Because of Winn-Dixie

Kids might want to buy their own copy of this DVD because their parents are going to want to own a personal copy, too.

Here is a truly child-like movie. Because of Winn-Dixie is a childhood fantasy come to life. It is complete with a lonely child and her dog, Winn-Dixie. It has a “witch.� It has bratty neighbor kids. It has kindly old men and kindly old women. It has grumpy old women and grumpy old men.

India Opal lives with her Preacher dad, whom she even calls “Preacher.� They live together in a small town in Florida called Naomi. Opal and the Preacher are alone—in other words, without Opal’s ma and the Preacher’s wife. No one says why Opal’s mom left except to say she didn’t take to the preachin’ lifestyle. They live in a donated mobile home, a gift which helps the Preacher maintain a home for him and his daughter.

Opal is very lonely and finds a dog running loose in a Winn-Dixie store. She claims him after he pretty much trashes the place. That is kind of where this story begins. I won’t divulge the plot. Children and adults who have read the story of Winn-Dixie will know what to expect anyway.

Because of Winn-Dixie is a good movie for families, of course, as it has wholesome themes and an inventive story. I found this movie quite refreshing for several reasons. One reason is that we experience this movie as though we were Opal herself. It seems as though we are included in the imaginations of this young ten year-old girl. She desires to know her mom but never will. But the people she befriends and the adventures she has would be no different for a child from an unbroken home. It is her imagination and eternal optimism that make her life interesting.

This film is sweet and without pretense. It portrays themes that are important to a young child while still making some good adult moral statements. It’s a strong story because the ideas are not adult ideas stuck into the mind and unbelievable lines of an unusually wise child. The ideals are those of a ten year-old. (I’m glad to see that someone values the thoughts and feelings of a ten year-old!) There is no questioning how much happier Opal might be had there been more money in her life, but the idea of her poverty doesn’t really come up. She has a bike and her dog and that is her life. So the film revolves around her two most important possessions: her bike and her dog. Her dog, of course, is her best friend, and that is as it should be.

I’d recommend this film to anyone for the themes it deals with. Some of the themes you’ll find your self thinking about are loneliness, sadness, friendship, joy, neighborliness—and again, I enjoyed Opal’s perspective of these things.

Opal befriends the old codger of a landlord, and “the old witch,� as the neighbor kids call her. She is lovingly given a job by an ex-con who runs a pet store. She is sort of adopted as a granddaughter by the old spinster librarian. Opal’s life is enhanced by all of these people and she makes a difference to them.

B ecause of Winn-Dixie, everyone is changed. Not because the dog is so terrific. However, he does smile. (An uncommon trick for a dog I’ll admit). But I think Opal and the town are changed by Opal finding a friend. Opal becomes a better person through her dog. Winn-Dixie a quieter dog because of India Opal. The dog has an effect on people in general but I feel that the movie gives equal (or more) credit to the owner. Winn-Dixie is an ugly, messy, untrained and apparently untrainable animal that just happens to be just what a little girl needs at a pivotal time in her life. Her sweet nature and devotion to the dog softens the hearts of all those in her world—and the hearts of the audience.

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