The little mouse with a big heart is back in this animated, straight-to-video sequel that finds Stuart enlisting the help of a few new friends in rescuing Snowbell from the steely clawed clenches of a fearsome forest creature known only as "The Beast." As the Littles packs their bags for a vacation at their scenic lakeside cabin, the littlest Little can barely contain his excitement at the prospect of hitting the great outdoors for some summer fun with the whole family. All is not well in the wilderness, however, and when Stuart begins hearing tales of a malicious monster who strikes terror into the heart of woodland creatures everywhere, he does his best to steer clear of the fearsome forest dweller. When Snowbell goes missing and Stuart learns that his feline friend has been taken prisoner by the dreaded "Beast," he hatches a plan that stresses brain over brawn and enlists the aid of a friendly skunk named Reeko in rescuing his furry pal.
Charming and fun, this sequel to the 1999's hit Stuart Little has so much going for it that hopefully it will be a bigger hit on home video that it ended up being in the theaters. The immediate response to the image, which includes both 1.85:1 anamorphic and full-frame transfers, is how brilliant the colors and detail looks. This truly is a reference-quality picture, perfectly captured from the original film elements. No signs of distracting elements can be found, and the animation is perfectly blended with the live action. The sound is also wonderful, with a 5.1 Dolby Digital track that shows some nice separation at times, while never losing sight of the necessity for clear dialogue. Just the right moments of surround material really enhance the listening experience. In a nice move, the supplemental features are geared both for adults and children. First up is a commentary track from director Rob Minkoff and visual effects supervisor Jerome Chen. Granted, it can be a bit technical at times, but it's still filled with enough anecdotes to keep it interesting. "Show and Tell" is an extra where, by using your remote, you can choose to watch some very brief featurettes that branch off from the movie. In addition, are two other featurettes, "A Touch of Evil" (specifically discussing James Woods' falcon character) and "Life in the Fast Lane" (a humorous sped-up look at the entire production). For the little ones, in particular, are "Read-Along: Stuart Little's Big Adventure" and "Stuart Little's Circle of Friends Game," as well as a preview of the PlayStation 2 game for this movie. Finally, along with trailers for this film, Master of Disguise, and some other Columbia/TriStar titles, is a visually interesting music video for the song "I'm Alive" from Celine Dion and some filmographies for the main cast and crew. While not an overly exciting group of supplements, the overall packaging as a whole well makes up for any single deficiency.