Stuart Little 2 may be the best family movie of the 2002 summer film-going season. There's a simple reason for this - the picture seems to have been put together for the mature adult audience rather than condescendingly catering to the short people. Thus, there's material in this film that can be appreciated by adults without losing the appeal for children along the way. And, unlike most sequels these days, this one was put together under an original story plot rather than continuing the original story. Stuart Little 2 works, even for those who didn't see the original.

Stuart Little 2 brings back all of the elements that made its predecessor so successful, including most of the original cast as well as director Rob Minkoff. The screenplay, freed from the constraints of having to introduce everyone, can go off in more interesting directions. In this case, the story involves a wounded bird befriended by Stuart and a dangerous falcon who is hunting her. There are also issues of sibling separation, or what happens when the older child outgrows the younger one and starts spending more time with his school friends. This is a theme that many children, and more than a few adults, will be able to relate to: the point at which the younger brother or sister ceases to be a playmate and starts to be a pest. (In this case, however, Stuart literally is a "pest", although no one refers to him in those terms.)

Stuart Little 2 is a simple yarn about friendship and family. As befits a straightforward story, it does not overstay its welcome, clocking in at a skinny 76 minutes. The film contains its share of warm-hearted moments, light adventure, obvious humor (jokes kids will get), and subtle comedy (jokes their parents will). For me, sitting through most of this summer's so-called "family fare" has been a chore, but I will admit to enjoying Stuart Little 2, and not as an older person putting himself in a child's place, but as an adult.

The talking animals are all back, and the digital technology that allows their lips to seemingly move is as effective as it was three years ago. Michael J. Fox picks up where he left off providing the voice of the lead character. Nathan Lane returns as the scene-stealing Snowball, the Littles' disgruntled cat. (About 90% of the best lines all go to Snowball, and Lane utters them with relish.) Newcomers include James Woods as the dangerous Falcon and Melanie Griffith as Margalo, Stuart's new flying friend. The live-action actors are Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie as Stuart's mom and dad, and Jonathan Lipnicki as George Little. Davis and Laurie get into the spirit of things, playing the most relentlessly cheerful parents this side of Carol and Mike Brady.

Sadly, Lipnicki isn't much better here than in Like Mike. After a promising start in Jerry Maguire, Lipnicki has turned in a string of underwhelming performances.

As was true of the first film, Stuart Little 2 takes place in a stylized New York City, where people are nice to one another and the
animals talk. The skyline is important to the movie, but it's not the
same skyline as in 1999. Perhaps unwisely, Stuart Little 2 opens
with a shot of lower Manhattan, with the absence of the Twin Towers as apparent as an open wound (it's not known if was shot after September 11 or whether the World Trade Center was digitally removed). Then there's a switch to Midtown, with the Empire State Building standing tall and proud. One wonders whether it might have been better not to include that first shot. Unintentionally, it may stir up unpleasant memories but if so, it's quickly forgotten soon once we watch Stuart's adventures.

The realistic special effects may have the kids imagining Stuart and Margalo alive. Indeed, the computer animators went to great lengths to
incorporate the actual behaviour of mice and birds into the digitised version. Meanwhile, the humans are ``unreal'', taking everything in with a cheerful seriousness that pokes gentle fun at old TV programs like "Father Knows Best" and "My Three Sons".
And no one thinks its odd that George's little brother is actually a mouse.
Watching the blase reactions of everyone to a talking mouse is worth a
smile and a chuckle, but that's only one of many reasons to see this movie.