Despite the bizarre premise - a city family adopt a talking mouse - "Stuart Little" (2000) was a kids' film full of warmth and wit - all bound together with some terrific special effects. This formula is repeated to impressive effect in the inevitable sequel.
It's two years on, and Stuart (again perfectly voiced by Michael J Fox) is feeling down. He's feeling left out from brother George's (Lipnicki) life, his mother (Davis) is being overprotective, and new baby Martha is getting all the attention.
An ideal time, then, for romance to enter his life when an injured bird, Margalo (Griffith), lands in his car. She's soon kidnapped by a villainous falcon (Woods), though, forcing Stuart to mount a rescue bid, with bitchy cat Snowball (Lane) along for the ride.
While the Littles' "Gee Whillikers!" home life may dilute the experience for cynical adults, the target audience will be more than satisfied with this new adventure.
The best moments feature Stuart travelling through the city in his various vehicles, while the first film's impressive CG animation is actually bettered here. Of particular note are the falcon sequences, offering documentary-style camera work or a thrilling aerial dive sequence that apes the aerial bomb POV shot from "Pearl Harbor".
The humans on show (Davis, Laurie, Lipnicki) provide good support, but are effortlessly upstaged by some classy vocal performances (take a bow, James Woods).
The only shame is the limited screen time given to Nathan Lane's one-liner-stocked Snowball and Steve Zahn's Monty (meriting a mere cameo).
The entire production is fabulously and vividly rendered, resulting in an enjoyable romp that will please kids whilst charming amenable adults.
Stuart Little 2 (2002)
