Stuart Little (1999)
A Film Essay by Mark O'Hara
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Here's how E,B. White's sharply written yet slightly surreal "Stuart Little" starts: "When Mrs. Frederick C. Little's second son arrived, everybody noticed that he was not much bigger than a mouse."
Director Rob Minkoff's film of the same name preserves the premise of a mouse being raised as part of a human family (though the movie Littles get their Stuart from an orphanage). This premise, by the way, is virtually the only aspect of the novel that viewers will spot. We are treated to assorted amusing adventures starring a very likable and cute computer-made mouse, but it is not E.B. White's story.
The Whites (Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie) bring home the striking addition to their family, only to discover that their real son George (Jonathan Lipnicki) rejects Stuart as his brother. To make the mouse's new situation worse, the family cat Snowbell (voice of Nathan Lane) would relish killing him; Snowbell is especially put off by the idea that he is the pet of a mouse who has become a member of the family. Of course the humans have no clue about the conflict involving their jealous cat - and the unsavory cats that Snowbell involves himself with. Mr. and Mrs. Little are caught up in Stuart's failure to adjust to their home life. That is, until Stuart commences to encourage George to finish building a model boat, and to enter the boat in the Central Park race.
Bearing probably the closest resemblance to White's plot, the boat race scene sports some of the best action in the picture. When the remote control for George's boat is broken, Stuart appoints himself pilot of the "Wasp," and goes against the boats controlled by several other little boys, particularly a dirty-playing snob who rams his "Lillian B. Womrath" against the boats of unsuspecting competitors. This is the scene that brings Stuart and George into the bonds of brotherhood.
The main conflict reverts to the cat. He enlists the help of the freeloading Monty, who in turn enlists a wicked city cat named Smoky (voice of Chazz Palminteri). Their object? To "scratch out" Stuart. The action engendered by this subplot occupies most of the second half of the film, and succeeds largely because of the mix of likable characters and top-notch computer animation.
One thing that does appear is White's sudden, lovable absurdity. We accept that this mouse can carry on a cultured conversation, just as we accept that humans suspend their disbelief whenever they are around Stuart. The film moves at a rapid clip, in the same way that E. B. White's prose style skips along fluently, albeit a bit absent-mindedly.
I say "absent-mindedly" because White's "Little" cannot hold a candle to his "Charlotte's Web"; both books are full of whimsy and character - which one can't say about most children's movies - but "Web" has a much more linear (and recognizable) plot. So screenwriters Greg Brooker and M. Night Shyamalan had precious little to go on as they set out to convert this beloved, quirky story into what they hope is a popular money-making film. What they left out includes a major narrative catalyst: the bird Margalo, who is saved by Stuart and who in turn saves Stuart, is gone from the story. Instead Stuart spends more time with the family, mostly with "brother" George, and with the cats that are trying to tear him apart.
Oddly, the film succeeds despite its mixing of old and new plotting. A lot of White's charm is still there, with the slight flavor of 1945 New York, the setting for the original. This is not a literal 1940's background, but a mythical one, represented by Mr. White's tweed clothing, by the Little's tiny gingerbread house dwarfed by skyscrapers, and by the scent of gentility and manners that tints the characters' interaction. The film is set in the present but not really. And the elements added by Brooker and Shyamalan, along with director Minkoff (one half of the directorial team that crafted Disney's "The Lion King") serve as nifty twists and engaging - though frequently sentimental - spin.
As the voice of the mouse, Michael J. Fox gives a winning edge of character. Stories about the making of the film tell how difficult it was to imbue Stuart with emotions - considering that mice do not have pupils! Well, Fox lends wonderful inflection, while the computer animators construct amazing subtlety in all of the mouse's doings. His facial muscles shape his eyes and smile with amazing emotive traits, while a computerized "skeleton" conveys life-like movements.
Jonathan Lipnicki is fine as the boy George. He fulfills his role convincingly, though he occasionally seems to be waiting for cues. As his mother, Geena Davis creates a typically protective mom, her face drawing tight into smiles or collapsing into tears at command. Davis still has her off-center beauty, though it is tempered here by a modest hairstyle. In many ways, Hugh Laurie resembles the father of "Dennis the Menace," both in his prim garb and in the rascally charges for whom he must provide a fatherly example. Laurie again proves himself a dependable character actor.
Other voices include Chazz Palminteri as Smoky, the cat that commands a feline underground. Bruno Kirby's mild raspiness flows smoothly from the lips of Mr. Stout, Stuart's fake father-mouse, while Jennifer Tilly does wonders for the big-hearted mouse floozy posing as Stuart's mother. Nathan Lane loads any role with character, and his Snowbell brims with conflicted compassion. Further, a band of familiar character actors playing Little relatives give the background a plush lining.
Bringing "Stuart Little" to the screen was a bold move, and the special effects are much of what make the film so watchable. Who would not smile to see Stuart's broad smile? It's like seeing a padded version of Garth Williams' masterly illustrations. My eleven year-old read the book recently, and encouraged me to reread it: this is another plus, by the way, of Hollywood adaptations of classic books - it gives them renewed life. Who would enjoy this film? Kids, first of all. Then anyone else who enjoys classic conflicts and the latest in computer animation, down to amazing shadows, reflections and indentations caused by weight. But if you are out for a strict interpretation of E. B. White, this film may not leave you pleased.
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