Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero, in theaters everywhere TODAY, will leave paw prints on your heart if you’re a dog-lover like me. This adorably sweet, animated movie is based on the incredible, true story of the unbreakable bond between a young soldier and a stray dog, named Stubby. Both of their lives would be forever changed by the human and loyal-animal, best friend bond.
Stubby, through incredibly strong instincts and many acts of canine bravery, would save the lives of many men and later be known as Sergeant Stubby. The movie takes place at America's entry into World War I and is basically the story of how Stubby met his buddy Robert Conroy, became the mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment, and became assigned to the 26th Yankee Division of the United States Army. He served for 18 months and participated in 17 battles, even saving his regiment from a surprise gas attack and catching German soldiers.There have been many newspaper articles and books written about this little four-legged American Hero if you want to learn more about Sgt. Stubby. In the meantime, this movie can be the start of a great history lesson.
Stubby was either a Bull Terrier or Boston Terrier, born about 1916. After Stubby wanders into the training camp looking for food and spies Corporal Robert Conroy (who shares his cookies), he decides he has to be wherever his new buddy is too. He sneaks onto the ship taking the soldiers to war and when discovered, salutes the generals, winning them over and allowing him to stay with the troops. On the adventure of a lifetime, Stubby finds out that war isn’t easy, as they were always under constant fire, day and night, living in dirt trenches with little food and many rats. In one of his first battles, Stubby becomes sick from one of the mustard gas attacks. After he recovered, he returned with a specially designed, doggy gas mask to protect him. He then knew to warn his unit of poison gas attacks, which saved many soldiers. He could also locate wounded soldiers and hear the whine of incoming artillery shells before humans, letting his unit know when to duck for cover. Stubby was wounded in one of the battles, but soon recovered to continue helping the Yankee Division win the war. When Stubby captured a German soldier all by himself, the commander of the 102 Infantry nominated Stubby for the rank of sergeant, a high honor. He became such a beloved dog in France, the women of one town made Stubby a coat, to keep him warm, and many medals were later pinned onto it. When the war ended, Sgt. Stubby went back to America with Robert Conroy as the most decorated dog in American History.
Fun Academy Motion Pictures produced this lovely film, with Logan Lerman (Fury, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Percy Jackson & The Olympians) as the voice of Robert Conroy. Other voices include Helena Bonham Carter (the upcoming Ocean's 8, the Harry Potter films, The King's Speech, Sweeney Todd) and Gérard Depardieu (Life of Pi, Cyrano De Bergerac, The Man in the Iron Mask, Green Card), as Conroy’s French friend during the war. The movie is directed by award-winning documentarian Richard Lanni, in his feature film debut, and has an amazing, original score by composer Patrick Doyle (Brave, Thor, Cinderella, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). It's such a heart-warming film to be appreciated by parents, educators, animal-lovers, military supporters and history buffs alike.
My 7-year old daughter, knowing nothing about the World Wars, had so many questions about history after the film and was so inspired by this story of Stubby. The war scenes were appropriate for children and could be a great teaching tool to explain the war to kids. In fact, we attended the red carpet world premiere of Sgt. Stubby on March 27th at Regal L.A. LIVE, with about 500 young children and their families from organizations supported by Variety (SoCal), including the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Boyle Heights.
The premiere was a fundraiser to benefit children with special needs in our community and was chosen because these children overcome adversity every day. Together, Fun Academy and Variety hosted screenings in 14 cities across the U.S. and Canada to benefit Variety programs that provide services to children who have a disability or are disadvantaged. Unlike most charitable organizations that focus on a single area problem or issue, Variety focuses on multiple unmet needs of children who are sick, disadvantaged or live with disabilities and other special needs at a local, national and international level. Their aim is to maximize the real, long-term positive social impact for all children. Fun Academy has also partnered with many animal organizations across the United States to highlight the importance of the human-animal bond and the amazing things animals can sometimes do.
The inspiring story of Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero was one the kids really enjoyed and loved. The idea that this little dog did so many amazing things during his life and became a war hero warms the heart and shows you how exceptional man-kind and dog-kind can be when given a chance in life. It’s been two weeks since the premiere and we are still thinking about this amazing movie and the true story it told. I definitely recommend this as a family-friendly, animated feature film that everyone will appreciate.
As a special treat, we are giving away to one lucky subscriber an adorable FREE Stubby plush, a Stubby Kuzi, a Stubby drawstring bag, and a copy of the hardcover book Stubby the Dog Soldier: World War I Hero from Capstone for ages 5-7 (value over $50)
All you have to do is email me at chaninv@macaronikid.com with the subject line "Sgt. Stubby Giveaway" by Monday, April 16th at noon (12PM PST) and a winner will be selected at random and notified by email.
