Small Soldiers (1998)

Director:

Joe Dante

Writers (WGA):

Gavin Scott (written by) and
Adam Rifkin (written by) ...

Release Date:

10 July 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The few, the proud, and the small.

Plot:

When missile technology is used to enhance toy action figures, the toys soon begin to take their battle programming too seriously.

Plot Keywords:

Toy | Computer | Action Figure | Military | Battle

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

David Cross	...	Irwin Wayfair
Jay Mohr	...	Larry Benson
Alexandra Wilson	...	Ms. Kegel
Denis Leary	...	Gil Mars
Gregory Smith	...	Alan Abernathy
Dick Miller	...	Joe
Kirsten Dunst	...	Christy Fimple
Jacob Smith	...	Timmy Fimple
Jonathan Bouck	...	Brad (as Jonathan David Bouck)
Kevin Dunn	...	Stuart Abernathy
Ann Magnuson	...	Irene Abernathy
Wendy Schaal	...	Marion Fimple
Phil Hartman	...	Phil Fimple
Archie Hahn	...	Satellite Dish Installer
Robert Picardo	...	Ralph, Clean Room Technician

Also Known As:

The Commando Elite (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some menacing action/violence and brief drug references.

Runtime:

108 min | USA:110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Philippines:G | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12/9 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Warner Bros. Ranch - 411 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The movie is meant to take place in fictional Winslow Corners, Ohio, and the producers made an effort to represent Northeastern Ohio accurately: Alan rides his bike past a newsstand selling The Plain Dealer, a Cleveland-centered newspaper. Later he leaves his phone number on the Globotech voice mail system and gives the Akron area code of 330. The Heartland delivery truck appears to have 90s-style Ohio license plates and is a reference to the state generally, "Ohio: The Heart of it All!"

Goofs:

Continuity: When Christy and Alan go to the back room of the toy store at the beginning, Christy's hair jumps back and forth over her shoulders between shots.

Quotes:

Stuart Abernathy: What kind of Idiot would put Military Technology in Toys?
Irwin Wayfair: [pointing at Larry] Well that'd be Gizmo over here.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Apocalypse Now (1979)

Soundtrack:

Love Removal Machine

Bizarre film, but still great fun!

I'm not really sure who this film is aimed at. At times it seems to be a child's movie and at other times it seems to be for adults. But nonetheless, I loved the film. I thought it was a fun story.

The special effects alone are worth watching the film. It's truly amazing how fluidly the toys move and life-like the little toys are. Also, I really liked the various Gorgonite characters, they all looked quite unique.

The cast is quite good too. Phil Hartman is quite funny in the film, as usual. Kirsten Dunst pulls off a great performance. The rest of the cast is quite good as well: Gregory Smith, Jay Mohr, David Cross, Denis Leary, and Kevin Dunn, to name a few. I really feel that actors in films like this don't get the credit they deserve, because they are acting against small little harmless platic or metal animatronic toys, or, in some cases, against nothing at all. So just keep that in mind when you're watching this film. The voice talents in this film are also quite good, with plenty of big names to go around including Tommy Lee Jones, Frank Langella, Ernest Borgnine, Jim Brown, Bruce Dern, George Kennedy, Clint Walker, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Christina Ricci.

This film is just a fun film, there's nothing terribly deep or mind-boggling about this film, just enjoy it for what it is. I wouldn't recommend this to everyone, but if you read the plot description and it sounds interesting, then by all means, check it out. If you do end up seeing the film, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading,

-Chris