Stuart Little - 5 stars out of 10

Stuart Little - 5 stars out of 10

"Stuart Little" is definitely geared for kids, but it does so in impressive fashion.  The computer animation is impressive by today's standards, and it is hard to believe that they were able to make a film that so seamlessly integrated CGI into a real-world atmosphere in 1999.  You couldn't find a better voice for Stuart than Michael J. Fox... although every time that the mouse says "George" (which is quite often), you can't help but think of "Back to the Future."  But the voice perfectly fits the image, full of animation and kid-like quality.  And then Nathan Lane as the cat!  That was a very unexpected surprise, on top of Hugh Laurie and Geena Davis in live-action roles.  Jonathan Lipnicki is not as good as he was in "Jerry Maguire," but the presence of Jeffrey Jones (Principal from Ferris Bueller) and Steve Zahn's voice as Monty distracts from the areas of the film that lack refined acting skill.  The casting really is great, as the directors chose actors whose voices perfectly match the visual characters that they play.  The plot is definitely that of a kids movie, but some of the humor in the script (like the cream of mushroom soup dialogue was just awesome) will keep adults watching.  The film is overly cheesy at times, but in the end  it's good for all ages to be reminded of the important lesson that it doesn't matter if you are different - the key to love is having a big heart.