When it comes to movies labeled as “family films,” most people think of animated movies and parents crowd the local Wal-Mart or Best Buy to snag “Open Season,” “Shrek” or some other animated film where the characters fart, burp and the embedded adult humor seems to offset any wholesomeness that could have existed. Those movies have their place and are entertaining in their own right, but definitely are not “family films.”

“Bridge to Terabithia” is true family film, wholesome and entertaining in every sense of the word. Based on the 1978 Newberry Medal winning book by Katherine Paterson, the movie tells the story of fifth grader Jesse Aarons (Josh Hutcherson), the only boy in a family of sisters. The family seems to be down-on-their-luck financially, as Jesse has to wear his sister’s hand me down sneakers to school, but to make things tougher for Jesse, it seems that his father (Robert Patrick) thinks Jesse has his head in the clouds and treats him accordingly.

Life isn’t easier for Jesse at school. Not only is he picked on by two male bullies in his class, but he is constantly harassed by eighth grader Janice Avery (Lauren Clinton). The only things that make Jesse happy at school are sketching in his notebook, music class with Ms Edmonds (Zooey Deschanel) - whom he secretly has a crush on, and the big race he’s been training for all summer.

The race is the first day of school and it looks like Jesse will win, until he is beat out by a new edition to the school, Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb). Jesse is devastated that he was beat by a girl and that she stole his moment in the sun, so when she tries to befriend him, he shrugs her off and goes back to his daily sulking.

However, discovering Leslie is his next door neighbor and that she, like him, is teased for being different by other kids at school, they begin to form a strong friendship, most of the time in the woods behind their houses, pretending they are King and Queen of a magical land called “Terabithia.” Their friendship and the lessons they learn from each other in “Terabithia” help them through the school year and help Jesse come to terms with the bullies, his talent for drawing and his relationship with his father.

There’s more to the story and anyone who has read the book knows you should definitely bring your hankie to the theater. There was much sniffing and wiping of eyes at the screening I attended last weekend and, I’ll admit, it took me guzzling 20 ounces of Diet Coke in 11 seconds to keep the tearful lumps down in my throat. But all-in-all, this is good, clean family entertainment and a great movie to take the kids to for a Saturday matinee.