Because of Winn-Dixie (2005)

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

Director:

Wayne Wang

Writers:

Kate DiCamillo (novel), Joan Singleton (screenplay)

Stars:

AnnaSophia Robb, Jeff Daniels, Eva Marie Saint

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

A girl named Opal move to a new home that is a trailer park. She has no friends and her dad is always doing something.Her dad told her to go to Winn Dixie to get some food. When she get there, something is going on. People were chasing something, then she see a dog. The dog was happy, he jumped on the manager, and the manager told his workers to call the pound. Opal did not want the dog to go to the pound, so she said the doog was hers. She named the dog Winn Dixie, the place where she found him. She goes home to ask her dad can she keep the dog. Opal dad lets her keep the dog she make a lot more friends that summer. She almost lost Winn Dixie in a thunderstorm at a party. Opal and Winn Dixie make friends with the kids at her church and old people smart and wise. Opal learns a lesson that you can't hold on to people who does not want to be held on to.

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Plot Keywords:

girl | dog | supermarket | small town | dog movie | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements and brief mild language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The bunny that Ottis hands Opal (at around 56 mins) is a Netherlands Dwarf. They only get to be between 6 to 8 inches long.

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Goofs

Opal's hair length varies throughout the movie, from a short blunt cut, to a longer, and uneven cut, and then back to short.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Opal: Safe!
[she hears a church bell and rushes to get to church on her bike]
Opal: [narrating] In the beginning, when we moved to Naomi, it was just the preacher and me. Only sometimes - most of the time, really - it seemed like it was me alone. And then, one morning, the preacher sent me to the store for a box of macaroni and cheese, some white rice and two tomatoes. And after that, everything changed. But I'm getting ahead of myself. It's a good story. Let me tell it right.

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Connections

Referenced in This Means War (2012)

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Soundtracks

Opal's Blues
Performed and Produced by The Be Good Tanyas
The Be Good Tanyas perform courtesy of Nettwerk Productions

User Reviews

Heartwarming Fun

This movie was wonderful. The movie is about a young girl who finds a dog when she visits Winn Dixie to do grocery shopping for her father, who is the pastor in the small town in which she lives. This movie deals with love, forgiveness, and the importance of friendship. Together, Opal and Winn Dixie befriend many lonely residents of the small Florida town, and find that their lives are enriched, in addition to improving the lives of the lonely people in this town. This movie involves examples of forgiveness, and concern for others. This movie kind of reminds me of the movie My Dog Skip, starring Frankie Muniz. This is because both movies involve an animal helping a child become friends with many people in a small town.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 February 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Because of Winn-Dixie

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,208,431, 20 February 2005

Gross USA:

$32,647,042

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$33,589,427

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Walden Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1