Dreamer (2005)

A moon-eyed moppet (Dakota Fanning) and her grizzled pop (Kurt Russell) rescue an injured racehorse and hatch big plans to win a high-stakes race. Sound like a Seabiscuit knockoff? Nay, claims Dreamer writer-director John Gatins, who fought to make his feel-good flick for more than four years before getting it greenlit by DreamWorks. ''Ah, yes, that other horse movie,'' says the first-time helmer. ''That other horse movie was a historical drama. Dreamer is much more of a family story, like The Black Stallion.'' Well, the horse in this movie is more of a chocolate brown, but we get the gist.