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Stuart Little (Widescreen Edition)

Stuart Little (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $19.95
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Give it a chance! Stuart Little grew on me after 2 viewings
Review: Stuart Little is a much-hyped comedy that has the small power to be continuously enjoyable. It's story, adapted from E.B. White's winning children's book, is quite mawkish at times. However, the corny note doesn't feel forced, but it is still there, which is the only reason Stuart Little loses it 3 points. The visual effects are just amazing, its remarkable to see the talking cats and mouse's without those bulging mouths and poorly edited vocabulary. The star line-up includes the talents of Michael J. Fox as Stuart, Geena Davis as Mrs. Little and a fantastic voicing talent from Nathan Lane as the Little's cat, Snowbell. There are also some exhilirating sequences, including the boat race and the scene in which Stuart is chased by a bunch of hungry ally-cats. Some scenes aren't like this, though. Some are just really unfunny and laughable, but those come along briefly and thankfully not often. All in all, Stuart Little is a step in the right direction after Rob Minkoff's 1994 animated directing success of Disney's The Lion King. It's flawed but fantastically fun stuff that gets to the point and does it in a stylishly likeable way.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pleasantly surprised
Review: I rented this DVD because I am a huge fan of British actor (and musician, comedian, novelist...) Hugh Laurie, and was very pleasantly surprised.

The animation is outstanding, so much that you don't even notice it, and Michael J. Fox is absolutely perfect as the voice of Stuart. The very colorful, almost-realistic-but-not-quite setting was quite well done, and the group of acting cats must have been a monumental accomplishment. Jonathan Lipnicki is cute as a bug, and Hugh Laurie (great fake accent!) and Geena Davis are perfect storybook parents who finish each other's sentences and eat a lot of meatloaf. Rounding out the talent is Nathan Lane as the voice of Snowbell, the cat who is mortified at having a mouse in the family.

It is fascinating to watch the extra features and to see just how much work went into making Stuart so real. Excellent work! A clean, fun, enjoyable movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Stuart Little brought to life
Review: 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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: HEARTWARMING, CUTE AND FUNNY!
Review: He's probably the cutest computer generated mouse ever to be, well, computer generated! Stuart Little will definitely worm his way into your heart. You just can't help but fall in love with the guy! My five year old daughter loves the movie, as well. Okay, so maybe it's a little cheesey, but there's enough humor to entertain adults and enough action to hold a young child's attention, so what more can you ask for in a family film? Bear in mind, when you watch this movie as an adult you must be able to suspend reality for a while (a talking mouse being adopted by humans? Nothing strange about that, right)? But if you can, you're in for a treat, because it really is a very endearing film! Stuart Little is perfect for younger children (if you don't mind a few swearing cats) with a wonderful message woven throughout: THERE'S NOTHING QUITE LIKE BEING PART OF A FAMILY! The extra features on the DVD are great, too! In my opinion, this movie definitely belongs in EVERY family's collection!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Family Movie, and tons of DVD features!
Review: Stuart Little is one of the funniest Family movies that has come out in a long time... everyone I know who's seen it loves it, kids and adults alike. It also has a star-filled cast of Michael J. Fox & Nathan Lane's voices, Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and Jonathon Lipnicki (who could forget him from Jerry Maguire?). But if you are going to buy this movie, make sure you get it on DVD, because there are so many great bonus features.

The features include: Stuart's Central Park Adventure Game, Bloopers, Visual Effects Gag Reel, Making it Big: HBO Special, Isolated Music Score, Music Videos, a Racing game for the PC, Director and Animation Supervisor's Commentary, Visual Effects Supervisor's Commentary, Read-Along with Stuart, Artists' Screen Tests, DVD Rom & Weblinks, Boat Race: Early Concept Reel w/Director's Commentary, Art Galleries, Talent Files, Theatrical Trailers, and a Widescreen format.

After you finish the movie you can sit back and enjoy all the extras-- this movie is definitely worth getting on DVD, and a great addition to any family's movie collection.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Mickey Mouse
Review: Magical, heartwarming family film based on E.B. White's children's book. A couple's adoption of a second son, oblivious to the fact that he's a mouse, leads to problems with their human son which plae in comparision to the family cat's resentment. High-quality computer-generated detail allows the mouse to appear real and permits the many featured cats to talk freely. Jonathan Lipnicki is adorable as the human son and the voices of Michael J. Fox as Stuart and Nathan Lane as his nemisis Snowbell perfectly fit the roles.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Animals steal the show
Review: 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.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Cute kids movie.
Review: 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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: just so cute
Review: 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.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: SL2 is 10 times better
Review: 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.


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