Racing Stripes (2006) Movie Information:
| Racing Stripes (2006) Directed by: |
 Frederik Du Chau |
| Racing Stripes (2006) Written by: |
| David Schmidt |
| Racing Stripes (2006) Cast: |
| Bruce Greenwood, Hayden Panettiere, M. Emmet Walsh and Wendie Malick, Frankie Muniz, Mandy Moore, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jeff Foxworthy, Joshua Jackson, Joe Pantoliano, Michael Rosenbaum, Steve Harvey, David Spade, Snoop Dogg, Fred Dalton Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg |
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Racing Stripes (2006) Synopsis:
In the middle of a raging thunderstorm, a traveling circus accidentally leaves behind some very precious cargo – a baby zebra (voiced by Frankie Muniz). The gangly little foal is rescued by horse farmer Nolan Walsh (Bruce Greenwood), who takes him home to his young daughter Channing (Hayden Panettiere). Once a champion thoroughbred trainer, Walsh has given up horse training for a quiet life with Channing on their modest Kentucky farm.
Racing Stripes (2006) Movie Review:
Accidentally left behind by a travelling circus in Kentucky, a young zebra foal, is taken in by Nolan (Greenwood) and Channing (Panettiere) Walsh. Naming him Stripes (Muniz), the young zebra grows up on the farm next to the Kentucky Open racecourse. Seeing the thoroughbred horses training for the big race, Stripes dreams of becoming a racehorse. With the help of Channing and the rest of the animals on the farm, Stripes is about to discover if he does have the speed and the heart to reach the finishing line.
Combining talking animals and human characters may not be the most original idea, but there is something you can’t help but like about ‘Racing Stripes’.
The little zebra that could, will have you cheering for him to make it in the big race, even when you know the outcome is inevitable because the film has one big thing going for it, the characters. While the story might not be the most original, it is the inhabitants of the Walsh farm that make the movie so watchable for both kids and adults alike.
The filmmakers have gathered together an excellent vocal cast to bring these characters to life. Frankie Muniz is Stripes, the plucky zebra who dreams of being a racehorse. Dustin Hoffman is Tucker, the Shetland pony who just happens to be a master trainer. Whoopi Goldberg is Franny, a motivational goat. Joe Pantoliano is Goose, a New Jersey Pelican on the run from the mob and a wannabe hitman. Joshua Jackson is Trenton's Pride, Stripes’ main rival and Mandy Moore is Sandy, Stripes’ love interest. The comedic stylings of David Spade and Steve Harvey bring flies Buzz and Scuzz to life. What makes these performances so good is that each of them create a vocal character and are not just their off screen persona transferred into an animal.
The human characters are really secondary to the animal performers but the main players Bruce Greenwood and Hayden Panettiere, do a good job as Nolan and Channing Walsh. Greenwood is an underestimated actor who deserves a lot more acclaim than he gets and Hayden Panettiere is another good up and coming actress that will make waves on the teen scene.
‘Racing Stripes’ is a very good family movie that will appeal to everyone, whatever their age. With cute animals and a sporting, against the odds story that will have everyone cheering, this is wholesome entertainment that you can bet you are going to like.
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Racing Stripes (2006) review written by: Jamie Kelwick
28th August 2008: George Clooney Up In The Air! 
