Because of Winn-Dixie (film)
Encyclopedia
Because of Winn-Dixie is a 2005 film adapted from the book of the same name
by Kate DiCamillo
and directed
by Wayne Wang
. It was produced by Walden Media
and released by 20th Century Fox
. The role of Winn-Dixie was played by two Picardy Shepherds, a rare breed from France.
) has just moved to the small town of Naomi, Florida with her father, a preacher (Jeff Daniels
).
While in the Winn-Dixie
supermarket that summer, she encounters a scruffy dog that is wreaking havoc. She claims that it is hers, and names it Winn-Dixie. She discovers that Winn-Dixie becomes friends with everyone he encounters, and she makes some new friends in the process. She also rekindles the relationship with her father, and learns ten things about her mother who abandoned them seven years ago. Opal once describes the preacher as an old turtle, always sticking his head into his turtle shell and never wanting to come out into the real world, most likely because of how sad he is about her mother, whom he is still in love with.
One of the people Opal meets is Miss Franny Block (Eva Marie Saint
), a kind and somewhat eccentric elder librarian, who runs the Herman W. Block Memorial Library and tells her many great stories, including one involving a bear. According to Mrs. Franny, she was reading a book a long time before while sitting in the library, and suddenly found a bear standing in front of her. To scare it away, Mrs. Franny threw the book she was reading (War and Peace
) at the bear. The bear took the book with it, which is why Mrs. Franny has never forgotten the experience.Opal also meets Gloria Dump (Cicely Tyson
), a blind recovering alcoholic with a mistake tree in her backyard that has beer bottles hanging from it, which she describes as the ghosts of all the things she has done wrong.
One day during the summer, fed up with Winn-Dixie, the landlord of the Bulonis' trailer park, Mr. Alfred, orders the preacher to get rid of the dog. The preacher calls the pound to take Winn-Dixie away. Opal begs her father in tears not to let them take Winn-Dixie. Unable to see his daughter this upset, the preacher tells the people from the pound to return Winn-Dixie, claiming that he is not the dog he called about. Mr. Alfred watches this. He tells the preacher that he must find a home for Winn-Dixie by the end of the summer.
Opal gets a job at Gertrude's Pets in order to be able to pay for an expensive leash and collar for Winn-Dixie, and befriends a worker there, Otis (Dave Matthews
), a shy ex-convict with a passion for music. She also meets a girl named Sweetie Pie Thomas (Elle Fanning
) who is eager to get a dog like Winn-Dixie. Opal now feels happy that she has made so many friends, learning many things from each of them and finding out that each of them has a sad and lonely past. Opal eventually gets to keep Winn-Dixie. Later, a thunderstorm comes while Gloria is having a party at her house and Winn-Dixie, being afraid of thunderstorms, runs away. While Opal looks for him, her father wants to give up and she blames him for her mother and Winn-Dixie running away. But her father explains that he tried very hard to look for her mother. He then, admits that he believes that she is never coming back. Soon, they go back to the party and Otis starts to sing a song on his guitar. Winn Dixie is heard outside howling along to the song. Everyone lets him in and welcomes him back. His "singing" led to him being discovered. With this reunion, everyone sings as the credits roll.
Because of Winn-Dixie
Because of Winn-Dixie is a children's novel by Kate DiCamillo published in 2000 and winner of a Newbery Honor distinction the following year. It also won the 2000 Josette Frank Award, and 2003 Mark Twain Award...
by Kate DiCamillo
Kate DiCamillo
Katrina Elizabeth "Kate" DiCamillo is an American children's author. She is known for the Newbery Medal-winning book The Tale of Despereaux, the Newbery Honor book Because of Winn-Dixie, and the Mercy Watson series, plus numerous other award-winning and honored books.-Early life:Born in...
and directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Wayne Wang
Wayne Wang
Wayne Wang is a Chinese American film director.-Biography:Wang was born and raised in Hong Kong, and named after his father's favorite movie star, John Wayne...
. It was produced by Walden Media
Walden Media
Walden Media is a children's film production and publishing company best known as the producers of The Chronicles of Narnia series. Its films are based on notable classic or award-winning children's literature, compelling biographies or historical events, documentaries and some original...
and released by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. The role of Winn-Dixie was played by two Picardy Shepherds, a rare breed from France.
Plot
10-year-old India Opal Buloni (AnnaSophia RobbAnnaSophia Robb
AnnaSophia Robb is an American film and television actress. She gained prominence in 2005 with starring roles in Because of Winn-Dixie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and starred in Bridge to Terabithia , Race to Witch Mountain , and Soul Surfer .-Personal life:Robb was born in Denver,...
) has just moved to the small town of Naomi, Florida with her father, a preacher (Jeff Daniels
Jeff Daniels
Jeffrey Warren "Jeff" Daniels is an American actor, musician and playwright. He founded a non-profit theatre company, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his home state of Michigan...
).
While in the Winn-Dixie
Winn-Dixie
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. is an American supermarket chain based in Jacksonville, Florida. Winn-Dixie has ranked number 24 in the 2010 "Top 75 North American Food Retailers" based on 2009 fiscal year estimated sales of $7.3 billion by Supermarket News. and was ranked the 43rd largest retailer in the...
supermarket that summer, she encounters a scruffy dog that is wreaking havoc. She claims that it is hers, and names it Winn-Dixie. She discovers that Winn-Dixie becomes friends with everyone he encounters, and she makes some new friends in the process. She also rekindles the relationship with her father, and learns ten things about her mother who abandoned them seven years ago. Opal once describes the preacher as an old turtle, always sticking his head into his turtle shell and never wanting to come out into the real world, most likely because of how sad he is about her mother, whom he is still in love with.
One of the people Opal meets is Miss Franny Block (Eva Marie Saint
Eva Marie Saint
Eva Marie Saint is an American actress who has starred in films, on Broadway, and on television in a career spanning seven decades. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama film On the Waterfront , and later starred in the thriller film North by...
), a kind and somewhat eccentric elder librarian, who runs the Herman W. Block Memorial Library and tells her many great stories, including one involving a bear. According to Mrs. Franny, she was reading a book a long time before while sitting in the library, and suddenly found a bear standing in front of her. To scare it away, Mrs. Franny threw the book she was reading (War and Peace
War and Peace
War and Peace is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in 1869. The work is epic in scale and is regarded as one of the most important works of world literature...
) at the bear. The bear took the book with it, which is why Mrs. Franny has never forgotten the experience.Opal also meets Gloria Dump (Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson is an American actress. A successful stage actress, Tyson is also known for her Oscar-nominated role in the film Sounder and the television movies The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and Roots....
), a blind recovering alcoholic with a mistake tree in her backyard that has beer bottles hanging from it, which she describes as the ghosts of all the things she has done wrong.
One day during the summer, fed up with Winn-Dixie, the landlord of the Bulonis' trailer park, Mr. Alfred, orders the preacher to get rid of the dog. The preacher calls the pound to take Winn-Dixie away. Opal begs her father in tears not to let them take Winn-Dixie. Unable to see his daughter this upset, the preacher tells the people from the pound to return Winn-Dixie, claiming that he is not the dog he called about. Mr. Alfred watches this. He tells the preacher that he must find a home for Winn-Dixie by the end of the summer.
Opal gets a job at Gertrude's Pets in order to be able to pay for an expensive leash and collar for Winn-Dixie, and befriends a worker there, Otis (Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
), a shy ex-convict with a passion for music. She also meets a girl named Sweetie Pie Thomas (Elle Fanning
Elle Fanning
Mary Elle Fanning , credited as Elle Fanning, is an American actress. She is the younger sister of actress Dakota Fanning and mainly known for her starring roles in Phoebe in Wonderland, Somewhere, Super 8 and We Bought a Zoo which will receive a theatrical release on December 23,...
) who is eager to get a dog like Winn-Dixie. Opal now feels happy that she has made so many friends, learning many things from each of them and finding out that each of them has a sad and lonely past. Opal eventually gets to keep Winn-Dixie. Later, a thunderstorm comes while Gloria is having a party at her house and Winn-Dixie, being afraid of thunderstorms, runs away. While Opal looks for him, her father wants to give up and she blames him for her mother and Winn-Dixie running away. But her father explains that he tried very hard to look for her mother. He then, admits that he believes that she is never coming back. Soon, they go back to the party and Otis starts to sing a song on his guitar. Winn Dixie is heard outside howling along to the song. Everyone lets him in and welcomes him back. His "singing" led to him being discovered. With this reunion, everyone sings as the credits roll.
Cast
- AnnaSophia RobbAnnaSophia RobbAnnaSophia Robb is an American film and television actress. She gained prominence in 2005 with starring roles in Because of Winn-Dixie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and starred in Bridge to Terabithia , Race to Witch Mountain , and Soul Surfer .-Personal life:Robb was born in Denver,...
as India Opal Buloni - Jeff DanielsJeff DanielsJeffrey Warren "Jeff" Daniels is an American actor, musician and playwright. He founded a non-profit theatre company, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his home state of Michigan...
as "The Preacher", Opal's father, Mr. Buloni - Cicely TysonCicely TysonCicely Tyson is an American actress. A successful stage actress, Tyson is also known for her Oscar-nominated role in the film Sounder and the television movies The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and Roots....
as Gloria Dump - Dave MatthewsDave MatthewsDavid John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
as Otis - Eva Marie SaintEva Marie SaintEva Marie Saint is an American actress who has starred in films, on Broadway, and on television in a career spanning seven decades. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama film On the Waterfront , and later starred in the thriller film North by...
as Ms. Franny Block - Courtney JinesCourtney JinesCourtney Elizabeth Jines is an American actress.-Life and career:Courtney was born in Fairfax, Virginia. She is a "lifelong actress" who has been acting professionally since the age of 6. She made her first television appearance in 2000 in the episode "Demolition Derby" of the television series...
as Amanda Wilkinson - Luke BenwardLuke BenwardLuke Aaron Benward is an American teen actor and singer, best known for his starring role as Billy Forrester in How to Eat Fried Worms and as Charlie Tuttle in the 2008 Disney Channel Original Movie, Minutemen. He also played the role of "Nicky" in Mostly Ghostly: Who Let the Ghosts Out? and...
as Stevie Dewberry - Elle FanningElle FanningMary Elle Fanning , credited as Elle Fanning, is an American actress. She is the younger sister of actress Dakota Fanning and mainly known for her starring roles in Phoebe in Wonderland, Somewhere, Super 8 and We Bought a Zoo which will receive a theatrical release on December 23,...
as Sweetie Pie Thomas - Harland WilliamsHarland WilliamsHarland Williams is a Canadian actor, comedian, author, artist, musician and radio personality.-Personal life:Harland Reesor Williams was born on November 14, 1962, in Toronto, Ontario, to Lorraine , a social worker, and John Reesor Williams, who worked as a member of the Ontario Provincial...
as Policeman - John McConnellJohn McConnell (actor)John "Spud" McConnell , is an American actor and radio personality based in New Orleans, Louisiana.McConnell is a character actor who has appeared in more than 40 films, ranging from obscure independent films to major cinematic release movies John "Spud" McConnell (born November 13, 1958), is an...
as Store Manager