Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild | |
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iTunes poster
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Directed by | Audu Paden |
Produced by |
Douglas Wick Lucy Fisher Leslie Hough Steven Wendland Rachel Shane |
Screenplay by | Bob Shaw Don McEnery |
Story by | Douglas Wick |
Based on | Characters created by E. B. White |
Starring |
Michael J. Fox Geena Davis Hugh Laurie Corey Padnos Wayne Brady Kevin Schon Virginia Madsen |
Music by | Atli Örvarsson |
Edited by | Michael Dowding Robert Gordon Bruce King David Tilgner |
Production
company |
Mainframe Entertainment
Red Wagon Entertainment |
Distributed by | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment |
Release date
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Running time
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76 minutes |
Country | United States Canada |
Language | English |
Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild is a 2005 American/Canadian direct-to-video film directed by Audu Paden, created by Mainframe Entertainment and distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. It was released on DVD in other countries in 2005, until it was eventually released in North America on February 21, 2006. It is the third installment in the Stuart Little trilogy, but unlike its two predecessors, it is entirely animated. The characters are based on those in E. B. White's 1945 book Stuart Little.
Stuart and his family (and Monty who stows away in the car) are going camping. When they get there, Stuart meets a smooth-talking skunk named Reeko, who is forced to give food to "The Beast." Stuart and George join the "Lake Scouts," which Stuart has trouble in. But Reeko makes a deal with the Beast, resulting in Snowbell getting captured by him, and Stuart goes off on an adventure to save him. Eventually, Stuart and his friends attempt trick the Beast into falling into a trap covered with sticks and leaves, which doesn't work. Reeko shows up with a group of forest animals. Reeko taunts the Beast, and the Beast roars at him. Reeko turns around, yells a battle cry, and sprays the Beast with all of his might. The Beast is taken away to a zoo, and Stuart earns a gold kerchief at last. Reeko tells Stuart that he (Reeko) was wrong to betray him. Stuart bids farewell to his friends as he, George, Eleanor, Frederick, Snowbell, and Monty head back home, and live happily ever after.
Forest animals and scouts are played by Garry Chalk (uncredited), Tom Kenny, Sophia Paden, Kath Soucie and Tara Strong.
Corey Padnos replaced Jonathan Lipnicki as George. Kevin Schon replaced Nathan Lane as Snowbell. Rino Romano replaced Steve Zahn as Monty.
Unlike the first two films, which were positively received, this film received generally negative reviews. James Plath of Reels.com rated it 2.5 out of 4, saying "Kids will still like it because the storyline is engaging, the color palette is bright and cheery, the songs are upbeat and pleasant enough, and the messages about good behavior, perseverance, and belonging are worthwhile." Sloan Freer of Radiotimes.com rated it 2 out of 5, saying, "The quality plunges drastically in this uninspired direct-to-video sequel. Gone is the charming mix of live action and CGI used in the original two films, replaced by full animation whose flatness and simplicity is symbolic of the entire tale. Surprisingly, the core voice talent remains the same with Michael J Fox, Geena Davis, and Hugh Laurie wasting their efforts on a weak plot that sees boy mouse Stuart demonstrate his bravery when Snowbell the family cat is kidnapped during the Little clan's lakeside vacation. Undemanding humour, a sprinkling of mild peril, and the obligatory life lessons offer enough substance to keep the very young happy, but only the short running time will impress anyone older."