Barnes & Noble

You've heard of a quarter horse? Racing Stripes is a quarter film: One part Babe, one part National Velvet, one part Seabiscuit, and one part misfit/underdog sports movie. Stripes (voiced by Frankie Muniz) is an accidentally abandoned circus zebra adopted by Nolan Walsh (a nicely understated Bruce Greenwood), who quit training horses in the wake of the tragic riding accident that claimed his beloved wife. He also forbids his teenage daughter, Channing (Hayden Panettiere), to ride. Stripes, meanwhile, makes himself at home on Walsh's ramshackle farm, where he is befriended by the other animals and taunted by the purebred horses who race at the neighboring track. Adults may stampede from the room, but kids will cheer our sympathetic hero to the finish line while enjoying the physical antics and wisecracks of the barnyard animals. Making the best impressions in the star-studded voice cast are Whoopi Goldberg as a goat, Dustin Hoffman as a mentoring Shetland, Jeff Foxworthy as Reggie the rooster, and Snoop Dogg as a somnolent bloodhound. Quickly wearing out their welcome are two jive-talking flies voiced by Steve Harvey and David Spade, and a Mob-connected "hit bird" on the lam voiced by Joe Pantoliano (the character is out of place in a family film, and his clichéd gangster-speak is sure to fly over younger viewers' heads). When the animals aren't talking, Racing Stripes is a sweet and affecting (albeit formulaic) girl-and-her-zebra story, as Channing convinces her father to let her ride Stripes in the Kentucky Open, and he literally bets the farm on Stripes. The PG-rated film includes mild barnyard humor, ham-handed dialogue ("He loves to run. It's in his heart") and jokes that should have been left on the farm ("Well subdivide me and Kentucky-Fry me," crows Reggie upon meeting Stripes). This is the breed of undistinguished children's film that plays best on home video, where kids can saddle it up any time. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide

A horse of a different pattern becomes a spoiler in a high-stakes race in the family-friendly comedy-drama. Nolan Walsh (Bruce Greenwood) is a farmer who once earned his living training racehorses before his wife was killed in an accident while riding, which led him to leave the racing game. Nolan tends to his farm and looks after his daughter Channing (Hayden Panettiere) and a large flock of animals, who speak to one another but not to humans. After a traveling circus passes through town, a zebra pony is left behind; Nolan takes in the animal, intending to return it to the circus, but at Channing's insistence they keep the zebra, naming him Stripes (voiced by Frankie Muniz). Channing loves Stripes, and the zebra is welcomed by the other critters on the farm, including grumpy Shetland pony Tucker (voiced by Dustin Hoffman), slow-moving hound dog Lightning (voiced by Snoop Dogg), a New Jersey-born pelican named Goose (voiced by Joe Pantoliano), skinny-brained rooster Reggie (voiced by Jeff Foxworthy), and deep-thinking goat Franny (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg). Channing discovers that Stripes can outrun nearly any horse around, and Woodzie (M. Emmett Walsh), a local character who has spent years handicapping the ponies, is convinced the zebra would be shoo-in in the Kentucky Open, a prestigious race held at the estate of champion horse breeder Clara Dalrymple (Wendie Malick). Channing believes Stripes can win, but he'll need the help of Nolan, who isn't so sure he's ready to start training again; meanwhile, Stripes gets plenty of advice from the other farm animals about his big step onto the race track. Mandy Moore, David Spade, and Steve Harvey also contribute their voice talents to the picture. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 085393368821
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 1:42:00
• Sales Rank: 13,997

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Racing Stripes & Kangaroo Jack
• Racing Stripes/My Dog Skip

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