Because of Winn-Dixie (2005)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Wayne Wang

Writers (WGA):

Kate DiCamillo (novel)
Joan Singleton (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 February 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Family

Tagline:

Discover what happens when you go looking for a miracle and a miracle comes looking for you.

Plot:

A mischievous dog befriends a lonely young girl in a new town and helps her make new friends.

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Small Town | Preacher | Candy | Library

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

AnnaSophia Robb	...	Opal
Jeff Daniels	...	Preacher
Cicely Tyson	...	Gloria
Dave Matthews	...	Otis
Eva Marie Saint	...	Miss Franny
Courtney Jines	...	Amanda Wilkinson
Nick Price	...	Dunlap Dewberry
Luke Benward	...	Stevie Dewberry
Elle Fanning	...	Sweetie Pie Thomas
Marca Price	...	Mrs. Dewberry
Lenore Banks	...	Mrs. Detweller
B.J. Hopper	...	Mr. Alfred
John McConnell	...	Store Manager
Harland Williams	...	Policeman
William Arthur Pitts	...	Churchgoer 1

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements and brief mild language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Argentina:Atp | Brazil:Livre | Canada:G (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:LH (video rating) | South Korea:All | Australia:PG | UK:U | USA:PG (certificate #41140) | Ireland:PG

Filming Locations:

Louisiana, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

To make sure both dogs got on well with AnnaSophia Robb, who played Opal, she was brought in early to get acquainted with the dogs and give them treats. By the time shooting started, they considered her a "safe" area.

Goofs:

Continuity: Opal's hair changes from straight and flat to styled and blow-dried during the baseball game and party set-up scenes.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Opal: Safe!

Movie Connections:

References "The Flintstones" (1960)

Soundtrack:

Pet Store Humming

A dog story that will make you smile

Opal (AnnaSophia Robb), is a 10-year-old girl who has just moved to a small town in Florida with her preacher father (Jeff Daniels). The move has caused Opal to lose all her friends, and now she must start all over again. Life has been a little tough for Opal, since her mother abandoned them when she was three. Opal's father asks her to pick up a few items for dinner at the Winn-Dixie supermarket. While in the store, a big dog is running loose in the store with clerks chasing after him. The store manager wants to call the dog pound, but Opal says that the dog is hers, and his name is Winn-Dixie. Opal take the dog home, and must convince her father to keep the dog. He agrees to keep the dog temporarily, until a new owner can be found. They go around town putting up posters of the dog, and later in the day Opal goes around and takes the posters down, because she secretly wants to keep the dog. Opal discovers that Winn-Dixie is able to make friends with everyone he meets, and now Opal has some new friends, because of Winn-Dixie. This is a good heartfelt story of the bond between a little girl and her dog. The story shows that a dog can bring happiness to a lonely girl and open up hearts of the people in town. I don't know how they did it, but the dog can actually smile. You can take your children to see this touching story. (20th Century Fox, Run time 1:46, Rated PG) (7/10)