Stuart Little (film)

Stuart Little (film)
Stuart Little is a 1999 American live-action/computer-animated fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1945 novel of the same name by E. B. White. Directed by Rob Minkoff in his live-action debut, the screenplay was written by M. Night Shyamalan and Greg Brooker, and stars Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and Jonathan Lipnicki, alongside the voices of Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane, Chazz Palminteri, Steve Zahn, Bruno Kirby and Jennifer Tilly.
Stuart Little premiered in Westwood at Mann Village Theatre on December 5, 1999, and was released in United States on December 17, 1999, by Columbia Pictures. The film received generally positive reviews, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. After its success, it also started a franchise, spawning the sequel Stuart Little 2 in 2002, the short-lived television series Stuart Little in 2003, and another sequel in 2005, the direct-to-video Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild. It was Estelle Getty's final film role.
Plot
Frederick and Eleanor Little adopt an anthropomorphic mouse named Stuart as a younger brother for their son, George. George refuses to acknowledge Stuart as his brother, and the family cat, Snowbell, is disgusted to be pet to a mouse. Eleanor accidentally traps Stuart in the washing machine and Stuart becomes ill as he coughs up soap bubbles. He recovers after a visit from Dr. Beechwood.
Stuart encourages George to finish his model boat for an upcoming race and the two start to bond. Snowbell and his friend Monty meet with rogue alley cat Smokey and hatch a plan to remove Stuart from the household.
On the day of the race, Stuart accidentally breaks George's remote control. He jumps into the boat and takes control himself, narrowly avoiding a crash and winning the race. A mouse couple introduce themselves as Reggie and Camille Stout, and claim to be Stuart's biological parents who were forced by poverty to give him up. The Littles reluctantly allow Stuart to leave with the Stouts.
The orphanage calls to ask how Stuart is doing, and when the Littles explain he has gone home with his real parents, orphanage head Mrs. Keeper informs them that Stuart's real parents had died several years earlier. Realizing Stuart has been kidnapped, the family organizes a search party with "missing person" posters. Fearing his involvement will be exposed and that he will be kicked out of the house, Snowbell informs Smokey the Littles know about the Stouts. Smokey decides Stuart must be killed instead.
Remorseful at Stuart's sadness, Reggie and Camille tell him the truth; he is delighted and makes his way back to the Little house. On the way, he is ambushed by Smokey and his gang but evades them by going into a sewer. At home a jealous Snowbell lies that the family is out celebrating his absence. Heartbroken, Stuart leaves. The Littles return home and Snowbell regrets his actions. Snowbell finds Stuart and admits his lie, encouraging Stuart to come home. When the pair are confronted by the other cats, Snowbell refuses to hand Stuart over and the cats give chase, cornering Stuart hanging from a branch over a pond. Snowbell breaks the branch the cats are on, sending them into the cold water. Smokey sneaks up on Snowbell but Stuart releases a branch that hits Smokey in the face, sending him also into the pond.
Snowbell takes Stuart home, and everyone is happily reunited. Stuart tells them he owes his life to Snowbell, who has realized Stuart truly is family.
Cast
Live-action cast
Geena Davis as Mrs. Eleanor Little, the mother of the Little family and Frederick's wife.
Hugh Laurie as Mr. Frederick Little, the father of the Little family and Eleanor's husband.
Jonathan Lipnicki as George Little, the eldest son of the Little family and Stuart's older brother.
Jeffrey Jones as Uncle Crenshaw Little, the older brother of Frederick Little and the younger brother of Beatrice.
Connie Ray as Aunt Tina Little, the wife of Crenshaw and the sister-in-law of Beatrice and Frederick.
Allyce Beasley as Aunt Beatrice Little, the older sister of Crenshaw and Frederick.
Brian Doyle-Murray as Cousin Edgar Little, the cousin of Beatrice, Crenshaw and Frederick and the nephew of Grandpa Spencer.
Estelle Getty as Grandma Estelle Little, the mother of Beatrice, Crenshaw and Frederick.
Harold Gould as Grandpa Spencer Little, the father of Beatrice, Crenshaw and Frederick.
Patrick Thomas O'Brien as Uncle Stretch Little, the husband of Beatrice and the brother-in-law of Crenshaw and Frederick.
Julia Sweeney as Mrs. Keeper, the head of the New York City Public Orphanage.
Dabney Coleman as Dr. Beechwood, a doctor who visits the Littles' house.
Miles Marsico as Anton Gartman, a mean-spirited boy who bullies George during the boat race.
Jim Doughan as Detective Phil Allen, Detective Sherman's partner. Doughan also voiced Lucky the Cat in the film.
Jon Polito as Detective Sherman, a police detective who works for the New York Police Department.
Joe Bays as the Race Starter
Taylor Negron as the Clothing Salesman
Voice cast
Michael J. Fox as Stuart Little, a young anthropomorphic mouse who is adopted as the middle child of the Little family.
Nathan Lane as Snowbell, the Little family's Persian cat who initially dislikes Stuart, but later becomes his best friend.
Chazz Palminteri as Smokey, a sadistic and intelligent Russian Blue cat with a mafia-like personality who is the leader of a gang of Mafia-like alley cats and came up with a plan to kill Stuart when Snowbell and Monty summoned him.
Steve Zahn as Monty, a gray tabby cat, Snowbell's best friend and a former member of the alley cats.
Jim Doughan as Lucky, a Siamese cat and a member of Smokey's gang. Doughan also played Detective Allen in the film.
David Alan Grier as Red, a ginger American Shorthair tomcat and a member of Smokey's gang.
Bruno Kirby as Mr. Reginald Stout, Camille's husband and Stuart's father.
Jennifer Tilly as Mrs. Camille Stout, Reginald's wife and Stuart's mother.
Stan Freberg as the Race Announcer
Production
Filming began on August 3, 1998, and wrapped on November 11.
Lost painting unknowingly used on set
One of the paintings used as set dressing for the Littles' home was Hungarian avant-garde painter Róbert Berény's 1920s painting Sleeping Lady with Black Vase, which had long been considered lost. A set designer for the film had purchased the painting at an antiques store in Pasadena, California, for $500 for use in the film, unaware of its significance. In 2009, art historian Gergely Barki, while watching Stuart Little on television with his daughter, noticed the painting, and after contacting the studios was able to track down its whereabouts. In 2014, its owner sold the painting at an auction for €229,500.
Reception
Box office
Stuart Little was released theatrically on December 17, 1999. On its opening weekend, Stuart Little grossed $15 million, placing it at #1 dethroning Toy Story 2. It dropped to #2 over its second weekend, but went back to #1 on its third weekend with $16 million. According to Box Office Mojo, its final gross in the United States and Canada was $140 million and it grossed $160.1 million at the international box office, for an estimated total of $300 million worldwide.
Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 97 responses with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's consensus reads: "Critics say Stuart Little is charming with kids and adults for its humor and visual effects." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 61 out of 100 from 32 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.
Jesus Freak Hideout said that "from start to finish, Stuart Little is a near flawless family film" while Stephen Holden of The New York Times had said "the only element that doesn't completely harmonize with the rest of the film is the visually unremarkable digital figure of Stuart."
Home media
Stuart Little was released on VHS and DVD in the United States on April 18, 2000, by Columbia TriStar Home Video, and in the United Kingdom on November 27, 2000. It was later re-released on a Deluxe Edition on May 21, 2002, by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. Stuart Little and Stuart Little 2 were released in a combo on Sony PSP's UMD format on January 3, 2006, and Blu-ray on June 28, 2011, by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack album Stuart Little: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture was released by Motown and Universal Records on November 30, 1999, on audio CD and audio cassette. Tracks in bold do not appear in the film.
References
External links
Stuart Little (franchise)
1990s adventure comedy films
1990s children's adventure films
1990s children's comedy films
1990s children's fantasy films
1990s fantasy comedy films
1999 comedy films
1999 films
American adventure comedy films
American children's adventure films
American children's comedy films
American children's fantasy films
American fantasy adventure films
American fantasy comedy films
American films with live action and animation
Animated films about mice
Columbia Pictures films
Films about adoption
Films about cats
Films about child abduction in the United States
Films about orphans
Films adapted into television shows
Films based on American novels
Films based on children's books
Films based on novels by E. B. White
Films directed by Rob Minkoff
Films produced by Douglas Wick
Films scored by Alan Silvestri
Films set in New York City
Films shot in Los Angeles County, California
Films shot in New York City
Films with screenplays by M. Night Shyamalan
Motown soundtracks
1990s English-language films
1990s American films