Racing Stripes / Valiant (2 Disc Set)

Racing Stripes:
Racing Stripes tells the story of a baby zebra named Stripes who is accidentally abandoned during a rainstorm and found by horse trainer, Nolan Walsh (Bruce Greenwood). Nolan takes him home to live with him and his daughter, Channing (Hayden Panettiere) on their Kentucky farm – and the confused zebra grows up believing he is a racehorse.

Stripes (voiced by Frankie Muniz) is convinced he is destined to race and Channing, his best friend, shares a similar ambition – she dreams of being a jockey in the prestigious Kentucky Open - but her protective dad refuses to let Channing compete because he believes it is too dangerous.

In the meantime, Stripes has to endure the taunts of some of the neighbouring thoroughbred horses who ridicule him about his appearance, but in his barnyard friends he has a real support group. Among these are Franny (Whoopi Goldberg) a sweet old motherly goat with a sharp tongue; Tucker (Dustin Hoffman) a cranky and stubborn Shetland pony who is a softy at heart; Goose (Joe Pantoliano) a deranged pelican and wannabe mobster; Reggie (Jeff Foxworthy), a pea-brained rooster; Lightning (Snoop Dog) a bloodhound so lazy he won’t even wag his tail and Buzz and Scuzz (David Spade and Steve Harvey) two irritating horseflies.

Stripes knows that if he got the chance he could leave the other “horses” in his dust but with the help of his friends, he must first overcome the prejudice of the snooty thoroughbreds – and Channing must win over her father.

Special Features:

• Alternate Ending
  
• Audio Commentary
  
• Barnyard Outtakes
  
• How To Make Animals Talk
  
• Animal Acting 101
  
• Additional Scenes
  
• Buzz and Scuzz's Flyin' Fiasco Interactive Video Game
  
• Interactive Comic Book with optional narration
  
• The Music of Racing Stipes with Sting and Brian Adams
  
• Theatrical Trailer
  
• Easter Egg

Valiant:
Valiant is an affectionate tribute to those stiff-upper-lip British World War II movies of the ‘40s and ‘50s, only this time the heroes are pigeons whose voices are supplied by some very well-known actors.

The title character (voiced by Ewan McGregor) is a small but plucky wood pigeon keen to contribute to the war effort by joining the renowned Royal Homing Pigeon Service (RHPS), which flies dangerous missions across the channel by delivering top-secret messages. Valiant’s size would seem to disqualify him from joining up, but his determination and grit impress the team’s champion flier, Gutsy (Hugh Laurie) who thinks he should be given a chance. Flying to London to enlist, Valiant meets street-wise and fly-infested Bugsy (Ricky Gervais from The Office in fine, funny form) who, against his better judgement, signs up as well.

With the rest of the motley crew of their squad, Valiant and Bugsy go through training under the gruff – and loud – supervision of their sergeant, Crusty (Jim Broadbent) and it’s not long before a mission comes up in which they must try to free a comrade named Mercury (John Cleese) who is being held and questioned by the enemy – a fascist falcon called General Von Talon (Tim Curry) aided by two bird-brained offsiders, Cufflingk and Underlingk (Rik Mayall and Michael Schlingmann). It’s a perilous assignment that also involves bringing back a vital message and not everything goes to plan, but it gives Valiant the chance to show what he’s made of!

With its London landmarks under blimp-covered skies and its 1940s setting, Valiant has a look that sets it apart from most animated films while its characters – based on the heroic ‘types’ that we got to know in a string of live action films – are instantly recognisable. There’s tongue-in-cheek humour, too – a female French Resistance worker coyly tells us that her name is Charles De Girl and she sounds remarkably like a character from the comedy series, ‘Allo, ‘Allo. Naturally, there’s a little romance, which Valiant finds with a fine-feathered nurse called Victoria (Olivia Williams). And a climactic cross-channel, cross-country chase, with Von Talon hot on the tail feathers of a frantically flapping Valiant, brings some fast, high-flying excitement to this lively adventure!

Special Features:

• The Making of Valiant
  
• Recording Session
  
• Bloopers
  
• Theatrical Trailer