Prior to directing Bridge to Terabithia (which is based on the Katherine Paterson novel of the same name), Gabor Csupo was best known for producing The Simpsons. In fact, this adaptation marks Csupo's feature film debut.
Csupo was recommended for the director’s job Walden Media President Cary Granat, which played a key role in the production and release of the film. Csupo's lack of experience with live-action movies didn't really worry the studio because of some of the tremendous work he had done in the animation sphere including shows like Rugrats and The Simpsons.
To that end, Csupo was eager to take the director’s job and take on a brand-new challenge, saying that "[He] had the ambition to do a live-action film for a long time" but never really found the right source material - source material that he really and truly connected with.
When the time came for the film to shoot, Csupo began his search for actors. Interestingly, unlike most films, Csupo didn't have any actors in mind. That all changed after he received a letter from AnnaSophia Robb, which he read and called "beautiful" and "heartwarming." He subsequently cast the young actress in the role of Leslie Burke.
From there, Csupo and his cast and crew shot the film in a way that aligns with the book and in a way that minimizes the use of computer generated imagery when other techniques were available.
