It may sound simple, but the story is anything but. Though the story would look like if Toy Story with elements from Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, it feels a bit more original since this film came out before those two films and of course some animators and writers who worked on this would eventually work on Toy Story and at PIXAR. Despite a budget that is practically an eighth of what it takes to produce decent animation, the heart and creativity gives it that special edge.

The project was then taken to independent studio Hyperion, where it ended up in the hands of Lasseter's good friends, animators Jerry Rees (Tron) and Joe Ranft (later Pixar writer) who transformed the novella into a smart screenplay that, unlike Disney, wasn't afraid to take risks with its imagery or ideas. Unfortunately, Disney's films were in the dark Disney era, therefore it's penny-pinching management pulled the plug on the project and fired Lasseter from his job.

That animator was John Lasseter, who sought to combine 2-D characters on a computer background in-house at Disney. Disch, was originally a vehicle for a young animator's directorial debut. This film, based from the novella by Thomas M. Along the way, they learn to deal with their differences and band together to get home. Their journey includes the stuff of adventure including appliance mutilation at a parts shop, a waterfall, evil modern appliances, and a sadistic junkyard magnet. Fed up with waiting, Toaster decides its time for them to set out toward the 'City of Light' to find him. In an isolated summer cabin, five anthropomorphic household appliances (a toaster, a vacuum, a desk lamp, a radio, and an electric blanket) wait forlornly in anticipation for the return of 'The Master,' a little boy whom they formed a bond with before his '2,000 day' disappearance with his family. Thanks to its smart writing, near-perfect direction, a glowing voice cast, and not half-bad animation, TBLT is cooked to the right shade of entertainment. The Brave Little Toaster is a gem of creativity from a team of Disney animators independently of their corporate masters which never got the release it so richly deserves. Sometimes there comes a film that falls under the radar, despite earning positive reviews from many important critics. Cooked to the right shade of entertainment.

Brave little toaster vacuum