If you are looking for an excellent family movie, “Because of Winn-Dixie” is for you.

This is the positive and happy tale of a little girl named Opal, her father the preacher, and a scruffy horse-sized mutt Opal names Winn-Dixie, after a local grocery store.

Opal and her father are new in town, and she is always a little sad that she hasn’t made any friends yet, and that her mother left her and her father when she was just a toddler. But then she finds Winn-Dixie, who becomes her constant companion.

Wanting to earn enough money to buy a fancy red collar for her new friend, she meets Otis, played by musician Dave Matthews, who lets her work at the local pet shop. One thing leads to another, and soon enough, because of Winn-Dixie, she has a whole new group of friends, each of whom has experienced their own share of sadness and happiness.

Cicely Tyson turns in an excellent performance as the eccentric Gloria Dump, who also befriends Opal and teaches her a lesson or two about life’s hardships.

In the end, everyone is just a little bit happier than when we first met them – especially Opal and her father, who has finally shared the real reason for her mother’s leaving.

This is a wonderful film that makes you remember what it’s like to be a kid again.

But whether you have young children or not, this movie is guaranteed to make you smile.