Most notable are Goldberg and Hoffman, who constantly spar with one another and provide for good comedy. With the exception of Muniz and Moore, who are both lackluster, and Snoop Dogg, who has only a small role (as a hound dog), Belgian director Frederik Du Chau (“Quest for Camelot”) has gathered a stellar cast that gives stand-out performances. Good movies also need good actors and good directors. Good narrative has little to do with plot, and should instead focuses on characters and dialogue – as well as good, positive messages. I don’t consider that a negative, however, because when it comes to plot, there truly is nothing new under the sun. It’s good fun, with a standard “sports movie” plot, pared down for youngsters. Now, Nolan refuses to let Channing ride, which is her dream. It turns out that Tucker used to help his owner train horses, but when Nolan’s wife died during a race, they all gave it up. The other barnyard animals, including Frannie, a goat (voice of Whoopi Goldberg) and Tucker, a Shetland pony (voice of Dustin Hoffman), have mixed feelings. As soon as Stripes spots the racehorses training next door, however, he wants to become one. His daughter Channing ( Hayden Panettiere) is delighted. Nolan Walsh ( Bruce Greenwood), a former horse trainer, discovers the baby zebra and names it, then gives the animal a home on his farm. When the circus pulls up its tent pegs and heads out of Kentucky, they forget poor little Stripes (voice of Frankie Muniz). For this and other reasons, I couldn’t help but be impressed by “Racing Stripes,” a funny movie with positive, encouraging messages that children and parents will enjoy. But even if these stories made me somewhat predisposed to like this film, I’m still a stickler for good characterization and good dialogue (plots, in my opinion, ultimately boil down to just a few). White’s “Charlotte’s Web” was one of my favorite books growing up, so it was only natural that I enjoyed “Babe” when it came out in 1995. Emmett Walsh, Wendi Malick, Gary Bullock, Frankie Muniz, Mandy Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Dustin Hoffman, Jeff Foxworthy, Joshua Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Joe Pantoliano, Steve Harvey, David SpadeĮ.B. Rating: PG (for mild crude humor and some language)Īctors: Bruce Greenwood, Hayden Panettiere, M.
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