AGW Entertainment reporter Lynn B. saw a new family film. Here are her thoughts on....

STUART LITTLE II

A mouse in love with a bird? How weird is that? Not too strange when you are talking about that "almost human" mouse Stuart Little. In Stuart Little II, the award-winning CGI mouse with the most falls for a flirty little birdie named Margalo (voiced my Melanie Griffith), a character popular in the original E.B. White novels upon which "Stuart" is based. According to director Rob Minkoff, Stewie costs 50,000 dollars for every 4 seconds of screen time! Geena Davis, Mrs. Little in the film, reminds us that you could hire two Jim Carrey's for all that loot!

All the original cast is back in this sequel and the filmmakers have added a new baby girl for the household and, in addition to Margalo (a homeless waif who isn't what she seems) James Woods, ever the villain, provides the voice of an evil falcon who likes shiny things….that he can steal and sell! I loved all the characters but felt that the story, although more action-packed, wasn't as involving for the whole family as the original.

Since Stuart and Snowbell, the family cat are off rescuing Margalo from the falcon's talons, the film's human actors are just "B-story" window-dressing left at home. Little Jonathan Lipnicki, so prominent in the first film, is relegated to making up cover stories to explain why Stuart is missing. Cloying but sweet Mom and Dad Little have a few scenes in which they worry about Stuart playing soccer with human kids and whether or not they are being overprotective (Are you kidding? He'd be mouse paste!). Later, however, they just run around and search a lot. Nathan Lane, as Snowbell, cracks wise a few too many times to remain a laugh riot.

If story flaws don't really bother you, then what remains is more action/adventure this time and what we all liked in the first place, a really realistic, furry, charming mouse with cute gadgets; this time his hot little car is joined by a cute mini-bi-plane. Little Margalo is a charmer as well. The CGI wizards worked overtime on all of her tiny feathers in addition to the feathery coat of Falcon who looks astonishingly real. If that's enough to float your boat, you'll enjoy the film.

Official Website: www.Stuartlittle.com

The website is really fun with lots of games and cool downloads. Check it out!

Rated: PG