The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (NR, 1998)

The gang of animated household appliances are back in THE BRAVE LITTLE TOASTER GOES TO MARS. When their master's new baby, Robbie, is mysteriously beamed into the cosmos, Toaster, Radio, Blanky, Lampy, and Kirby the vacuum cleaner utilize a laundry basket, a microwave oven, a calculator, a fan and some microwave popcorn to fly to Mars to retrieve the baby. On Mars, the appliances find Robbie but encounter an army of angry appliances that have built a missile to destroy Earth. Toaster manages to deactivate the missile and they all head back to Earth, along with a Christmas Tree Angel. Robbie is returned to his crib before his parents wake up. When he learns how to walk, he rescues the Christmas Tree Angel from a trash can so his parents can put it on top of their tree.

While visually similar (if less accomplished), this sequel is aimed more directly at children than was its big-screen predecessor. The original Brave Little Toaster contained intellectual, emotional, and symbolic elements designed for older viewers as well. The story of this movie, based on a novella by sci-fi author Thomas M. Disch, contains aspects which point to historical and political satire (including a subplot involving Albert Einstein, and a capitalism vs. socialism subtext), but everything has been simplified and homogenized for kiddie consumption.

This is a straight cartoon for kids, and on that level, it's perfectly pleasant. There is something intrinsically amusing about seeing household appliances come to life, and the original appliance characters are as cute as ever. New characters add to the fun and the celebrity voice cast includes Wayne Knight, Carol Channing, Alan King, DeForest Kelley and Farrah Fawcett as -- what else -- a talking faucet.

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Robert Ramirez
Cast: Deanna Oliver, Thurl Ravenscroft, Timothy Stack
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 72 minutes
Theatrical release: January 1, 1998
DVD release: March 2, 2004
MPAA Rating: NR