Stuart Little 3: Call Of The Wild (DVD)

Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.

---

Hugh Laurie and Geena Davis are back again as the Littles—those time-warp, '50s-acting parents of one normal boy named George and a little fellow named Stuart, who was "not much bigger than a mouse." In fact, in E.B. White's beloved children's book, he is a mouse, though his parents don't seem to notice. They treat him the same as their human offspring, except for one thing: Mrs. L. is awfully protective of the whiskery little guy.

But while "Stuart Little" and "Stuart Little 2" combined live action and animation, arriving on DVD via the big screen, "Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild" is an all-animated, direct-to-video release. Does is show? Yes. Is it bad? No. But by the same token, it's not as charming and interesting to watch as the first two installments. It also seems geared more for kids than the entire family. The plot of this outdoor adventure follows a familiar path, with a Beast in the forest that frightens everyone, a fast-talking sidekick animal, contests and trials, songs, bright colors, and lessons about perseverance and friendship.

Michael J. Fox lends his voice once more to the little mouse, who in this installment is jazzed about joining the Lake Scouts at a retreat where his family has decided to spend their summer vacation. Of course, the cabin is a shambles, so Mrs. L. ends up cleaning house for most of her vacation, while the "men" troop over to the Lake Scouts for tests of manly courage and skill. Mr. L. hires on as assistant to the bumbling troopmaster (Peter Macnichol) so he can keep an eye on Stuart, and the bulk of the film follows the little rodent as he attempts to advance in rank . . . but never comes close. He can't get his arrows to fly as far as the bigger boys, he looks like an appetizer to a largemouth bass when he paddles his tiny canoe in the races, and about all he can carry on the full-pack hike is a piece of candy. But that doesn't matter to the chipper Stuart, who, despite a string of disappointments, keeps his chin up and keeps plugging away. That, of course, is what makes this G-rated film appealing to parents. There are lessons to be learned, and they're wholesome, no matter what your religious orientation . . . or lack therof.

Snowbell, the family cat is back, but not Nathan Lane, who was probably too busy with "The Producers" to lend his voice to the finicky furball. Taking his place is Kevin Schon, who interacts with Stuart and the streetwise tabby friend of his who stowed away. There's not much to the cat sideplot, and poor Mrs. L. could cry for help and no one would respond—it's not exactly a pro-feminist film. The closest thing to a feisty female is a girl named Brook (Tara Strong) whom George likes. Jonathan Lipnicki is the other mainstay to stay away for the third film, replaced by Corey Padnos. But if any character vies for the audience's attention, it's Reeko, a thieving, jive-talking, funky skunk who befriends Stuart and tries to show him how to survive in a forest where The Beast (Virginia Madsen) looms like an omnipresent shadow as Shere Khan did in "The Jungle Book." In fact, though there's no violence to speak of and, predictably, The Beast gets hers, there are moments of peril which may frighten very young children.

But there's enough comic relief coming from the hapless Stuart, the pampered Snowbell, and the clueless troopmaster to more than offset the scary moments. Same with the music, the keystone song of which is the snappy "Reeko's Funk," which you can all but picture James Brown spinning around on the dance floor singing.