Disch's "Brave Little Toaster" books, which the films are based on, but now that I've seen the entire film trilogy, I think the 1987 original was aimed at all ages, whereas the two late 90's sequels are more for kids. However, I certainly couldn't give either sequel the 8/10 I gave to the original. Looking back, it doesn't seem all that bad, and has a pretty good ending. I probably would consider this sequel slightly inferior to "The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue", but I feel I could give it the same rating, 6/10, instead of 5. With Wayne Knight providing the voice of the Microwave, the character definitely could have been funnier. There were parts I found amusing, such as Ratso making baby sounds into the intercom, but I don't think there were too many others. "The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars" also lacks humour, much like "To the Rescue", but maybe even more so. The part where the appliances (original and new ones) are on their way to Mars and meet a bunch of helium balloons floating in space I found to be a weak moment, but I guess it's more for kids. Neither of the sequels' plots can match the appliances' first adventure.
I thought it would be kind of interesting seeing our appliance heroes on their only adventure away from Earth, but to me, it wasn't too entertaining after all. The baby song near the beginning seemed awfully sappy for a "Brave Little Toaster" song to me, but I guess the rest of them aren't that bad. The following night, they all witness Robbie being sucked out the window in a beam of light, and soon learn that he has been taken to Mars! In order to try and get the baby back before his parents wake up and realize he is gone, the Red Planet is where the appliances must go! Like the other two installments in the trilogy, this one features a bunch of songs. The Toaster wakes up and can tell he's up to something, so he tells the others about it the next day. One night, the Hearing Aid, who lives in the kitchen drawer, sneaks upstairs while everyone else is asleep. At first, the appliances are not sure how this will work out for them, but soon find themselves enjoying the company of the "Little Master". One day, the couple returns home with a new baby boy, Robbie. He is now married to his long-term girlfriend, Chris, and they live in rural house, along with Rob's old appliances (Toaster, Blanky, Kirby, Lampy, and Radio), and Ratso. Rob, known as "The Master" to his childhood appliances, has graduated from college and become a veterinarian. "The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars" might be the worst of the three. Neither of them is any match for the bizarre 80's Hyperion Pictures production, though both of them have their moments. As it turns out, it's good I didn't, or I would have been let down. I knew these two sequels weren't that popular, so I didn't have very high expectations for them. After all these years, I've finally seen the two late 90's direct-to-video sequels to the barely theatrical 1987 original, which I saw many times in my childhood, probably mostly before the sequels were made. The third film, "The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue", takes place in between the original and this one. This was released as the second film in the "Brave Little Toaster" trilogy, but is actually the final adventure. All in all, a bland sequel, but not a bad one. The characters are still likable, and the voice actors do do very well, even the new-comers and replacements. The writing isn't as strong, but there are some humorous and poignant ones which I appreciated. The backgrounds are decent enough as are the colours. However, apart from some characters being re-designed and looking rather strange and off-model, the animation is not too bad. Also it is lacking the eerie yet compelling, touching quality the original has. The songs are on the forgettable and unnecessary side too, the one at the beginning especially is the epitome of sap.
It is too short, and the story is rather predictable and rushed despite the quite nice ending. Its problems are actually similar to the first sequel's. Both are rather bland in comparison, but both are watchable unlike some of the other animated sequels I've seen. I love the first Brave Little Toaster, and saw both its sequels The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue and The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars.
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