"Racing Stripes" ain't gonna make anyone forget the definitive talking animal film, "Babe," but it's good for what it is...a well-made family-friendly diversion. Parents will enjoy watching it with their kids the first time, tolerate it the second, but may feel like ripping out their own eyes as the young 'uns pop it into the DVD player for the fifth or sixth time in as many days (at least if your kids are like mine). Peppered with a few amusing supporting characters, and a plethora of big-name actors supplying the animals' voices, "Racing Stripes" isn't quite as clever or funny as it could have been (and some of the said-actors are sort of underutilized), but it's a damn sight better than many of the current movies being passed off as kiddie fare. Warner has done a decent job with the DVD presentation, with a lot of fun extras to be enjoyed by kids and grown-ups alike.

Stripes (voiced by Frankie Muniz) is an orphaned zebra taken in by kindly farmer Nolan Walsh (Bruce Greenwood) & his daughter, Channing (Hayden Panettiere). The farm is located next to a racehorse training facility run by cold-hearted Clara Dalrymple (Wendie Malick, acting like a toned-down Cruella DeVille). Nolan used to work for her, but after his wife died in a tragic racing accident, he's given up training, and tries to keep his reluctant daughter from following in her mom's footsteps. Meanwhile, the other animals on Nolan's farm, including Franny the goat, Reggie the Rooster & Tucker, a wise old Shetland pony, accept Stripes as a new member of the family. Stripes has other aspirations; after watching the horses run and train at Clara's track, he decides he wants to be a racehorse, too, but the other horses scoff at the idea. Tucker encourages him to follow his dream, though, and soon shows Channing (still dreaming of racing) what he's capable of. It isn't long before Channing is trying to convince her dad to train them for the upcoming Kentucky Open, where Clara also has several horses competing. Storywise, "Racing Stripes" follows the tried-and-true triumph-of-the-underdog formula, with no surprises whatsoever...I think even kids will be able to predict the outcome shortly after the film begins. Why screw with a formula no one seems to ever tire of? The movie isn't as charming as "Babe," nor is it always especially funny, though kids will certainly double-over with laughter at the numerous obligatory poop jokes by the film's comic relief, two flies named Buzz & Scuzz (David Spade & Steve Harvey). Still, the movie is harmless fun, and aided immeasurably by what must be the most star-studded cast of voice actors since "Prince Of Egypt." Some are used well, while others are wasted. Snoop Dogg is amusing as the lazy bloodhound, Lightning, and I always appreciate David Spade when I don't have to look at him; Joe Pantoliano has fun with his mafioso image as a pelican named Goose. But others, like Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg, Mandy Moore, Fred Dalton Thompson & Jeff Foxworthy aren't given much to work with; nor is Frankie Muniz as Stripes, whose character is probably the blandest of them all, with none of the charm that made us fall in love with Babe the pig. But, if nothing else, you gotta grudgingly admire any movie that manages to assemble a cast like this.

The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio (a fullscreen version is offered separately), and for the most part, aside from some obvious edge enhancement, it looks great, with vibrant color and dead-on-accurate black tones. The soundtrack features a little bit of creativity with its 5.1 sound rendering at times, but much of the audio is front-loaded to the center speakers (much like a lot of kiddie fare seems to be).

A lot of fun and interesting extras are included on this disc, most of which will be of equal interest to kids and their parents. "How to Make Animals Talk" is a short featurette which shows how the filmmakers use CGI to create the illusion these animals are speaking; another featurette shows how animal wranglers trained the creature co-stars to perform before the camera. Other features include "Barnyard Outtakes," most of which are scenes from the film which retain dialogue excised from the final cut, "The Music of Racing Stripes," which features comments by Sting & Bryan Adams, both of whom contributed two pretty decent songs for the film. A "Racing Stripes" prequel, of sorts, is offered in the form of a comic book with optional narration, which provides some backstory for most of the characters (though none is really necessary). "Buzz and Scuzz's Flying Fiasco" is a variation of Simon, using your DVD remote. A perfunctory director's commentary, theatrical trailer and some deleted scenes round out a pretty extensive batch of supplementary material.

"Racing Stripes" will likely play better at home than it did in theaters, since its story is as predictable as the tide, but there are far worse movies out there insulting the intelligence of its intended audience. Most kids are sure to enjoy it, and parents will at least find it tolerable to sit through at least once or twice. The movie doesn't take full advantage of the voice talent it managed to acquire, but that's probably a small quip, since many of the those likely to appreciate "Racing Stripes" the most won't know who they are, anyway. This is a solid DVD purchase for anyone looking to please their brood of bambinos. Similar Movies: "Babe"; "Babe: Pigs in the City"; "Cats vs. Dogs"