The Brave Little Toaster (1987) may have not been a realistic family film with living appliances, but it did have something special about it. The characters and scenes that were created using them were all memorable. While it's typically not associated with the Disney renaissance period, it is has a strong following behind it. But like many tent pole starters, the studio took advantage of it years later by creating direct-to-video sequels. While The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1997) was by no means a match to the original, it did manage to remain fairly faithful to the universe that it was built upon. However, it was surprising to learn that much of the original voice cast did not return for the follow up. When it came to this entry, it's no longer surprising.
Once again written by Willard Carroll, the title to this sequel is by no means lying about its premise. The brave little toaster and friends indeed go to mars. All because of one tired hearing aid (Fyvush Finkel) who was planning to leave everyone else behind and it just so happens, Rob & Chris' child somehow gets entangled into the tractor beam that was supposed to take hearing aid. The story has gone full out wacky. Direction hasn't changed either with Robert C. Ramirez in charge. The plot here is just so outlandish that it mostly rejects any kind of sense the first two stories had. The characters actually make it to mars by riding a fan driven laundry basket powered by a microwave. Sorry what? There are just too many questions to ask related to this.
How does the microwave create enough power for the whole crew to break earth's gravity? What's the microwave even powered by? The first film had the sense to know that a battery was at least needed. Not to mention, Chris & Rob's baby is kept alive in space via a bubble. It's this kind of writing that really says the to the viewer that this is really a young kids film. Sure, the first film had some very adult themes, but this a complete departure from that entirely. That's not to say everything's bad,...but the story itself is. It's remarkably unrealistic to that of the what the original set up. Not to mention the execution of this story takes place in less than a day. In order to accomplish this, going from earth to mars round trip means the team must have been traveling super fast.
For voices, the cast from the second film return with some additions. Deanna Oliver, Thurl Ravenscroft and Timothy Stack all return for a third time as their respective characters. Eric Lloyd, Roger Kable, Andy Milder, Jessica Tuck, Chris Young and Brian Doyle-Murray all return from the second film for their roles. Lastly, extras to the story are Calculator (Stephen Tobolowsky), Microwave (Wayne Knight), Faucet (Farrah Fawcett), Fanny (Carol Channing) and Tinselina (Kath Soucie). All whom voice their characters well, some of which viewers may not recognize initially until the credits roll. It's just unfortunate that these talented actors are participating in such an average sequel. Thankfully, they at least know how to act.
The visuals to this entry are decent. Paul Lin who was animation director for this and the second film made the film look okay. For what the film had budget wise, this is passable animation. It's not expected to be anything blockbuster worthy. Music on the other hand was mixed this time. The songs created by William Finn are rather bland and don't contribute to any character development. This includes the lyrics written by Ellen Fitzhugh, which is just very boring. The only saving grace is that Jim Cummings sings one of those songs. As for the score, Alexander Janko returns to compose and while it isn't outstanding, he does have a reoccurring theme, which is appreciated. The music does fit the scene it is used for.
This third sequel is not a terrible film, but it certainly ignores practically all the setting up the original film made. The voice actors do well and the animation is still fair for the film that it is. However, the music is middling at best and the plot is just very silly.
