STUART LITTLE: Big Screen Movie With Small Ideas

By: Steve Biodrowski
Date: Saturday, December 18, 1999

Stuart Little, the diminutive, eponymous mouse, sure is cute--endearing, even--and the talent involved in making this film would lead one to hope for something more than a standard-issue kiddy movie. Alas, that hope is in vain. Director Rob Minkoff (THE LION KING) and co-screenwriter M. Night Shyamalan (THE SIXTH SENSE) have proven their ability at making films with broad-based appeal that reach a family audience in the truest sense of the phrase, yet their collaboration here seems aimed at the most undemanding parents who just want something, anything, to take their kids to see.

The film is not without its pleasures, especially when Minkoff keeps the camera at mouse-level. This imaginative, fantasy world is filled with sufficient sight gags and special effects to hold interest and make the movie tolerably entertaining. However, the live-action portions are hampered by the relentless hammering home of uplifting emotional moments, none of them convincing and all of them underlined by Alan Silvestri's unsubtle score. The human leads, Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie, are straightjacketed by too-good-to-be-true characterizations, which leave them with no elbowroom for emoting. Curiously, a string of cameos by the likes of Dabney Coleman and Taylor Negron actually come across quite a bit better; their straight-faced acceptance of a talking mouse, with just a hint of ironic detachment, works well at selling the film's fantasy situation.

The same cannot be said for the film as a whole. Minkoff makes some half-hearted attempts at creating a fantasy world in which the titular character would be believable, but the results fall far short of Tim Burton's inspired stylings in SLEEPY HOLLOW. Utilizing interior sets even for exterior locations and production design with a slight sense of cartoony unreality, Minkoff tries to give a much-need fantasy feel to the proceedings, but the result works only in the small-scale sections of the film; in the live action scenes, the effect is negligible at best.

He is not aided by a script that seems uncertain about how far to go with the fantasy. We have humans who talk English to a mouse, and a mouse who talks English to a cat, yet for some reason the humans and the cat can't talk to each other. (Okay, maybe I'm being too picky about this last detail, but it bothered me.) The basic message (that it's good to be part of a family) undermines Stuart's supposed need to forge his own identity; rather than striking out on his own, all he has to do is run back to the welcoming arms of his adoptive family. This may be enough material to fuel a half hour TV episode, and indeed this portion of the story (will Stuart be accepted by his human brother?) is wrapped up about one-third of the way through. This leaves the script to drag in another plot about the Little's resentful cat hiring some mean alley cats to get rid of Stuart. Unfortunately, these antics do little to dramatize the protagonist's supposed growth as a character, although they do create an excuse for a miniature chase scene and some fun animal action.


The voice cast for the animal characters is strong. Michael J. Fox gives a spirited reading for Stuart. Nathan Lane begins like a weak caricature but ultimately turns Snowbell the cat into a funny, weak-kneed antagonist, but his villainy falls far short of the impact achieved with much less screen time by the cat in BABE, and his change of heart (although welcome) isn't fully justified by the script. On the other hand, the idea of making alley cats out to be gangster-type thugs is pretty funny, with Chaz Palminteri spoofing the similar roles he has played in live action films like BULLETS OVER BROADWAY.

Unfortunately, these actors are not always equaled by the animators who bring the characters to life. Stuart in particular has paltry ranges of gestures (the smile, the clasped hands, the shrug), all of which are seen in the trailer. The designs of the mice look cute in still photographs, but in motion their white muzzles start to suggest memories of the Coca Cola polar bears. We've certainly seen far better work achieved with animatronic and other physical effects, as with the Jim Henson Creature Shop's work for THE WITCHES.

BABE proved that special effects technology has reached the level where Hollywood could make a live-action film about talking animals; but more than just effects, that film had a charm and sensibility that sold the fantasy to viewers. STUART LITTLE attempts a similar but more light-hearted charm, complete with cute characters, amusing jokes, and the occasional amazing visual touch, but the result is a fairly standard studio product, filled with technical polish but short on the sort of inspiration needed to combine these entertaining elements into a completely satisfying whole.

Columbia Pictures, 12/17/99. Produced by Douglas Wick. Directed by Rob Minkoff. Screenplay by M. Night Shyamalan and Gregory J. Brooker, based on the book by E.B. White. Cinematography: Guillermo Navarro. Music: Alan Silvestri. Cast: Geena Davis, Jonathan Lipnicki, Hugh Laurie, Dabney Coleman, Taylor Negron, Jeffrey Jones, Brian Doyle Murray. Voices: Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane, Jennifer Tilly, Bruno Kirby, Chaz Palminteri.

More From Mania

MEN IN BLACK 2, XXX, STUART LITTLE 2 video news

Stuart Gordon Talks DAGON Part Two
(Wednesday, July 31, 2002)
Stuart Gordon Talks DAGON Part One
(Wednesday, July 24, 2002)
STUART LITTLE 2
(Friday, July 19, 2002)
Walken Meets STUART LITTLE 2
(Friday, August 10, 2001)
STUART 2: Rodent Redux
(Thursday, February 10, 2000)
STUART LITTLE Tops Box Office.
(Monday, December 20, 1999)

See more related content