CD-ROM MAKER PLANS FIRST MOVIE : ROARING MOUSE TO FILM WESTLAKE VILLAGE TALE.

Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer

Like Mickey Rooney saying ``Let's put on a show!'' in those old '40s musicals, Roaring Mouse Entertainment head David Lee Miller thought it might be time to branch out into feature films.

Though the 3-year-old company specializes in CD-ROM production, the jump into feature filmmaking should be easy because Roaring Mouse has all the tools it needs right at hand - computer software to create elaborate special effects, in-house sound facilities and, especially, production people.

``There's a lot of industry people living out here, and we thought we'd make a little picture,'' Miller said.

The company is now in preproduction on ``The Little Witches of Westlake Village,'' a comic fantasy that will be shot on location in the city, he said.

Miller will write and direct the feature, tentatively budgeted at $2 million to $3 million and which should begin rolling in early 1997. Already the project has two well-known names attached to it - former child star Margaret O'Brien and child actor Ross Malinger, who starred with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in ``Sleepless in Seattle.''

The story is about three suburban youngsters - Ross Malinger and his real-life brother and sister, also actors - who receive the witchy powers of their 100-year-old great-grandmother, to be played by O'Brien, he said.

Miller is no stranger to feature films. A graduate of Stanford University, Miller has written several film scripts, including ``Mother Hood'' for Goldie Hawn and ``John Doe'' for producer Ivan Reitman.

He has also directed documentaries and will make his feature directing debut with ``Breakfast of Aliens'' for Hemdale Film Corp.

This isn't to say that Roaring Mouse - which Miller founded with film trailer and commercial producer Bill Patterson - is giving up multimedia production. In fact, its educational CD-ROM business is thriving.

Hitting the shelves about now is Bug Explorer, with Dinosaur Explorer slated for release in October, he said. The company is also producing ABC City, The En-Laff-Opedia - a multimedia encyclopedia of jokes and riddles for children - and The Puzzle Pack.

The company has also produced Roaring Mouse's Rockin' ROM, which he bills as the first enhanced children's CD. ``It rocks in your CD player and roars in your CD-ROM - that's the tag line on it,'' Miller said proudly.

The music and special effects for the multimedia titles are done in-house, and much of the work is a family affair. For example, Miller's wife, Mary, writes the lyrics, and the Patterson and Miller children provide the voices for the animated characters.

Music is written by veteran rock 'n' roller Brett Tuggle, who has worked with David Lee Roth, Jimmy Page and others, according to Miller.

The genesis of ``The Witches of Westlake Village'' is simple.

``I actually came up with the idea with my wife,'' he said. ``We were just saying this would be a great idea for a picture that we could do right here in the neighborhood.''

Miller said he's ``well on his way'' toward raising the estimated $2 million to $3 million it will take to make the film.

Though the film is expected to be laden with special effects - the children will be able to fly, change into animals and demonstrate other magical powers, Miller said - costs can be kept at a minimum because the effects can be produced on the computers.

The company's audio and computer editing equipment will also come in handy, he said.

Most of all, he has Westlake Village - the perfect down-to-earth setting for the enchanted tale, he said.

``I live in the neighborhood, and I've got the production company here, we know the locations and love the locations, and it's the perfect location for the story,'' Miller said.