Walt Disney Pictures has been known for their traditional movies, sticking to producing family-oriented films. This inadvertently creates cliché story lines that are afraid to deviate from happiness.

“Secretariat” is good as a story but is not enjoyable as a cinematic adventure.

Based on a true story and widely influenced by William Nack’s book “Secretariat: The Making of a Champion,” this movie follows the story of what some consider the greatest racehorse of all time.

Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) inherits her father’s Meadow Stable and fights her way through the horse racing business. Teamed with the knowledgeable horse trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich), they put all their trust and finances into a thoroughbred racehorse named Secretariat.

The unique threesome battle the odds, adversity and hardships of the time in an attempt to capture the covenant Triple Crown. In the history of horse racing, only 11 horses earned the Triple Crown, winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

Any horse racing fan will know how the story turns out. I won’t ruin it if you want to find out yourself.

Walt Disney Pictures has had its fair share of success over the years. They primarily have success with their animated hits, producing mainstream films like “WALL-E”, “Up” and “Toy Story 3.” All three of these films were partnered with Pixar Animation Studios. These films relied heavily on emotional appeal to capture an audience.

However, Secretariat, co-produced with Mayhem Pictures, lacks this emotional connection. The casting was decent, but the performances were not. Diane Lane has turned in some good performances, notably in “Under the Tuscan Sun” and “Unfaithful.” Her newest role failed to garner any true emotion. There are often emotional moments on screen that just do not connect with the audience. You’ll see her cry, but you will not want to cry yourself.

The best performance turned in was by Malkovich. He successfully portrays a quirky, but highly intelligent, retired horse trainer. Although his performance lacked emotion, he made up for it with his comedic appeal. However, his supporting role is hardly worth sitting through almost two hours of mostly boring and irrelevant backstory.

The story had just enough ammunition for about one hour of screen time, yet dragged on just close to two hours. Especially if you know the ending, you will be forced wait around watching horse races that you already know the result of.

The logistics of the film also failed. Set in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the film spans about four years. However, none of the characters significantly progress. In fact, Chenery’s family looks almost exactly the same from the beginning to the end of the movie, both emotionally and physically.

“Secretariat” may be a good family film, but I would still suggest different movies. If you are a horse racing fan, stick to reruns of the popular “Seabiscuit.” Rating: C