Palisadian Filmmaker Produces Underdog Story: “A Little Magic”

By ERIKA MARTIN | Reporter

In 1980, a poor girl with no money and no backing won Best in Show at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show with a Siberian Husky that was red (an undesirable trait at that time) and whose ear was bitten off.

The unlikely tale of how Trish Kanzler made it all the way to Westminster—and her incredible journey with her Siberian Husky named Cinnar—is a real-life fairy tale.

The underdog story is now the basis of a motion picture, “A Little Magic: The Trish and Cinnar Story,” from Palisadian TV and film writer/producer Daniel Helfgott and his company Helfgott-Turner Productions. The film, which Helfgott calls the “National Velvet” of the dog show world, details Kanzler and Cinnar’s rise to “top dog.”

Kanzler’s father was in the army and her mother ran a kennel out of the home. Although the family moved practically every year, Kanzler always had her dogs. While based in Alaska, Kanzler’s mother became enamored with Siberian Huskies and began raising and training them.

When Cinnar arrived, everyone expected him to be turned away—his fur was reddish, which at the time was undesirable because it was believed the recessive gene would make the dog less healthy and un-breedable. But she kept Cinnar.

“Trish and Cinnar were both sort of underdogs. The family moved constantly because her dad was in the army, so she had a tough time making friends and spent most of her time with the dogs,” Helfgott told the Palisadian-Post. “Cinnar was an outcast because he was different, so they bonded.”

Kanzler became interested in showing Cinnar after an incident at school left her feeling like nobody liked or respected her, Helfgott said.

“She wanted to do something to prove to the world that she was worth something,” he said. “Everyone thought she was crazy, of course. He was a Siberian Husky, a breed not known for winning any major contest, and [he was] red. No one thought she or the dog had any chance.”

But Kanzler had a natural knack for showing, and though she and Cinnar ran a shoestring campaign, they began winning a whirlwind of shows and quickly racked up points.

Despite the rollercoaster of drama that later surrounded her journey, Kanzler ultimately pushed through the hardships to win Best in Show at Westminster with Cinnar.

Helfgott told the Post it was his own dog Kipling that provided the inspiration for the film. When Helfgott and his wife Janet Turner bought the Tibetan Terrier, Kipling came with a ticket to uncharted territory—the world of dog shows.

The couple got Kipling after their previous dog, also a Tibetan Terrier, passed away. They knew they wanted the same breed, but all the breeders they contacted would only sell to buyers intending to show the dog competitively.

When Turner was visiting family outside of Philadelphia and found a breeder willing to oversee and fund Kipling’s showing career, the couple thought, “Why not.” “[The breeder] felt he had the temperament and the looks, and when she offered to pay for the handler we decided to try it,” Helfgott said. “But we didn’t know what to expect.”

Kipling was indeed a natural and began racking up points as soon as he entered competitions. As the couple traveled throughout Southern California rooting him on, they also dug into the dog-show culture.

“We got to know many people in the show and see how dedicated they are to their show dogs and witness the love and attention they give their dogs,” Helfgott said. “We realized that as movie makers we needed to make a movie that honors the show dog world.”

While Helfgott conceded the Christopher Guest-directed movie “Best in Show” is a great spoof of the sport, the filmmakers wanted to showcase a heart-warming story of a young girl who overcomes extreme odds, the type of story Helfgott said Hollywood isn’t keen on producing these days.

“It’s very interesting that sweet, nice family movies that are inspiring for the most part don’t get made. People do miss those family-friendly movies,” Helfgott said. “[Studios] are looking for the next $300 million comic superhero blockbuster. Everybody thought it was a wonderful story, but nobody thought anybody would make it.”

After attending America’s most prestigious dog show, Morris & Essex, at Kanzler’s insistence, Helfgott realized “A Little Magic” would have a passionate support base. Kanzler has been involved in the movie’s production and is providing the two dogs that will play Cinnar. Both dogs are descendants of the champion himself.

“I walked away from the show saying to myself there are too many people who would really like to see this movie get made,” Helfgott said.

The production team, which includes Hollywood veterans such as director Roger Young and composer Patrick Williams, is seeking $6 million in funding through a Kickstarter campaign that kicked off Monday, Feb. 8. Contributors at a certain level may have a chance of appearing in the film as an extra with their dog.

Helfgott hopes the public will respond to this inspiring story and show Hollywood that heart-warming films still work.