The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars is a 1998 direct-to-video film based on the children's book of the same name by Thomas M. Disch, as well as the film made from the same author. Like the book, the film is a sequel to The Brave Little Toaster. The film was distributed by Walt Disney Home Video. It is the third film in the series, but was completed and released in the United States before the other film The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue.
Plot[]
Rob and his girlfriend, Chris have married and now have a baby son named Robbie who plays with Toaster, Blanky, Lampy, Radio, and Kirby just like his father did when he was little (I See a New You). The appliances make it their prime directive to make sure nothing happens to Robbie to which they refer to as the Little Master. That night the Hearing Aid, who was left in the junk drawer by his former owner (Albert Einstein), sneaks out and goes to the window and gets in contact with someone from space telling them that tomorrow night he'll be ready. Toaster who has secretly followed Hearing Aid listens from behind the door and tells the others about it the next day and decide to keep an eye on him but as night falls they fall asleep on the job. Hearing Aid escapes from the drawer and to the attic once more. Robbie, awakened by the sound of the transmission, climbs out of his crib and follows Hearing Aid. The appliances awaken, find Robbie going up the stairs and pursue him, leading them to enter the attic just as a beam of light appears. The shocked appliances pursue Hearing Aid, but in spite of this, Robbie is beamed into space.
With Calculator's help, the appliances learn from Hearing Aid's memory that Robbie has been transported to the planet Mars. According to Hearing Aid the transportation was actually meant for him and not the Little master, but his contact is unable to repeat the process so now both he and the Little Master are stuck where they are at. With no other choice, Toaster decides they are going to go to Mars themselves and rescue the Little Master. The gang contact their old college buddy, Wittgenstein through the computer and he gives them a list of stuff they are going to need to get into outer space such as an overhead fan (named "Fanny") to fly, a laundry basket to travel in, and a microwave oven with microwave popcorn (with cheddar cheese flavoring) as a power source. Calculator is also provided with the required data to be their navigator. After getting all the stuff they need the appliances head off to Mars and on the way they're encountered by singing balloons (Floating). Once they get to Mars the appliances are greeted by numerous big and small machines, including Viking I the Satellite and Tinselina a Christmas angel who was sent to Mars with the former. However, soon after their arrival, the appliances and Tinselina are taken hostage by an army of military toasters who escort them to their 'Supreme Commander', a colossal refrigerator, the leader of the Wonderluxe appliances who have taken Robbie as their special prisoner and plan to destroy Earth for their mistreatment. As revealed by Tinselina, the appliances Mars were built on Earth by a corrupted Alpine manufacturer named "Wonderluxe" and designed to fail from the get-go under a scheme of planned obsolescence. Angered with their design flaws, the Wonderluxe appliances escaped, built a missile rocket set to leave the Earth, and landed on Mars. Furthermore, the Wonderluxe appliances, harboring hatred for humans, have since built a weapon of mass destruction with the intention of destroying Earth in retaliation. Toaster and his friends try to get the Supreme Commander to understand that not all humans are bad, but he just scoffs at their sentimentality. Intent on averting the earth's destruction, and with an upcoming election, Toaster decides to challenge the Supreme Commander for his seat, appointing Hearing Aid as his running mate. As Toaster and the Supreme Commander engage in a heated debate (Humans), Robbie is able to push a hand out of his bubble and touch the Supreme Commander, who is briefly overcome with warmth and begins to rethink things.
Because the Supreme Commander only got one vote, the election ends with Toaster the victor. They then meet with the defeated Supreme Commander, who allows the appliances to discover what is behind his doors. As they venture into the icy interior of the Supreme Commander, they find the true form of the Supreme Commander, who Hearing Aid recognizes as his long lost brother, who he has not seen in sixty years. It was he who was contacting Hearing Aid on Earth. Hearing Aid's brother then reveals that he also originally belonged to Albert Einstein, who left him in the wake of World War II, during which he fell into the hands of a Nazi leader, whose ideals influenced him, leading him to become disillusioned with mankind. When he got mixed in with the Wonderluxe appliances, he assumed an alternate identity to rule through fear. Only after experiencing "the touch of the small boy's hand," combined with Toaster's convicted campaign, did he realize that not all humans are bad so he decided not to destroy Earth after all and voted for Toaster. That confuses everyone as to who voted for the Supreme Commander. Toaster reveals, to everyone's shock, that it was him as he didn't feel right voting for himself. With that conflict resolved, Tinselina observes, "All's Well That Ends Well."
The next day, the appliances, along with Hearing Aid's brother and Tinselina, depart to leave and go back home to Earth, but as they are about to fly off, Hearing Aid's brother remembers that he forgot to deactivate The Missile and he and Toaster rush back to the Rocket and stop it just before it is about to destroy Earth. Toaster at first is happy because they managed to stop the Rocket, but is also sad because he thinks that he and Hearing Aid's brother are getting left on Mars, but the gang manages to come back and rescues them and head for home ("Home Again"). Unfortunately, they were forced to use Tinselina's hair and accessories as a secondary power source. As soon as they get home Robbie walks into his room to his parents who think that he learned it in the night. Soon it's Christmas and Robbie says his first word (to them, anyway) which is "Toaster!" And he brings in Toaster, Radio, Blanky, Lampy, and Kirby to which Chris turns to Rob and says, "Like father, like son." While Chris and Rob leave the room for a little while the gang comes alive and celebrates Christmas with Robbie and look up at Tinselina who Rob and Chris put up on the top of the tree with new hair and accessories.
Cast[]
- Deanna Oliver as Toaster
- Thurl Ravenscroft as Kirby
- Roger Kabler as Radio
- Tim Stack as Lampy
- Eric Lloyd as Blanky
- Russi Taylor as Robbie
- Chris Young as Rob
- Jessica Tuck as Chris
- Carol Channing as Fanny
- Farrah Fawcett as Faucet
- DeForest Kelley as Viking 1
- Alan King as Supreme Commander
- Jim Cummings as Supreme Commander's singing voice
- Andy Milder as Ratso
- Kath Soucie as Tinselina
- Wayne Knight as Microwave
- Fyvush Finkel as Hearing Aid
- Stephen Tobolowsky as Calculator
- Redmond O'Neal as Squirt
- Brian Doyle-Murray as Wittgenstein
Songs[]
- "Bread and Butter"
- "I See A New You"
- "Floating"
- "Humans"
- "Home Again"
Trivia[]
- This video and The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue were in production at the same time.
- The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue was to be the second film (since it deals with Rob at college) and this one was to be the third, but this one ended up getting released first instead.
- Viking I was the last role that DeForest Kelley ever played before his death when he died in 1999 from stomach cancer.
- Satellite I was even the last role that Paddi Edwards ever played before her death when she died in 1999 from respiratory failure.
- Kirby was also the last role that Thurl Ravenscroft ever played before his death when he died in 2005 from prostate cancer.
- Fanny was too the last role that Carol Channing ever played before her death when she died in 2019 from natural causes.
- In the book, they go to Mars to stop an invasion.
- In the book, they put macaroni and cheese in the microwave.
- In the book, the appliances on Mars were called the "Populuxe Appliances".
- In the book, only Fanny, Microwave, Hearing Aid, Lab Calculator, Toaster, Radio, and Blanky (after sneaking on the laundry basket) went to Mars; Lampy and Kirby stayed behind.
- In the film, those same characters go along, Lampy and Kirby.
- The objects that stayed behind in the book and film are Compy, Casy, Mousy, Keyby, Printer, Wittgenstein, the S.C., the Faucet, Squirt, the Crib, the Baby Monitor, his brother, the Camera, the C.C., the Wall Clock, the Alarm Clock, and the Mantel Clock.
- This film aired on Toon Disney in June 2001.
- On the VHS release, during the end credits, Mark Elliott is heard announcing that a trailer for The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue would be following, both making the end credits at warp speed and shortening the song Floating.
- The Disney Channel and Toon Disney broadcasts omitted the brief scene at the very end where Toasters plugs in the Christmas lights. This may have been for either time constrictions or safety reasons.
