[.ca] Stuart Little (Full Screen)

From Amazon.com:
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 Little's 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

Additional Features:
This DVD is packed with extras designed for kids and special-effects enthusiastics. Stuart himself hosts the extras, guiding the viewer through the special menus. A favorite with the kids will probably be the game asking questions about the movie. Using clips from the movie and three different levels, it's quite appealing. As for meatier things, there is a curious look at animators' "tryouts" in creating Stuart, plus excellent demonstrations of how Stuart interacts with humans, using multiple images and commentary. Another highlight is seeing the first conceptual drawings of the boat race, vastly different from the final sequence. There are two commentary tracks on the film, one with the visual-effects team revealing their secrets and the other with the engaging director, Rob Minkoff. Also including short documentaries, music videos, and a read-along book with Stuart, this is a rare disc because the kids will like the extras as much as the film. --Doug Thomas

just so cute:
Stuart Little is a mouse adopted by the Banks family in New York City to be the little brother of George (Jonathan Lipnicki of Jerry Maguire fame.) That alone made the film more palatable to me than the book, because as a kid I was always vaguely disturbed that Mrs. Little gave birth to a mouse. Michael J. Fox voices Stuart, and his soft, eager-to-please qualities are very endearing in mouse form. And how he does have to please -- George is not into this new brother of his, and the cat Snowbell hates him too! Snowbell so hates him that he enlists a tough alley cat to devise a scheme to get rid of Stuart. And there the adventure begins. This is a cute movie, a bit harrowing in all the danger a small person/mouse faces in our everyday world, but good family fare in the end.

Stuart Little brought to life:
This is a marvelous adaptation of E.B. White's tale of the little mouse who found himself a place by the hearth in an all too human family. It is such a wonderful story and the animation brings Stuart Little to life. Hugh Laurie and Geena Davis play the adoptive parents to a tee, and the other members of the family provide excellent support. Jonathan Lipnicki turns in a first class performance as the reluctant brother. The story plays out effortlessly, with wonderful scenes moving back and forth between mad-cap adventure and family bonding. The animation team really outdid themselves with Stuart and his fake mouse parents, who make a fantastic entrance midway through the movie. The conspiracy of cats is mostly humorous, and not overly frightening for little ones. Every scene appears to have been meticulously created. The toy boat race is riveting. The kids will love every minute of it, as will adults as this movie avoids the typical pratfalls of family entertainment. The DVD also provides some nice add-ons, such as storyboard sequences for some of the scenes and mouse trivia games for the kids.

SL2 is 10 times better:
After watching SL2 DVD close to 10 times with my 2-year-old daughter and loved it every time, I bought this DVD with great expectations. What a terrible let down. Where SL2 is cheerful, uplifting, witty, charming, and full of energy, this one is just the opposite - dark, dreary and sad. In SL2, Mr. and Ms. Little are unfailingly optimistic. Here, they often look haggard and defeated. In SL2, Snow Bell/Nathan Lane stole the show with a warm heart, a terrific voice and some of the funniest one-liners. Here, the voice is deadpan and the cat is just mean. In SL2, Michael J Fox voiced Stuart so well, I literally see Stuart as Fox - the two (the actor and the character) have became one. Here, I get the distinct feeling that an actor, Fox, is reading the script behind the mouse, Stuart. In SL2, Falcon is a bad guy you love to hate. Here, Smoky is just a dislikeable bad guy. I actually felt bad about watching this to my little daughter because I didn't know how to explain a lot of the meanness. This is a case for which the sequel far out did the original. I should have rented instead of bought - once is enough with this movie.

Cute kids movie.:
Summary: The Little family - Frederick (Hugh Laurie), Eleanor (Geena Davis), and George (Jonathan Lipnicki) - want an addition to their family. When Frederick and Eleanor visit the orphanage they end up talking to a mouse who happens to be just the addition to their family they are looking for. When they bring Stuart (Michael J. Fox - voice) home, George seems to realize, though no one else does, that Stuart isn't human; he's a mouse. Stuart and George don't get off on the best foot. The Littles also happen to have a cat, Snowbell (Nathan Lane - voice), who can't handle being the pet of a mouse. Snowbell enlists the aid of some ally cats to get rid of Stuart, but the plan only takes effect after Stuart works his way into George's life and they become very close. Eventually Stuart is spirited away and it is only through the combined efforts of the Littles, Snowbell, and Stuart that he is able to return to his family. My Comments: I knew this was a kids movie going into it; for some reason my wife didn't seem to. Anyway, I figured that since there was already a sequel that the first must have been pretty good. And, in its own way I think it was, but for kids. My wife and I weren't very entertained. We also found the movie to be very predictable. So, I don't think that I can really offer a good opinion on this movie. I thought it was cute, it had a good message, it was kind of fun, but it just isn't something that appeals to adults and, well, we don't have any kids, so it just didn't work for us. We were almost rooting for George when he pointed out the obvious - Stuart is a mouse. It was as if no one else seemed to realize this, let alone care. Granted, the point is that differences shouldn't be a big deal, but when you're an adult and you aren't considering the entertainment value for children, the movie takes on a very different tone. I need to make two comments about the movie, though. First, both my wife and I love Jonathan Lipnicki. We saw him first in Jerry MacGuire and think he's a great child actor. Now, whether or not he is really a great actor or if we just feel a certain closeness to him because he isn't the best-looking kid but has a great smile and is always cast in roles where he just fits perfectly, I don't know. He's great in this, just like he is in most of the movies he's been in. Also, Geena Davis was actually surprisingly good. It was kind of fun to see her in a role like this - it's definitely not Thelma and Louise. Anyway, it's probably a great movie for kids, but if you aren't a kid, it's probably not one that you'll want to go out of your way to see. We got if from the library, so we didn't feel like we were out anything, especially since we used the time during the movie to exercise. Otherwise, it definitely wouldn't have been worth renting it and giving it our sole attention.

Animals steal the show:
There are few kids movies I can sit through more than once--this one I've already seen 7 times! My son is now over 3 and he can load the DVD player himself and turn on the TV. Guess what gets put on now?! I must say that I love that the movie doesn't patronize my son. There are heavy issues here: fear of being alone; fear of violence; fear of failure--but the characters aren't obsessed or broken by their fears, they confront them and work through them. For example, when Stuart is trying to make friends with the family pet cat Snowball, Stuart says rather naively, "Can't we just be friends? Do you want me to scratch your ear? Can I pat your tummy?" to which Snowball answers, "How'd you like to pat it from the inside mouse-boy!?" Direct, without wishy-washy handwringing, or moralizing. My son says that he "loves Stuart." I too love Stuart.