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Grade: B-

Verdict: A "Babe" wannabe, but on its own terms it's a cute, family-friendly film.

By ELEANOR RINGEL GILLESPIE
Cox News Service

Much like a certain pig who wanted to herd sheep, the four-legged star of "Racing Stripes" is a zebra who wants to be a race horse.

As a "Babe" wannabe, this talking-animals picture is a bust. But as an amiable family film taken on its own terms, it's not bad. And if you've got a horse-loving preteen on the premises, it's a don't-miss.

Beginning with a baby zebra accidentally left behind during a thunderstorm by a circus, the movie settles down at a ramshackle Kentucky farm (played by South Africa!), where the little one goes to live, having been rescued by a former horse trainer (Bruce Greenwood). By the time the aptly named Stripes is big enough to be voiced by Frankie Muniz, he's decided his destiny is to run against the thoroughbreds at the track next door.

Stripes is backed by a colorful assortment of barnyard buddies voiced by some top talent. There's Dustin Hoffman as a cranky Shetland Pony, Whoopi Goldberg as a wise goat, Snoop Dogg as a sleepy bloodhound, Jeff Foxworthy as an easily ruffled rooster and, funniest of all, Joey Pants himself (Joe Pantoliano) as a pelican with a Mafia past. David Spade and Steve Harvey lend their voices to a pair of computer-generated horseflies who do poop jokes (what's a kiddie movie without some body humor?).

An appealing aspect of "Racing Stripes" that's not borrowed from "Babe" is the relationship between Greenwood and his adolescent daughter, well played by Hayden Panettiere. She believes in Stripes and wants to ride him in the Big Race, but her father is reluctant because her mother, a jockey, died in a riding accident.

Stripes' chances of winning the race -- make that, winning any race — are summed up thusly: "His legs are too short. His head is too big. But his heart is just right."

You could say the same thing about "Racing Stripes." It's no classic, but its heart's in the right place.