Racing Stripes (Widescreen)

Just when you start thinking they don't make movies like this anymore, they go and make one. Racing Stripes is not only one of the best films of its kind, it's one of the best movies I've seen in the past few years. Animal movies always get to me; they suck me in emotionally more than any other kind of story. You may well shed tears of both happiness and sadness as you watch this film, but I can pretty much guarantee you'll laugh and be thoroughly entertained - and more than ready to go back and watch it all again as soon as you reach the end. This is an inspirational film full of the kinds of truths kids need to learn and adults need to remember. It may well be the best family-friendly movie thus far of the new century. The keys to its success are a great story, a great cast of both animals and humans, and an indomitable spirit that few movies can convey over the course of 103 minutes.

It's a sad beginning, as we see a young zebra accidentally left behind by a circus on a road in Kentucky; luckily, Nolan Walsh (Bruce Greenwood) finds the little guy and takes him home to his farm - where his daughter Channing (Hayden Panettiere) instantly falls in love with him and names him - what else? - Stripes. Stripes is also welcomed by the other animals on the farm - and it is here we learn that these animals can talk. Talking animals is a bigger risk than you might think - it can easily flop if done poorly, but there are no worries here: the cast of voice actors is superb. Dustin Hoffman plays a miniature horse named Tucker, Whoopi Goldberg is Franny the goat, Jeff Foxworthy is good for many laughs as Reggie the rooster, and the list goes on. The farm lies adjacent to a horse track, and Stripes immediately decides he is a race horse - no one tells him he's a zebra. It just so happens that Nolan is one of the best horse trainers around, but he left all of that behind some years earlier when his jockey wife was killed in a racing accident. That doesn't stop Channing from wanting to ride, however, and Stripes is determined to some day prove himself on the track. He takes a lot of abuse for this - the horses in this film, with one exception, are incredibly arrogant, hateful creatures that constantly make fun of Stripes. Luckily, though, a pretty little filly named Sandy (Mandy Moore) befriends and encourages him. I should mention the fact that Frankie Muniz supplies the voice of Stripes - and even Snoop Dogg contributes as the voice of Lightning, the world's laziest dog.

The odds are against Stripes. No zebra has ever raced with horses, and Nolan is adamantly opposed to letting his daughter race at all. That's where Stripes' animal friends come in. Even the newest addition to the farm, a Mafioso pelican named Goose (Joe Pantoliano) does his part. The only characters who can give Goose a run for his money in terms of comedy are Buzz and Scuzz, two flies featuring the voices of Steve Harvey and David Spade. Wait until you see them dance and sing. A number of physical and emotional obstacles stand in the way of Stripes' realizing his dream. To succeed, he will have to want it with all of his heart, stand up against ridicule and even physical threat (Sir Trenton is not going to sit still for a zebra joining in a race his son is supposed to win), discover who he is and what he is made of. You'll want to stand up and cheer for this plucky little zebra with the heart of a champion. There's so much more to this story, though. Nolan's struggle to forget the past and support his daughter's dreams is quite emotional, the animals are all incredible characters themselves - especially Tucker, the little horse who helps train Stripes for the big race (and is amply rewarded in a very poignant moment). I've always believed that we see the best of human nature through our animals, and that is certainly the case here. The only complaint I have is that the talented animal actors who pretty much carried this film did not get their names listed in the credits. This always bothers me; every human who had anything to do with these animals gets credited, but the animals themselves are snubbed - it should not be this way. The animals make this movie and they deserve to have their own names in lights.

I'll conclude with a warning: parents who buy this DVD for their kids can expect to see a lot of this movie, as kids will inevitably want to watch it multiple times. The good news is that parents should enjoy multiple viewings of Racing Stripes just as much as their kids surely will.

After the crystalline purity of -Million Dollar Baby-, my Hubby & i *needed* a break from Reality. -Racing Stripes- delivers in stripes - er, spades.

The real stars of this film aren't Whoopi Goldberg, Frankie Munitz, Dustin Hoffman, Jeff Foxworthy, Michal Clark Duncan, & all the vocal talent; it's the *way* those massive talents are used. From the start, when a zebra colt is accidentally abandoned & adopted by a racer-trainer-turned-farmer [Bruce Greenwood, 1ce a nasty intern in -St. Elsewhere-] & his daughter Channing, the story is a sweet [but, thank the gods, not *quite* saccharine] tale of a zebra [named Stripes, of course] who grows up to become a racer, to the chagrin of all the 'real', snooty keep-*It*-out-of-*my*-race horses. The CGI are flawless, esp. in the race at the end [sorry Channing, zebras can't run the gruelling full course of a race track!] & the loving support of all Stripes' farm buddies believable ... in fact, this 1 is *better* than -Babe- due to the improvements of CGI.
As Donald remarked at the end, "Ain't Macs wunnerful?" This film also features sweetly-effective Hayden Panettiere as Channing, the perky/pretty/gallant girl who Believes in Stripes. Plus, South Africa makes a *terrific* Kentucky ... speaking as a former Hoosier who still loves/remembers the achingly green purity of that more-Southern-than state.

& also "What a *great* change. A real relief!" For those who believe in the Dream = Winning ... & even those who don't, this is a win in less than 2 hours.

My 7-year-old and I occasionally have the pleasure of a date with just the two of us...and mommy gets the pleasure of the house to herself for awhile. "Racing Stripes" is perfect for this. We may go see it again sometime, and will certainly buy the video upon its release.

Stripes is a zebra who gets left behind in an accident by a circus caravan. He is found by a Kentucky farmer who just happens to have once been a great trainer of race horses and still lives near the track. When the young zebra gets his first glimpse of real race horses, he knows what he wants to do with his life.

The farmer got out of the business when his wife, a successful jockey, lost her life in a riding accident. He has a beautiful daughter who works at the track, and no way will he let her become a jockey. He wants nothing to do with it.

Any parent can probably fill in the rest of the plot from there, with all the expected pieces of this story that is equal parts "Babe," "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," "National Velvet," and "Rocky." But there are quite a few very funny moments. Famous voices like Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg, Joe Pantoliano, David Spade, and Steve Harvey provide the characters their audio appeal. The underrated Bruce Greenwood stars as the farmer, playing the same kind of role the formerly underrated James Cromwell did in the "Babe" films.

From a parental perspective, it's worth about three stars, but I give it 5 on behalf of my daughter. As soon as the end titles began, she said, "That's the best movie I ever saw!"

I can't make a better recommendation for a family film, although some parents may be wary of its bodily function humor. Flies are seen glorying in horse droppings, and there's a pelican who acts as a hit man by trying to hit objects below him with his own pelican droppings. Grossout humor, yeah, but your kids snicker about this stuff at school anyway and it doesn't go farther than that. Definitely recommended.