Parents' Guide to

Racing Stripes

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Live-action talking-animal movie has lots of potty humor.

Movie PG 2005 94 minutes
Racing Stripes Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 6+

Based on 10 parent reviews

Kado
Kado Adult
September 3, 2022
age 6+
When the one fly sings he uses the word Lord at the end of the song.
Trayden
Trayden Parent of 8-year-old
May 4, 2022
age 11+
Did You Know That Racing Stripes Has The S Word The B Word And The A Word

This title has:

Too much swearing
See all 10 parent reviews

What's the Story?

RACING STRIPES gets rolling when horse trainer turned farmer Nolan Walsh (Bruce Greenwood) finds a baby zebra and brings him home. For his daughter, Channing (Hayden Panittiere), it's love at first sight. Three years later, Stripes is a cherished part of the farm family. But Stripes (voiced by Frankie Muniz), who has never seen another zebra, thinks he's a racehorse, like the thoroughbreds he sees at the racecourse next door, owned by snooty Carla (Wendie Malick). His friends include pony Tucker (Dustin Hoffman), a goat (Whoopi Goldberg), wayward seagull Goose, and horseflies Scuzz and Buzz. The racehorses jeer at him, but Stripes trains and dreams of winning a real race. A sympathetic filly named Sandy (Mandy Moore) provides encouragement. The animals find a way to let Channing know that Stripes is fast enough to race and she wants to ride him, but Nolan, whose wife died in a racing accident, doesn't want Channing to compete.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (10 ):
Kids say (7 ):

If you can handle the potty humor, this is the best live-action talking-animal movie since the beloved Babe. The human performers are just fine, especially the underrated Greenwood. He is too often relegated to bad-guy roles, but he shows real warmth and screen presence here. Up-and-coming young Panittiere makes us believe in her devotion to her father and the dream of racing she shares with Stripes.

But Racing Stripes is all about the animals, and the voice talents and computer-aided "acting" make the characters very real and very appealing. The humor may overdo the doo-doo, but there are sweet and funny moments as Stripes tries to follow his dream and learns the importance of friends.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why Stripes was so unhappy to find out he wasn't a horse in Racing Stripes. Why did Clara and Nolan have different ideas about what was important? Why do some people think "different" is scary?

  • This movie often used punchlines and catchphrases from other movies to get laughs. What were some of these references? Why would these references be in the movie?

  • How does this movie compare to other movies in which "misfit" characters are made fun of by others but use their perceived "weirdness" as the strength that helps them attain their goal?

Movie Details

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