Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo is perhaps one of the best children’s books ever written. She is a very talented author (she also wrote Tiger Rising, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and The Tale of Despereaux). It was not surprising that it was selected by Twentieth Century Fox to be made into a children’s movie. Prior to its selection, it was honored with the 2001 Newbery award.
It is the heart warming story of Opal, a 10 year old girl who recently moved to a small Florida town with her father, the preacher. Their family is somewhat broken as Opal’s mother abandoned the family when Opal was only a little girl. Opal’s relationship with her father is somewhat spotty. She seems lonely and isolated. That is until she is at the local grocery store when she sees a stray dog. She claims it as her own so that the grocery store owner wouldn’t send it to the pound. She takes him home and her father agrees that he can stay until his owner is found. Winn Dixie has the amazing ability to help Opal make friends. She befriends many local community members (to include a small child, a pet shop owner, and an old blind woman) and brings them together. This movie and book was touching, heartwarming and family friendly.
The movie followed closely to the plot of the story—which I was relieved to see. The only part that was completely cinematic was when they made the dog appear to be smiling. It was hokey and a bit cheesy. Kate Dicamillo writes that the dog was able to smile, but I never envisioned that it was a full blown goofy smile. The way that she wrote about his smiling made it endearing and gave Winn Dixie a more humanistic and lovable. The interpretation by the movie producers was entirely different.
All of the characters were well cast to match the description provided by the text. Opal (Anna Sophia Robb) especially looked and acted exactly as I would have imagined after having read the book. The preacher (Jeff Daniels) was a bit younger than I would have imagined. Otis (Dave Matthews) was also surprisingly well cast (I never would have expected him to be able to act!).
Overall, I found the movie to be well done and on par with what my interpretation of the book was. I often am disappointed by movie renditions of some of my favorite books, especially one that I discovered at the early onset of my teaching career. But in this instance, I felt that they appropriately represented the book and brought new notoriety to an older title. Through the creation of the movie, they were able to bring a whole new audience into the realm of Winn Dixie.
It is the heart warming story of Opal, a 10 year old girl who recently moved to a small Florida town with her father, the preacher. Their family is somewhat broken as Opal’s mother abandoned the family when Opal was only a little girl. Opal’s relationship with her father is somewhat spotty. She seems lonely and isolated. That is until she is at the local grocery store when she sees a stray dog. She claims it as her own so that the grocery store owner wouldn’t send it to the pound. She takes him home and her father agrees that he can stay until his owner is found. Winn Dixie has the amazing ability to help Opal make friends. She befriends many local community members (to include a small child, a pet shop owner, and an old blind woman) and brings them together. This movie and book was touching, heartwarming and family friendly.
The movie followed closely to the plot of the story—which I was relieved to see. The only part that was completely cinematic was when they made the dog appear to be smiling. It was hokey and a bit cheesy. Kate Dicamillo writes that the dog was able to smile, but I never envisioned that it was a full blown goofy smile. The way that she wrote about his smiling made it endearing and gave Winn Dixie a more humanistic and lovable. The interpretation by the movie producers was entirely different.
All of the characters were well cast to match the description provided by the text. Opal (Anna Sophia Robb) especially looked and acted exactly as I would have imagined after having read the book. The preacher (Jeff Daniels) was a bit younger than I would have imagined. Otis (Dave Matthews) was also surprisingly well cast (I never would have expected him to be able to act!).
Overall, I found the movie to be well done and on par with what my interpretation of the book was. I often am disappointed by movie renditions of some of my favorite books, especially one that I discovered at the early onset of my teaching career. But in this instance, I felt that they appropriately represented the book and brought new notoriety to an older title. Through the creation of the movie, they were able to bring a whole new audience into the realm of Winn Dixie.
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