STUART LITTLE, featuring the voices of Michael J. Fox and Nathan Lane; starring Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie, Jonathan Lipnicki, Julia Sweeney and David Alan Grier. Directed by Rob Minkoff. 1999.
Reviewed by John Carroll.
Ever since The Adventures of Roger Rabbit, the combination of live action and computer generated grpahics or animation has always been a big ticket for studios. Stuart Little puts a computer generated mouse in the main seat, voiced by Michael J. Fox, and while it may not be a great movie, it is still solid and a good view...As long as you have already seen the wonderful Toy Story 2.
The curse a lot of "cute" movies suffer is that they are too cute, too fast. The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland suffered from this, but luckily, Stuart Little manages to keep most of your interest by trying to play Stuart as funny, not cute. While these attempts at humor do not always succeed, it nonetheless is much better than just flashing Stuart's face to get a few "awww"s from the audience. This one aspect alone keeps Stuart Little afloat.
The main cast, aside from Stuart, consists of the Little family. Mrs. Little, played by Geena Davis, Mr. Little, played by Hugh Laurie and George Little, played by Jonathan Lipnicki. Considering it is a children's movie, acting does not need to be impeccable. The cast is sufficient enough, especially considering that Stuart is on-screen most of the time, and rightfully so. The film drags when human interaction takes place, as sad as that may seem. Even so, the film moves along at a rapid pace, but still seems to drag on despite its attempts.
Michael J. Fox voices Stuart, and Nathan Lane voices Snowbell, the cat who is Stuart's archnemesis for most of the film. The interaction between these two characters brings most of the laughs throughout the film. The rivalry that exists brings up some good jokes, and some off-beat humor for the children. The reason these interactions are so successful is becuase when humans enter the scenario, the film takes itself way too seriously. While most children's films always have a lesson, this one misses a definite lesson, and tries to play on your emotions. Unfortunately, an emotional bond with the characters is never devloped to extract this type of emotion, that is until the end, and at that point, it seems the director, Bob Mikoff, just gives up trying.
The blend of Stuart into his live action enviroment is decently done, although it does seem very staged a lot of the time. It is a very difficult process to act with a ten-inch character who is represented by an "X" on the floor, and at some points during Stuart Little, this is very noticable.
Overall, Stuart Little turns out to be an average children's movie. The movie takes no children's issue at heart, and tries to be sentimental at the same time. As you watch Stuart Little, you want to feel some emotion towards the characters, and aside from Stuart and Snowbell, all you feel is boredom. In the end, however, Stuart Little is a decent film for a rainy day. Although Toy Story 2 is the best film out there, and probably worth a second look, Stuart Little can deliver on some levels, just do not expect the wit and lessons of Toy Story 2.
Final Verdict: C+
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