Stuart Little (film)

Stuart Little is a 1999 American live-action/animated urban fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1945 novel Stuart Little by E. B. White. Directed by Rob Minkoff in his live-action directorial 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 became a box office success, grossing over $300 million worldwide. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, but lost to The Matrix. After its success, it also started a franchise with the sequel Stuart Little 2 in 2002, the short-lived television series Stuart Little in 2003, and the direct-to-video sequel Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild in 2006. It was Estelle Getty's final film role.

Plot
In New York City, Frederick and Eleanor Little go to an orphanage to adopt a child to be a brother to their son, George. Instead, they adopt an anthropomorphic teenage mouse named Stuart. George refuses to acknowledge him as his brother, and the family cat, Snowbell, is disgusted to be pet to a mouse. The next morning, Elenor discovers that she accidentally trapped Stuart inside the Littles' washing machine. She immediately rushes to rescue Stuart, but he becomes ferociously sick and develops a bad cold. Stuart swiftly recovers following a checkup from Dr. Beechwood.

The Littles invite their extended family to meet Stuart where George confesses he does not regard Stuart as a brother but simply a mouse. Stuart asks Eleanor and Fredrick to enquire about his biological parents, feeling an empty space. Stuart encourages George to finish his model boat for an upcoming race and the duo start to bond. Meanwhile, Snowbell and his alley cat friend Monty meet with the latter's superior, Smokey, and formulate a plan to dispose of Stuart. 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, finally enabling George to accept Stuart as his brother.

As the Littles host a celebration, a mouse couple, Reggie and Camille Stout, arrive 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, using his photograph from the family photo. Fearing his involvement will be exposed and that he will be kicked out of the house, Snowbell informs Smokey about the news and the latter settles on assassinating Stuart instead.

Remorseful about Stuart's sadness, the Stouts, now revealed to be reluctant pawns of Smokey, reveal their deception; 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, using the fact that Stuart's face has been removed from the family photo as evidence. Heartbroken, Stuart leaves, but Snowbell soon regrets his actions after the Littles return home. Snowbell finds Stuart at Central Park and admits his lie, encouraging Stuart to come home. When the duo are confronted by Smokey's gang, Snowbell refuses to hand Stuart over and they give chase, cornering Stuart hanging from a branch over the park's pond. Snowbell breaks the branch the cats are on, sending them into it. Smokey sneaks up on Snowbell, but Stuart releases a branch that hits Smokey in the face, defeating him.

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.

Live-action cast

 * Geena Davis as Eleanor Little, the matriarch of the Little family and Frederick's wife.
 * Hugh Laurie as Frederick Little, the patriarch of the Little family and Eleanor's husband.
 * Jonathan Lipnicki as George Little, the eldest son of the Little family and Stuart's adoptive 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 Doctor Beechwood, a doctor who visits the Littles' house following Stuart's entrapment in its washing machine.
 * Miles Marsico as Anton Gartman, a mean-spirited boy who bullies George during the boat race.
 * Jon Polito as Detective Sherman, a police detective who works for the New York Police Department.
 * Jim Doughan as Detective Phil Allen, Detective Sherman's partner. Doughan also voices Lucky, a member of Smokey's gang, in the film.
 * Joe Bays as the boat race starter
 * Taylor Negron as a 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 Chartreux cat with a mafia-like personality who is the leader of a gang of Mafia-like alley cats and comes up with a plot to eliminate Stuart when summoned by Snowbell and Monty.
 * Steve Zahn as Monty, a gray tabby cat, Snowbell's best friend and a former member of Smokey's gang.
 * Jim Doughan as Lucky, a Siamese cat who is a member of Smokey's gang. Doughan also portrays Detective Allen in the film.
 * David Alan Grier as Red, a ginger American Shorthair tomcat who is a member of Smokey's gang.
 * Bruno Kirby as Reginald Stout, Camille's husband.
 * Jennifer Tilly as Camille Stout, Reginald's wife.
 * Stan Freberg as the boat 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.

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. In 2008, the film was released as part of a double feature with Stuart Little 2. 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.