Stuart Little 2

Last updated

Stuart Little 2
Stuart Little2 poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Rob Minkoff
Screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin
Story by
Based on Stuart Little
by E. B. White
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Steven Poster
Edited by Priscilla Nedd-Friendly
Music by Alan Silvestri
Production
companies
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing [1]
Release dates
  • July 14, 2002 (2002-07-14)(Westwood)
  • July 19, 2002 (2002-07-19)(North America and United Kingdom)
Running time
76 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$120 million [3]
Box office$170 million [3]

Stuart Little 2 is a 2002 American live-action/animated comedy film directed by Rob Minkoff and starring Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie, and Jonathan Lipnicki, and the voices of Michael J. Fox as Stuart Little and Nathan Lane as Snowbell the Cat. Although a sequel to the 1999 film Stuart Little , the plot bears more resemblance to the original novel by E.B. White, in which Stuart and Snowbell meet a canary named Margalo (voiced by Melanie Griffith).

Contents

Stuart Little 2 premiered in Westwood on July 14, 2002, and was released in theaters for the rest of North America and United Kingdom on July 19 by Columbia Pictures, and grossed $170 million against a $120 million budget, with it also receiving positive critical reviews. [3] It was followed by a third film, a direct-to-video sequel titled Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild in 2005.

Plot

Set three years after the events of the first film, Stuart Little has settled into family life with his parents, older brother George, and baby sister Martha, who has yet to say her first words. Stuart is becoming tired of his adoptive mother Eleanor's overprotectiveness due to his small size, and is finding himself lonely when George would rather play with his own friend, Will. When playing by himself, Stuart accidentally wrecks George's toy plane, prompting George to furiously throw it into a trash can. Stuart's adoptive father Frederick tells him there is a 'silver lining' to every bad situation, and encourages him to find a new friend of his own.

When driving home from school in his roadster, Stuart meets Margalo, a canary who falls into his car. Margalo states she has injured her wing being chased by a predatory Falcon, and Stuart takes her home to recover. Unbeknownst to the Littles, Margalo is in fact physically healthy, and is working with Falcon to steal precious items from households. However, she soon bonds with the Littles, and feels immense guilt over what she is planning to do; Falcon warns her that if she does not complete their plan, he will kill Stuart.

Margalo steals Eleanor's ring, prompting Stuart to venture down the Littles' kitchen drain in an unfruitful attempt to find it again. He soon finds himself in trouble, but Margalo rescues him; realizing the danger she is putting him in, she leaves the next morning. Stuart becomes convinced Falcon has kidnapped her, and sets off to find her with the family cat Snowbell, convincing George to conduct a series of elaborate (and extremely unconvincing) lies to Eleanor in order to cover for him.

Stuart and Snowbell seek out street-cat Monty, who tells them that Falcon lives at the top of the Pishkin Building, and warns that he is an extremely dangerous foe. Stuart uses a balloon to fly to the summit of the Pishkin Building, but is taken aback when Margalo reveals her alliance with Falcon. Falcon traps Margalo in a paint can, and attempts to kill Stuart by dropping him from the sky; Stuart instead lands in a garbage truck and is taken to a garbage barge out at sea. Initially devastated at the series of events, Stuart soon finds his silver lining by rediscovering and subsequently repairing George's broken toy plane, which he uses to fly back to land. Meanwhile, George, after being reprimanded by his parents for his deception and interrogated on Stuart's true whereabouts, confesses where Stuart is to them, prompting them to head out and look for him.

In the meantime, Snowbell has also ventured up the Pishkin Building, and frees Margalo from the paint can, only to become trapped in it himself. Margalo breaks free from Falcon's control, and flies away with Eleanor's ring, prompting Falcon to give chase. Stuart arrives in his toy plane, and a furious chase occurs through New York, with the Littles following from behind. Stuart ultimately wins the battle by using the ring to blind Falcon's vision, before jumping from the plane and allowing it to crash into Falcon as he falls into a trash can and is presumably eaten by Monty. The day saved, Frederick and Eleanor forgive Stuart for running away and George for lying to them, and tell them they are extremely proud of them for their bravery.

Later, Margalo fulfills her dream of flying south for the winter, planning on returning to the Little household in the spring. Martha stuns everyone by using her first words to say goodbye to Margalo.

Cast

Live-action cast

Voice cast

Puppeteers

Production

After the September 11 attacks, parts of the Twin Towers soon ended up digitally removed and scenes were reshot. [4] However, World Trade Center Building 7 still appears in some parts of the film.

Reception

Box office

The film had an opening weekend gross of $15.1 million, ranking in second place narrowly behind Road to Perdition . [5] The domestic total was $65 million and the worldwide total was $170 million against an estimated production budget of $120 million, less than its predecessor. [6]

Critical reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 81% based on 124 reviews, with an average score of 6.90/10. The critical consensus reads, "Stuart Little 2 is a sweet, visually impressive sequel that provides wholesome entertainment for kids." [7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100 based on 29 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [8] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. [9]

Ann Hornaday wrote a positive review in The Washington Post , noting how the film's idealized setting makes it family-friendly. Hornaday praised the vocal performances of Fox, Griffith, and Woods in their roles as Stuart, Margalo, and Falcon, respectively, as well as the characters' computer animation: "The animated characters engage in such natural movements and, more important, exude such subtle emotional expression that they mesh seamlessly with their live-action counterparts." [10] Tom Shen of the Chicago Reader , described the film as "fairly formulaic", but praised its jokes as "hilarious", especially those coming from the character of Snowbell, the Littles' cat. [11]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack, Music from and Inspired by Stuart Little 2, was released by Epic Records and Sony Music Soundtrax on July 16, 2002 on Audio CD and Compact Cassette. The tracks in bold do not appear on the film and the final two tracks are score cues composed by Alan Silvestri. [12]

Another album features the entirety of Silvestri's orchestral score for the film.

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I'm Alive" (Celine Dion) Kristian Lundin, Andreas Carlsson Kristian Lundin 3:28
2."Put a Little Love in Your Heart" (Mary Mary) Jackie DeShannon, Jimmy Holiday, Randy MyersVME3:09
3."Top of the World" (Mandy Moore) Jeff Cohen, Leah Haywood  3:22
4."Another Small Adventure" (Chantal Kreviazuk featuring Drew Barrymore)  2:57
5."One" (Nathan Lane) Harry Nilsson Rick Jarrard2:18
6." What I Like About You " ( The Romantics )Wally Palmar, Mike Skill, Jimmy Marinos Pete Solley 2:56
7."Hold on to the Good Things" (Shawn Colvin) Roxanne Seeman, Holly Knight  3:30
8."Count on Me" ( Billy Gilman )  3:42
9." Smile " ( Vitamin C )Josh Deutsch, Colleen FitzpatrickJosh Deutsch, Garry Hughes3:58
10."Alone Again (Naturally)" (Gilbert O'Sullivan) Gilbert O'Sullivan Gilbert O'Sullivan 3:38
11." Born to Be Wild " ( Steppenwolf ) Mars Bonfire Gabriel Mekler 3:30
12."Little Angel of Mine" ( No Secrets ) Orrin Hatch [13]  3:47
13."Falcon Finito" (Alan Silvestri)  6:51
14."Silver Lining" (Alan Silvestri)  4:21
Total length:51:27

Video game

Video games based on the film were released for the PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, and Microsoft Windows.

Accolades

YearAwardsCategoryNomineeResult
2002 BAFTA Children's Award Best Feature FilmDouglas Wick
Lucy Fisher
Rob Minkoff
Bruce Joel Rubin		Nominated
2003Golden Trailer AwardBest Animation/Family FilmNominated
Visual Effects Society Award Best Character Animation in an Animated Motion PictureTony Bancroft
David Schaub
Eric Armstrong
Sean Mullen		Won
Best Visual Effects Photography in a Motion PictureEarl Wiggins
Mark Vargo
Tom Houghton
Anna Foerster		Nominated
Young Artist Award Best Family Feature Film Rob Minkoff Nominated

Home media

Stuart Little 2 was released in the United States on VHS and DVD on December 10, 2002, by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, and in the United Kingdom on November 25, 2002. In 2008, the film was re-released as part of a double feature with Stuart Little . Stuart Little and Stuart Little 2 were released in a combo on Sony PSP's UMD format on January 3, 2006. A Blu-ray/DVD combo pack was released on June 28, 2011, alongside the first film by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirsten Dunst</span> American actress (born 1982)

Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the anthology film New York Stories (1989). Dunst gained recognition for her role as child vampire Claudia in the horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994), which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also had roles in her youth in Little Women (1994) and Jumanji (1995).

<i>Stuart Little</i> 1945 childrens novel by E.B. White

Stuart Little is a 1945 American children's novel by E. B. White. It was White's first children's book, and became recognized as a classic in children's literature. Stuart Little was illustrated by the artist Garth Williams, also his first work for children.

<i>Coraline</i> 2002 childrens novel by Neil Gaiman

Coraline is a 2002 British dark fantasy horror children's novella by British author Neil Gaiman. Gaiman started writing Coraline in 1990, and it was published in 2002 by Bloomsbury and HarperCollins. It was awarded the 2003 Hugo Award for Best Novella, the 2003 Nebula Award for Best Novel, and the 2002 Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers. The Guardian ranked Coraline #82 in its list of 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. It was adapted as a 2009 stop-motion animated film, directed by Henry Selick under the same name.

<i>Like Mike</i> 2002 American sports comedy film

Like Mike is a 2002 American fantasy sports comedy film directed by John Schultz and written by Michael Elliot and Jordan Moffet. Starring Lil' Bow Wow, Morris Chestnut, Jonathan Lipnicki, Robert Forster, Crispin Glover and Eugene Levy, the film follows an orphan who gets basketball talents after finding an old pair of sneakers that once belonged to Michael Jordan.

<i>Two Weeks Notice</i> 2002 romantic comedy movie directed by Marc Lawrence

Two Weeks Notice is a 2002 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Marc Lawrence and starring Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Lipnicki</span> American actor

Jonathan William Lipnicki is an American actor who is known for his roles as a child actor. He has appeared in films such as Jerry Maguire (1996), Stuart Little (1999) and its 2002 sequel Stuart Little 2, The Little Vampire (2000), Like Mike (2002), and Broil (2020). He also starred in the television series Dawson's Creek on The WB and Meego on CBS.

<i>Catwoman</i> (film) 2004 superhero film directed by Pitof

Catwoman is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Pitof and written by John Rogers, John Brancato and Michael Ferris from a story by Theresa Rebeck, Brancato and Ferris, with music by Klaus Badelt. It is loosely based on the DC Comics character Catwoman. The film stars Halle Berry, Benjamin Bratt, Lambert Wilson, Frances Conroy, Alex Borstein, and Sharon Stone. Its plot centers on Patience Phillips, a meek graphic designer, who discovers a conspiracy within the cosmetics company she works for that involves a dangerous product that could cause widespread health problems. After being discovered and murdered by the conspirators, Patience is revived by an Egyptian mau cat that grants her superhuman cat-like abilities, allowing her to become the crime-fighting superheroine Catwoman.

<i>Flushed Away</i> 2006 animated adventure comedy film

Flushed Away is a 2006 animated adventure comedy film directed by Sam Fell and David Bowers, produced by Cecil Kramer, David Sproxton, and Peter Lord, and written by Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Chris Lloyd, Joe Keenan and Will Davies. It was the third and final DreamWorks Animation film co-produced with Aardman Features following Chicken Run (2000) and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), and was the first Aardman project mostly made in CGI animation as opposed to starting with their usual stop-motion – this was because using water on plasticine models could damage them, and it was complex to render the effect in another way. The film stars the voices of Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellen, Shane Richie, Bill Nighy, Andy Serkis and Jean Reno. In the film, a pampered fancy rat named Roddy St. James (Jackman) is flushed down the toilet in his Kensington apartment by a sewer rat named Sid (Richie), and befriends a scavenger named Rita Malone (Winslet) in order to get back home while evading a sinister toad (McKellen) and his hench-rats.

<i>Stuart Little</i> (film) 1999 film directed by Rob Minkoff

Stuart Little is a 1999 American live-action/animated 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.

<i>8 Women</i> 2002 film

8 Women is a 2002 dark comedy musical film written and directed by François Ozon. Based on the 1958 play by Robert Thomas, it features an ensemble cast of high-profile French actresses that includes Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Emmanuelle Béart, Fanny Ardant, Virginie Ledoyen, Danielle Darrieux, Ludivine Sagnier and Firmine Richard. Revolving around an eccentric family of women and their employees in the 1950s, the film follows eight women as they gather to celebrate Christmas in an isolated, snowbound cottage only to find Marcel, the family patriarch, dead with a knife in his back. Trapped in the house, every woman becomes a suspect, each having her own motive and secret.

<i>Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild</i> 2005 animated film directed by Audu Paden

Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild is a 2006 American animated adventure comedy film directed by Audu Paden, distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. It was released on DVD in North America on February 21, 2006. It is the third and final installment in the Stuart Little trilogy.

Stuart Little is an American animated television series, loosely based on the 1945 E. B. White children's book Stuart Little, as well as the live-action / animated film adaptations. It was produced by Red Wagon Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television for the HBO Family digital cable television channel and aired for one season of 13 episodes.

<i>Good Luck Chuck</i> 2007 film by Mark Helfrich

Good Luck Chuck is a 2007 comedy film starring Dane Cook and Jessica Alba, with screenplay by Josh Stolberg and directorial debut by long-time film editor Mark Helfrich. In the film, women find their "one true love" after having sex with a dentist named Chuck (Cook). Chuck meets a girl named Cam (Alba) and tries to become her true love. The film opened in theaters on September 21, 2007, and was panned by critics. One of Good Luck Chuck's theatrical posters parodied the well-known Rolling Stone cover photographed by Annie Leibovitz featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono in similar poses.

<i>The Edge of Heaven</i> (film) 2007 drama film

The Edge of Heaven is a 2007 Turkish-German drama written and directed by Fatih Akın. The film won the Prix du scénario at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, was Germany's entry in the category Best Foreign Language Film at the 2007 Oscars, but was not nominated.

Kevin Schon is an American voice actor who is known for his voice-over work in video games, movies and television shows. He is best known as a voice double for Nathan Lane for animated media, most notably as Timon in the Timon & Pumbaa television series and in various other Disney related projects.

James Francis Doughan is an American actor, teacher and writer. He is best known for his roles as Detective Doyle in The Mask (1994) and Detective Allen as well as the voice of Lucky the Cat in Stuart Little (1999) and the head coach for the soccer team Stuart and his human brother, George Little, play for in Stuart Little 2 (2002). He is currently a performing arts teacher at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, California.

<i>The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby</i> 2013 American film

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is the collective title of three films written and directed by Ned Benson in his directorial debut, and starring Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, alongside a supporting cast of Viola Davis, Bill Hader, Katherine Waterston, Ciarán Hinds, Isabelle Huppert, and William Hurt. After the film split into three parts, Him and Her were screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival as a "work in progress". Them premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Them premiered in the United States on September 12, 2014, while Him and Her were released together as double feature on October 10, 2014.

<i>Stuart Little</i> (franchise) American film franchise

Stuart Little is a mixed live-action and animated American film franchise based on the 1945 children's novel Stuart Little by E. B. White. The films are produced by Franklin / Waterman Productions and released by Columbia Pictures.

Ann Hornaday is an American film critic. She has been film critic at The Washington Post since 2002 and is the author of Talking Pictures: How to Watch Movies (2017). In 2008, she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

References

  1. 1 2 "Stuart Little 2". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  2. ↑ Laporte, Nicole (May 13, 2004). "Red Wagon raises Shane". Variety . Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 "Stuart Little 2 (2002)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  4. ↑ Youngs, Ian (September 9, 2002). "Has Hollywood forgotten 11 September?". BBC News . Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  5. ↑ Gray, Brandon (July 22, 2002). "'Road to Perdition' Squeaks Past 'Stuart Little 2' in Photo Finish". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Stuart Little 2 (2002) - Financial Information". The Numbers .
  7. ↑ "Stuart Little 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Stuart Little 2". Metacritic .
  9. ↑ "STUART LITTLE 2 (2002) A". CinemaScore . Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  10. ↑ Hornaday, Ann (July 19, 2002). "'Stuart Little 2': Cute as a Button". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  11. ↑ Ted, Shen (August 14, 2012). "Stuart Little 2". Chicago Reader. Sun-Times Media. Retrieved July 27, 2016. Date is according to Rotten Tomatoes.
  12. ↑ "Stuart Little 2 - Original Soundtrack". AllMusic . Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Music bill puts Kid Rock, Mike Love, Donald Trump and Orrin Hatch on the same stage". Deseret News . Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Stuart Little 2 for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Stuart Little 2 for Playstation Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  16. ↑ Beam, Jennifer. "Stuart Little 2". AllGame . Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  17. ↑ Beam, Jennifer. "Stuart Little 2". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  18. ↑ Beam, Jennifer. "Stuart Little 2". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  19. ↑ Shoemaker, Brad. "Stuart Little 2 Review". GameSpot . Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  20. ↑ Hollingshead, Anise (August 8, 2002). "Stuart Little 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 19, 2002. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  21. ↑ Cowboy, Code (July 29, 2002). "Stuart Little 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on August 3, 2002. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  22. ↑ Harris, Craig (July 22, 2002). "Stuart Little 2". IGN . Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  23. ↑ Nix (July 30, 2002). "Stuart Little 2". IGN. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Test : Stuart Little 2". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). November 14, 2002. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  25. ↑ Kosmina, Ben (December 10, 2002). "Stuart Little 2". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  26. ↑ Wint, Dominic (August 2002). "Stuart Little 2". Nintendo Official Magazine . No. 119. p. 79.
  27. ↑ Ogilvie, Tristan (August 2002). "Stuart Little 2". Official PlayStation 2 Magazine-Australia . No. 5. p. 76.
  28. ↑ "Jumanji, Stuart Little 1 & 2, and Zathura: A Space Adventure Coming to Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. April 17, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.