American South

Based on the beloved, best-selling book, Because of Winn-Dixie is the heartwarming "tail" of a girl and the four-legged friend who changes her life. When a little girl named Opal and her preacher father (Jeff Daniels) move to a small southern town, she adopts a scruffy, fun-loving pooch named Winn-Dixie. The special bond between them works magic on her dad and the eccentric townspeople they meet during one unforgettable summer.

The Watsons are an African-American family that live in Flint, Michigan where they're raising three children in the 1960's. The oldest son, Byron, is hanging with the wrong crowd and his parents want to change his environment. The whole family piles into their old car for a trip to Birmingham, Alabama, where Byron's strict grandmother lives. While traveling in the South, they encounter overt racism and segregation, and a tragic event that will shake their world. They realize that the love of family gives them the strength to endure most anything.