RACING STRIPES

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: mild crude humor

Rated:

Inside everyone is a dream. The ones who aspire to make it come true become heroes. Racing Stripes is a predictable but enjoyable film about a zebra who believes he's a racehorse. On a dark and stormy night, a circus troop has broken down by the side of the road. In their pandemonium to load up all the escaped animals and pull away in the raging storm, they leave behind a crate with a baby zebra in it. Nolan Walsh (Bruce Greenwood) is on his way home after a long day, and finds the abandoned foal shivering in the rain. His daughter Channing (Hayden Panettiere) begs him to let "Stripes" stay. Befriended by all the farm animals, Stripes watches the horses on the nearby race track and dreams of one day competing on the green turf.

Three years later, Stripes (voiced by Frankie Muniz) has decided that his fate is to be a racehorse. He spends his time racing the mailman and hanging out with his pals: Sandy (Mandy Moore), the beautiful white Arabian jumper, Tucker (Dustin Hoffman), a Shetland pony under whose instruction the Walsh racehorses used to become champions, and Fran (Whoopi Goldberg), a goat. Since the tragic death of Nolan's beloved wife ten years before, he hasn't allowed his daughter to ride. Nor has he trained horses. Stripes wants to change all that, much to the amusement of his finest competition, Trenton's Pride (Joshua Jackson) a Thoroughbred who comes from a long line of champions. He and his buddy Ruffshod (Michael Rosenbaum) are determined to prevent Stripes from achieving his dreams. 

With the help of an pelican named Goose (Joe Pantoliano), on the run from his Mafia buddies back on the east coast, Stripes runs toward his goal of entering the Kentucky Open. While he deals with rampant prejudice on the tracks, Channing must contend with her dad's unwillingness to risk losing her, and Nolan has to remember why he trained racehorses in the first place. Racing Stripes is filmed in the tradition of Babe, with the animals' mouths animated, but a lot of interaction with people to keep the audience rooted in reality. I've always wondered what animals talked about, and now I know! It may be clichéd, but this movie pulls heartstrings. You're rooting for a little striped zebra to make his dreams come true. It deals with many predictable elements, but is too cute for the audience to care. Adults and children can enjoy it together.

The vocal talents bring together a number of talented artists, including Snoop Dogg, Fred Dalton Thompson, and Jeff Foxworthy. There's a wide range of memorable characters: the rooster who wakes up the farm just to keep his head, the two seriously annoying flies that hang out around the racing stables, the rough and tumble gang that follow Sir Trenton's every whim. There are a lot of positive themes about pushing forward to reach your goals, about never giving up your dreams, and working past your inabilities. Stripes has to learn hard work and discipline in order to compete. By the end, even Trenton admires him. When Stripes is going through a bad attitude, Fran chastises him and reveals to him the truth about "Old Tucker," how he trained so many horses and never received any thanks. Cheating horses are dealt with in short order on the track.

I have always loved animals, so there's nothing more adorable to me than sitting through two hours of absolutely gorgeous horses and yes, even a plump little striped zebra, galloping around the track. There's also minimal content. Language consists of two anatomical references, and phrases like "let's kick some butt!" There's one coy innuendo. It's implied that Stripes is beat up by a herd of horses. Jockeys hit at one another with their whips. The only true issues are some crude humor centering around Goose and his "projectiles" (he likes to aim bird poop at his enemies and usually misses), and a flatulent fly with a taste for horse dung. It was a fun movie, not as humorous as it wanted to be (most of the jokes fall flat), but nevertheless heartwarming. You could call it the "Seabiscuit for the kiddie class," but adults will enjoy it as well.

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