Ask anyone to name a movie about toys coming to life, and Toy Story will invariably be their first answer. Pixar’s original movie released in 1995 and became a global sensation, sparking a string of sequels that more or less lived up to the iconic original. The battery-powered adventures will continue in 2026 with Toy Story 5, which sees Woody and his old friends reunite to face a mighty new foe: screen time.
After Toy Story‘s jumbo success, another movie about toys coming to life arrived three years later. Slightly more violent and action-packed compared to Pixar’s effort, Small Soldiers involved two lines of action figures – the wholesome Gorgonites and the evil Commando Elite – brought to life by military-grade microchips and waging war across a small suburban neighborhood.
Small Soldiers didn’t enjoy anything close to the critical and commercial glory of Toy Story, and has largely been forgotten to time, but some consider it a cult classic that still gets unfairly overlooked almost 30 years later.
Toy Story 5’s Buzz Army Brings Back Memories Of Small Soldiers
A major plot point in Toy Story 5 will be an army of Buzz Lightyear dolls washing up on an island, developing a society between themselves, and escaping onto the mainland. Based on trailer footage, it appears that Woody and Buzz (the real one) will recruit this space ranger tsunami to help them deal with the threat of Lilypad.
The Toy Story 5 trailer also contains a scene in which the rogue Buzz dolls appear to descend on someone’s backyard and begin arming themselves with all manner of dangerous household items: a corkscrew, a lighter and gas, a pocket knife, cutlery, etc. Intentionally or otherwise, this feels like a loving tribute to Small Soldiers, which included a series of strikingly similar moments, but with the Command Elite in place of Space Rangers.
Led by Major Chip Hazard, the soldiers crawled over kitchens, bedrooms, and backyards to find household items that could become implements of destruction – cheese graters, kitchen knives, lighters, DIY tools, etc. In the words of Hazard himself, “If it launches, lacerates, or detonates, I want it mobile, and I want it lethal.” We can assume Woody’s pep talk will be less violent.
But it’s Small Soldiers‘ garage scene that Toy Story 5 follows most directly. To the tune of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust,” the Commando Elite troops prepare their arsenal. They’re firing up blowtorches, welding chainsaws to skateboards, and assembling homemade missiles. It’s the Toy Story 5 scene, but with a little more menace.
For Small Soldiers fans, it’s difficult to see Toy Story 5‘s group of military action figures arming themselves with everyday objects turned into weapons and not think of 1998’s forgotten gem.