Family fare an increasing attraction for actors, directors

Published: 2004-12-30

LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- The upcoming Warner Bros. film, "Racing Stripes," due out Jan. 14, brings together a team of actors, voice talent, producers and a director committed to a family story. "Racing Stripes" is the tale of a baby zebra named Stripes (voiced by Frankie Muniz), who is accidentally abandoned by a traveling circus during a rainstorm. Stripes is discovered by horse trainer Nolan Walsh (Bruce Greenwood), who rescues the zebra and takes him home to live with him and his daughter, Channing (Hayden Panettiere), on their farm. Stripes and Channing dream of racing in the prestigious Kentucky Open, run at Turfway Park, an actual horse track in northern Kentucky upon which the director modeled his setting, although filming was done entirely in South Africa. Stripes believes that if he could just get onto the track he would leave all the other horses in the dust. What he doesn't realize is that he's not a horse. Director Frederick DuChau, who co-wrote the story, has made a personal commitment to direct only family fare, making him unique among young Hollywood A-listers. "I love the family film business," he said in the soft accent of his native Belgium. His directing career began with the animated film "Quest for Camelot" in the late 1990s.

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .