History Film / SmallSoldiers

* BadassPacifist: Due to their initial intent to be peaceful knowledge-seekers along with the fact that they were designed to be the losers, the Gorgonites spend the majority of the movie not fighting back against the Commandos. In the climax, however, they decide they're done hiding and fight back. And they win.

* PetPeeveTrope: The catalyst for the film is that Gil Mars, the CEO of [[{{Megacorp}} [=GloboTech=] Industries]], dislikes VeryFalseAdvertising. He hates commercials of cars that drive around on Mount Rushmore or shampoo commercials that claim you can look like a celebrity in one use. This inspires him to have the newly purchased Heartland Toy Company use [=GloboTech=]'s military-grade technology to create a line of toys so sophisticated that they can, in his own words, "actually do what they do in the commercials."

* SequelInAnotherMedium: ''The Gorgonites’ Quest'', a novel by co-writer Gavin Scott that was released alongside the film in 1998, concerning the Gorgonites stooping in another town and befriending a kid trying to save a local hill from being bulldozed, leading to a rematch with a new batch of Commandos.

* {{Novelization}}: by screenwriter Gavin Scott.

-->'''Chip Hazard''': "An OfficerAndAGentleman [[WouldntHitAGirl does not strike a lady.]]"[[note]]This quote is rather [[{{Hypocrite}} undermined]] by the Commando Elite's ruthless attacks on Christy, her mother and Alan's mother, who are both ladies and in one case [[WouldHurtAChild a child]].[[/note]]

* BuyThemOff: [[spoiler: At the end, once the forces of [[GeneralRipper Chip Hazard]] have been defeated,]] Gil Mars, [=C.E.O.=] of [[MegaCorp GloboTech]] arrives to survey the damage that's been done, he orders the truck driver [[spoiler: that Chip forced to deliver the toys to the Abernathy and Fimple households,]] to load up the truck and drive it away before the press arrives. When he mentions that the injuries sustained[[spoiler: [[BoundAndGagged (having his hands taped to the steering wheel, and his mouth taped shut)]]]] may not be covered by his job's health insurance, Mars' secretary gives him a check, and the driver happily gets to work. When Mr. Fimple demands to know that Mars will do about the damages to his house, Mars' secretary hands him a check. When Mr. Abernathy asks if he has enough money to cover the emotional trauma that his family suffered, the secretary hands him a check and he responds: "okay, maybe you do."

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: An In-Universe example. When Joe and Alan test out the Commandos and the Gorgonites, Joe activates Major Chip Hazard, and Alan activates Archer. Archer's phrase ("Greetings, I am Archer, Emissary of the Gorgonites.") leaves an impression on Alan that the gorgonite leader is "[[BenevolentMonster awfully polite]] for a [[DesignatedVillain monster]]".

-->'''Chip Hazard''': "An OfficerAndAGentleman [[WouldntHitAGirl does not strike a lady.]]"[[note]]This quote is rather undermined by the Commando Elite's ruthless attacks on Christy, her mother and Alan's mother, who are both ladies and in one case [[WouldHurtAChild a child]].[[/note]]

** There's also a notable one between Irwin and Larry, as demonstrated at the board meeting in the opening scene. Irwin is the creative mind behind the Gorgonites and designed them with the express purpose of helping kids learn. However, as a trade off for his imagination, he's rather clumsy at presenting his idea, to the point he has to hastily improvise his presentation of the Gorgonites as he goes along. By contrast, Irwin may not be as brilliant as his cohort, and goes with the safe approach of making the Commando Elite action toys. Although his ideas aren't original, he makes up for it in presentation, as demonstrated in his model of Major Chip Hazard and his commercial for the Commando Elite.

''Small Soldiers'' is a 1998 action/comedy film directed by Creator/JoeDante, best known for his work on the ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'' franchise. The plot begins at the [[FlyoverCountry Heartland]] Toy Company, a conglomerate that gets swallowed up by [=GloboTech=] Industries, an organization that deals primarily in high-tech military hardware. The members of the board of Heartland deduce that implanting military AI chips into their newest set of action figures would grant kids a more interactive experience; however in doing so, manage to grant the two lines (the Commando Elite and their enemies, the Gorgonites) literal intelligence. The Gorgonites have a [[BenevolentAI pacifist mindset]] while the Commandos are basically of [[AIIsACrapshoot the warmongering variety]], who will stop at nothing to [[FantasticRacism destroy the Gorgonite scum]], and anyone who allies with them. Their battle takes place in {{suburbia}}, where young Alan Abernathy (Creator/GregorySmith) befriends the Gorgonites due to his being left in charge of his father Stuart's (Creator/KevinDunn) toy shop, and he vows to help them achieve their goal before the Commando Elite can find and take them apart. He gets help from his neighbor and love interest Christy Fimple (Creator/KirstenDunst).

-->--'''Major Chip Hazard'''