View source for Stuart Little (film)

{{short description|1999 film directed by Rob Minkoff}}
{{about|the film|the book|Stuart Little|the franchise|Stuart Little (franchise)|the television series|Stuart Little (TV series)}}
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{{Infobox film
| name           = Stuart Little
| image          = Stuart Little.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| alt            = A smiling white mouse standing atop a big sneaker. A blue suitcase sits beside it.
| director       = [[Rob Minkoff]]
| producer       = [[Douglas Wick]]
| screenplay     = {{plainlist|
* [[M. Night Shyamalan]]
* [[Greg Brooker (screenwriter)|Greg Brooker]]
}}
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Stuart Little]]''|[[E. B. White]]}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|<!--Per template instructions, we use poster billing block for starring roles. Do not add Michael J. Fox as he is not in the poster billing.-->
* [[Geena Davis]]
* [[Hugh Laurie]]
* [[Jonathan Lipnicki]]
}}
| music          = [[Alan Silvestri]]
| cinematography = [[Guillermo Navarro]]
| editing        = Tom Finan
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
*[[Columbia Pictures]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Stuart Little |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/61723 |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=August 24, 2018}}</ref>
*Red Wagon Entertainment
*Franklin/Waterman Productions
*Global Medien KG
}}
| distributor    = [[Sony Pictures Releasing]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Stuart Little |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/stuart-little-v181270 |website=[[AllMovie]] |access-date=August 24, 2018}}</ref>
| released       = {{film date|1999|12|05|[[Regency Village Theatre|Mann Village Theatre]]|1999|12|17|United States}}
| runtime        = 84 minutes<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/stuart-little-4|title=''Stuart Little''|work=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|access-date=May 28, 2018}}</ref>
| country        = {{Plainlist|
* United States
}}
| language       = English
| budget         = $105<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Stuart-Little#tab=summary|title=Stuart Little (1999) – Financial Information|website=the-numbers.com|access-date=May 28, 2018}}</ref>–133 million<ref name=mojo>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=stuartlittle.htm|title=Stuart Little (1999)|publisher=Box Office Mojo|date=April 16, 2000|access-date=May 28, 2018}}</ref>
| gross          = $300.1 million<ref name=mojo/>
}}
'''''Stuart Little''''' is a 1999 American live-action/animated [[comedy film]] loosely based on [[E. B. White]]'s [[Stuart Little|novel of the same name]]. Directed by [[Rob Minkoff]] in his live-action directorial debut, the screenplay was written by [[M. Night Shyamalan]] and [[Greg Brooker (screenwriter)|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]].
''Stuart Little'' premiered in Westwood at [[Regency Village Theatre|Mann Village Theatre]] on December 5, 1999, and was released in United States on December 17, 1999, by [[Columbia Pictures]].<ref name=mojo/> The film received generally positive reviews and became a box office success, grossing over $300 million worldwide. It was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects]], but lost to ''[[The Matrix (film)|The Matrix]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2000|title=The 72nd Academy Awards|website=[[Academy Awards]]|date=22 April 2015 |access-date=May 28, 2018}}</ref>  After its success, it also started a [[Stuart Little (franchise)|franchise]] with the sequel ''[[Stuart Little 2]]'' in 2002, the short-lived television series ''[[Stuart Little (TV series)|Stuart Little]]'' in 2003, and the [[direct-to-video]] sequel ''[[Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild]]'' in 2006. It was [[Estelle Getty]]'s final film role.
==Plot==
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summaries for feature films should be between 400 to 700 words. It's a summary, not a competition to remember every last detail -->
In [[Manhattan]], Frederick and Eleanor Little visit an orphanage to adopt a new brother for their son, George. Instead, they adopt an anthropomorphic mouse named Stuart. George refuses to acknowledge him as his brother and the family cat, Snowbell, is disgusted to be a new pet to a mouse. The next day, Stuart's life in the house goes off to a bad start when he is inadvertently trapped in the [[washing machine]], but soon recovers from the incident.
The Littles invite their extended family to meet Stuart where George confesses he does not regard Stuart as a brother but simply a mouse. Stuart asks Eleanor and Fredrick to enquire about his biological parents, feeling an empty space. Stuart encourages George to finish his model boat for an upcoming race and the duo start to bond. Meanwhile, Snowbell and his alley cat friend Monty meet with the latter's superior, Smokey, and formulate a plan to dispose of Stuart. On the day of the race, Stuart accidentally breaks George's remote control. He jumps into the boat and takes control himself, narrowly avoiding a crash and winning the race, finally enabling George to accept Stuart as his brother.
As the Littles host a celebration, a mouse couple, Reggie and Camille Stout, arrive and claim to be Stuart's biological parents who were forced by poverty to give him up. The Littles reluctantly allow Stuart to leave with the Stouts. The orphanage calls to ask how Stuart is doing and when the Littles explain he has gone home with his real parents, orphanage head Mrs. Keeper informs them that Stuart's real parents had died several years earlier. Realizing Stuart has been kidnapped, the family organizes a search party with "missing person" posters, using his photograph from the family photo. Fearing his involvement will be exposed and that he will be kicked out of the house, Snowbell informs Smokey about the news and the latter settles on assassinating Stuart instead.
Remorseful about Stuart's sadness, the Stouts, now revealed to be reluctant pawns of Smokey, reveal their deception; he is delighted and makes his way back to the Little house. On the way, he is ambushed by Smokey and his gang but evades them by going into a sewer. At home, a jealous Snowbell lies that the family is out celebrating his absence, using the fact that Stuart's face has been removed from the family photo as evidence. Heartbroken, Stuart leaves, but Snowbell soon regrets his actions after the Littles return home. Snowbell finds Stuart at [[Central Park]] and admits his lie, encouraging Stuart to come home. When the duo are confronted by Smokey's gang, Snowbell refuses to hand Stuart over and they give chase, cornering Stuart hanging from a branch over the park's pond. Snowbell breaks the branch beneath the cats, sending them plummeting into the pond. Smokey sneaks up on Snowbell, but Stuart releases a branch that hits Smokey, knocking him into the water. He emerges, but is immediately attacked by dogs.
Stuart is taken home by Snowbell and is reunited with the Littles. Stuart tells them he owes his life to Snowbell, who has realized Stuart truly is family.
==Cast==
{{main|List of Stuart Little characters}}
===Live-action cast===
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Geena Davis]] as Eleanor Little, the [[matriarch]] of the Little family and Frederick's wife.
*[[Hugh Laurie]] as Frederick Little, the [[Patriarchy|patriarch]] of the Little family and Eleanor's husband.
*[[Jonathan Lipnicki]] as George Little, the eldest son of the Little family and Stuart's adoptive older brother.
*[[Jeffrey Jones]] as Crenshaw Little, Frederick's older brother, the younger brother of Beatrice and one of George and Stuart's two uncles.
*[[Connie Ray]] as Tina Little, Crenshaw's wife and Beatrice and Frederick's sister-in-law and one of George and Stuart's two aunts.
*[[Allyce Beasley]] as Beatrice Little, Crenshaw and Frederick's older sister and one of George and Stuart's two aunts.
*[[Brian Doyle-Murray]] as Edgar Little, Beatrice, Crenshaw and Frederick's cousin, Grandpa Spencer's nephew.
*[[Estelle Getty]] as Estelle Little, Beatrice, Crenshaw and Frederick's mom and George and Stuart's grandmother.
*[[Harold Gould]] as Spencer Little, Beatrice, Crenshaw and Frederick's dad and George and Stuart's grandfather.
*[[Patrick Thomas O'Brien]] as Stretch Little, the husband of Beatrice, the brother-in-law of Crenshaw and Frederick and one of George and Stuart's two uncles.
*[[Julia Sweeney]] as Mrs. Keeper, the head of the New York City Public Orphanage.
*[[Dabney Coleman]] as Doctor Beechwood, a [[medical doctor|doctor]] who visits the Littles' house following Stuart's entrapment in its washing machine.
* Miles Marsico as Anton Gartman, a mean-spirited boy who bullies George during the boat race.
*[[Jon Polito]] as Detective Sherman, a [[police detective]] who works for the [[New York Police Department]].
*[[Jim Doughan]] as Detective Phil Allen, Detective Sherman's partner. Doughan also voices Lucky, a member of Smokey's gang, in the film.
*Joe Bays as the boat race starter
*[[Taylor Negron]] as a clothing salesman
{{div col end}}
===Voice cast===
*[[Michael J. Fox]] as Stuart Little, a young anthropomorphic mouse who is adopted as the middle child of the Little family.
*[[Nathan Lane]] as Snowbell, the Little family's [[Persian cat]] who initially dislikes Stuart, but later becomes his best friend.
*[[Chazz Palminteri]] as Smokey, a [[Chartreux]] who is the leader of a gang of alley cats and comes up with a plot to eliminate Stuart when summoned by Snowbell and Monty.
*[[Steve Zahn]] as Monty, a gray [[tabby cat]], Snowbell's best friend and a former member of Smokey's gang.
*[[Jim Doughan]] as Lucky, a [[Siamese cat]] who is a member of Smokey's gang. Doughan also portrays Detective Allen in the film.
*[[David Alan Grier]] as Red, a ginger&nbsp;[[American&nbsp;Shorthair]]&nbsp;tomcat who is a member of Smokey's gang.
*[[Bruno Kirby]] as Reginald Stout, Camille's husband.
*[[Jennifer Tilly]] as Camille Stout, Reginald's wife.
*[[Stan Freberg]] as the boat race announcer
==Production==
===Development and pre-production===
Development on the film began at [[Columbia Pictures]] in 1997 when production stalled on a film adaptation of the musical ''[[Into the Woods]]'', which Rob Minkoff was originally set to make his live action directorial debut with. Looking for an alternative route, the studio heads informed him that they had picked up the film rights to E.B. White's novel with Douglas Wick set to produce under his Red Wagon Entertainment banner. It was after reading M. Night Shyamalan's script that he then agreed to direct. In early 1998, the studio officially announced Minkoff as director, with the budget originally set to be under $90 million. While his first full-length live action film, Minkoff directed various short films combining live-action and animation earlier in his career, all of which helped him earn the job, alongside the overwhelming success of his co-directing work on [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Disney]]'s ''[[The Lion King]]'' (1994). All the cats featured in the film were real and were trained by [[Boone's Animals for Hollywood|Boone’s Animals for Hollywood]]. News outlets originally claimed the film would be G-rated, but the darker tone of the third act would result in the [[Motion Picture Association|MPAA]] giving it a PG rating.<ref>{{cite news |last=Archerd |first=Army |url=https://variety.com/1998/voices/columns/celebs-voice-kidpic-stuart-little-1117480119/ |title=Celebs voice kidpic 'Stuart Little' |work=Variety |date=September 4, 1998 |access-date=July 27, 2022 |archive-date=July 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727232315/https://variety.com/1998/voices/columns/celebs-voice-kidpic-stuart-little-1117480119/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Kroyer, Bill |author2=Sito, Tom |editor=Diamond, Ron |title=On Animation: The Director's Perspective Volume 2 |chapter=Rob Minkoff Interview |year=2019 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |pages=218–219 |isbn=978-1-351-65779-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.cinema.com/articles/222/stuart-little-production-notes.phtml |title=Stuart Little: Production Notes |agency=Sony Pictures Releasing |access-date=July 27, 2022 |archive-date=July 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170724145211/http://cinema.com/articles/222/stuart-little-production-notes.phtml |via=Cinema.com}}</ref>
===Filming===
Filming began on August 3, 1998 both on location in [[New York City]] and [[Central Park]], and on soundstages at the [[Sony Pictures Studios]] in [[Culver City, California]], where Stage 30 was converted into the set for the boat race scene and Stage 15 became the exterior of the [[Fifth Avenue|5th Avenue]] street on which the Little family lives. After 12 weeks of production, filming wrapped on November 11. The entire shoot was described as "smooth" and "enjoyable" by the crew members.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinema.com/articles/222/stuart-little-production-notes.phtml|title=Stuart Little: Production Notes|website=Cinema.com|access-date=2023-01-25}}</ref>
===Lost painting unknowingly used on set===
One of the paintings used as set dressing for the Littles' home was Hungarian avant-garde painter [[Róbert Berény]]'s 1920s painting ''[[Sleeping Lady with Black Vase]]'', which had long been considered [[lost artworks|lost]]. A set designer for the film had purchased the painting at an antiques store in [[Pasadena, California]], for $500 for use in the film, unaware of its significance. In 2009, art historian Gergely Barki, while watching ''Stuart Little'' on television with his daughter, noticed the painting, and after contacting the studios was able to track down its whereabouts.<ref>{{cite news|title=Stuart Little leads art historian to long-lost Hungarian masterpiece|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/27/stuart-little-art-historian-long-lost-hungarian-masterpiece|access-date=May 28, 2018|agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]|place=Budapest|work=The Guardian|date=November 27, 2014}}</ref> In 2014, its owner sold the painting at an auction for €229,500.<ref>{{cite news|title=Lost painting auctioned after discovery in Stuart Little film|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30467820|work=[[BBC News]]|author=Laura Westbrook|date=December 14, 2014|access-date=May 28, 2018}}</ref>
==Soundtrack==
The soundtrack album ''Stuart Little: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture'' was released by [[Motown]] and [[Universal Records (defunct record label)|Universal Records]] on November 30, 1999, on [[Compact disc|audio CD]] and [[Compact Cassette|audio cassette]]. It contains songs from and inspired by the film, including the end credits song "[[You're Where I Belong]]," written by [[Diane Warren]] and performed by [[Trisha Yearwood]], which was submitted for [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]] consideration at the [[72nd Academy Awards]], but didn't make the initial shortlist.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Mariah's Gonna Make Garden Sweat |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=February 12, 2000 |page=79 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Q0EAAAAMBAJ&q=trisha+yearwood+records+song+for+stuart+little+movie&pg=PA78 |access-date=4 November 2020}}</ref> Also included are two tracks from the orchestral score by [[Alan Silvestri]]. Tracks in bold do not appear in the film.
{{Track listing
| total_length  = 56:15
| title1       = '''I Need to Know'''
| note1        = '''R Angels'''
| length1       = '''3:54'''
| title2       = '''The Two of Us'''
| note2       = '''[[S Club|S Club 7]]'''
| length2 = '''3:35'''
| title3        = [[You're Where I Belong]]
| note3        = [[Trisha Yearwood]]
| length3     = 4:17
| title4    = If You Can't Rock Me
| note4      = [[The Brian Setzer Orchestra]]
| length4    = 2:40
| title5     =  1+1=2
| note5    = [[Lou Bega]]
| length5    = 4:04
| title6    = '''He Rules'''
| note6    = '''[[702 (group)|702]]'''
| length6   = '''3:04'''
| title7   = '''Home'''
| note7      = '''[[Brian McKnight]]'''
| length7     = '''4:22'''
| title8    = Walking Tall
| note8   = [[Lyle Lovett]]
| length8    = 3:16
| title9  = '''Lucky Day'''
| note9   = '''[[Matt Goss]]'''
| length9  = '''4:03'''
| title10  =  '''Mouse in the House'''
| note10     = '''[[Colby O'Donis]]'''
| length10    = '''4:34'''
| title11       = '''[[As Long as I Can Dream]]'''
| note11     = '''[[Debelah Morgan]]'''
| length11    = '''4:27'''
| title12  = The Boat Race
| note12       = [[Alan Silvestri]]
| writer12     =
| extra12    =
| length12   = 5:12
| title13       = I'm Gonna Miss You
| note13        = Alan Silvestri
| writer13  =
| extra13    =
| length13     = 4:43
| title14    = '''You're Where I Belong (Soul Solution Remix)'''
| note14     = '''Trisha Yearwood'''
| length14      = '''4:04'''
}}
==Reception==
===Box office===
''Stuart Little'' was released theatrically on December 17, 1999. On its opening weekend, ''Stuart Little'' grossed $15 million, placing it at #1 dethroning ''[[Toy Story 2]]''. It dropped to #2 over its second weekend, but went back to #1 on its third weekend with $16 million. According to [[Box Office Mojo]], its final gross in the United States and Canada was $140 million and it grossed $160.1 million at the international box office, for an estimated total of $300 million worldwide.<ref name=mojo/>
===Critical reception===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], 67% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 97 responses with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's consensus reads: "Critics say ''Stuart Little'' is charming with kids and adults for its humor and visual effects."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/stuart_little/ |title=Stuart Little |date=17 December 1999 |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=March 3, 2022 }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a score of 61 out of 100 from 32 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/stuart-little|title=Stuart Little|website=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=May 28, 2018}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |access-date=2022-03-06 |website=[[CinemaScore]] }}</ref>
Jesus Freak Hideout said that "from start to finish, Stuart Little is a near flawless family film"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/movies/StuartLittle.asp|title=Stuart Little|publisher=Jesus Freak Hideout|access-date=May 28, 2018}}</ref> while Stephen Holden of ''[[The New York Times]]'' had said "the only element that doesn't completely harmonize with the rest of the film is the visually unremarkable digital figure of Stuart."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/17/movies/film-review-extra-sly-cat-upstages-stuart-little.html|author=Stephen Holden|title=Film Review – Extra! Sly Cat Upstages Stuart Little!|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 17, 1999|access-date=May 28, 2018}}</ref>
==Home media==
''Stuart Little'' was released on [[VHS]] and [[DVD]] in the United States on April 18, 2000, by [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment|Columbia TriStar Home Video]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fw4EAAAAMBAJ&q=april+18+street+order+blooper+dvd&pg=PA96|title=Billboard|first=Nielsen Business Media|last=Inc|date=March 4, 2000|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|via=Google Books}}</ref> and in the United Kingdom on November 27, 2000. It was later re-released on a Deluxe Edition on May 21, 2002, by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. In 2008, the film was released as part of a double feature with ''[[Stuart Little 2]]''. ''Stuart Little'' and ''Stuart Little 2'' were released in a combo on [[Sony]] [[PlayStation Portable|PSP]]'s [[Universal Media Disc|UMD]] format on January 3, 2006, and Blu-ray on June 28, 2011, by [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]].
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|164912}}
{{Stuart Little}}
{{Rob Minkoff}}
{{Sony theatrical animated features}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart Little}}
[[Category:Stuart Little (franchise)]]
[[Category:1990s adventure comedy films]]
[[Category:1990s children's adventure films]]
[[Category:1990s children's comedy films]]
[[Category:1990s children's fantasy films]]
[[Category:1990s fantasy comedy films]]
[[Category:1999 children's films]]
[[Category:1999 comedy films]]
[[Category:1999 films]]
[[Category:American adventure comedy films]]
[[Category:American children's adventure films]]
[[Category:American children's comedy films]]
[[Category:American children's fantasy films]]
[[Category:American fantasy adventure films]]
[[Category:American fantasy comedy films]]
[[Category:American films with live action and animation]]
[[Category:Animated films about mice]]
[[Category:Columbia Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films about adoption]]
[[Category:Films about cats]]
[[Category:Films about child abduction in the United States]]
[[Category:Films about orphans]]
[[Category:Films about talking animals]]
[[Category:Films adapted into television shows]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films based on children's books]]
[[Category:Films based on novels by E. B. White]]
[[Category:Films directed by Rob Minkoff]]
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[[Category:Films scored by Alan Silvestri]]
[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
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[[Category:Films with screenplays by M. Night Shyamalan]]
[[Category:Motown soundtracks]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
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[[Category:English-language fantasy comedy films]]
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