A ChucksConnection Film Review

 

Jonathan Lipnicki wears red high top Converse “Chuck Taylor” All Stars in the film.

 

Stuart Little 2

by Marcus Angulo

 

Stuart Little wears his signature red high top chucks throughout this movie.

 

Stuart tries to fix up George’s new toy plane.

 

Three years after the events of the first film, Stuart Little (Fox) has settled into family life with his parents, older brother George (Lipnicki), and new baby sister Martha, who has yet to say her first words. Stuart is much more comfortable as a member of the Little family, and he is still wearing the iconic red high top chucks that he wore in the first movie. Stuart is becoming a bit annoyed with his adoptive mother, Eleanor’s (Davis) overprotectiveness. She is constantly worried he’ll get hurt due to his small size, but Stuart is finding himself lonely because George would rather play with his own friend, Will. When playing by himself, Stuart accidentally wrecks George’s toy plane while trying to fix it, prompting George to furiously throw it into a trash can after Eleanor says it’s much too dangerous to be around Stuart. Stuart is very upset about everything, but his adoptive father, Frederick (Laurie), tells him there is a “silver lining” to every hardship. He also encourages Stuart to make some friends of his own.

 

How many kids can say they drive to their desk?

 

While driving home from school in his roadster, Stuart meets Margalo (Griffith), a yellow canary who falls from the sky into his car. Margalo says she has injured her wing because she is being chased by a predatory Falcon (Woods). Stuart, being a kind and empathetic mouse, takes her back to the Little House to recover. However, deception is in the air, as Margalo is in fact perfectly healthy and is working for Falcon to steal precious items from rich households. This scheme goes sideways, though, when she starts to bond with the Littles. She feels immense guilt over what she is planning to do, but Falcon threatens Stuart’s life if she does not complete their plan. Will she make the right choice, and how will Stuart feel when he finds out the only friend he’s ever had is secretly trying to rob the only family he’s ever known?

 

His chucks remain pretty clean considering he’s on a trash barge.

 

In terms of pop culture legacy, this film doesn’t really stand out from the first. In fact, for many who grew up in the early 2000s, this film kind of just blends together with the first one. The only real lasting distinctions are Stuart’s plane and Margalo. Otherwise, the same positives are here. Michael J. Fox is still great as Stuart, and his dynamic with Jonathan Lipnicki’s George in this movie is a bit better than in the first one. Oddly, though, the CGI model of Stuart looks a bit worse than it did in the first film. It’s limited to specific scenes and shots, but there are times in this film where he looks a bit like plastic and like he’s not a part of the scene. Overall, this is a fine addition to the franchise and a fun children’s film that will offer up tons of nostalgia for many!

 

 

Best Chucks Scene

 

Stuart is launched on George’s winning goal.

 

The best chucks scene in the film is the first major set piece we get just a few minutes into the movie. Stuart is on a youth soccer team with George, but he usually rides the bench on account of him being a mouse. This suits Eleanor fine, though, as she is afraid of him being crushed to death, which is valid. However, another kid gets injured, and Stuart is forced into the game. He is wearing his signature red chucks with his soccer uniform, presumably because he didn’t think he’d need cleats. Stuart does his best to help, but it is actually George who scores the winning goal. The ball does carry Stuart into the netting of the goal, which is where Eleanor and Frederick find him. This scene is great because it sets the tone for Stuart throughout the movie. He refuses to let his size limit the scope of his actions and adventures. He plays soccer with full-sized children, he drives cars, flies planes, and fights falcons on his own terms in his chucks.

 

Saved by a chuck!