The Brave Little Toaster (1987)
Director: Jerry Rees
Context:
When I was a child, there were certain movies that I didn't own, but I always made sure to watch whenever I happened to catch them on television. I can't remember how old I was when I first caught The Brave Little Toaster but I do have very early memories of it and it quickly became a favorite.
The film was based on a 1980 novel that had been published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction with the subtitle A Bedtime Story for Small Appliances. In 1982, the film rights were purchased by Disney and it was on its way to become the first fully computer animated film. Spearheaded by animators and writers who would eventually found Pixar, the film couldn't find the proper backing from the studio for its lofty goals and instead was handed over to an independent animation studio Hyperion Pictures with ex-Disney members. This gave it an odd stasis of being an non-Disney film (although the company would later retain the rights for sequels and distribution) made by Disney workers.
Because the creators were saddled with an inferior animation department (whose quality could only reach the heights of a Disney animated television show at the time), they doubled down on crafting the best story and getting the best cast they could with their slashed budget. They assembled many improvisers from the well-respected Groundlings troupe (including Jon Lovitz and Phil Hartman, both virtual unknowns at the time) to voice and ad lib for the characters. And they included darker themes, scarier sequences, and subtle mature humor because they were no longer under Disney's constraints.
Also, in a bold move that not a lot of people realize, they made their unconventional Toaster hero a female. Groundlings member Deanna Oliver was given the part of the Toaster, the leader of a group of distinctively male-voiced appliances. According to the director, one male crew member walked out on the project for them casting a female in the leading role. (It's shameful that this was a huge concern, even in the '80s, but only now does it feel like the industry is actively rectifying their misogynistic casting choices in major films.) It seems that the rest of the staff really knew there was something special going on with this movie, even if the world wouldn't be ready for it.
What they ended up creating was basically the first "Pixar movie" years before audiences would ever see (or know that they'd want a movie like) Toy Story. It's under-appreciated and rarely discussed, but it's clearly a product that was ahead of its time.
Plot:
Lead by a toaster, five household appliances that reside in a summer cabin set off into the outside world to find their missing child Master who hasn't been seen for many years (and who is now heading off to college).
Analysis:
I love Pixar movies as much as the next person, and it's always really hard to pick a favorite out of the slew of well made films. I always fall on the Toy Story trilogy as my favorite though, partially because each film draws inspiration from The Brave Little Toaster. Toy Story borrows the premise, Toy Story 2 borrows some characters/sequences, and Toy Story 3 basically borrows the whole story. In fact, it was Toy Story 3 that made me seek out the connection between this film and Pixar and I found that my suspicions were correct.
(In fact, one of the two co-writers of this film Joe Ranft was a major player in many films of the Disney Renaissance (The Little Mermaid - The Lion King) and helped write Toy Story and Toy Story 2 among other great animated films from this era. He passed away in 2005, so it's likely that Toy Story 3's similar plotline was partially written in his honor.)
So what was it about this movie that grabbed me at such a young age. I think it's all the memorable moments that happen that were basically unheard of in a children's film. The film as a whole is bright, happy, blandy optimistic and the lower animation quality could help it blend in to the background noise of Saturday morning cartoons. But it contains these moments of darkness and emotion that are a treat for people who are actually paying attention to the film.
I counted 10 distinct "dark" scenes that completely fit the tone of the film, yet are bold and memorable nonetheless. Each one deserves to be discussed when talking about the film, so I'll just go ahead and say SPOILERS for the rest of this review.
1. The air conditioner commits suicide
We meet the appliances circa 10 years after their last visit from their Master (the child who used to play with them) and they've all gone a little stir-crazy, despite settling into a daily routine of chores. The air conditioner (Phil Hartman) is portrayed as having suffered from a Shining-esque bout of cabin fever and in his best Jack Nicholson voice, he shares his madness and conspiracy with the others and then overheats himself when he is reminded of the fact that the Master never played with him. He's eventually fixed by the Master later on in a heartwarming scene, but still, that is an intense moment for a younger audience.
2. An abandoned flower dies of heartbreak
Once the crew ventures out into the real world, they meet some wildlife who become obsessed with the reflective surface of the Toaster. One lonely yellow flower in particular falls in love with its reflection and Toaster must tell it off and leave it behind. The flower, not understanding, wilts and dies. The director of the film explained how this was his favorite scene that he made sure to keep in the film as it explains Toaster's eventual maternal love for the electric Blanket (who she had shunned earlier). The symbolism was clear when watching it as an adult, but again, as a kid, it's brutal.
3. The Toaster's nightmare
Not only is the film going to make us cry, it has to have a terrifying sequence in which all of the Toaster's fears and insecurities come out. It has a dream where she's toasting bread for the master and then accidentally burns the toast and the house catches on fire. A firefighter appears as a creepy clown holding a fork and whispering through a gritted toothy smile, "Run." The whole set up is just so unsettling. But still, very creative. (Forks and bathtubs full of water are some more toaster fears that pop up in this sequence.)
4. Lampy needs electricity
Immediately following the nightmare, a thunderstorm breaks out and Blanky gets lost in the dark winds. The dim-witted desk lamp's charge is running out from the car battery that the group brought with them, so he plugs himself in and allows lightning to strike him to recharge the battery so that the group can keep moving. (He doesn't die, but the movie lets you think he did for a good minute.)
5. Kirby snaps from anxiety, recovers, then immediately watches his friends plummet to their deaths
When the gang reaches a raging waterfall, Kirby the grumpy Vacuum Cleaner basically goes haywire. It's unclear whether it's the waterfall itself or the pressure of the whole situation, but he needs a moment to calm down, after which he verbally pushes the rest of the group away. After the group comes up with a plan to cross the chasm by tying cords together, Toaster gets the same jitters and accidentally lets all of them fall into the river below. Kirby becomes unplugged from them and just watches them all disappear. Then he slowly backs away from the edge and out of sight. Then he leaps down to join them. It's hard to tell whether this move was suicidal or heroic or both, but it was another strong moment that I never forgot.
6. The group all accept their deaths as they drown in mud
Remember the heartwrenching scene in Toy Story 3 when the toys all face their death together in the fiery garbage incinerator? Yeah, The Brave Little Toaster did it first.
7. The horrors of the used electronics shop
The gang gets rescued by a prototype of the Toy Story villains Sid and Al from the first two films (who both enjoy collecting and dismantling their inanimate objects). This scene even has a fun creepy song called "It's a B-Movie" highlighting how this wannabe Frankenstein takes such glee in destroying small appliances.
8. The modern electronics conspire to kill the outdated ones
Once our heroes make it to the Master's apartment in the city, they are greeted by all of the new flashy modern appliances who have replaced them. They know that the Master has plans to take his old appliances to college with him, so they team make sure our heroes will be on their way to the junkyard before the Master returns. It's doubly amusing now to watch this scene because even though the appliances were new and cool for the '80s, they are all horribly outdated and have been replaced by better options now. However, people today are more likely to go the vintage retro route like our hipster Master and would place more value on the old appliances from the cabin. (I also like how appliances have a secret knock that they use to get inside places of residence and the native appliances answer the door. It's delightful and I never noticed that when I saw the film before.)
9. The junkyard cars' song, "Worthless"
The whole ending climax at the junkyard (re: Toy Story 3) is amazing and it has a lot going for it. First, we have all of these used cars singing about their glory days of driving their owners to great places before they are crushed into cubes. The scenarios the cars sing about are actually quite macabre and risque and I realized I never really listened to the lyrics as a child. Also, I like to think this scene was pro-active retribution for Pixar's subpar Cars franchise.
10. The Toaster's sacrifice
Finally waiting until the last minute to add the "Brave" element of the title, the Toaster reunites with the Master, only to see him get picked up along with the other appliances by the monstrous electromagnet of the junkyard. As the Master and the rest of our heroes are moments away from being crushed by the car crusher, the Toaster hurls herself into the gears of the structure, saving all involved.
I'm not even going to go into the strange under tones of having all of these appliances devoted to their "Master." It's less subtle than the strange Toy Story universe implications...
Final Thoughts:
This kids' move takes huge risks and everyone of them absolutely pays off. Although part of me is upset that it never got the full Disney treatment it was supposed to have, I'm glad the independence of the future Pixar team saw their slighted position as an opportunity to tell a great story. Honestly, a fresh coat of paint and some improved sound/music editing could make this into a full blown masterpiece, but as it stands, I'm happy to be one of the small number of hardcore fans for this gem of a film. If you haven't seen it in a while (or ever), please seek it out.
And give your toaster a hug.
No comments:
Post a Comment