Small Soldiers is a 1998 American science fiction action film directed by Joe Dante. The film follows two groups of sentient action figures, the Gorgonites and the Commando Elite, as they wage war in a suburban neighborhood. The term 'Small Soldiers' refers to both the Gorgonites and the Commando Elite, and the ants (4 letters) are a reference to the Gorgonites, who are small, ant-like creatures.