Stuart Little
This live-action version of E.B. White's novel doesn't have quite the magic of, say, Toy Story. Instead of entertainment the whole family can be enthralled with, Stuart Little is squarely aimed, and successfully so, at the 4- to 10-year-old watcher. Does this make it a bad family film? Not in the slightest. The gee-whiz visual effects (created by original Star Wars wizard John Dykstra) and the film's ebullient wholesomeness make this a welcome addition to the home library. In E.B. White's world, it's hardly surprising that human parents would adopt "outside their species." The smooth-talking mouse Stuart (voiced by Michael J. Fox) seems the perfect new child for parents Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie, especially with an adorable wardrobe of very small sweaters and pants. Harder is fitting in with the Littles' family cat, Snowbell (voiced by Nathan Lane, who also deftly voiced Timon in director Rob Minkoff's last feature, The Lion King). The simple story deals with Stuart trying to fit in with his new life, including big brother George (Jerry Maguire's scene-stealing Jonathan Lipnicki). And of course there's an adventure when Snowbell's schemes lead Stuart into true danger, in the form of the devious plans of an alley cat named Smokey (voiced by Chazz Palminteri). Brisk--85 minutes--amusing, and tolerably cute, Stuart Little stands tall. Two curios: The effects are so cleanly done that we could call Stuart the first successfully computer-animated actor, and the screenplay was cowritten by M. Night Shyamalan, who made bigger waves in 1999 writing and directing The Sixth Sense. --Doug Thomas Stuart Little 2
Stuart Little 2 is that rarest of movie breeds, a sequel that surpasses its charming, popular predecessor to achieve near-classic status. Mr. & Mrs. Little (Hugh Laurie, Geena Davis) are portrayed with good-natured, storybook purity, and the rest of the movie follows suit, beginning when their lonely mouse "son" Stuart (perfectly voiced by Michael J. Fox) befriends an orphaned canary (Melanie Griffith), who is reluctantly stealing from the Littles for the villainous Falcon (James Woods). The con game turns into a search-and-rescue thriller, with family cat Snowbell (Nathan Lane) quipping like a borscht-belt comedian, but the real fun of Stuart Little 2 comes from Bruce Joel Rubin's hilarious, marvelously inventive screenplay and returning director Rob Minkoff's visually dazzling combination of live action and lavish computer animation. Matching the Babe movies as a wondrous marvel of family entertainment, Stuart Little 2 is an all-ages romp that's smart, sweet, and completely irresistible. --Jeff Shannon
