The 1998 movie Small Soldiers is a film that never had the opportunity to find its audience when it was first released. In the decades since, however, it has grown into a cult classic and one especially beloved by fans who grew up in the late 1990s and early 2000s. While it never received a proper sequel, co-writer Adam Rifkin offered his thoughts on the ending of the original Small Soldiers movie nearly 30 years after its initial release and where it’s beloved characters might’ve ended up.
Directed by Joe Dante, whose career includes having directed Piranha, The Howling, and Gremlins, Small Soldiers revolves around two factions of action figures essentially “brought to life” by an all-powerful artificial intelligence chip. At a time when artificial intelligence is a hot topic, the movie feels especially relevant these days, especially with its satire and social commentary regarding the subject.
The two factions are made up of the Commando Elite, a group of military personnel that are extremely violent and eager to destroy their enemies at any cost, and the Gorgonites, a group of misunderstood monsters that happen to become the target of the commandos. Throughout the film, the Gorgonites are expected to hide and lose as they are programmed to, but eventually they gain an upper hand and help defeat the Commando Elite.
This allows the group of toys led by Archer to indulge the other portion of their programming, which is to find their homeland known only as Gorgon. While the location is completely fictional, it’s one that the Gorgonites believe they can find; because in a reference to an earlier conversation about wind, “Just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”
In order to find Gorgon, the toys set sail on a miniature wooden ship, with the audience left to wonder where they’ll inevitably end up. Without a sequel, it’s hard to tell, but co-writer Adam Rifkin offered his confirmation on X that they do eventually find Gorgon. Or, at the very least, that’s what he hopes for. When asked if he thinks the Gorgonites ever made it to their desired location, he responded with a chipper “Absolutely!”
Absolutely! https://t.co/beP8CcravC
— Adam Rifkin (@AdamRifkin) July 25, 2025
It isn’t much, but hopefully Small Soldiers fans will find something to smile about with the thought that these beloved characters finally found their homeland. While everything else seems to be receiving a sequel in Hollywood, it still doesn’t look like Small Soldiers is set to make its comeback any time soon. This makes Rifkin’s tweet the next best thing.