Stuart Little 2
| Stuart Little 2 | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Rob Minkoff |
| Produced by | |
| Screenplay by | Bruce Joel Rubin |
| Story by |
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| Based on |
Characters by E. B. White |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Alan Silvestri |
| Cinematography | Steven Poster |
| Edited by | Priscilla Nedd-Friendly |
Production company |
|
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 77 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $120 million[1] |
| Box office | $170 million[1] |
Stuart Little 2 is a 2002 American live-action/CGI animated film directed by Rob Minkoff. It stars Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie, and Jonathan Lipnicki and the voices of Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane, Melanie Griffith, James Woods, and Steve Zahn. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film, based on original children's book by E. B. White. The film was released to theaters on July 19, 2002. It is also the final film in the trilogy to have a theatrical release.
The film was followed by the third film, a direct-to-video sequel entitled Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild in 2005. However, unlike the previous two films, which were hybrids of live action and animation, the third one was entirely animated.
Plot
Three years after the first film, Stuart Little questions his ability after a disastrous soccer match alongside his brother George, who accidentally kicked him with a soccer ball. He grows more discouraged after accidentally breaking George's model airplane. Stuart's father, Frederick, tries to encourage him, telling him that "every cloud has a silver lining".
Later, a canary named Margalo falls into Stuart's car on his way home from school. Margalo is secretly assisting a peregrine falcon named Falcon to steal from households upon earning the homeowners' trust. Orphaned as a child, Margalo assists Falcon in exchange for a home. However, when Stuart offers to let her live with the Littles, Margalo grows reluctant to steal from them. Unable to concentrate on her assignment for Falcon, Margalo becomes close friends with Stuart. Falcon eventually loses patience and threatens to eat Stuart unless Margalo gives him Mrs. Little's ring. Concerned for Stuart's safety, Margalo steals Eleanor Little's wedding ring.
When the Littles discover that the ring is missing, they think it has fallen down the sink drain. Stuart offers to be lowered down the drain on a string to get it, but the string breaks while he is down the drain. A guilt-stricken Margalo saves him, then leaves the Little house the following night to protect Stuart. Upon realizing Margalo's disappearance, Stuart assumes she has been kidnapped by Falcon and decides to rescue her with the Littles' cat Snowbell. Running away from home, Stuart asks George to lie about his whereabouts to his parents while he is gone.
With the help of Snowbell's friend Monty, Stuart and Snowbell discover that Falcon lives at the top of the Pishkin Building. There, Stuart discovers that Margalo stole his mother's ring. When Margalo tries to reassure Stuart that she really is his friend, Stuart begs her to come home with him. Unwilling to lose his asset in Margalo, Falcon then attempts to kill Stuart by dropping him from the top of the building. However, Stuart lands in a passing garbage truck. Falcon traps Margalo in a paint can as punishment for being Stuart's friend, but Snowbell manages to reach the top of the building while Falcon is absent and release her.
Regaining consciousness on a garbage barge, Stuart feels like giving up until he finds George's broken model airplane, which he fixes using material on the barge and uses to return to Margalo. Meanwhile, the Littles discover that George has been lying about Stuart's whereabouts and demand to know where he is. George tries not to break the promise, but when Frederick tells him that Stuart's safety matters more, George tells them that he is at the Pishkin Building and the family head out to the location. As Falcon is about to kill Snowbell, Margalo declares her independence from Falcon and attempts to flee from him with Eleanor's ring. Before Falcon can catch up, Stuart catches Margalo in his plane.
The Littles follow them by taxi as they begin to fly through Central Park, with Falcon closely pursuing them. Knowing they cannot outrun Falcon, Stuart decides to attack him directly. Using Eleanor's ring to temporarily blind Falcon, Stuart jumps out of the plane just before it strikes Falcon, defeating him. Margalo catches Stuart, and they reunite with the Littles to return home. Sometime later, Margalo says goodbye to the Littles and leaves to migrate south for the winter. After this, Martha, George and Stuart's new sister, says her first words, "Bye-bye Birdie", much to the delight of the family, who celebrate before heading into the comfort of their home.
Cast
- Michael J. Fox as Stuart Little, the title character, a mouse adopted as the middle child of the Little family.
- Melanie Griffith as Margalo, Stuart's new friend, a canary who befriends Stuart but is forced by the Falcon to steal Eleanor's ring.
- Nathan Lane as Snowbell, the family cat. He ventures out to the city with Stuart to save Margalo.
- James Woods as The Falcon, a ferocious and tyrannical creature who forces Margalo to steal items from households.
- Geena Davis as Eleanor Little, Stuart and George's mother, who is deemed very overprotective of Stuart.
- Hugh Laurie as Frederick Little, Stuart and George's father and Eleanor's husband. He tells Stuart about the "silver lining".
- Jonathan Lipnicki as George Little, Stuart's older brother. When Stuart leaves to search for Margalo, George becomes pressured to cover up the situation to his parents until they find out.
- Steve Zahn as Monty, Snowbell's alley cat friend who still wants to devour Stuart after three years. He gives Stuart and Snowbell information on the Falcon.
- Anna and Ashley Hoelck as Martha Little, George and Stuart's new little sister. Throughout the movie Eleanor attempts, and fails, to get her to talk. She then does so at the end of the movie, when Margalo leaves and she utters the words "Bye bye Birdie" much to the family's delight.
- Marc John Jefferies as Will, George's new friend.
- Jim Doughan as the soccer coach, an anxious soccer coach who is also strict when he tells a mean kid on the team named Wallace to stop teasing George.
- Brad Garrett as Rob, the plumber who is hired to come and search for Mrs. Little's ring when the Littles think it fell down the drain.
- Amelia Marshall as Rita, Will's mom
Release
This film was originally released on VHS and a special edition DVD with multiple special features, on December 10, 2002. It has also been released on a Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack.
Reception
At Rotten Tomatoes, it has an 81% approval rating based on 122 critic reviews. The site's consensus reads: "Stuart Little 2 is a sweet, visually impressive sequel that provides wholesome entertainment for kids."[2] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 66 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[3] Ann Hornaday wrote a positive review in The Washington Post, noting how the film's idealized setting makes it family-friendly. Hornaday praised the vocal performances of Fox, Griffith, and Woods in their roles as Stuart, Margalo, and Falcon, respectively, as well as the characters' computer animation: "The animated characters engage in such natural movements and, more important, exude such subtle emotional expression that they mesh seamlessly with their live-action counterparts."[4] In a review published in the Chicago Reader, Tom Shen described the film as "fairly formulaic", but praised its jokes as "hilarious", especially those coming from the character of Snowbell, the Littles' cat.[5]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack, Music from and Inspired by Stuart Little 2, was released by Epic Records on July 16, 2002 on Audio CD and Compact Cassette. The final two tracks are score cues composed by Alan Silvestri.[6] Tracks in bold are not heard in the film.
- "I'm Alive" by Celine Dion − 3:28
- "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" by Mary Mary − 3:09
- "Top of the World" by Mandy Moore − 3:22
- "Another Small Adventure" by Chantal Kreviazuk − 2:57
- "One" by Nathan Lane − 2:18
- "What I Like About You" by The Romantics − 2:56
- "Hold On to the Good Things" by Shawn Colvin − 3:30
- "Count on Me" by Billy Gilman − 3:42
- "Smile" by Vitamin C − 3:58
- "Alone Again (Naturally)" by Gilbert O'Sullivan − 3:38
- "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf − 3:30
- "Little Angel of Mine" by No Secrets − 3:47
- "Falcon Finito" by Alan Silvestri − 6:51
- "Silver Lining" by Alan Silvestri − 4:21
Video game
Stuart Little 2 (2002) was released for PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, and Microsoft Windows.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Awards | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | BAFTA Children's Award | Best Feature Film | Douglas Wick Lucy Fisher Rob Minkoff Bruce Joel Rubin | Nominated |
| 2003 | Golden Trailer Award | Best Animation/Family Film | Nominated | |
| Visual Effects Society Award | Best Character Animation in an Animated Motion Picture | Tony Bancroft David Schaub Eric Armstrong Sean Mullen | Won | |
| Best Visual Effects Photography in a Motion Picture | Earl Wiggins Mark Vargo Tom Houghton Anna Foerster | Nominated | ||
| Young Artist Award | Best Family Feature Film | Rob Minkoff | Nominated |
Notes
- 1 2 "Stuart Little 2 (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
- ↑ "Stuart Little 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
- ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/movie/stuart-little-2
- ↑ Hornaday, Ann (19 July 2002). "'Stuart Little 2': Cute as a Button". The Washington Post. The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ↑ Ted, Shen (14 August 2012). "Stuart Little 2". Chicago Reader. Sun-Times Media. Retrieved 27 July 2016. Date is according to Rotten Tomatoes.
- ↑ "Stuart Little 2 - Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
External links
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: Stuart Little 2 |
- Official website
- Stuart Little 2 at the Internet Movie Database
- Stuart Little 2 at AllMovie
- Stuart Little 2 at the TCM Movie Database