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

Winn-Dixie was played by multiple Picardy Shepherds, a rare breed from France. The DVD extra "Diamond in the Ruff" shows the two principal dogs, Scott and Lyco, but producer Trevor Albert mentions at 18:00 and 40:26 in the DVD feature commentary that, in all, four dogs were used. At 00:36 in AnnaSophia Robb's commentary "Meet Winn-Dixie" she mentions that the stunt dog Tasha jumped over the flour.

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Goofs

Gertrude, identified as a parrot, is actually a cockatoo.

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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 ZDF Magazin Royale: Das Problem der deutschen Filmlandschaft (2021)

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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

Worthwhile movie

First, I want to dispel any rumors about this being a "sappy" movie. This movie is an adaptation of a well-known children's book, and should be judged as such. For those of us that want more from our entertainment than shoveling base garbage, it provides a nice change. This movie is in the same type of movie as an "Anne of Green Gables" or other juvenile movie. It has no nudity, profanity, nor did we see anybody sleeping with anybody. A nice change.

What a wonderful movie. The story is very similar to Pollyanna (at least in the girls ability to involve herself in the community). It has a very positive message, and there is not one thing that I would feel bad taking any of my children to see. As a matter of fact, they will all see it by the week's end. I haven't read the book, but my 13 year-old daughter has and told me how good it is. I will have to read it now. It was an engaging tale, and technically was very well done. The acting was good (some very talented actors were involved) and there was some very good film work. The moving clouds with the scene changes were a nice touch and the music was very appropriate. I know there has been a lot of talk in the media about Dave Matthews in this film, and he was a nice addition. His acting was OK, but his music was definitely a welcome addition. His guitar playing in various spots was warm and fit like your favorite chair.

There were a number of good messages throughout the movie. Some were very overt (the discussion between Gloria and Opal about judging someone on an event without knowing the whole story), and some were a little more below the surface (time moving on, bringing new challenges, and keep living). In case you don't get them, they usually give you a clue in the dialogue somewhere. It sure gave me lots of topics I could use to teach with my children. The most important theme is the primary theme for the movie. The truly important thing in life is the relationships we have with others. Opal demonstrated by becoming part of the lives of those Winn Dixie led her to.

This is one movie that will go on my video shelf (when it's not in the DVD player).

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