Racing Stripes


Racing Stripes is a 2005 American sports comedy family film directed by Frederik Du Chau. The film was produced by Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Lloyd Phillips and Edward L. McDonnell, and written by David Schmidt, from a story by Schmidt, Steven P. Wegner, Kirk DeMicco and Du Chau.
The film tells the story of Stripes, a circus zebra who is accidentally abandoned in Kentucky and raised on a farm next to a racetrack. Believing he is a racehorse, Stripes dreams of training for and competing in the races. The film stars Hayden Panettiere, Bruce Greenwood, Wendie Malick and M. Emmet Walsh, with the voice talents of 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 and Whoopi Goldberg.
Racing Stripes was released theatrically on January 14, 2005, by Warner Bros. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $90 million worldwide.

Plot

During a thunderstorm, a traveling circus, Circus Sarano, inadvertently abandons a baby zebra after replacing a flat tire. The foal is rescued by Nolan Walsh, a widower and former racehorse trainer, and taken to his farm, where he is named "Stripes" by Nolan's 13-year-old daughter, Channing, and meets a Shetland pony named Tucker, a goat named Franny, and a rooster named Reggie. The next day, Stripes becomes convinced that he is destined for the nearby racetrack, Turfway Park, unaware that he is a zebra and is not qualified. A pair of thoroughbred foals named Trenton's Pride and Ruffshodd decide to race Stripes, but Pride's father, Sir Trenton, notices and forbids them to play with Stripes again.
Three years later, after losing to the mailman in their usual race, an adult Stripes meets an Arabian filly named Sandy and develops a crush on her. Stripes is then approached by Pride, Ruffshodd, and Sir Trenton, and Pride challenges him to a race at a secret racetrack in the forest called the Blue Moon Races, which Stripes ends up losing. The following day, Tucker, having watched Stripes in secret, approaches him and suggests that he gets proper training first. Stripes chooses Channing, who is now 16-years-old, for his rider, and convinces a pelican named Goose to sabotage Channing's motorcycle and 'Old Blue', Nolan's old pickup truck, so that Channing can ride him to her workplace at Turfway Park. The plan works, and Channing, with Nolan's reluctant approval, rides Stripes to Turfway Park. There, Channing is antagonized by her boss, Clara Dalrymple, for bringing Stripes to the racetrack, while Stripes himself meets a pair of horsefly brothers named Buzz and Scuzz.
At night, Channing, remembering her first horseback ride with her late mother Carolyn, completes a lap around the track with Stripes. They are approached by Woodzie, a racetrack gambler and old friend of the family, who encourages Channing to sign herself and Stripes up for a tryout race the next day. She agrees, despite Nolan's disapproval stemming from Carolyn's death in an accident years ago, which discouraged him from horse-training, but Stripes has a meltdown after getting scared by the starting gate. Once he calms down, Stripes begins running, but he gets hit by flying dirt and causes Channing to fall off. Although she is uninjured, Nolan chastises Channing, but he defends her when Clara ridicules Channing's riding skills. In response, Clara sarcastically signs Stripes up to compete in the Kentucky Open.
Meanwhile, Stripes finally learns that he is a zebra after being told off by Sir Trenton, which severely discourages him. Despite Channing's pleas and Woodzie's encouragement, Nolan refuses to let his daughter race Stripes. Realizing this, the farm animals lure Nolan into the barn to show him a table with pictures of his past accomplishments, and he changes his mind. The following day, due to Stripes' misbehavior during training, Franny reveals to Stripes that Tucker helped Nolan train many racehorses, including Sir Trenton, without getting any thanks, which encourages him to begin training.
Refusing to let Stripes race, however, Sir Trenton and several thoroughbreds ambush him and Sandy at a creek at night while they are making up for their previous argument, and they kidnap Sandy, threatening to hurt her if Stripes, who they then knock unconscious, races. The next day, after finding Stripes and waking him up, Tucker, Franny and Goose agree to rescue Sandy for him. With help from Buzz and Scuzz, they succeed in doing so and return in time for Stripes to go to the race.
At the race, Nolan makes a deal with Clara that he will buy Sandy if Stripes wins, but will come back to work for her if he does not. During the race, Ruffshodd and his own jockey try to stop Stripes and Channing, but Scuzz disqualifies them by biting Ruffshodd's rear end. Later, Stripes starts wearing out, until he finally remembers what Tucker taught him: "Don't look back. Leave it all on the track", which boosts his confidence. Stripes wins the race in a photo finish and earns his respect from Pride and the other horses. In the end, they all come together in a group photo, which is later shown with the past Walsh wins.

Cast

Humans

  • Hayden Panettiere as Channing "Chan" Walsh, Nolan's free-spirited 16-year-old daughter who is determined and willing to ride Stripes, and despite her lack of opportunity, has talent for horseback like her late mother, Carolyn.
  • Bruce Greenwood as Nolan "The Chief" Walsh, Channing's widowed father, a veteran Kentucky corn farmer, and a retired racehorse trainer who ceased training horses after his wife, Carolyn, died when her racehorse stumbled years ago. Fearing that Channing will hurt herself if she rides Stripes, Nolan refuses to let her go to the Turfway Park racetrack, until halfway through the film, when the animals make him remember his accomplishments as a trainer, and he ultimately helps Channing and Stripes train for the Kentucky Open.
  • M. Emmet Walsh as Sheriff Woodzie, an old, wise racetrack gambler and friend of the Walsh family, who sympathizes with Channing since he sees the same talent in her like Carolyn.
  • Wendie Malick as Clara Dalrymple, Nolan's former employer, Channing's boss, and the film's main antagonist. She admires Trenton's Pride, only sees the Kentucky Open as a means of business and money, and is not concerned for the health of her horses, as well as Stripes.
  • Gary Bullock as John Cooper, a racehorse trainer who does not share Clara's views on pushing her horses past their limits, but follows her instructions in order to get his paychecks.
  • Caspar Poyck as The Mailman, who beats Stripes after the zebra runs into a tree in their usual race.

    Voice actors

  • Frankie Muniz as Stripes, a foundling plains zebra and the film's main protagonist, who dreams of competing in the Kentucky Open, which leads to him being bullied by the local horses except for Sandy, his love interest.
  • *Jansen Panettiere, Hayden Panettiere's brother, voices Stripes’ younger self.
  • Dustin Hoffman as Tucker, a Shetland pony who used to help Nolan train racehorses, including Sir Trenton, and presents himself with a grumpy demeanor after years of training ungrateful horses before retiring, but later helps Stripes by teaching him to race.
  • Whoopi Goldberg as Franny, a Saanen goat who encourages Stripes to pursue his racing dreams and gives him good advice. She also appears to be the only farm animal aware that Tucker is upset about his retirement.
  • Mandy Moore as Sandy, a gray Arabian filly who is a professional jumper and the only horse who supports Stripes' dream to become a racehorse. She and Stripes also have romantic feelings for each other, which becomes mutual by the end of the film.
  • Steve Harvey and David Spade as Buzz and Scuzz, a pair of horsefly brothers who are friends with Tucker. Buzz is larger and has blue eyes and combed hair, while Scuzz is smaller and has red eyes and unkempt hair. They also have different opinions on music: Scuzz enjoys rap music, while Buzz favors classical music.
  • Jeff Foxworthy as Reggie, the farm's Rhode Island Red, who means well, but is not very bright. He also serves as the news announcer for the other farm animals.
  • Joe Pantoliano as Goose, a New York-accented American white pelican from the big city, who states that he moved to the farm in order to escape other birds who have placed a hit on him, and that he was a "hit bird".
  • Snoop Dogg as Lightning, the family's lazy bloodhound who makes jokes while sleeping.
  • Fred Thompson as Sir Trenton, an arrogant and strict thoroughbred horse who sees his son, Trenton's Pride, as having no purpose besides continuing his legacy, and the Kentucky Open as his property, which leads to his antagonism towards Stripes. He was also one of Tucker's former racehorses-in-training before the latter and Nolan retired from training.
  • Joshua Jackson as Trenton's Pride, Sir Trenton's son who bullies Stripes, but strongly believes in winning a race the fair way, unlike his father and the other horses.
  • *Kyle Alcazar voices Pride’s younger self.
  • Michael Rosenbaum as Ruffshodd, Pride's friend who, at first, seems to bully Stripes alongside Pride out of sycophancy for him and fear of Sir Trenton, but in reality, is a greater bully who proves eager to keep Stripes from racing in the Kentucky Open.
  • *Frankie Ryan Manriquez voices Ruffshodd’s younger self.
  • Michael Clarke Duncan as Clydesdale, a Clydesdale horse who hosts the Blue Moon Races.

    Production

On September 10, 2002, it was announced that Frederik Du Chau was hired and set to direct Racing Stripes. David Schmidt, Steven P. Wegner and Kirk DeMicco wrote the script for the film. Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Lloyd Phillips and Edward L. McDonnell produced the film with the budget of $30 million, for release in 2005. On March 25, 2003, it was announced that Mark Isham would compose the music for the film.
Two racing zebras, Sam and Daisy, were used in the film. Sam was more well-behaved, and "kind of wanted to be a horse", according to Tim Rivers, who trained him at the Animals in Motion farm near Citra, Florida. Sam had previously appeared in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Second Noah and Sheena.
During production of the film, Hayden Panettiere was thrown off a zebra and ended up hospitalized with a concussion and a pinched nerve in her neck. The producers forbade her from mentioning the injury during publicity for the film; she finally revealed it during a 2013 episode of British talk show The Graham Norton Show.