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Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild

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Wikipedia article




'Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild' is a 2005 American computer-animated comedy film directed by Audu Paden, 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 and final installment in the 'Stuart Little' trilogy and a stand-alone sequel to 'Stuart Little 2'. In the film, Stuart and his family spend their summer vacation in a cabin near Lake Garland. During the vacation, Stuart befriends a skunk named Reeko, and the family cat Snowbell is kidnapped by a mysterious beast.

A majority of the cast from the previous installments returned for the film such as Michael J. Fox, Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie reprising their roles as Stuart Little, Eleanor Little and Frederick Little, but Snowbell, George and Monty are now voiced by Kevin Schon, Corey Padnos and Rino Romano instead of Nathan Lane, Jonathan Lipnicki and Steve Zahn who previously portrayed and voiced them in the live-action films.

Plot



Three years after the events of the previous film, Stuart, Snowbell, and the Littles leave New York City to go on a camping trip near Lake Garland. Once they arrive, Stuart and his brother George decide to join a group called the "Lake Scouts" led by their leader Troopmaster Bickle, with their father Frederick watching over them.

Although George is shown to be skilled at scouting while also developing a crush on a female Scout named Brooke, Stuart has trouble keeping up with the Lake Scouts due to his small stature. He soon encounters Reeko, a smooth-talking and comedic skunk who is generally disliked by the local forest animals of Lake Garland because of his attitude, and is secretly on a mission to give food to his master "The Beast", a ruthless female cougar who is feared by the animals because she forces them to steal and bring food to her every night. Meanwhile, Snowbell discovers that his alley cat friend Monty is living under the Littles' cabin, revealing he had stowed away by sneaking into the trunk of their car unnoticed.

Down on his luck with the Scouts and with Troopmaster Bickle looking down upon him, Stuart makes a deal with Reeko that he will help Stuart learn the ways of the forest. That evening, after being invited to dinner with Stuart's family, Reeko ultimately befriends Stuart. However, upon leaving the Littles' cabin, Reeko, deciding that the food given to the Beast isn't enough, finds Snowbell and tricks him into thinking that there is a "party" in the forest, prompting Snowbell to enter the woods that night, only for him to end up getting captured by the Beast. Soon after witnessing Snowbell's kidnapping, Stuart attempts to tell his family and the Scouts the truth about his friend getting captured the next day, but they all refuse to believe him as they think Stuart was just dreaming the whole time.

With no choice, Stuart goes off to rescue his friend alone, but learns along the way that Reeko was in cahoots with the Beast the whole time and the one responsible for Snowbell's disappearance. Meanwhile, Snowbell is taken to the Beast's cave. The Beast only refuses to eat him when Snowbell suggests that she fatten him up first in order to have a rug made out of Snowbell's fur for the winter. Shortly afterward, Stuart's mother Eleanor realizes that Stuart is missing upon finding a note left by him and rallies a search party with Frederick and the Scouts.

Meanwhile, Stuart reaches the Beast's cave, where he is able to sneak past the Beast and manages to rescue Snowbell, who was trapped in a pit. On their way out of the cave, Stuart and Snowbell find themselves cornered by the Beast, whom Stuart overwhelms with salt and pepper before he and Snowbell escape and build a trap covered with leaves and sticks, trying to force the Beast to fall through it just as she catches up to them.

However, after discovering the trap and then attempting to devour Stuart, the Beast is confronted by Reeko, who shows up along with the forest animals, who have decided to support him. Reeko incapacitates the Beast by spraying at her, allowing the forest animals to distract her long enough for Stuart and Snowbell to lure her into their trap, whereupon she falls through it and is finally captured. Later that night, Stuart and Snowbell are found by the Littles and the Scouts, where Stuart shows them the Beast, proving that she was actually real all along.

The next day, while the Beast is taken away to a zoo, Stuart earns a gold kerchief from Troopmaster Bickle. As Stuart's family is preparing to leave Lake Garland, George gives his game console to Brooke as well as a list of his personal particulars (in case she needs help while playing on his game console, she can call, text or email him). Grateful, Brooke in return kisses him on the cheek. Reeko apologizes to Stuart for his behavior, telling Stuart that he was wrong to betray him. Stuart then bids farewell to Reeko before he, Snowbell, Monty and the Littles return home to New York City.

Voice cast



*Michael J. Fox as Stuart Little, an anthropomorphic mouse adopted as part of the Little family.

*Geena Davis as Mrs. Eleanor Little, the mother of the Little family and Frederick's wife.

*Hugh Laurie as Mr. Frederick Little, the father of the Little family and Eleanor's husband.

*Corey Padnos as George Little, the eldest child of the Little family and Stuart's older brother.

*Wayne Brady as Reeko, a comedic, smooth-talking skunk and the Beast's former servant who befriends Stuart, but is disliked by the forest animals because of his attitude.

*Kevin Schon as Snowbell, the family's Persian cat who is Stuart's friend.

*Virginia Madsen as the Beast, a ferocious and ruthless female mountain lion, Reeko's master and the tyrannical ruler of the forest of Lake Garland.

*Peter MacNicol as Troopmaster Bickle, the slightly overweight, clumsy, comical, yet well-intentioned leader of the Lake Scouts.

*Rino Romano as Monty, Snowbell's gray tabby cat friend.

*Tara Strong as Brooke, an experienced Lake Scout at Lake Garland who is George's love interest.

*Charlie Adler as Beaver, a beaver and one of the forest animals of Lake Garland who dislikes Reeko.

*Kath Soucie as Cottontail, a rabbit and one of the forest animals of Lake Garland who dislikes Reeko.

Additional voices include Garry Chalk, Tom Kenny, Sophia Paden, Kath Soucie and Tara Strong.

Reception



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."

Home media



The film was released on VHS and DVD. One DVD also came with a Stuart Little key chain.

The film grossed $11.7 million in DVD sales in the United States.

References




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