Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero

Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero

Starring Logan Lerman, Helena Bonham Carter, Gerard Depardieu, Jim Pharr

Directed by Richard Lanni

The Story:
In Connecticut in 1917, Stubby is a stray Boston Terrier who finds a master in Robert Conroy (Logan Lerman), a young man who's in training to be sent into the war effort during World War I.  While at Boot Camp, Stubby learns along with the cadets and even salutes, marches, and follows orders like the other recruits, drawing admiration from the commanding officers.

When it's time to ship out, they leave Stubby behind, but he finds his way back to Robert and the company, and enters the front lines of war with his master.  Using his keen senses, he manages to alert the troops of incoming gas attacks, find missing soldiers who were buried after bombings, and catching a German spy.  He goes on to be the first dog to earn the title of Sergeant, and also becomes the most decorated dog in American history.

The Synopsis:
After seeing previews for this film, I must admit that I was nowhere near excited to see it.  It looked like a haphazard, lazy animated film set to make a quick buck, and it didn't seem at all appealing.  The animation isn't as polished as you'd see from the likes of Pixar, and it reminded me more of animations you'd see in elementary schools when teachers show an informational program for kids that look cheap.  After finally dragging myself to see it, I must admit that I was wrong - I was riveted by the story, the animation was better than I thought, and I was even moved by it.

Then again, I am an animal person, someone who can't even watch a film where an animal is harmed ("Marley & Me" still gets me, I can never watch it again).  I figured that since it's an animated film, I could stand it if the dog gets hurt, but when Stubby gets injured, I found myself welling up like seeing an actual dog getting hurt.  The filmmakers do a great job in creating Stubby as an all-around good dog, with an innocent look in his eyes and an almost constant smile with his tongue hanging out that becomes endearing.

At first, I didn't even think this was a true story, but there was in fact a Stubby in World War I, a dog that followed his owner into the trenches of war and in fact saved the lives of countless soldiers by alerting them of incoming dangers.  I doubt nowadays anyone would allow an animal on the front lines of war, so that's why I thought it couldn't have happened, but it did.  The real Stubby was a real hero, and even though I'm pretty sure a lot of the film is made up for the sake of the tale, I have no doubt he was a real hero nonetheless.

Logan Lerman does a terrific job voicing Robert Conroy as a young man who's innocent of wars and just wants to do the right thing, and his relationship with Stubby is heartfelt and emotional.  Gerard Depardieu dominates as Gaston, a French poilu who befriends Conroy and Stubby, while Helena Bonham Carter is almost unrecognizable as the voice of Robert's sister Margaret.  Fortunately, they didn't give Stubby a human voice but treated him like a regular dog who communicated with barks, growls, and whimpers.

While the film doesn't really delve into the characters in any meaningful way, that's not the main point of it.  The focus is on Stubby, and you're drawn to him from the first frame to the last.  It didn't fare very well in theaters, because it conducted a loosing battle - an animated film that was too grown-up for kids, and too childish for adults.  Kids would enjoy seeing Stubby, but wouldn't understand the events around him.  Adults would appreciate the historical aspect, but be removed from it due to the childish nature the film delivers (no one is shot, everyone looks polished even in the trenches, no real language, everyone seemed too cheery and positive throughout).

It's by no means an excellent film, but when it comes to telling the tale of a boy and his dog, it hits all the right notes.

The Summary:
While not the most extraordinary film, "Sgt. Stubby" brings to light the story of a heroic dog who helped save lives in World War I, delivering a heartfelt story with a historical lesson to boot.

The Score: B