''Small Soldiers'' is a 1998 American action comedy film directed by

Joe Dante Joseph James Dante Jr. (; born November 28, 1946) is an American film director. His films—notably ''Gremlins'' (1984) alongside its sequel, ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (1990)—often mix the 1950s-style B movie genre with Counterculture of th ...

. It stars Kirsten Dunst and Gregory Smith, along with the voices of

Frank Langella Frank A. Langella Jr. (; born January 1, 1938) is an American actor. He eschewed the career of a traditional film star by making the stage the focal point of his career, appearing frequently on Broadway. He has received four Tony Awards (out of ...

and Tommy Lee Jones. It depicts two factions of toys which turn sentient and sapient after mistakenly being installed with a military microprocessor, in turn putting two families in danger when one faction turns lethal. The film was theatrically released on July 10, 1998, to mixed reviews with praise for its visuals and action but criticisms for its tone and content and was a commercial failure grossing $71.8 million against a $40 million budget. ''Small Soldiers'' marks the last on-screen film role of Phil Hartman, who was murdered two months before the film's premiere; the film is dedicated to his memory. It was also

Clint Walker Norman Eugene "Clint" Walker (May 30, 1927 – May 21, 2018) was an American actor. He played cowboy Cheyenne (TV series), Cheyenne Bodie in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC/Warner Bros. Western (genre)#Film, western series ''Cheyenn ...

's final film role, prior to his retirement from acting in 1998 and death in 2018.

Plot

When top defense contractor GloboTech Industries acquires the Heartland Toy Company, CEO Gil Mars commissions toy designers Larry Benson and Irwin Wayfair to develop toys capable of "playing back". Mars selects Larry's "Commando Elite" action figures for the project, with Irwin's "Gorgonites"peaceful monsters intended to be

educational toys Educational toys (sometimes also called "instructive toys") are objects of play, generally designed for children. Educational Toys help with motivation, helping kids use their imagination while still pulling in the real world. These toys are imp ...

as their enemies. Facing a tight deadline of three months to get the toys ready for shipment, Larry unwittingly equips the toys with GloboTech's X1000

microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor (computing), processor for which the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit (IC), or a small number of ICs. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, a ...

, which he and Irwin later learns was meant for the

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

. Working at his family's toy store, teenager Alan Abernathy persuades delivery driver Joe to give him a set of the new GloboTech toys, activating Major Chip Hazard, head of the Commando Elite, and Archer, the Gorgonites' leader. Alan develops a crush on his neighbor Christy Fimple, and returns home to discover Archer in his backpack, realizing the toys are self-aware and capable of learning. That night, Chip Hazard activates his comrades to attack the Gorgonites, and Alan finds the store in disarray and the new toys missing. Christy helps clean up and Alan calls GloboTech's customer service line to file a complaint. Larry and Irwin hear his message and discover the X1000 is a military-grade

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

chip, susceptible to EMPs. Following Alan home, the Commando Elite interrogate Archer, but Alan intervenes and is wounded by Nick Nitro, whom he partially destroys in the garbage disposal. His parents hear the commotion, but refuse to believe his explanation about the toys. Alan and Archer find the Gorgonites hiding in the store's dumpster; unlike the militant Commando Elite, the Gorgonites were programmed with Irwin's original friendly and inquisitive personalities, and merely seek their home, which they believe to be in

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...

after seeing an image on Alan's computer. Tapping the Abernathys' phone line, the Commando Elite learn of Alan's interest in Christy. Infiltrating her house, they capture her younger brother Timmy, sedate their parents, and use Nick Nitro's AI chip to transform Christy's "Gwendy" fashion dolls into reinforcements. Taking Christy hostage, they demand that Alan surrender the Gorgonites. Alan and Archer sneak into the Fimples' house and rescue Christy. The Commando Elite pursue them with improvised vehicles built in the Fimples' garage, but are destroyed in a fiery crash; only Chip Hazard survives. At the Abernathys' house, Alan, Christy, and the Gorgonites try to convince their families of the truth about the toys, and Irwin and Larry arrive to talk to Alan about his voicemail. Chip Hazard arrives with a new army of Commando Elite and more improvised vehicles and weapons, having hijacked a recall shipment driven by Joe, and lays siege to the house, cutting off the electricity. When Irwin suggests an EMP, the group realizes they can overload the nearby power lines. Christy, Irwin, and Larry make their way to the Fimples' house to ensure a larger surge, and the Gorgonites emerge and fight back against the Commando Elite. Climbing the utility pole, Alan is attacked by Chip Hazard, who battles and defeats Archer, but Alan thrusts him into the power transformers as Larry and Irwin wedge open the breakers, triggering the EMP blast and destroying the toys. In the morning, as the authorities clean up, Mars arrives and pays off Joe and both families for the damage. He then instructs Larry and Irwin to repurpose the Commando Elite for military use. Alan and Christy start a relationship, and he discovers the Gorgonites survived the EMP underneath the Fimples' satellite dish. Alan brings the Gorgonites to Yosemite, sharing a goodbye before sending them off in his father's toy boat to find their home.

Cast

* Kirsten Dunst as Christy Fimple * Gregory Smith as Alan Abernathy * Jay Mohr as Larry Benson * Phil Hartman as Phil Fimple * Kevin Dunn as Stuart Abernathy * David Cross as Irwin Wayfair * Ann Magnuson as Irene Abernathy *

Denis Leary Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Born in Massachusetts, he first came to prominence as a stand-up comedian, especially through appearances on MTV (including the comedic song " Asshole") and th ...

as Gil Mars * Dick Miller as Joe *

Wendy Schaal Wendy Schaal (born July 2, 1954) is an American actress known for her work in Joe Dante films, such as '' Innerspace'', '' The 'Burbs'', and '' Small Soldiers''. Her other film credits include starring in '' Where the Boys Are '84'', '' Creatur ...

as Marion Fimple *

Robert Picardo Robert Alphonse Picardo (born October 27, 1953) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the Doctor on '' Star Trek: Voyager''. He also appeared as Richard Woolsey in the ''Stargate'' franchise, the Cowboy in '' Innerspace'', Coach ...

as Ralph Quist * Jacob Smith as Timmy Fimple * Alexandra Wilson as Ms. Kegel * Jonathan Bouck as Brad * Belinda Balaski as Neighbor * Rance Howard as Husband * Jackie Joseph as Wife ''Small Soldiers'' was Hartman's last on-screen role before his death. The film is dedicated to his memory.

Voice cast

Commando Elite

* Tommy Lee Jones as Major Chip Hazard, the

Platoon Leader A platoon leader (NATO) or platoon commander (more common in Commonwealth militaries and the US Marine Corps) is the officer in charge of a platoon. This person is usually a junior officer – a second or first lieutenant or an equivalent rank ...

Jim Brown James Nathaniel Brown (February 17, 1936 – May 18, 2023) was an American professional American football, football player, civil rights activist, and actor. He played as a Fullback (gridiron football), fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the ...

as Butch Meathook, the

Sniper A sniper is a military or paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with telescopic si ...

Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine ( ; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perf ...

as Kip Killigan, the assassinating

covert operations A covert operation or undercover operation is a military or police operation involving a covert agent or troops acting under an assumed cover to conceal the identity of the party responsible. US law Under US law, the Central Intelligence Ag ...

expert * George Kennedy as Brick Bazooka, the

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

and

ammunition Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...

expert *

as Nick Nitro, the Demolitions specialist * Bruce Dern as Link Static, the Communications expert

Gorgonites

as Archer *

Christopher Guest Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born 5 February 1948), known professionally as Christopher Guest, is a British-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and director. Guest has written, directed, and starred in his series of comedy ...

as: ** Slamfist ** Scratch-It *

Michael McKean Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician. Over his career he has received a Grammy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. ...

as: ** Insaniac ** Troglokhan/Freakenstein * Harry Shearer as Punch-It *

Jim Cummings James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in over 400 titles. Cummings has frequently worked with the Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., serving as the offic ...

as Ocula

Others

* Sarah Michelle Gellar and

Christina Ricci Christina Ricci ( ; born February 12, 1980) is an American actress known for playing unusual characters with a dark edge. Ricci works mostly in Independent film, independent productions, but has also appeared in numerous box-office hits. She is ...

as Gwendy Dolls Excluding Jones and Dern, the Commando Elite are voiced by cast members from the 1967 film '' The Dirty Dozen''. Dern replaced ''The Dirty Dozen'' actor Richard Jaeckel, who died before shooting began. Excluding Langella and Cummings, the Gorgonites are voiced by cast members from the 1984 film '' This Is Spinal Tap''. The film was the last role for Walker before his retirement from acting.

Production

On making the film, director

recalled, "Originally I was told to make an edgy picture for teenagers, but when the sponsor tie-ins came in the new mandate was to soften it up as a kiddie movie. Too late, as it turned out, and there are elements of both approaches in there. Just before release it was purged of a lot of action and explosions." As an example of the deleted content, he mentioned that at the end of the movie, the Abernathy's house explodes. The explosion was shot, but the studio did not want to show it on-screen. Dante believes that the studio had hopes that ''Small Soldiers'' would be the start of a

film series A film series or movie series is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series. It is a type of series fiction. This article explains what film series are and gives brief examples ...

. For the film's effects shots, Dante stated that the original idea was to use mostly puppets provided by

Stan Winston Stanley Winston (April 7, 1946 – June 15, 2008) was an American television and film special make-up effects artist, best known for his work in the ''Terminator'' series, the first three '' Jurassic Park'' films, '' Aliens'', '' The Thing'', ...

. However, Dante said that while shooting, it was "much simpler and cheaper" to use

computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is a specific-technology or application of computer graphics for creating or improving images in Digital art, art, Publishing, printed media, Training simulation, simulators, videos and video games. These images ...

(CGI) after the scenes had been shot, so the film is "one-third puppetry and the rest CGI."

Release

Box office

''Small Soldiers'' opened in 2,539 theaters and earned $14 million on its opening weekend, ranking third behind ''

Lethal Weapon 4 ''Lethal Weapon 4'' is a 1998 American buddy cop action film directed and produced by Richard Donner, and starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock, and Jet Li (in his international film debut). It is the fourth ins ...

'' and '' Armageddon''. At the end of its theatrical run, the film grossed $55.1 million in the United States and Canada and $16.6 million internationally, totaling in $71.8 million worldwide.

Critical response

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, ''Small Soldiers'' has an approval rating of 50% based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 6.10/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''Small Soldiers'' has plenty of visual razzle-dazzle, but the rote story proves disappointingly deficient in director Joe Dante's trademark anarchic spirit." Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...

gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. Siskel & Ebert gave it Two Thumbs Down.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, saying: "The toys are presented as individuals who can think for themselves, and there are believable heroes and villains among them. For smaller children, this could be a terrifying experience." Caroline Westbrook of ''

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and said: "It's ''

Gremlins ''Gremlins'' is a 1984 American black comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante, written by Chris Columbus and starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday and Frances Lee McCain, with Howie Mandel providing the voic ...

'' with toy soldiers, except not quite as dark or funny."

Lawsuit

In 2000, filmmaker Gregory P. Grant filed a suit against

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

DreamWorks Pictures DreamWorks Pictures (also known as DreamWorks SKG and commonly referred to as DreamWorks) is an American film studio and Film distribution, distribution label of Amblin Partners. It was originally founded on October 12, 1994, as a live-action a ...

and

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

, alleging that they had infringed on the copyright of his 1990 short film ''Ode to GI Joe''. Grant claimed that he had met with

Amblin Entertainment Amblin' Entertainment, Inc., formerly named Amblin Productions, is an American film production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg, and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall in 1980. Its headquarters are lo ...

in 1991 to discuss the potential to expand his short film into a full feature. The project went as far as commissioning a treatment from Grant and a 16mm copy of the short film at Spielberg's request but, according to Grant, Amblin dropped the project. However, Grant added that Amblin pushed another film, at the time titled ''Toy Soldiers'', into development nearly a month after Grant's project was passed on. Grant's attorneys stressed that several scenes and ideas from ''Small Soldiers'' were too similar and taken outright from Grant's short film and treatment.

Merchandise

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

containing classic rock blended with hip hop was released on July 7, 1998, by

DreamWorks Records DreamWorks Records (often referred in copyright notices as SKG Music, LLC) was an American record label founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Mo Ostin, his son Michael Ostin and Lenny Waronker as a subsidiary of DreamWorks Pictures. The label opera ...

. It peaked at 103 on the ''Billboard 200''. The film score was composed and conducted by veteran composer

Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King Goldsmith (February 10, 1929July 21, 2004) was an American composer, conductor and orchestrator with a career in film and television scoring that spanned nearly 50 years and over 200 productions, between 1954 and 2003. He was consid ...

. In addition, a video game based on the film was developed by DreamWorks Interactive and released by

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...

on September 30, 1998. Kenner Products (a subsidiary of

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herma ...

) produced a line of toys, which featured the Gorgonites and the Commando Elite. The 2020 shooter game '' Hypercharge: Unboxed'', developed by Digital Cybercherries, drew inspiration from ''Small Soldiers''. The development team conceived the game's idea while watching the movie on television.

Video games

Four video games were released in 1998: * '' Small Soldiers'' -

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

(

/ DreamWorks Interactive) * ''Small Soldiers: Squad Commander'' - PC ( Hasbro Interactive/ DreamWorks Interactive) * ''Small Soldiers'' -

Game Boy The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...

( THQ/ Tiertex Design Studios/ DreamWorks Interactive) * ''Small Soldiers: Globotech Design Lab'' - PC (Hasbro Interactive)

Film rating controversy

Burger King Burger King Corporation (BK, stylized in all caps) is an American multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacks ...

created a line of kids' meal toys to promote ''Small Soldiers''. They were met with some controversy after the film received a PG-13 rating from the

Motion Picture Association of America The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the Major film studios, five major film studios of the Cinema of the United States, United States, the Major film studios#Mini-majors, mini-major Amazon MGM Stud ...

. Burger King executives claimed this caught the company by surprise as they were led to believe the film would receive no higher than a PG rating. According to

, the film received a PG-13 rating due to the scene in which the Commandos put drugs in Phil and Marion's drink. The pamphlet accompanying the toys included the disclaimer "While toys are suitable for children of all ages, the movie ''Small Soldiers'' may contain material that is inappropriate for younger children." Some restaurants accepted an exchange for Mr. Potato Head toys.

Cancelled remake

A remake of ''Small Soldiers'' was in development by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

called ''Toymageddon''. The script was purchased in January 2014, and director

Justin Lin Justin Lin (, born October 11, 1971) is a Taiwanese Americans, Taiwanese-American film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. His films have grossed over $3 billion USD worldwide . He is best known for his directorial work on ...

was set to produce the film. The story was described to be set in a "toy factory that begins to run amok." At that time it was not explicitly stated to be a remake of ''Small Soldiers''. Due to the

acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney The acquisition of Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. by The Walt Disney Company was announced on December 14, 2017, and was completed on March 20, 2019. Among other key assets, the acquisition included the 20th Century Fox film and television studi ...

on March 20, 2019,

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

later in August cancelled the film along with over 200 other projects, which revealed the film was intended as a remake of ''Small Soldiers''.

References

External links

* * * {{Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio 1998 films 1998 action comedy films 1990s science fiction comedy films 1990s fantasy comedy films Action figures Amblin Entertainment films American action comedy films American science fiction comedy films American fantasy comedy films American science fantasy films Anti-war comedy films DreamWorks Pictures films Films about toys Puppet films Films scored by Jerry Goldsmith Films directed by Joe Dante Films shot in California Films with screenplays by Ted Elliott Films with screenplays by Terry Rossio Films about sentient toys Universal Pictures films American robot films American satirical films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films 1998 science fiction films English-language science fantasy films English-language science fiction comedy films English-language action comedy films English-language fantasy comedy films Works about the military–industrial complex