He
put Lassie and the dearly departed dog from The
Artist to shame. He even did something neither Trump or Obama could be
bothered to do. He served his country in military uniform—and he was just a
little terrier, but with a big heart. The documented true story of the 102nd
Infantry Regiment’s mascot comes to animated life in Richard Lanni’s Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero (trailer here), which opens this
Friday nationwide.
The
story of the ferocious little canine hero of WWI might sound like a tall tale,
but most of the high points of his chronicle are confirmed by the Smithsonian’s
“The Price of Freedom” exhibition, where Sgt. Stubby was one of the stars. Like
many war heroes, he came from modest beginnings. In this case, he was a stray,
living paw-to-mouth on the streets of New Haven before he attached himself to
the 102nd in general and particularly to Private Robert Conroy (eventually
promoted to Corporal).
In
theory, a military base is no place for a pet, but Stubby (he had yet to
receive his “rank”) continued to impress Conroy’s sergeant and the commissioned
officers above him with his military discipline and his obvious benefits to
morale. They intended to leave him behind for his own safety, but he stowed
away on the troop transport, like the dogs in The Incredible Journey. At least, that is how Helena Bonham Carter
tells the story, in her voice-overs in the persona of Conroy’s beloved sister
Margaret, his only family at the time.
Hats
off to Lanni and his co-screenwriter Mike Stokey, because they pull off a
rather remarkable feat in this film. They give viewers plenty of endearing canine
pluckiness, without ever trivializing the harsh reality of war. Through the
eyes of Stubby and Conroy with see the terrors of gas attacks, trench warfare,
and heavy artillery bombardments. There is never any doubt how brutal the
warfighting conditions were for WWI soldiers, yet is it completely appropriate
and accessible for family viewing.
The
CGI animation is also far better than you would expect from something produced
outside the major studios and prestigious boutique shingles. Sgt. Stubby is expressive,
while still being relatively dog-like in his movement. Conroy and his G.I.
buddies are also reasonably well-developed characters, with very little
reliance on shtick or cliché. His garrulous French comrade, Gaston Baptiste (voiced
by Gérard Depardieu, doing his best work probably since Valley of Love) is initially a bit of a joie de vivre-stock character,
but he has some surprisingly poignant moments in the third act.
Frankly,
Sgt. Stubby is a refreshing film in
many ways. It has none of the motor-mouthed hipster sarcasm found in recent
studio animation. Instead, it takes time to establish its characters and finds
lowkey humor in Sgt. Stubby’s appealing dog antics. In terms of tone, Ethel & Ernest might be the closest
comparison. Although it forthrightly addresses the horrors of war, it is also still
unabashedly patriotic. There is real heroism in this film, both human and
canine.
It
is worth re-emphasizing most of Sgt. Stubby’s heroics are legitimately
documented. He really did go out into No Man’s Land to find wounded soldiers
and provided early warning of incoming shells thanks to his superior canine
sense of hearing. Heck, you have to wonder why it took so long for someone to
make a film about him, but again, Lanni, Stokey, and their producers deserve
credit for recognizing the value of his story. This is a classy production,
featuring an era-appropriate score composed by regular Kenneth Branagh
collaborator Patrick Doyle. Highly recommended for general audiences, Sgt. Stubby opens across the country this
Friday, with considerable Thursday evening (4/12) screenings also scheduled,
including at the AMC Empire in New York.
