While Toy Story 5 is due to release in 2026, it isn’t the toy-centric sequel that most desperately needs a sequel; that title goes to Small Soldiers, the 1998 action comedy starring Kirsten Dunst and Alan Abernathy that has evolved into a cult classic in the last two decades.
In the Toy Story universe, all toys come to life, while in the Small Soldiers universe, a select few are brought to life by a malfunctioning military microchip. The action was driven by a star-studded voice cast led by Tommy Lee Jones and Frank Langella, and was given a healthy marketing budget thanks in large part to the merchandising potential of the movie. Small Soldiers never received a follow-up, but with yet another Toy Story sequel around the corner, it’s fair to wonder how much potential a sequel could have.
Small Soldiers was never successful in terms of critical or commercial success, but the middling reviews from critics do nothing to dampen how much fun the movie was. The absurd yet entertaining story features two sets of toys brought to life thanks to military AI chips: a set of ultra-aggressive G.I. Joe knock-offs known as the Commando Elite, and a group of peaceful monsters known as the Gorgonites. The toys were programmed with their own backstories and had knowledge of an ongoing war between their two parties, leaving much more potential on the table for exploration of their backstory and further cast expansion.
The toys in Small Soldiers were violent enough to warrant a PG-13 rating, which limited the number of little eyes who saw it in theaters. It might have seen more box office success if families were able to see the movie. The PG-13 rating flew in the face of the marketing, which included toy-centric imagery; they even put the toys in kids meals at fast food chains, placing the violent content at odds with the movie’s marketing targets. Add in the lackluster reviews, and Small Soldiers never had a chance of coming anywhere near Toy Story’s success.
A Small Soldiers remake almost happened in the late 2010s, but it was more of a spiritual successor than an actual remake of the original. The planned movie, called Toymageddon, was an action comedy in the style of family-friendly franchises like Ghostbusters or Jurassic Park. While few details about Toymaggedon were available, the plot was supposedly about a toy factory that goes haywire somehow, which would have hit some of the same notes as Small Soldiers. It would have operated as a spiritual successor if it had an elevated level of mayhem and violence. In this age of reboots, remakes, and reconfigurations, Small Soldiers is a worthy candidate for a sequel, or perhaps an animated continuation.
