Small Soldiers (1998)

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

Director:

Joe Dante

Writers:

Gavin Scott, Adam Rifkin

Stars:

Kirsten Dunst, Gregory Smith, David Cross

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Fifteen-year-old Alan Abernathy, the son of a toy store owner, tries out some new action figures: The Commando Elite versus The Gorgonites. But three months ago, a toy company believes it is onto something when it employs the latest government military technology in a series of action figures, enabling them to talk. They underestimate the power of the special micro chips they've employed, however, as the two opposing sides of the toy line start thinking for themselves and engaging in real combat! The Commando Elite vow to wipe out the Gorgonites in a suburban neighborhood. Alan, his neighbor Christy Fimple, (on whom he has a massive crush) with the help of the kind Gorgonites, must protect his home and family from the Commandos.

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Plot Keywords:

child gagged | parody | childhood dream | comic book | internet | 

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Taglines:

Big Movie Small Soldiers

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joe Dante originally wanted the cast of Predator (1987) to voice the Commando Elite. Arnold Schwarzenegger would voice Chip Hazard, Shane Black would voice Kip Killagin, Carl Weathers would voice Butch Meathook, Jesse Ventura would voice Brick Bazooka, Sonny Landham would voice Nick Nitro, and Bill Duke would voice Link Static.

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Goofs

When the Commando Elite blast the Spice Girls as "psychological warfare," the woofers on the speakers don't move at all. A bass-heavy song at that volume should produce very noticeable travel.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Irwin Wayfair: He's here! He's early! He's not supposed to be here now. He said... okay, here's the copy of... check.
Larry Benson: Pretty exciting, huh?
Irwin Wayfair: I don't know. I think it's kinda sad, I mean you know Heartland Toys has a long tradition of bringing joy to kids, ya know? Gil Mars isn't going to care about any of that. He's just gonna care about profits. I think it sucks.
Larry Benson: Welcome to Earth, Irwin. You may not be familiar with our company, but this is pretty much the way things work down here in the real world.
Irwin Wayfair:

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Crazy Credits

At the end, there's a short clip of 'Phil Hartman' and the legend "For Phil".

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Alternate Versions

The DVD features some deleted scenes:

• Alan meets the principal of his new school, who tells him he doesn't like troublemakers.
• An extended version of the scene where the dish technician tells Phil a lot more about the way the dish works and why the tree has to be moved.
• Some added dialogue for Stuart and Irene about their old home Chicago right before Phil starts to saw off the branch.
• The Gorgonites search Alans encyclopedia for Gorgon. Instead of their home they find the daughter of the Greek God Phorcys.
• A discussion between Alan, Christy and their parents about what happened.
• Phil and Stuart discover that Alan and Christy get away through a window.
• The Toys discover Christys parents, her brother and Irene in the storeroom and ask for "any last requests".

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Connections

Referenced in Hamlet (2000)

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Soundtracks

Wannabe
Written by Spice Girls, Richard Stannard & Matt Rowe (as Matt Rowbottom)
Performed by Spice Girls
Courtesy of Virgin Records America, Inc.

User Reviews

Nostalgia at its best. Underrated and Forgotten.

I found this movie in my attic recently. When I was looking at the VHS, nostalgia instantly flew back into me. I remember the toys, I remember vividly playing the film on endles repeat, and I remember me and my friends playing our own version of "Small Soldiers" at our local park. Great memories...

I was SO baffled to see a 5.9 rating on IMDb. Why? This is a great family\action film. After seeing the rating and many negative reviews, I decided to watch it again on VHS. Maybe it just wasn't as good as I remembered. That's happened to me many times.

Well, I liked it then, and I liked it now! Still, it was a good film. What I liked the most was the music and the special effects. The musical score was outstanding and so was the "War" remix. The CGI in the film amazes me on so many levels...I thought they were real! The action is very good and the movie is never boring. It's definelty one of the coolest kids movie ever made!

Overall, if you like edgy family films, watch 'Small Solders'. I think you will enjoy it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 July 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Commando Elite

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,047,592, 12 July 1998

Gross USA:

$54,682,547

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$54,682,547

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Dreamworks Pictures, Amblin Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1