Small Soldiers is a 1998 American science fiction film, directed by Joe Dante. It revolves around a conflict between two factions of sentient action figures, the Gorgonites and the Commando Elite. When an adolescent brings the Gorgonites to his home, he and those around him become targeted by the Commando Elite, who are programmed to eliminate the Gorgonites and their allies.

Written by Gavin Scott, Adam Rifkin, Ted Elliott, and Terry Rossio.
Big Action! Big Trouble! Big Movie! Small Soldiers!Taglines

Dialogue

Gil Mars: Y'know what I'm sick of? I'm sick of commercials that show us 4x4 trucks popping up to the top of Mt. Rushmore and parking on top of Abraham Lincoln's head, okay? I'm sick of shampoo commercials that try to convince women that they can look like Claudia Schiffer after one cycle of rinse and repeat. What if these toys could actually talk? What if they could walk? What if they could actually kick ass? I'm talking about toys that are so smart, when kids play with them, they play back. Toys, in short, gentlemen, that actually do what they do in the commercials.
Irwin Wayfair: Well... that's an interesting idea.
Gil Mars: Forget about this "batteries not included" crap. We're gonna stick in a lifetime Globotech lithium cell, keep these things running forever! That'll piss off the guys at Eveready.
Larry Benson: Yeah! [chuckles] Hey, how's this for a slogan? "The Commando Elite - anything else is just a toy."
Gil Mars: "Everything else is just a toy."
Larry Benson: Th-That's good too! Sure.
Irwin Wayfair: Uh, sir? Uh, you know, that kind of, uh, computing power doesn't really seem feasible right now, and--
Larry Benson: Irwin, Irwin. We're members of the GloboTech family. Surely, we can hunt down that technology.
Gil Mars: We can make missiles that can hunt down one unlucky bastard 7,000 miles away and stick a nuclear warhead right up his ass. I don't think we're gonna have a problem with this.
Ms. Kegel: [after being told the product will be ready in three months] Alright, then. Now, these are your security cards. These will give you unlimited access to all top-secret GloboTechnology. And these are your individual secret passwords. Please take a moments memorize them now.
Irwin Wayfair: [sees his password and chuckles] Mine's Gizmo.
Ms. Kegel: [snatches Irwin's password; annoyed] I said "secret".
Ralph Quist: The X1000 is a masterpiece. Imagine a microchip sophisticated enough to control the guidance systems of ballistic missiles. Imagine it can be used to instantly upgrade any system that it's plugged into, like a smart drug for machines. Then imagine it can learn.
Irwin Wayfair: [nervously] Wh-What are you talking about, artificial intelligence?
Ralph Quist: No. Actual intelligence. It's no wonder those philistines at the Pentagon didn't appreciate it. One little flaw, and they scrap the whole project.
Irwin Wayfair: Ah-ha. So, there is a flaw in the chips.
Ralph Quist: Well... they're a little sensitive to EMP.
Irwin Wayfair: EMP? Electromagnetic pulse?
Ralph Quist: Yeah, the kind generated by the detonation of a nuclear device? I doubt even the toy industry has become quite that competitive! They said adequate shielding wasn't cost-effective. [scoffs] Did the Medicis ever tell Michelangelo "Sorry, Mike, but marble's not really cost-effective, here's a bag of cement"?! I think not! [sneezes]
Irwin Wayfair: Gesundheit.
Ralph Quist: Thank you.
Larry Benson: Look, there really shouldn't be any problem, right? Just because the chips can learn.
Ralph Quist: Am I not being clear? They learn within the boundaries of their primary programming. Whatever the core programming, the X1000 enhances it from within. So if you've got a problem, it's in your software.
Larry Benson: Great! All we need now is a nuclear warhead.
Stuart Abernathy: I'll check, but I don't think I have one in the junk drawer.
Phil Fimple: "Nuclear warhead"? What are you talking about?
Larry Benson: It's the chips; They're not shielded against an electromagnetic pulse. A nuclear blast would wipe them out.
Irwin Wayfair: That's why the military never used them.
Stuart Abernathy: Well, what kind of moron would put military technology in toys?
Irwin Wayfair: [pointing at Larry] Oh, that would be "Gizmo" over here.
Alan Abernathy: What are they doing?
Irene Abernathy: Psychological warfare.
Christy Fimple: The Marines did this against Noriega.
Marion Fimple: Phil! Phil!
Phil Fimple: What?
Marion Fimple: I love this song!

Taglines

  • Big Action! Big Trouble! Big Movie! Small Soldiers!
  • The few, the proud, and the small.
  • [from theatrical trailer] GloboTech Defense Systems. In a secret lab, the world's most advanced military microprocessor has been created. But the Cold War is over. For GloboTech to survive, new markets must be found. Now, all that power has been placed into the brain of a fighting machine unlike any known to man. They made it strong. They made it clever. They made it... small. They made... a mistake.

About Small Soldiers

  • We found out what it really takes to make a great toy, to make it stand out on the shelf. We learned how the joints of toys worked, all the mechanics that go into them. The whole thing was an education; and we helped to create a toy line that was extremely successful for Hasbro. In fact, ultimately, sales for the Small Soldiers toys out-performed the film.

Cast

Voice actors

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