''The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars'' is a 1998 American

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as brea ...

. It is based on the 1988 novella of the same name by

Thomas M. Disch Thomas Michael Disch (February 2, 1940 – July 4, 2008) was an American science fiction author and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book – previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book" – in 1999, and he had two other Hugo nominatio ...

. It is the sequel to '' The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue'' (1997). The film was released

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy w ...

on May 19, 1998, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Walt Disney Home Video Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, is the home entertainment distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films, television series, an ...

. It featured the last performances of actors

DeForest Kelley Jackson DeForest Kelley (January 20, 1920 – June 11, 1999), known to colleagues as "Dee", was an American actor, screenwriter, poet, and singer. He was known for his roles in Westerns and as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the in the televisi ...

Thurl Ravenscroft Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft (; February 6, 1914May 22, 2005) was an American actor and bass singer. He was known as one of the booming voices behind Kellogg's Frosted Flakes animated spokesman Tony the Tiger for more than five decades. He was also ...

, and

Carol Channing Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer and comedian who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, ...

before their deaths in 1999, 2005, and 2019, respectively.

Plot

Rob and Chris have a baby boy named Robbie. At first the appliances all think that they will pay more attention to him but later get used to him ("I See a New You"). Later, the Hearing Aid, who was left in a drawer in their new house from the past owner gets out of the drawer and passes everyone who is asleep. Toaster then sees him and follows him up to the attic. Toaster gets very suspicious about him when he was talking to someone in space. The next morning, Toaster tells what happened last night then they all agree to stay on watch of the drawer till he comes out. Later when it is midnight everyone falls asleep just when Hearing Aid escapes from the drawer. The "little master", as they call baby Robbie, awakes to the sound and gets out of his crib and follows Hearing Aid. The appliances awake and find Robbie going up the stairs. Lampy tries to get him down, but he is dragged up the stairs and his plug slips out and falls down the stairs. The appliances appear in the room when a big beam of light appears. The appliances chase after Hearing Aid but then Robbie disappears in a bubble through space. After that they all find out that he was sent to

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

. They get Wittgenstein the old

supercomputer A supercomputer is a computer with a high level of performance as compared to a general-purpose computer. The performance of a supercomputer is commonly measured in floating-point operations per second ( FLOPS) instead of million instructio ...

to help them and gives them advice. They get the microwave and cheddar cheese popcorn to help them fly, as it is organic, a laundry basket, and the ceiling fan. They set off in space to go to Mars and find Robbie. During their flight a pack of balloons appear who fly endlessly in space from hands who let them go ("Floating"). The appliances crash on Mars and find Robbie. They meet a Christmas angel named Tinselina who was sent to Mars with

Viking 1 ''Viking 1'' was the first of two spacecraft, along with '' Viking 2'', each consisting of an orbiter and a lander, sent to Mars as part of NASA's Viking program. The lander touched down on Mars on July 20, 1976, the first successful Mars la ...

. The appliances follow a group of military toasters who had just arrived to their leader Supreme Commander who is a huge refrigerator. They then learn that they are going to blow the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's sur ...

up because their old owners threw them out, and Toaster tries to talk them out of it. In between the fight, Robbie is able to push a hand out of his bubble. His hand touches Supreme Commander, and the refrigerator suddenly begins to turn pink. He smiles at the child, before returning his original color. Toaster ends up between an election with Supreme Commander ("Humans"). After a while we learn that Toaster wins the election and is the new Supreme Commander. The appliances go into the freezer of Supreme Commander and find another Hearing Aid that is the brother of Hearing Aid. They have not seen each other in the last sixty years. When asked by Toaster why Supreme Commander changed his mind about blowing up the Earth, he says "the touch of the small boy's hand" reminded him that not all humans are bad. They are all about to return to Earth when suddenly Hearing aid's brother forgot to deactivate the rocket. The missile counts down. Toaster jumps off with Hearing Aid's brother and destroys the rocket. Toaster is almost left on Mars, but the others come back for him. After Toaster is on board, Tinselina gives up her clothes so they can have something organic to get back to Earth. The appliances happily ride back to Earth ("Home Again"). The appliances return to Earth just in time as the

baby monitor A baby monitor, also known as a baby alarm, is a radio system used to remotely listen to sounds made by an infant. An audio monitor consists of a transmitter unit, equipped with a microphone, placed near to the child. It transmits the sounds by ...

that Ratso, their pet rat, had been restraining all night, finally wakes Rob and Christine up. One day when they are taping Robbie, Rob finds Tinselina in a garbage can and fixes her up. It is a happy ending with Robbie's first word is "Toaster!" and Tinselina's first time on a Christmas tree. It is a happy ending with the appliances having a happy Christmas with the little master.

Voice cast

Deanna Oliver Deanna Oliver (born September 27, 1952) is an American actress and writer. She hails from Spokane, Washington. Oliver performed the voice of Toaster in the film ''The Brave Little Toaster'' (1987) and its sequels. In addition, she was a writer o ...

as Toaster: A brave, optimistic

toaster A toaster is a small electric appliance that uses radiant heat to brown sliced bread into toast. Types Pop-up toaster In pop-up or automatic toasters, a single vertical piece of bread is dropped into a slot on the top of the toaste ...

as Kirby: A cantankerous but well-meaning

vacuum cleaner A vacuum cleaner, also known simply as a vacuum or a hoover, is a device that causes suction in order to remove dirt from floors, upholstery, draperies, and other surfaces. It is generally electrically driven. The dirt is collected by either a ...

. * Roger Kabler as Radio: A wisecracking, pretentious dial A.M. radio alarm clock. * Timothy Stack as Lampy: A neurotic, slightly irascible, yet enthusiastic gooseneck lamp. *

Eric Lloyd Eric Lloyd (born David Eric Lloyd Morelli; May 19, 1986) is an American actor, musician, and producer. Lloyd is best known for work as a child actor in such roles as Charlie Calvin in Disney's ''The Santa Clause'' film trilogy and the follow-u ...

as Blanky: A childlike

electric blanket An electric blanket is a blanket that contains integrated electrical heating wires. Types include underblankets, overblankets, throws, and duvets. An electric ''underblanket'' is placed above the mattress and below the bottom bed sheet. This is ...

. In the movie, he has matured slightly and forms a bond with baby Robbie. *

Fyvush Finkel Philip "Fyvush" Finkel ( yi, פֿײַוויש פֿינקעל; October 9, 1922 – August 14, 2016) was an American actor known as a star of Yiddish theater and for his role as lawyer Douglas Wambaugh on the television series ''Picket Fences'', ...

as Y. the Hearing Aid: An elderly

hearing aid A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers s ...

who was created by his former owner

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theor ...

. He accidentally beams Robbie onto Mars, triggering the rescue mission. During the adventure, he is reunited with his brother. *

Stephen Tobolowsky Stephen Harold Tobolowsky (born May 30, 1951) is an American character actor. He is known for film roles such as insurance agent Ned Ryerson in '' Groundhog Day'' and amnesiac Sammy Jankis in '' Memento'', as well as such television characters ...

as Calculator: A smart and adventurous pocket-sized

calculator An electronic calculator is typically a portable electronic device used to perform calculations, ranging from basic arithmetic to complex mathematics. The first solid-state electronic calculator was created in the early 1960s. Pocket-sized ...

. He serves as the coordinator of rescue. *

Wayne Knight Wayne Elliot Knight (born August 7, 1955) is an American actor. In television, he played Newman on '' Seinfeld'' (1992–1998) and Officer Don Orville on '' 3rd Rock from the Sun'' (1996–2001). He also voiced Igor on ''Toonsylvania'' (1998 ...

as Microwave: A boastful, offensive, but helpful

microwave oven A microwave oven (commonly referred to as a microwave) is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce ...

who powers the appliance's makeshift aircraft to rescue Robbie. *

as Fanny: A sardonic, grouchy but helpful overhead ceiling fan. She provides the propulsion of the appliances' makeshift aircraft, using power from Microwave microwaving the popcorn. *

Kath Soucie Kath or KATH may refer to: * Kath (city), the historical capital of Khwarezm * Kath (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * KATH-TV, the NBC TV station in Juneau, Alaska * KATH (AM), a radio station in ...

as Tinselina: A beautiful Christmas Angel ornament living on Mars. Kind, soft-spoken, knowledgeable and sensitive, she becomes the appliances' guide on Mars. * Chris Young as Master Rob McGroarty, Sr.: The appliances' master, husband of Chris and father of Robbie. Works as a vet in a barn right next to his house. * Jessica Tuck as Mistress Chris McGroarty: the appliances' mistress, wife of Rob, and mother of Robbie. *

Russi Taylor Russi Taylor (May 4, 1944 – July 26, 2019) was an American voice actress. She is best remembered as the official voice of Minnie Mouse from 1986 to 2019, and was notably married to voice actor Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse, until h ...

as Little Master Rob "Robbie" McGroarty, Jr.: Rob and Chris's infant son. He was beamed into outer space and sent to Mars. He is seemingly aware of the appliances' sentience, going so far as bringing the five main appliances in front of the Christmas tree in the film's ending. *

Farrah Fawcett Farrah Leni Fawcett (born Ferrah Leni Fawcett; February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) was an American actress. A four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she played ...

as Faucet: A motherly automatic faucet on a kitchen

sink A sink is a bowl-shaped plumbing fixture for washing hands, dishwashing, and other purposes. Sinks have a tap (faucet) that supply hot and cold water and may include a spray feature to be used for faster rinsing. They also include a drain t ...

who lives in Rob and Chris' new home. * Redmond O'Neal as Squirt: A nozzle sprayer who is Faucet's son. *

Andy Milder Andy Milder (born August 16, 1969) is an American actor. Career He has appeared in such films as ''Apollo 13'', ''Armageddon'', ''Rumor Has It…'', '' Frost/Nixon'', ''Transformers'', and '' Domino''. He was a series regular on ''Fame L.A.'' ...

as Ratso: Rob and Chris's pet rat who is friends with the appliances. Sarcastic, slightly cantankerous but helpful, he stays on Earth to keep Baby Monitor at bay and Rob and Chris unaware of Robbie's disappearance. *

Scott Menville Scott David Menville (born February 12, 1971) is an American actor who is known for his voice work in animated films, television series and video games. Life and career Menville was born on February 12, 1971, to television animator and writer ...

as Baby Monitor: A

. *

Brian Doyle-Murray Brian Murray (born October 31, 1945), known professionally by his stage name as Brian Doyle-Murray, is an American actor, voice-actor and screenwriter. He has appeared with his younger brother, actor/comedian Bill Murray, in several movies, i ...

as Wittgenstein: A prototype vacuum-tube-based radio

. *

Alan King Alan King (born Irwin Alan Kniberg; December 26, 1927 – May 9, 2004) was an American actor and comedian known for his biting wit and often angry humorous rants. King became well known as a Jewish comedian and satirist. He was also a serious a ...

as Supreme Commander X.: The leader of Mars' appliances. Believing that humans are cruel and take advantage of appliances' obsolescence, the Supreme Commander plots to destroy Earth. He first appears as a giant refrigerator, but is later revealed to be Hearing Aid's long-lost twin brother. **

Jim Cummings James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Since beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in almost 400 roles. Cummings has frequently worked with The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., including as t ...

provides the singing voice of the Supreme Commander *

: The Viking 1 Spacecraft who is among the first Mars denizens to greet the appliances. He serves as a fatherly figure to Tinselina, seeming sad when Tinselina decides to leave Mars to Earth with Toaster and the gang. * Susie Stevens-Logan as Wild West Balloon * Marc Allen Lewis as World's Fair Balloon * Rick Logan as Woodstock Balloon * Paddi Edwards as Satellite #1 * James Murray as Satellite #2 * Jeff Robertson as Military Toaster * Ross Mapletoft as Mixer * James Murray as Iron * Marc Allen Lewis as Freezer *

Ed Gilbert Edmund Francis Gilbert (June 29, 1931 – May 8, 1999) was an American actor, with extensive credits in both live-action roles and voice work in animation, although he was better known for the latter. He is also credited, under his birth name (E ...

as Refrigerator

Music

In addition to four original songs, the soundtrack also includes the song " Bread and Butter" by

The Newbeats ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, played at the film's opening.

Reception

''The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars'' was met with mixed to negative reviews from critics and fans of the original film, with criticism concentrated on its contrived plot and its perceived inferiority to its predecessor.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brave Little Toaster Goes To Mars, The 1988 American novels 1998 animated films 1998 direct-to-video films 1990s American animated films 1990s fantasy adventure films 1998 science fiction films 1998 films 1990s musical films American sequel films American children's animated adventure films American children's animated comic science fiction films American children's animated science fantasy films American children's animated musical films American direct-to-video films American fantasy adventure films Children's science fiction novels Direct-to-video animated films Direct-to-video sequel films Mars in film Novels by Thomas M. Disch Buena Vista Home Entertainment direct-to-video films Hyperion Pictures films Animated films about rats Films with screenplays by Willard Carroll 1990s children's animated films The Brave Little Toaster Films produced by Donald Kushner The Kushner-Locke Company films 1990s English-language films