One of the most fascinating "deep cuts" of the film is its screenplay, co-written by . Released just months after his breakout hit The Sixth Sense , Stuart Little shares a surprising amount of DNA with that supernatural thriller.
: The family’s Persian cat, Snowbell, is humiliated by having a "mouse master" and plots with a gang of alley cats to eliminate him.
: George is initially disappointed and finds it difficult to accept a mouse as his brother.
However, the specific impact of on Hollywood cannot be overstated. It proved that a CGI character could carry a live-action film as a lead, not just a sidekick (like Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace released the same year). It paved the way for films like The Adventures of Tintin , Paddington , and even the live-action The Lion King remake.
The story begins when Mr. and Mrs. Little, a wealthy New York family, visit an orphanage to adopt a brother for their son, George. While all the human children seem too boisterous, they meet Stuart—a polite, well-dressed mouse who plays the harmonica. They bring him home.
We remember 1999 as the greatest movie year ever: The Matrix , Fight Club , Being John Malkovich . These were films about fractured reality and identity crisis. Stuart Little belongs in that conversation.
In 1999, we were on the precipice of a new millennium. The internet was fragmenting identity. The idea of the "nuclear family" was dissolving. Stuart Little tapped into the anxiety of the era:
At its core, Stuart Little (1999) is a story about the true meaning of family. The plot follows Eleanor and Frederick Little (played with charming earnestness by Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie) as they visit an orphanage to find a younger brother for their son, George (Jonathan Lipnicki). Instead of a human child, they find themselves captivated by Stuart, an articulate, well-mannered mouse voiced by Michael J. Fox.