Opens December 17, 1999

If Raold Dahl is the dark father of children's literature with his surreal fantasies like "James and the Giant Peach" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", then E. B. White is the kinder, gentler uncle. His "Charlotte's Web" is a classic of children's literature and "Stuart Little" is almost as beloved. In the hands of director Rob Minkoff and writers M. Night Shyamalan and Greg booker, Sony's Stuart Little is classic family fare, fully embracing the lyricism of a world where animals talk and a human family is more than willing to adopt a mouse as a son.

Despite the delightful air of fancy here, older audience members may be disappointed with the direction of the film story since it abandons the fantastical idea that Stuart the mouse is born into the human Little family and substitutes a more accessible adoption angle. Kids, however, are unlikely to care and the lessons the plot teaches about tolerance and family are universal ones.

Stuart's story is sweet and simple, starting with his adoption by Mr. and Mrs. Little (Hugh Laurie and Geena Davis), who are charmed by his impishness and his sad, "I'll never get adopted" demeanor. The Littles spirit Stuart home where he is promptly eaten by the family cat Snowbell (Nathan Lane). What a welcome! As Mr. Little pulls Stuart out of Snowbell's mouth, he gently admonishes the kitty: "No, Snowbell, we don't eat family." Family! Snowbell is livid at this insult -- after all, no cat has ever had a mouse as a master. Snowbell can't even begin to imagine the humiliation he'll suffer at the hands of the neighborhood cats.

Shunned by Snowbell, poor little Stuart is also rejected by his new brother George (Jonathan Lipnicki), who is the only one who seems to notice that Stuart is a mouse. So, where's the big conflict, you say? Don't worry, it's coming. Snowbell soon declares war on Stuart and resorts to help from local alley cat Smokey (Chazz Palmentieri), who prances with Mafioso aplomb. Smokey sends Stuart's "real" mouse parents (Bruno Kirby and Jennifer Tilly) to claim him and, encouraged by the Littles who knows that he needs his own kind, Stuart goes off with them, unaware that even worse troubles lay ahead. Luckily, fairy tales must have happy endings and in this one, George and Snowbell come around just in time, realizing that Stuart is indeed an important part of their family, that he belongs with them.

What makes this story succeed is a strong combination of technical wizardry and down-home good feeling. Stuart himself is a wonderfully rendered, although his solid white coat does make it difficult to explore some of the more complex facial expressions. Luckily, what might be lost in the visuals is made up for in the voice-over provided with gleeful, child-like abandon by Michael J. Fox. Fox captures Stuart's every emotional nuance, from his early excitement at being adopted to his later sorrow that he must return to his mouse family. The rest of the cast is excellent as well, especially Nathan Lane's Snowbell who comes off as a cranky Jewish New Yorker, whose constant kvetching provide some of the best laughs in the film.

But what really makes this film so lovely is that the filmmakers refuse to shy away from the fairy tale aspect. Like Madeline and Babe, there is a patina of technicolor idealism that suffuses the movie, drawing us into a world where even the scariest moments promise to offer up a happy ending. While Stuart Little doesn't have the edge or the frenetic energy of Toy Story 2, it has a quiet innocence that will help adults remember the gentleness of childhood and teach children to hold onto a time when family matters most.