Stuart Little 2
February 2003 Reviewed by: Anthony Di Marco Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

All films need to follow a certain internal logic. This is why I never understood how the human characters in the original Stuart Little were able to hear Stuart speaking, but the words of Snowbell the cat fell on deaf ears. I found this hole in logic a little too large to overlook. But I wrote it off because it was a children’s film.

In Stuart Little 2, the same lapse in logic remains between the cat and humans -- and it's compounded by a bird who is also able to communicate with the humans! If I were Snowbell I’d be calling my agent. In spite of this, the sequel manages to better the first by offering a more entertaining and exciting ride.

Bruce Joel Ruben, writer of films like Ghost and Deep Impact, imparts more warmth and humor to the story, while adding a slightly darker edge to Stuart’s adventure. My favorite additions include a more playful and loving relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Little. In the first film I felt that Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie were too detached and cold to be convincing as a happily married couple. Jonathan Lipnicki was equally wooden as Stuart’s human brother George. The sequel yields characters who seem more comfortable and convincing in their roles.

The central plotline revolves around Margalo, a bird that crash-lands in Stuart’s car while trying to escape a bloodthirsty falcon. True to his character, good-hearted Stuart whisks Margalo out of danger and the two become friends. The film is a coming-of-age story about Stuart and how he offsets his relative size with maturity, confidence, and determination.

Michael J. Fox does a commendable job of voicing Stuart. This talented star of Back to the Future and the television series Family Ties introduces the right amount of despair without sounding whiny, and he has the perfect measure of confidence, laced with a touch of apprehension when in danger. Nathan Lane, Melanie Griffith, and James Woods are equally well cast as Snowbell, Margalo, and the manipulative Falcon.

I was entranced by the computer-generated Stuart. Subtle facial expressions were incredibly convincing with respect to what one might expect from a mouse or human. And Stuart’s delicate strands of white hair reacted to movement with amazing fluidity. His digital hair impressed me as much as the blue-green version on Sully in Monsters, Inc. The images were so perfectly married to Michael J. Fox’s voice interpretation that I forgot that Stuart was an artificially concocted mouse!

The video quality of the DVD faithfully conveys the dramatic experience. There are no compression artifacts to detract from the film’s super-sharp palette of well-balanced colors, though in some instances the image seems slightly softened. But overall, this is an excellent transfer that frequently takes on a photo-realistic quality. Especially striking is the end of chapter 1, where Stuart lies in bed laughing and then rolls on his side and reflects on the day’s events. As for sound, the Dolby Digital mix matched the picture in shimmering detail, but failed to equal the effortless, dynamic quality of Lilo and Stitch.

An excellent commentary offers some intriguing tidbits on how live action and practical sets were filmed and prepared for the digitally fabricated cast. Two documentaries -- one involving a retrospective on how Stuart Little 2 was made and another offering insight on how the production developed Woods' Falcon character -- seem short, yet manage to cram in enough interesting facts. One of them fits a 30-minute documentary into a scant eight minutes by speeding up playback -- a neat trick that gives the viewer a feel for how complicated the filmmaking process can be. This presentation is a good example of what can be included on a DVD that targets children and their adult, videophile parents.

Lapses in logic notwithstanding, the mouse does indeed steal this show. Although its scope is eclipsed by the recent efforts of Disney and Pixar, the animation of Stuart is amazing, an indication that the digital giants may no longer be creating the only show in town.

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