Call of the Wild

Goodbye realistic family with an implausible child, hello animated world of make believe. Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild takes a marked departure from the realistic footage of the Little family and a skillfully animated mouse son in Stuart Little and Stuart Little 2 with this fully animated presentation that views like just another animated cartoon television show. That said, the story and action are good. While Stuart may be tiny and have a reputation as delicate, he's determined to prove his strength and independence during his family's summer stay in a cabin on the shores of Lake Garland. Stuart (voiced by Michael J. Fox) pleads to be allowed to join the Lake Scouts where he seems destined to be unsuccessful in spite of much perseverance. He develops an unlikely friendship with a skunk named Reeko (voiced by Wayne Brady), but that friendship leads Stuart and his cat Snowbell (voiced this time by Kevin Schon) to the brink of disaster with "The Beast" that lives in the woods. Can courage, ingenuity and the bonds of true friendship overcome the wrath and brute strength of a ferocious monster? This third movie in the Stuart Little collection remains true to its predecessors in its wholesome message and fast-paced adventure, but the full animation is definitely disappointing. (Ages 4 to 10 years) --Tami Horiuchi