In 1917, young American recruit Robert Conroy (Logan Lerman) is marching with his fellow soldiers when he picks up a stray mutt. The starving little dog refuses to leave him and he decides to call him Stubby. Stubby would continue to follow the young man and his platoon as they get deployed in France. Conroy is befriended by French soldier Gaston Baptiste (Gérard Depardieu). Stubby would save his men time and time again as he becomes a celebrated canine during the war. Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter) is Robert's sister and the narrator.
The characters are likeable and the animation is fine for a lower level movie. It's a based on a real dog and it's able to handle the war stories with a lighter touch for kids. The poison gas story is great and could have served as the big climax. It's set up well with the tear gas demonstration. Emotionally, that's the big turn and the movie could have wrapped up quickly after that. Instead, it's only the midway point. The grenade story is problematic right from when Robert starts playing fetch with Stubby. I knew that's a stumbling block at that moment. The incident does not really make sense. Stubby would probably fetch the grenade back to Robert or Gaston. Overall, the movie is able to handle the dark war stories without devolving into gore and guts. It maintains its sweet nature and would be a fine movie for kids and others.
The characters are likeable and the animation is fine for a lower level movie. It's a based on a real dog and it's able to handle the war stories with a lighter touch for kids. The poison gas story is great and could have served as the big climax. It's set up well with the tear gas demonstration. Emotionally, that's the big turn and the movie could have wrapped up quickly after that. Instead, it's only the midway point. The grenade story is problematic right from when Robert starts playing fetch with Stubby. I knew that's a stumbling block at that moment. The incident does not really make sense. Stubby would probably fetch the grenade back to Robert or Gaston. Overall, the movie is able to handle the dark war stories without devolving into gore and guts. It maintains its sweet nature and would be a fine movie for kids and others.