The story line is lump-in-the-throat. A circus’ baby zebra is accidentally abandoned in the middle of the road during the chaos of a tumultuous rainstorm. Rancher/widower Nolan Walsh discovers the orphan and—despite misgivings—allows his teenage daughter Channing to keep the animal, who aptly names him "Stripes."

Within a few years, Stripes’ lightning speed encourages Channing to enter him in the Kentucky Open, even though she is heckled by many. She’s also insulted by the track owner (an exaggerated turn by Wendie Malick) and discouraged initially by her anxious father who fears she will suffer the same fatal fate as his horse-loving wife. Like "Rocky" and a hundred "Little Engine That Could" stories, "Racing Stripes" clings to that theme of perseverance with a refreshing sweetness and fine, grounded performances by Bruce Greenwood, Hayden Panettiere and the reliable M. Emmet Walsh.

But "Racing Stripes" wants to be more than a simple animal story and adds perhaps too many ingredients to the pot. For starters, the animals talk. The technical jazz that makes the animals mouths move is just fine—it’s the jarring juxtaposition of a serious Bruce Greenwood grieving for his wife and Joe Pantaliano’s wise guy pelican serving up lines from "The Godfather" that shocks the sensibilities. To be fair, the animals are hilarious—Dustin Hoffman’s pony and Whoopie Goldberg’s goat banter some zingers. (When Goldberg’s goat tries to speak in pig Latin, Hoffman admonishes that "we haven’t spoke Latin since the pigs left"). Frankie Muniz ("Malcolm in the Middle") exudes the dead-on angst of the self-doubting Stripes and Fred Dalton Thompson voices champion racehorse Sir Trenton with a regal arrogance.

But there’s more. Not only do we have yakking animals but also the CGI of two hip flies voiced by David Spade and Steve Harvey. These computerized creatures revel in farts and feces (ergo the PG rating)—and garner some well-deserved laughs, even though a little of them goes a long way.

In the end, it is the visual thrill of seeing the zebra racing through the cornfields and finally on the racetrack that is the true highlight of this endearing movie. Emerald corn stalks frame the black and white of the zebra as he jettisons down the path. Dwarfed by the larger thoroughbreds, Stripes’ speed dazzles at the Kentucky Open, providing an exciting race sequence that is reminiscent of "Seabiscuit," until you realize there’s a zebra in the mix. "Racing Stripes" offers these breathtaking moments never before shown onscreen. A racing zebra?! It is that uniqueness that makes this story of tenacity worth a peek.