Even Mice Belong In Heaven – Review

We are in a golden age of stuttering in TV and film. Rather than stuttering being a plot device or stereotyped trope, mainstream portrayals now feature stuttering as neutral and incidental. It is just another characteristic, like hair colour or body shape. The trend began with 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and continued in 2019 with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It can also be seen in TV series such as Sky One’s Brassic, and the Netflix animation Maya and the Three, both of which have stuttering main cast members. Stuttering is everywhere. You just need to listen.

There is, however, a drawback when stuttering is incidental. Presenting stuttering as no big deal seems to preclude exploration of negative thoughts and feelings related to stuttering. But, as we all know, experiences related to stuttering can be harsh and traumatic. Is there is a way to do more – to portray stuttered speech as an effective form of communication, and to explore emotions related to stuttering? That’s what happens in the 2021 animated feature, Even Mice Belong In Heaven.

The stutterer is the fox Whitebelly, one of two animal leads. The story is told from the perspective of a mouse, Whizzy, who meets with a tragic accident within the first ten minutes. The mouse is transported to what is described as heaven, but is in fact a purgatory. Whizzy then encounters Whitebelly, who died in the the same accident. You can see a trailer (with stuttering!) here:

Whizzy notices and comments upon Whitebelly’s stuttering immediately, but in surprise more than anything else. Stuttering is not mentioned again for a while., although Whitebelly stutters openly throughout the film. At the time of the accident, Whitebelly had been chasing Whizzy. She dislikes Whitebelly because of this, even though she had provoked the chasing, and she tries to get away from him. However, just as mouse and fox are about to go their separate ways, they become tethered by a spring. The plot device is reminiscent of the Takeshi Kitano film, Dolls. The literal bond between Whizzy and Whitebelly forces them to cooperate. In doing so, they develop a psychological bond. What follows is a kind of Pilgrim’s Progress for anthropomorphic animals.

Along their journey, they encounter a group of mice. It transpires that mice in general dislike foxes, and Whitebelly is teased. This happens at the same time Whitebelly is having a flashback to childhood. Whitebelly had an adoptive parent who considered him weak, and pressured him to adopt more aggressively predatory behaviour. The result is a scene in which Whitebelly is bullied by the adoptive parent in flashback, whilst bullied again by mice in the present. At first he bullying is targeted towards a perceived general weakness in Whitebelly. Later the bullying escalates to also include mimicry of stuttering. At this point, Whitebelly and Whizzy split up.

Without giving too much away, reconciliation and redemption follow. The film covers serious philosophical issues around life and death, and as such is not really suitable for very young children. However, it might work from teenage or a few years earlier as a way to explore emotions to do with stuttering. Be prepared for questions, and perhaps watch the film on your own beforehand.

The final scene is beautiful and poignant. It is especially and unexpectedly powerful if you are someone who stutters. I was delighted by how the film makers portrayed stuttering. Even Mice Belong In Heaven is highly recommended.