Looks pretty cool! When our plucky protagonists are threatened by monsters, our hero even summons a mechanized power glove for some serious punching capability, so you know a bunch of awesome fantasy shit's going to go down.

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The trailer has a bridge in it, how much more accuracy do you need?

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The Movie:

There is no fantasy land, only the harsh pain of being a lonely fifth grader.

The 2007 film, based on the classic Newbery-winning novel, follows elementary school students Jesse and Leslie. The outcasts become fast friends and begin visiting a nearby forest, where they escape their daily problems by imagining a magical world called Terabithia.

That's right: Every piece of expensive CGI in the trailer, from the tallest giant to the tiniest fairy, is a product of the kids' imagination. While the trailer shows the kids swinging into Narnia's non-union equivalent, their imaginary creations never take on a life of their own in the film. Each "fantasy" sequence serves as a device for Jesse and Leslie to work through their childhood problems -- for example, the giant in the trailer represents a bully that picks on the pair at school.

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So it's less "epic fantasy battle" and more "this dick keeps stealing our lunch money."

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"So what?" you're probably saying. "The Wizard of Oz was technically all a dream, too! And 'Narnia' was probably just a wardrobe full of the old man's stash of hallucinogens! That doesn't detract from the wonder!" Sure, but these fantasy moments, as grand and pretty as they appear in the trailer, take up only a fraction of Bridge to Terabithia. Most of the running time is spent on Jesse fawning over his cute music teacher, drawing pictures, and getting yelled at by his dad for losing his keys.

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The most exciting fantasy epic of 2007.

The trailer also leaves out any hint of the film's serious plot twist and tonal shift, aka the most memorable part of the entire story. When Jesse skips out on a trip to Terabithia so he can go to the museum because he's hot for teacher, Leslie goes by herself, falls into the river, and drowns. The rest of the story is about Jesse dealing with her death and his guilt, as he struggles with depression and withdraws into his fantasy world before finding the strength to move on.

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There aren't even any fairies at the funeral.

It's a poignant, down-to-earth story about escapism and loss, not the feel-good fantasy of the year the trailers portray. But as its successful marketing campaign and The Hunger Games prove, what sells is Josh Hutcherson punching CGI wolves in the face.

In addition to knowing too much movie trailer trivia, Jonathan Persinger is the founder and editor of Remarkable Doorways Online Literary Magazine. You can find his fiction publications at Persinger's Pages, or his wasteful reviews of children's television at Blog with a Dog.

For more times Hollywood lied to us, check out 15 Grossly Misleading Movie Posters and The 8 Most Misleadingly Awesome Movie Posters.

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