Running time: 77 minutes
Starring: Hugh Laurie, Geena Davis, Jonathan Lipnicki and the voices of Michael J Fox, Nathan Lane, Melanie Griffith, James Woods
Rating 7 out of 10
The best gifts often come in the smallest packages. That old adage certainly holds true for Stuart Little 2, the utterly charming and heart-warming sequel to the 1999 smash hit about a talking mouse adopted by an impossible perky human family.
Everything that worked so well in the original - a witty screenplay, instantly appealing characters, state-of-the-art computer special effects, and a snugglesome sense of family values - has been polished and buffed even more in this second picture. It's like a massive intravenous dose of pure unabashed, sugar-coated joy, and you're almost powerless to resist the effects.
Stuart Little 2 opens with Stuart, a wise-cracking white mouse voiced with self-deprecating charm by Michael J Fox, happily settled into his new life with the Little family. Mr and Mrs Little (Hugh Laurie, Geena Davis) gaze adoringly at their adopted son, young George (Jonathan Lipnicki) has finally accepted him as a brother, and even Snowbell the cat (Nathan Lane) has come to terms with a mouse as a house mate.
The Littles are busy tending to their new baby daughter, Martha, and George is enjoying making friends at school, leaving Stuart to his own devices. During a drive around New York City in his trusty red convertible, Stuart runs into an injured canary called Margalo (Melanie Griffith), who is being hunted down by the menacing Falcon (James Woods). The diminutive hero saves the day and invites Margalo to stay with the Littles, quickly installing her as another member of the household.
Only Snowbell seems perturbed, by the possibility of playing happy families with a mouse and a bird: two favourite snacks. However, the cat's fears prove surprisingly well founded when Margalo disappears, along with Mrs Little's diamond wedding ring. At first, the Littles think the prized jewellery has dropped down the drain, but it soon becomes clear that Margalo stole the trinket. Of course, Stuart is horrified that his new found friend could betray him so badly, and he leaps into his shiny new toy bi-plane to confront the thieving bird, and get the ring back.
Stuart Little 2 is a sweet, old fashioned family film spruced up with 21st century visuals and a wonderfully dark sense of humour. Children and adults alike will find much to enjoy as the hero's quest moves from one thrilling set-piece to the next: the rescue of Margalo from Falcon, a life-threatening expedition down the plug-hole, and daredevil acrobatics in the bi-plane.
Fox voices the eponymous rodent with good humour and boundless charm, not to mention a tangible vulnerability when Stuart fears he will never have a friend to call his own. Griffith is effervescent as the object of Stuart's infatuation and Woods happily chews virtual scenery as the feathered villain.
As ever, Lane's neurotic, self-obsessed feline steals every scene with a selection of delicious, barbed one-liners. Laurie, Davis and Lipnicki's performances are all strong, if somewhat peripheral to the action.
If there is one gripe with the sequel, it's the disappointingly slender running time. The original Stuart Little was 84 minutes long; the follow-up has dieted to a paltry 77 minutes - barely enough to qualify as a feature film.
Like Oliver Twist, when the film ended, I felt like shouting, "Please sir, can I have some more?" It seems I'll have to go hungry until the inevitable Stuart Little 3.
Everything that worked so well in the original - a witty screenplay, instantly appealing characters, state-of-the-art computer special effects, and a snugglesome sense of family values - has been polished and buffed even more in this second picture. It's like a massive intravenous dose of pure unabashed, sugar-coated joy, and you're almost powerless to resist the effects.
Stuart Little 2 opens with Stuart, a wise-cracking white mouse voiced with self-deprecating charm by Michael J Fox, happily settled into his new life with the Little family. Mr and Mrs Little (Hugh Laurie, Geena Davis) gaze adoringly at their adopted son, young George (Jonathan Lipnicki) has finally accepted him as a brother, and even Snowbell the cat (Nathan Lane) has come to terms with a mouse as a house mate.
The Littles are busy tending to their new baby daughter, Martha, and George is enjoying making friends at school, leaving Stuart to his own devices. During a drive around New York City in his trusty red convertible, Stuart runs into an injured canary called Margalo (Melanie Griffith), who is being hunted down by the menacing Falcon (James Woods). The diminutive hero saves the day and invites Margalo to stay with the Littles, quickly installing her as another member of the household.
Only Snowbell seems perturbed, by the possibility of playing happy families with a mouse and a bird: two favourite snacks. However, the cat's fears prove surprisingly well founded when Margalo disappears, along with Mrs Little's diamond wedding ring. At first, the Littles think the prized jewellery has dropped down the drain, but it soon becomes clear that Margalo stole the trinket. Of course, Stuart is horrified that his new found friend could betray him so badly, and he leaps into his shiny new toy bi-plane to confront the thieving bird, and get the ring back.
Stuart Little 2 is a sweet, old fashioned family film spruced up with 21st century visuals and a wonderfully dark sense of humour. Children and adults alike will find much to enjoy as the hero's quest moves from one thrilling set-piece to the next: the rescue of Margalo from Falcon, a life-threatening expedition down the plug-hole, and daredevil acrobatics in the bi-plane.
Fox voices the eponymous rodent with good humour and boundless charm, not to mention a tangible vulnerability when Stuart fears he will never have a friend to call his own. Griffith is effervescent as the object of Stuart's infatuation and Woods happily chews virtual scenery as the feathered villain.
As ever, Lane's neurotic, self-obsessed feline steals every scene with a selection of delicious, barbed one-liners. Laurie, Davis and Lipnicki's performances are all strong, if somewhat peripheral to the action.
If there is one gripe with the sequel, it's the disappointingly slender running time. The original Stuart Little was 84 minutes long; the follow-up has dieted to a paltry 77 minutes - barely enough to qualify as a feature film.
Like Oliver Twist, when the film ended, I felt like shouting, "Please sir, can I have some more?" It seems I'll have to go hungry until the inevitable Stuart Little 3.
