January seems to have become the dumping ground for kid's movies that producers don't believe have a chance against the summer glut of blockbusters. Previous years have offered the mediocre "Snow Dogs" and the outright terrible "Kangaroo Jack," so hopes are not high for films released during this period. However, "Racing Stripes" is a children's movie that manages to find itself between being not particularly inspired while not outright terrible either.
During a rainstorm one night in Kentucky, farmer Nolan Walsh (Bruce Greenwood) stumbles on a baby zebra that was accidentally left behind by a circus. He takes it home where his daughter Channing (Hayden Panettiere)is instantly smitten with him. They decide to keep him, and she dubs him Stripes.
Stripes (voice of Frankie Muniz) grows up on the farm, which is next to a horse track. He dreams of racing with the other horses, but is constantly taunted by Trenton's Pride (voice of Joshua Jackson), a thoroughbred expected to follow in his sire's hoofsteps. Stripes is encouraged by his fellow barnyard animals, which include Shetland pony Tucker (voice of Dustin Hoffman), the motherly goat Franny (voice of Whoopi Goldberg), as well as newcomer Goose (voice of Joe Pantoliano), a wise guy pelican on the run from his fellow gangster fowl. He also has his eye on Sandy (voice of Mandy Moore), a jumping horse who finds him cute.
Channing also wishes to enter the races, and with no horses on the farm she has her hopes set on Stripes. However Nolan forbids her to enter the races. A former champion horse trainer, Nolan has given up his career after a family tragedy. This makes him the constant target of ridicule by track owner Clara Dalrymple (Wendy Malick), his former boss. Eventually things come to a head, and Nolan must decide between allowing his daughter to race or letting his own demons squander her potential.
"Racing Stripes" is clichéd and predictable, but it's still an enjoyable bit of diversion for kids. The sports formula is put into full effect here, but the performances manage to elevate the script above the mundane.
Director Frederik Du Chau, whose only previous work is helming the atrociously bad animated film "Quest for Camelot," manages to make the animal scenes quite entertaining. The human scenes tend to pale by comparison.
However, actor Greenwood is an accomplished enough performer to breath some life into his role. Adults in the audience will find someone they can relate to, and Du Chau was wise to hire someone who could give the material added meaning just by being a screen presence. Panettiere's Channing is less developed but still likable, and should have all the little girls jealous with her friendship with Stripes. Malick on the other hand goes the way of scene-chewing villainy with her role, which is a cop out but not terribly so. She seems to enjoy invoking cartoon vamp Cruella DeVil with her role, which manages to go mesh well enough with the animal scenes.
In the voice department, Muniz doesn't give Stripes much personality, but he's a game enough presence to make the character likable. Hoffman and Goldberg manage to underplay their roles, which thankfully add a note of drama to the otherwise goofy animal scenes. Moore's Sandy isn't distinguished but is sweet all the same, and Jackson manages to voice Trenton's Pride as a jerk who is still sympathetic, especially when you see his mean streak comes from a psychologically abusive father.
Pantoliano seems to have fun sending up his own tough guy roles from "The Goonies" and "The Sopranos." Less notable but still humorous are Jeff Foxworthy as bird-brained rooster Reggie and Fred Dalton Thompson as race horse legend and bully Sir Trenton. The only problem comes from Steve Harvey and David Spade, who as the flies Buzz and Scuzz provide the movie's odious comedy relief with tons of bathroom humor.
"Racing Stripes" is not "Seabiscuit," nor does it aspire to be. It's an allegory about prejudice and proving stereotypes wrong, just done with talking animals. While not particularly great it's still fun, which seems to be in this era of children's fare being mindless slapstick drivel almost more then we can ask for from filmmakers.
6 out of 10 stars. Not a great film by any means, but at least it's entertaining when not trying to be gross.
During a rainstorm one night in Kentucky, farmer Nolan Walsh (Bruce Greenwood) stumbles on a baby zebra that was accidentally left behind by a circus. He takes it home where his daughter Channing (Hayden Panettiere)is instantly smitten with him. They decide to keep him, and she dubs him Stripes.
Stripes (voice of Frankie Muniz) grows up on the farm, which is next to a horse track. He dreams of racing with the other horses, but is constantly taunted by Trenton's Pride (voice of Joshua Jackson), a thoroughbred expected to follow in his sire's hoofsteps. Stripes is encouraged by his fellow barnyard animals, which include Shetland pony Tucker (voice of Dustin Hoffman), the motherly goat Franny (voice of Whoopi Goldberg), as well as newcomer Goose (voice of Joe Pantoliano), a wise guy pelican on the run from his fellow gangster fowl. He also has his eye on Sandy (voice of Mandy Moore), a jumping horse who finds him cute.
Channing also wishes to enter the races, and with no horses on the farm she has her hopes set on Stripes. However Nolan forbids her to enter the races. A former champion horse trainer, Nolan has given up his career after a family tragedy. This makes him the constant target of ridicule by track owner Clara Dalrymple (Wendy Malick), his former boss. Eventually things come to a head, and Nolan must decide between allowing his daughter to race or letting his own demons squander her potential.
"Racing Stripes" is clichéd and predictable, but it's still an enjoyable bit of diversion for kids. The sports formula is put into full effect here, but the performances manage to elevate the script above the mundane.
Director Frederik Du Chau, whose only previous work is helming the atrociously bad animated film "Quest for Camelot," manages to make the animal scenes quite entertaining. The human scenes tend to pale by comparison.
However, actor Greenwood is an accomplished enough performer to breath some life into his role. Adults in the audience will find someone they can relate to, and Du Chau was wise to hire someone who could give the material added meaning just by being a screen presence. Panettiere's Channing is less developed but still likable, and should have all the little girls jealous with her friendship with Stripes. Malick on the other hand goes the way of scene-chewing villainy with her role, which is a cop out but not terribly so. She seems to enjoy invoking cartoon vamp Cruella DeVil with her role, which manages to go mesh well enough with the animal scenes.
In the voice department, Muniz doesn't give Stripes much personality, but he's a game enough presence to make the character likable. Hoffman and Goldberg manage to underplay their roles, which thankfully add a note of drama to the otherwise goofy animal scenes. Moore's Sandy isn't distinguished but is sweet all the same, and Jackson manages to voice Trenton's Pride as a jerk who is still sympathetic, especially when you see his mean streak comes from a psychologically abusive father.
Pantoliano seems to have fun sending up his own tough guy roles from "The Goonies" and "The Sopranos." Less notable but still humorous are Jeff Foxworthy as bird-brained rooster Reggie and Fred Dalton Thompson as race horse legend and bully Sir Trenton. The only problem comes from Steve Harvey and David Spade, who as the flies Buzz and Scuzz provide the movie's odious comedy relief with tons of bathroom humor.
"Racing Stripes" is not "Seabiscuit," nor does it aspire to be. It's an allegory about prejudice and proving stereotypes wrong, just done with talking animals. While not particularly great it's still fun, which seems to be in this era of children's fare being mindless slapstick drivel almost more then we can ask for from filmmakers.
6 out of 10 stars. Not a great film by any means, but at least it's entertaining when not trying to be gross.