats her?
- Lots of kids' fathers beat them.
- No, I mean really beats her.
The kind of beating they take people to jail for.
- Was she crying just 'cause her father beats her?
- No, she gets beaten up all the time.
She wouldn't cry about it.
Especially at school.
Then why was she crying?
- Her father gave it to her good this morning.
So she told her so-called friends
Wilma Bobby Sue about it.
- Yeah?
- And they blabbed it all over the seventh grade.
Even the teachers know about it.
- That's awful.
Poor Janice.
Everyone knows about it.
- I tried to make her feel better.
I told her about not having a TV
and how everyone laughed at me
and how I pretended it didn't bother me
and ignored them.
- Did she feel better?
- I think so.
You know what?
Thanks to you I now have one and one half friend at school.
Jess.
- You should be asleep.
- Jess, I know where you and Leslie go to hide.
I followed you.
- You weren't supposed to follow me, Maybelle.
- Why, you and your girlfriend don't want company?
- Listen here, Maybelle,
I catch you following me again
and your life ain't worth nothing.
- I ought to tell momma on you for talking so mean.
- You better not.
You can't tell nobody nothing.
- What if I do?
- I'll tell Billy Jean Edwards you still wet your bed.
- You better not!
- Girl, you just better not try me.
Do you swear on this Holy Bible
that you will never follow me again?
- Okay.
Cross your heart and hope to die?
- Cross my heart and hope to die.
- Remember, you swore on the Holy Bible
and you know what that means?
Take it away, I'll drink it.
I'm not gonna drink it.
Why does it have to be yellow?
It's the most beautiful color.
Its a lemon!
Well?
Where'd you buy it on sale somewhere?
Come on, this is expensive paint.
- What, 2.99?
- Look, you got five dollars worth on you.
- Yeah, well you're gonna have 10.
Yeah, yeah?
You wanna blend in some more?
Wanna be the invisible yellow girl?
Come on, paint.
- Okay, paint the porch.
Jess, Jess.
- He's for you.
- For me?
- Yeah, he was free to a good home.
And I thought no one can give him a better home than you.
Thank you!
I've never had a dog before.
Bill, can I keep him, please?
Please?
- We have a dog!
- Of course we have dog.
- Hello! - Don't touch him.
You'll get him all yellow.
- Hello there.
Beautiful.
- Thank you.
I'm tired of standing like this.
Can't you finish tomorrow? How am I going to finish it
if you only stand still for 10 minutes at a time?
- Tomorrow's Saturday.
We'll have all day.
I want to see it.
- Nope, not til it's finished.
- Let me see it.
- No!
- I wanna see it!
Give me that picture!
Not til it's finished.
No!
I'm gonna get the picture
and turn it into a million pieces.
Yeah, it'll beat you to a pulp.
Gotta catch me first!
- Give me that picture! - No!
- Yeah! - No!
No, no, no, no, no!
Forget it.
Give me it!
- Gotta catch me first.
Give it to me.
- No, never!
Forget it!
Forget it.
I don't wanna see it.
Telephone, Jess.
Jess, telephone.
Guess it's his girlfriend.
- Hello?
Miss Edmunds?
I'm so glad your mom let come today.
I forgot to call.
Nevermind.
- I like this one.
- Yeah.
- It's too wet for the Prince today.
- And for you.
Wear a hat.
- I lost mine.
- Wear mine.
It's over by the front door.
- Okay.
Don't groan.
See you later.
- Listen, Judy's working late tonight
so I thought we could go into town for dinner.
Maybe see a show?
Yeah, okay!
That's great. - All right.
- See you. - So long.
Bye, and be nice to Prince.
Come on Jess.
I'm getting soaked.
- You know you could be a famous artist one day, Jess,
and maybe have a painting in place like this.
- I don't know,
but being here with you is fun.
- For me, too.
- Bye. - Thanks again.
Okay, see you Monday.
My God!
- What?
- They found the Burke girl down in the creek this morning.
Mama thought you were dead too.
- Leslie's a real good swimmer.
She wouldn't drown.
- She fell off this tree
you kids were using across the creek.
They think she must have hit her head.
I'm real sorry boy.
- No, I don't believe you.
You're lying to me.
You lie!
Leslie ain't dead!
She ain't dead!
- Jess.
- Jessie!
- Jess, Jess.
Slow down, son.
- She's not dead.
She can't be dead.
It was an accident.
- It's all my fault.
It's all my fault she's dead.
I hate her.
I wished I'd never seen her in my whole life.
- Not your fault.
- It's all my fault.
I was supposed to meet her and I didn't.
It wouldn't have happened.
Leslie would still be--
- Hey Jess.
You can't blame yourself.
It's not your fault.
- But I hurt so bad inside, daddy.
- I know.
I hurt too.
Come on.
We'll talk back home.
- I didn't mean that about hating her.
- I know you didn't, son.
Do you know what we need?
We need a place just for us.
I really like it here.
Jess, this is not an ordinary place.
Would you like some breakfast?
- I have to milk Miss Bessie.
- It's all right.
Your daddy's already milked her.
- Last night?
- He took care of her
- If Jimmy had of died,
I wouldn't be able to eat a bite.
- Shut your mouth, Brenda Aarons.
- Well, it's true.
I'd be crying my eyes out.
- Boys ain't supposed to cry, are they momma?
- Shut up both of you and get out of here now!
Told you!
- Don't pay no attention to them.
Just finish eating.
Your father and I figured we'd,
we'd go down and pay our respects.
I think it would be fitting for you to come,
seeing you was the one that really knowed the little girl.
- What little girl?
- Thank you for coming.
You must be Jess.
Leslie told me.
I'm sorry.
- Hi Jess.
I think she'd want you to have him.
She loved you.
She told me once if it wasn't for you...
Thank you.
Thank you for being such a wonderful friend to her.
- Hi Sasha. - Hi.
- I know how it feels, Jessie.
When I was about your age and my brother was killed
in a car accident.
I thought my life would never be the same.
And it wasn't.
You know sometimes when I'm
at the movies or I'm watching something funny on TV,
it's like he's there laughing with me.
- I miss her.
- I know.
And you'll never stop missing her.
I know you're not going to believe this Jessie,
but you're lucky.
Leslie was a unique, special person
and she gave you,
she gave all of us, some of her specialness.
And all those things that she made you feel
are inside you now.
- I can't, I don't want to do anything without her.
- Yes you can.
You just have to believe in yourself.
Remember what she gave you
you can give to other people now.
- Jessie, you can.
- Father, into thy hands I commend her spirit.
Take care of her, father.
And Leslie,
if you can hear me,
I am sorry.
Help Jessie, help!
Please, Jessie, help me!
Jessie!
Help! - Hang on Maybelle.
I'm coming.
Help Jessie, help me!
- Can you move at all?
- I can't!
- I'm coming to get you.
Hang on, I'm not going to let you fall.
I promise.
Okay, now give me your hand.
Keep coming.
Give me your other hand.
Keep coming.
Can you jump yet?
- Yes.
I know I swore on the Bible not to follow you,
but I woke up this morning and you was gone.
- I had to do something.
- Just wanted to find you
so you didn't get lonesome.
I was scared.
- Nothing to be ashamed of.
Everybody gets scared once in a while.
- You weren't scared.
Lord Maybelle, I was shaking like jello.
Come on.
I want to show you something.
Look.
- What?
- Can't you see them?
- All the little Terabithians
standing on tiptoes to see you.
- Me?
- Yes, you.
- There's a rumor going around
that the beautiful young girl arriving today
just might be the princess they've been waiting for.
- Princess?
- Yes, the princess of Terabithia.