Review of Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero (2018) by Brandon W — 21 Apr 2018

An absolute must see film! If this is still playing in your area, please, no matter your age, go and see it! If it's already left your area, then I can promise you that it will be worth a purchase when it is released for the home.

I cannot stress enough that this is not just a movie for kids. I am 41 years old, and I saw it with my 37 year old girlfriend, and we both loved it. I want to bring up being a Disney fan for a reason. First, as a resident of Central Florida, I'm an annual pass holder at Walt Disney World, I see all of their films, many are great, some are misses, but Sgt. Stubby, and I say this with no exaggeration, is better than anything that Disney has put out in years if not well over a decade. This film truly brought back memories of animated films growing up. Movies that were great for kids but also taught lessons.

How this movie handles violence and death is second to none. Do we actually ever SEE on screen death? No. However, due to it being set in the trenches of World War I, death is all around our characters, and it is implied at a level adults will appreciate and kids will understand. We have incredible vignette scenes that propel the story, and during that we see clusters of soldier and troop shape symbols getting bombs dropped on them and vanishing - again, all implied and never shown directly. In a time when animated films seem to shy away from any truly heavy themes be it not just violence but friendship, loyalty, and duty, Sgt. Stubby comes from nowhere to show you that it is still possible.

Add to it that this is based upon a true story, and if you research the actual story, you will see that only small things here and there are changed, and the movie becomes even that much more powerful.

Any age will love this movie as will history buffs, military personnel past and present, school kids as it's highly educational, and anyone else that fits into any category.

Again, I cannot recommend St. Stubby enough, and while you may miss it in the theater, please do not just rent it on DVD/bluray, it's well worth a purchase, and you should also check out their YouTube channel to see some behind the scenes material that only scratches the surface at the hard work put into this. Every single person that had any involvement at all in bringing this to the screen should be proud.

Oh, and stay through all of the credits to see photos of the real Stubby!