It’s impossible to overstate how revolutionary Toy Story was to the art of animation, but an underrated gem from the 1990s put a totally different spin on the toys-come-alive concept. While the Pixar classic was ushering in a new era of CGI animated film with classic storytelling, other children’s movies in the 1990s were pushing boundaries in different ways.

Children’s films from that period have a reputation for being a bit edgy, sometimes including ideas that wouldn’t fly in the homogenized atmosphere of modern family movies. However, few were as oddball and controversial as Joe Dante’s Small Soldiers, a film that garnered a PG-13 rating despite being marketed to younger children.

Small Soldiers Took Toy Story And Turned It Into A War Movie

After making a slew of classic horror comedy films like Gremlins and The Burbs, director Joe Dante was tapped to helm Small Soldiers. The movie’s plot concerns a batch of action figures that are accidentally given highly-intelligent computer chips. One group is a friendly band of monsters, while the another is a military outfit determined to destroy their foes.

Released only a few years after Toy Story, there are obvious parallels between the two movies. Both involve toys coming alive, though Small Soldiers takes a more violent and cynical approach. The 1998 cult classic is ostensibly a war film, and it’s a far cry from Toy Story‘s ultra-family-friendly approach.

Small Soldiers garnered controversy upon release because of its content. Despite having a toy line and cross-promotion with fast food chains, the film was rated PG-13. This caused a stir, since the film was being aimed at kids who were obviously too young for the movie’s violence and dread. It’s certainly too dark for youngsters, but great for older kids.

Small Soldiers Is A Lot Better Than It Gets Credit For

The controversy surrounding Small Soldiers overshadows the film itself, and the frightening kids movie is actually pretty good. Dante’s direction brings out a tongue-in-cheek tone, and the film is a commentary about commercialism and marketing. The overt use of violence is itself a part of the messaging, though it is so cynical that it becomes an acquired taste.

The effects and puppetry by Stan Winston are compelling, and it overcomes the cheesiness of its concept through strong execution. The production design for the toys makes them feel like real products that could have been on shelves. The cast brings everything together, with Tommy Lee Jones stealing the show as the voice of the evil Chip Hazard.

Critics were split on Small Soldiers, and the 1990s cult classic earned a 50% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Some were perplexed by its mixed marketing, while others judged the film on face value alone without seeing the bigger picture. Though it’s an imperfect movie, Small Soldiers is one of the best subversive family films of all time.