Steadfast Stanley (2015)

It’s impossible to put in to words the value that dogs bring in to our lives. Dogs are some of the most loyal, forgiving, loving, and adoring animals in the world. “Steadfast Stanley” is a wonderful short film that’s set during the zombie apocalypse, sure, but it’s also a testament to the resilience of our dogs, and what we mean to them.

Set during the beginning of a zombie outbreak, we meet Stanley a Pembroke Welsh Corgi who is being embraced by his owner, a young boy. As his mom scrambles back and forth to pack, she grabs her son leaving behind their dog Stanley, and his owner’s shoe. Filled with the duty to bring him his shoe back, Stanley travels through a zombie apocalypse to get his boy and bring him his shoe back.

“Steadfast Stanley” has little dialogue and not much narrative but it serves as a wonderful ode to the loyalty of dogs. Although the idea of returning a shoe may not mean anything to us, it means everything to Stanley. And that’s all that really matters, in the end. Stanley is an inadvertent hero, because not only does he manage fulfill his mission but, like most dogs, he instills in his owner a newfound desire to fight and live to see another day.

Their future is uncertain but at least they have each other. The animation is a wonderful mix of sweet and scary, with John Cody Kim conveying the reality of the situation without leaving us on a dark note. Maybe with Stanley by his side, our young protagonist will fight as hard as he can. In either case, this short reminded me a lot of chapter in the novel “World War Z” about scouting dogs and our devotion to them. I strongly recommend you checking that out. But not before you watch “Steadfast Stanley.”