'Little' fun, charming

Posted: Thursday, July 25, 2002

If nothing else, "Stuart Little 2" certainly is little.

With a 78-minute running time, the film seems almost as abbreviated as its diminutive star. But though it's short, it's packed with fun and charm.

The sequel finds Stuart (still voiced by Michael J. Fox) and his human family with a new addition - baby Martha - and with some new problems: Stuart's big brother, George (Jonathan Lipnicki), wants to spend more time with his friends than with Stuart, and Mom (Geena Davis) is being awfully protective of her smallest son.

Stuart's not lonely for long, though. He meets a cute canary named Margalo (voiced by Melanie Griffith) when she drops into his miniature sports car while fleeing the nasty Falcon (voiced by James Woods).

Stuart and Margalo bond quickly while she recuperates at the Little home, and when she turns up missing, Stuart co-opts house cat Snowbell (voiced by Nathan Lane) into journeying to the heart of Manhattan to find her.


"Stuart Little 2" stars Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and the voice of Michael J. Fox. It's rated PG for brief mild language. Grade: B.

The plot's very simple, but it should engross the younger set as much as its surprisingly successful predecessor did. Adults, meanwhile, will appreciate Lane's priceless line deliveries, even when the lines themselves aren't that amusing. And they'll continue to ponder why Stuart and Margalo can be heard by everyone while Snowbell is only understood by fellow animals.

Everyone should appreciate the incredibly seamless computer graphics that bring Stuart and his animal friends to life. The airborne climax is astounding, though it might be a little intense for the youngest viewers.