Stuart really was the mouse who roared - the original movie was the summer hit of 1999 and raked in more than £200 million in worldwide box office receipts.

Three years down the line, all is harmony in the Little household - George (Jonathan Lipnicki) looks out for his little brother and even Snowbell the cat has entered into an uneasy truce with the three-inch mouse.

However, Stuart feels he lacks a friend and is looking around for someone to fill the void in his life, when the solution literally drops into his lap.

Out of the heavens falls Margalo (voiced by Griffith), a cute little bird who lands in the passenger seat of Stuart's car after being chased by a villainous falcon (voiced by James Woods).

Stuart nurses the winged darling back to ruddy health and soon Margalo is settling into a comfortable life with the Little family.

However, it's not long before her dark secret emerges - she has conspired to befriend Stuart so she can get into the house and case the joint for the Falcon.

This is gentle, undemanding stuff with predictably impressive CGI special effects and up-to-the-mark acting from the likes of Laurie and Davis.

The funniest lines go to the curmudgeonly Snowbell (Nathan Jones), while Stuart is sympathetically voiced by Michael J Fox.

There's nothing new on offer here - the dynamics of the original when Stuart is first adopted have run their course - so the sequel was bound to lack the ingredient of surprise.

Nevertheless, there's a neat climax and all sorts of fun to be had when Stuart takes the controls of a model plane or sails through Manhattan on the string of a runaway balloon.

It's unashamedly aimed at smaller children and just goes to show that a Little can go a very long way.

Tim Evans