Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild DVD Review:

As the Little family head for the lake for a family vacation, Stuart (Fox) sees this as his chance prove that he can do anything that any other kid can do, even if he is a six-inch high mouse. To prove this Stuart suggest that he and George (Padnos) become scouts but just as all of the tasks and adventures become too much for Stuart he makes a new friend called Reeko (Brady) who shows him the ways of the forest.

After the success of the two live action adventures, Stuart Little returns but his time everything is computer generated.

The charm of the first two movies in the franchise was seeing Stuart in the real human world but for his third, straight to DVD adventure, the entire movie is in CG and it looks awful. Utilising a technique called ‘Cell Shading’, the movie looks more like a video game than a Hollywood production. This style has been very success in the video game market and was used in the short-lived ‘Spider-Man’ animated series on MTV but for the latest Stuart Little film it just doesn’t work.

Seeing a little, talking mouse in New York was the major selling point of the first two films. The state of the art visual effects placed the very likeable Stuart in the Little home where he seamless interacted with the family and the environment around. This instantly endeared you to the character and his good-natured, positive outlook on life made a firm family favourite. Transplanting him into a completely CG world with awful animation makes Stuart just another cartoon character.

The one thing the production did get right is to have Michael J. Fox return as the voice of Stuart. Because of his illness we don’t get to see or hear enough of him, so to have Michael J. Fox appear in anything is a real bonus. Again his vocal skills breathes life into the very likeable mouse but the poor animation takes away the cuteness that made Stuart such an endearing character in the first place. Hugh Laurie and Geena Davis also return as Mr and Mrs Little but again the lacklustre animation means that they don’t even look little their live action counterparts.

The all CG world does have some advantages however. The filmmakers can now make even more animals talk and those that would difficult to train or animate in a live action environment. We now have talking rabbits, beavers, squirrels, a mountain lion and a skunk, making the call of the wild really wild.

‘Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild’ is a disappointment compared the previous two films. The story is very slight, even for its target audience but the smallest essence what made Stuart Little such a family favourite in the first place is still there. Little kids will still enjoy this but fans of the first two films will be very disappointing by this lack lustre effort.

Star Rating = * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented very well as you’d expect from a CG film.

BONUS FEATURES

Help Stuart Escape!
Answer ten questions about the movie to help Stuart get back to the scouts but if you get three wrong the beast will get him.

Monty’s Monstrous Appetite!
Help Snowbell feed Monty’s unstoppable hunger for three weeks but his requests get harder and harder to remember.

Stuart’s Summer Journals
Listen to Stuart read from the journal he kept during his summer at the lake and his time as a scout.

Learn to Draw
Follow the onscreen instructions and you can draw Snowbell, Reeko and Stuart Little

Stuart Little 3: Big Photo Adventure (2.49 mins)
Snowbell talks you through the new Stuart Little video game and shows you what you can do on his latest adventure.

OVERALL

The DVD extras are aimed squarely at the films target audience. A mix of interactive games and activities, this is a package that young fans might enjoy. The lack of any traditional bonus features is a shame however because it would have been nice to have seen some interviews with the vocal cast or some more information on the Stuart Little books.



Jamie Kelwick