15 December 1999 | Shiva-11

7 | A cheery little holiday film

Stuart Little: The Little family set out to adopt a child, and choose a amiable talking mouse instead, much to the chagrin of their son and the family cat.



There are two words that describe this movie - words I swore I would never use in a review- : cute and sweet. Based on the children's story by EB White, the story is funny, cheerful, engaging and translates well to the screen.



The filmmakers obviously realized that making Stuart look real was essential to the movie's success and spared little expense (approximately half the film's $60 million budget went to Stuart). The results are phenomenal - you can see each individual hair on his face, his movement is amazingly fluid and when he talks, you forget he's animated . The same techniques are also utilized to make the film's felines talk. The voices - Michael J. Fox as Stuart and Nathan Lane as Snowbell - were ideal choices and help to enhance the experience.



Everyone left the premiere sporting a big silly grin and I think you will too. One note - you'll never look at pest control quite the same again.