Small Soldiers
Movie, 1998, The Late 90s
Small Soldiers is #26 of 27 in release order and #27 of 27 in chronological order in the VHS Kids Classics.
The story
When missile technology is used to enhance toy action figures, the toys soon begin to take their battle programming too seriously.
Small Soldiers recap
A defence contractor buys a toy company and orders its designers to make toys that really fight: the Commando Elite soldiers and the Gorgonite monsters. To meet a deadline, the designer Larry uses a military microchip in them, skipping safety tests. Teenager Alan Abernathy gets a shipment of the toys at his father's toy store and finds they are alive. The commandos, led by Chip Hazard, are programmed to destroy the Gorgonites, who were designed to hide and lose, and Archer, the Gorgonite leader, befriends Alan. The commandos wreck the store and attack Alan's house, but his parents do not believe him. The Gorgonites want to find their homeland of Gorgon. Chip's troops kidnap Alan's neighbour Christy and turn her Gwendy dolls into soldiers to force him to hand over the Gorgonites, and Alan and Archer rescue her.
Small Soldiers ending explained
Chip leads a new army against the Abernathy and Fimple houses. Alan climbs a power pole and knocks Chip into a transformer, setting off an electromagnetic pulse that fries every commando. The company boss pays both families off and decides to sell the commandos to the military. The Gorgonites survived, and Alan takes them to Yosemite and sends them off in a toy boat to look for Gorgon.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Small Soldiers
Small Soldiers is streaming on Prime Video, Hoopla, and YouTube (free) in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.3/10, Rotten Tomatoes 51%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Flubber, before The Parent Trap.
- Chronological order: after The Parent Trap, the last.
Cast
- Gregory Smith as Alan Abernathy
- Kirsten Dunst as Christy Fimple
- Denis Leary as Gil Mars
- Phil Hartman as Phil Fimple
- David Cross as Irwin Wayfair
- Jay Mohr as Larry Benson
- Kevin Dunn as Stuart Abernathy
- Ann Magnuson as Irene Abernathy
- Wendy Schaal as Marion Fimple
- Jacob Smith as Timmy Fimple
- Tommy Lee Jones as Chip Hazard (voice)
- Frank Langella as Archer (voice)
Directed by Joe Dante.