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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.85:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  • Dual Layer ( )
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • Dutch: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
    English, Dutch, English - Hearing Impaired, Hindi
  Extras
  • 2 Teaser trailer
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Audio commentary
  • 4 Featurette
  • Animated menus
  • Music video - Celine Dion
  • Behind the scenes footage
  • DVD-ROM features
  • Filmographies
  • Interactive game
  • Dolby Digital trailer

Stuart Little 2

Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment . R4 . COLOR . 75 mins . G . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Hollywood's fascination for sequels (read guaranteed money-spinners) is highlighted once again with the release of Stuart Little 2, a film that boasts how different it is to the original but which, in reality, is not that far removed. Let's have a look at why.

Stuart Little was released in 1999 and was an enjoyable and successful little film about a mouse and his adopted family of humans. Stuart was CGI generated and much of the action was done the same way. Snowbell, the family's cat, doesn't really talk, and neither do the neighbourhood strays. The live actors no doubt find this quite challenging, and ultimately it all comes together as a fine family film with something for everyone. There are laughs, some tension and drama, and ultimately a happy ending.

If it ain't broke, then don't try to fix it. Well it goes something like that, and the producers of Stuart Little 2 have adhered to this philosophy. The action picks up pretty much from where the first film ended, and Stuart has well and truly settled into the Little household. The same actors reprise their roles, and are joined by other Hollywood big names such as Melanie Griffith and James Woods voicing animated characters. The film is similar enough to ensure audiences are satisfied, yet different enough to avoid lambasting from the critics. There are a few new characters, and some new dramas to contend with, but the same themes are presented. Alienation, loneliness, feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt and guilt are all addressed again, but you just know it will all turn out well, as in all good fairy tales. Although there was only one book from which to draw ideas, both movies seem to have something different to offer, and I suspect a Stuart Little 3 is a distinct possibility.

Stuart Little was created by EB White, who also gave the world Charlotte's Web which is another excellent children's story. The producers have tried to be faithful to the original idea and are largely successful, but were somewhat criticised by some for making Stuart just a little too 'new millennium'. The effort gone into creating a level of believability is never less than gargantuan. The final product is so good that you totally forget that much of what you are seeing is not real. The live actors (including Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie) are perfectly suited to their roles as the Little parents. Jonathan Lipnicki is great as George Little, and Nathan Lane is a deliciously sly and cowardly Snowbell. Michael J Fox comes up trumps yet again as the voice of Stuart.

Nothing has been overlooked. The main characters are all dressed in bright colours, the baddies in drab colours. The action is constant and there are some excellent camera angles and trickery employed to not just suspend your disbelief, but totally destroy it.

As said, it is the effort gone into creating the film that makes it all so enjoyable. No detail has been overlooked, and kids will fall in love with Stuart and probably want a little brother just like him. Adults should also find this easy to enjoy, as there's plenty of action and laughs along the way, and just enough comic menace in the baddies for all to enjoy. It may not be radically different to the original, but don't let that out you off for it is still an enjoyable way to spend time with the kids. You will most likely enjoy it a great deal, and the kids certainly will.

  Video
Contract

There is almost nothing to fault in this transfer, in fact, there is nothing worth faulting at all. CGI characters look as clear and sharp as their human counterparts, right down to the mouse fur and scratches in Margelo's beak. Colours are very bold and bright as you might expect in a children's film that borders on cartoonish. Skin tones are fine, and there are no problems with shadow detail.

There are no issues with the colouring and there is no evidence of chroma noise. There are no artefacts to contend with and we are left with a very clean transfer. There is just the slightest evidence of aliasing, but this is almost nitpicking. There is no layer change to contend with either, as this is placed elsewhere on the disc.

  Audio
Contract

The fine audio is supplemented by the solid audio. The track of choice is the Dolby Digital 5.1, which is mostly focused in the the front speakers, with well thought out and balanced use of the rear channels for various action scenes. The dialogue is almost totally placed in the centre speaker, and there are some nice passages of full dimensional sound when required. The music soundtrack also makes full use of the complete speaker range, and the subwoofer is called on more for the music than other sounds.

There are no problems with audio synch or clarity, and the CGI characters are likewise loud and clear.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 is also strong and solid, but without the audio tricks that add to the enjoyment. There are also Flemish and Dutch Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks included.

  Extras
Contract

There are certainly a number of interesting and varied extras included on this one disc, which seems unusual for a single disc release until you remember that the feature is less than 75 minutes, so that leaves plenty of room.

The audio commentary is provided by the director, Rob Minkoff, and visual effects supervisor, Jerome Chen. It is a verbose commentary with nary a lapse, but it does tend to get a bit repetitive in that both commentators seem hell bent on explaining the trickery and effort afforded every shot. At fist this is quite cool, but by the end you can second-guess what they are going to talk about. There are also comments about location shooting, the technology used, especially CGI, as well as the odd amusing anecdote. This is one for the adults.

An interesting extra is Active Subtitle Track - Show and Tell, which can be switched on or off when viewing the main feature. If switched on, you will see a small icon appear bottom right on the screen and by pressing 'enter' on your remote you will see a small featurette about that particular scene. This may feel a little intrusive for first time viewers, and a second viewing might be better for this feature.

Three featurettes can be found here with the titles A Touch of Evil, Life in the Fast Lane, and Soaring. The first, at just over seven minutes, is a short look at the creation of the central evil character, the falcon, via animation, and voicing by James Woods. The second is a manic and speedy, yet amusing two-minute summary about how to make an animated movie. The last is a lengthy making-of type featurette which presents a great deal of information in 25 minutes.

Aimed more at children, and introduced by Mrs. Little (Geena Davis), is the HBO Making–of special that takes a further look at the creation of the movie. It includes input from the cast, and contains less technical information than Soaring.

Also for children, is Read-along: Stuart Little's Big Adventure which is a kind of DVD version of those read-along records, cassettes and CDs that have been popular for many years. Children can read along with the narrator, or can switch that off and read aloud themselves or with an adult.

Joy of joys, there is a music video, I'm Alive by everyone's favourite singer, Celine Dion. Presented in Dolby Digital stereo, and full frame, it includes inserts from the movie and lots of shots of Ms Dion warbling away and giving that little wink and shake of the head she does so often. Nauseating.

Children will probably love the pointless Game, Stuart's Circle of Friends which asks six questions and when they're all answered correctly you get, well, not much really. You just get told you have some new friends for life. Great! Maybe some special footage that unlocks might have helped me feel less cheated.

Those with a DVD-ROM will be able to unlock the DVD-ROM Features that include another game (with some sort of reward for effort ones hopes) and a re-voice studio that will allow you to re-voice some of the action from the film or some read-along pieces. Those with DVD-ROM access can be assured they'll love this.

Filmographies – Cast and Crew are the usual screens of the principal cast and crew. Pretty basic stuff.

Also standard these days is the inclusion of trailers, this time for Stuart Little and Kermit's Swamp Years. Both are in Dolby Digital 2.0, with Staurt Little being a pan and scan job, and Kermit's Swamp Years being full frame at the very least.

The last inclusion is the theatrical trailer for Stuart Little 2, in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and 16x9 enhanced. The audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 and at almost two and a half minutes, it's a long look at a short film, delivering one or two too many surprises and laughs from the film. I guess if you have seen the film already, then this probably is not an issue.

Although the Region 1 version also contains deleted scenes, it does not have some of the other features such as the two making-ofs, so Region 4 is a winner for once.

  Overall  
Contract

The beauty of films like Stuart Little 2 is that kids and adults can all enjoy it, safe in the knowledge that there will be some laughs, no nudity, and probably little to no swearing. In this case you also get a beautifully delivered transfer, a swag of extras, and you won't have to stay up half the night wanting the film to end so you can go to bed, as at 75 minutes, it's not a long or demanding haul. Sit back and enjoy the adventure.


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=2253
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      And I quote...
    "Plenty of colour and roller coaster action in this charming sequel that adults will enjoy and kids will love…"
    - Terry Kemp
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Akai
    • TV:
          TEAC CT-F803 80cm Super Flat Screen
    • Receiver:
          Pioneer VSX-D409
    • Speakers:
          Wellings
    • Centre Speaker:
          Wellings
    • Surrounds:
          Wellings
    • Subwoofer:
          Sherwood SP 210W
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard RCA
    • Video Cables:
          standard s-video
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