When you’re a kid, you’re not really aware of the ways in which art can transform and change you as a person, nor are you aware of what’s good and what is to be criticized. It’s simply a question of whether you like something or you don’t, and any film that has kids in the leading roles always had me entertained. Dennis the Menace, The Little Rascals, Matilda, The Parent Trap, and A Series of Unfortunate Events, were all films I thoroughly enjoyed. However, I honestly can’t think of a film that stuck to my childhood memories more so than Stuart Little, the story of a young mouse that is adopted by a human family!
How to Download Stuart Little
You can download the film from a digital store. You can also stream it. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like little characters in live-action animated films, check out also Alvin and the Chipmunks series or Sonic the Hedgehog.
The Movie Review
The titular hero, young Stuart Little is a tiny mouse who has spent his entire existence in an orphanage. The Little family visits the orphanage one day in search of a sibling for their son, George. Of all, there are too many adorable little boys and girls to pick just one, but then they meet Stuart, who seems intelligent, humorous, and wise beyond his years. The Littles decide to adopt Stuart, and when they bring him home, Stuart doesn’t win George’s approval because he thought Stuart would be… taller. However, they soon come to understand one another by triumphing in a boat race over a mean bully.
Stuart Little is a smaller film overall, it’s not very long nor does it have a lot of complicated storytelling or narrative beats going. It has three primary arcs, the first one is about Stuart wanting to find out who his real parents are, while the family cat Snowbell wants to kill Stuart and eat him, and the parents want Stuart and George to get along.
Of course, this may seem like a pretty standard film, and it will play out as such as well, but there’s something about this film’s charm that keeps it entertaining throughout, even if you predict correctly what’s going to happen. It is a children’s film, after all, you can’t expect it to be profoundly life-altering for yourself even though it was written by M. Night Shyamalan, but it might do that for a kid.
The voices, which included Michael J. Fox as Stuart and Nathan Lane as Snowbell, were excellent selections and further improve the experience. Michael J. Fox’s winning charisma as the lovable Stuart, along with the interesting and charming array of characters make up for any familiarity you may feel in the story.
The two leads, together with the supporting cast members voiced by Bruno Kirby, Jennifer Tilly, and others, give excellent performances in Stuart Little. Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie, and Jonathan Lipnicki did an excellent job portraying the rest of the family.
Additionally, there are special effects.
It’s not every day that I can talk proudly about special effects in a film from 1999, but even the thought never occurred to me of whether or not Stuart was fully CGI. Stuart’s persona is portrayed on the big screen in a really compelling way. The mouse is effectively created entirely by computer-generated graphics, and it’s easy to tell what the $60 million dollar budget went into. In all honesty, the animation has weathered the test of time, and even now, when I look at Stuart’s design in the movie, it’s absolutely lifelike.
At moments seemingly photo-realistic, each and every hair on his body is clearly evident along with the details on his clothes and shoes.
I don’t think this film had a big budget for its camera work though, it’s not too mundane in terms of camera work but it doesn’t really bring anything new to the table and it does the same things that have already been done in other films before it. The soundtrack is quite nice though, it fits with the themes of the film and adds a layer of fun and happiness to it, not to mention, the sad parts of the soundtrack are kind of gut-wrenching at times.
Verdict
In essence, this is a good children’s film. That’s all that there is to say about Stuart Little, it’s a neat little kids’ film. It’s enjoyable and entertaining and the CGI characters are REALLY well animated. It’s got everything that you would need as an under-10-year-old, from family bonding, to cool toys and animals, and an entertaining main cast of characters! Stuart Little should be seen by every kid out there.
