The Brave Little Toaster facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Brave Little Toaster
UK release poster
Directed by	Jerry Rees
Produced by	Donald Kushner Thomas L. Wilhite
Screenplay by	Jerry Rees Joe Ranft
Story by	Jerry Rees Joe Ranft Brian McEntee Jim Ryan
Starring	Deanna Oliver Timothy E. Day Jon Lovitz Tim Stack Thurl Ravenscroft Wayne Kaatz Colette Savage Phil Hartman Joe Ranft Jim Jackman
Music by	David Newman
Editing by	Donald W. Ernst
Studio	Hyperion Pictures The Kushner-Locke Company Wang Film Productions Company Limited
Distributed by	Hyperion Pictures (US) ITC Entertainment (UK)
Release date(s)	June 19, 1987 (1987-06-19) (Orlando) July 13, 1987 (1987-07-13) (Los Angeles)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$2.3 million
Money made	$2.3 million (estimated)

The Brave Little Toaster is an animated musical film from 1987. It was made in both America and the United Kingdom. The movie is based on a 1980 book by Thomas M. Disch called The Brave Little Toaster. Jerry Rees directed the film.

The story takes place in a world where everyday household items, like toasters and lamps, can come to life. But they pretend to be just regular objects when people are around. The movie follows five of these talking appliances: a toaster, a lamp, a blanket, a radio, and a vacuum cleaner. They go on an exciting adventure to find their beloved owner.

The film was created by Hyperion Animation and The Kushner-Locke Company. Many talented artists from CalArts, including some who later worked at Pixar, helped make this movie. Even though it was only shown in a few theaters, The Brave Little Toaster got good reviews. It became very popular when people watched it at home. Two sequels followed: The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars and The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue.

The Story of the Brave Little Toaster

For a very long time, five small appliances live happily in a cozy cottage. These friends are Toaster, Radio, Lampy (a lamp), Blanky (a blanket), and Kirby (a vacuum cleaner). Every day, they hope their owner, a boy named Rob, will come back home.

One day, they learn that a real estate agent is selling the house. The appliances are very sad. Toaster doesn't want to believe Rob would leave them. So, Toaster decides they must go find him. The group builds a special carriage using Kirby, a power strip, an office chair, and a battery. They then set off on a big adventure, following Radio's signals.

On their journey, the appliances face many challenges. They learn to work together as a team. One night, a scary clown nightmare and a big storm wake them up. The storm blows Blanky high into the trees. Lampy bravely uses himself as a lightning rod to try and recharge their dead battery.

After rescuing Blanky, they try to cross a waterfall. Everyone falls in except Kirby. Kirby dives in and saves them all. The appliances then end up in a muddy swamp. They lose their chair and battery. The group has to pull the tired Kirby through the mud. They almost drown in a mud hole but are saved by Elmo St. Peters. He owns a store that sells appliance parts. Inside, they see old, broken appliances that have lost all hope.

When Radio is almost taken apart for his radio tubes, the friends pretend to be a ghost. They scare St. Peters away and escape. The broken appliances in the shop also manage to get back to their owners.

Meanwhile, Rob is now a young adult living in an apartment. He is about to leave for college. He and his girlfriend, Chris, go back to the cottage to get his old appliances. Rob's newer appliances in his apartment secretly see this. They become jealous of the old ones.

When Toaster and his friends arrive at Rob's apartment, the new appliances brag about being "cutting edge." They sing a song about how modern they are. Then, they push the old appliances into the apartment's dumpster. The dumpster is soon taken to a junkyard called Ernie's Disposal.

Rob thinks his cottage was robbed and his old appliances were stolen. He and Chris return to his apartment. His old black and white television, who used to live in the cottage, shows fake commercials. These commercials encourage Rob and Chris to go to Ernie's Disposal to find the appliances.

At the junkyard, the appliances face a scary car crusher. A mean crane with a magnet picks up junk and puts it on a conveyor belt leading to the crusher. The appliances see Rob in the junkyard. They realize he still needs them. They try to stop the magnet so Rob can find them.

After many tries, the magnet picks up Rob and his appliances. It drops them onto the conveyor belt. Toaster bravely jumps into the crusher's gears. He stops it just in time, saving Rob and his friends. Rob survives and takes all five appliances back to his apartment. Toaster is a bit squashed, but Rob fixes him. Rob then takes all five appliances, along with Chris, to college.

Main Characters and Voice Actors

This film features many talented voice actors who bring the appliances to life.

• Toaster (voiced by Deanna Oliver): Toaster is a brave and kind pop-up toaster. He is the leader of the group. He comes up with the idea to find their owner, Rob. Deanna Oliver also tried out for the voice of the Air Conditioner before getting the role of Toaster.
• Blanky (voiced by Timothy E. Day): Blanky is an electric blanket. He is innocent and a bit insecure. He misses Rob the most and wants to be reunited with him. Toaster and Blanky have a close, caring relationship, like older and younger siblings. Timothy E. Day also voices young Rob in flashbacks.
• Lampy (voiced by Tim Stack): Lampy is a tensor gooseneck desktop lamp. He is bright but sometimes a little silly. He is very brave, especially when he uses himself as a lightning rod during a storm. Lampy and Radio often argue, but they become better friends during their journey. Tim Stack also voices a salesman named "Zeke."
• Radio (voiced by Jon Lovitz and Jerry Rees for singing): Radio is a funny radio who loves to talk like a loud announcer. He often bickers with Lampy.
• Kirby (voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft): Kirby is a Kirby vacuum cleaner. He has a very deep voice and often seems grumpy. But he cares deeply for his friends.
• Rob McGroarty (voiced by Wayne Kaatz): Rob is the human owner of the five appliances. He is now a young adult going to college. Unlike in the book, Rob still loves his old appliances and takes them with him in the end.
• Chris (voiced by Colette Savage): Chris is Rob's supportive girlfriend.
• Air Conditioner (voiced by Phil Hartman): The Air Conditioner lives in the cottage. He is sarcastic and gets angry easily, causing him to overheat. Rob fixes him later. Phil Hartman also voices the Hanging Lamp in the spare parts shop.
• Elmo St. Peters (voiced by Joe Ranft): He owns a shop where he takes apart and sells appliance parts. Joe Ranft also voices the clown in Toaster's nightmare.
• Black and White TV (voiced by Jonathan Benair): An old monochrome console television who moves to Rob's apartment. He helps Rob find his old appliances.
• Plugsy (voiced by Jim Jackman): Plugsy is a pear-shaped night table lamp in Rob's apartment. He and the other modern appliances are initially mean to the old gang.

Music from the Movie

The music for The Brave Little Toaster was created by David Newman and Van Dyke Parks. The soundtrack helps tell the story and makes the movie even more special.

All songs written and composed by Van Dyke Parks. 

The Film's Impact and Legacy

The Brave Little Toaster is special because many talented people worked on it. Both experienced artists and new ones contributed. Many cast and crew members went on to have successful careers in animation.

For example, co-writer Joe Ranft became a script supervisor at Pixar. Animators like Glen Keane and Kirk Wise helped create famous Disney films. These include The Little Mermaid and The Lion King. Director Mark Dindal later directed Disney's The Emperor's New Groove.

Many people have noticed that this film has ideas similar to the Toy Story movies. John Lasseter, who worked on Toy Story, was involved with The Brave Little Toaster early on.

Two sequels were made about ten years later: The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1997) and The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1998). Goes to Mars is based on a sequel to the original book. To the Rescue tells a brand new story. Most of the original voice actors returned for these sequels. However, they had a new director and crew.

The original film has a strong group of fans who love it. People who worked on the movie, like director Jerry Rees and voice actress Deanna Oliver, have heard many stories from fans. These fans say the film deeply affected them and taught them important life lessons. For example, soldiers even asked Deanna Oliver to sign toasters to take with them overseas! This shows how much the film means to people around the world.

See also

In Spanish: The Brave Little Toaster para niños