This Forgotten 1980s Kids Movie Was Extremely Traumatic (& Helped Pave the Way for a Devastating Pixar Hit)

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Before Pixar’s Toy Story changed animation forever and became a major part of Disney, the company was facing a difficult period. The 1980s were a time of change, and while there were some successes like The Fox and the Hound, there were also many failures, such as The Black Cauldron. However, even these unsuccessful projects proved valuable, as they helped develop the talent that would eventually create Pixar’s groundbreaking ideas.

Released in 1987, The Brave Little Toaster is an animated film about a group of surprisingly lifelike household appliances. Though made by Hyperion Pictures, Disney released it on video, and it gained a devoted following – becoming known for its unexpectedly scary scenes that frightened many children. Interestingly, The Brave Little Toaster shares a creative history with Pixar. Two of its writers, John Lasseter and Joe Ranft, later became central figures in the creation of Pixar’s hugely successful Toy Story franchise.

Why The Brave Little Toaster Traumatized ’90s Kids

At the beginning of The Brave Little Toaster, we meet a group of household appliances – Toaster, Radio, Lampy, Kirby the vacuum, and Blanky – as they wake up. This peaceful start quickly changes as it becomes apparent that these appliances are old and forgotten. They spend their days doing pointless tasks, hoping for the return of “The Master,” the boy who used to own them, but who left a long time ago. It’s clear this isn’t a typical cartoon when the air conditioner dramatically breaks down and causes a short circuit.

The real trouble starts when the appliances set out to find their owner. Blanky cries for help as swamp creatures try to pull him into the ground, and Lampy almost gets electrocuted in a thunderstorm. Toaster has a terrifying nightmare about a scary clown with a fork. Later, at the junkyard, they see cars being crushed while sadly singing about being worthless. Both fans and critics agree that if these events happened to people instead of toys, the movie would definitely be rated R – it would be much more like a horror film than a Disney classic.

Okay, so this movie… it really stuck with me. Even with what’s ultimately a cheerful conclusion, there’s this lingering sense of sadness and a real feeling of existential dread. But it’s not like the filmmakers didn’t mean for it to feel that way. I was reading an old interview with the director, Jerry Rees, and he explained they intentionally leaned into the darkness. He said these characters, despite being adorable, were facing a genuinely scary situation – the fear of becoming irrelevant, which is something we all grapple with. He specifically asked the voice actors to play it straight, to really believe in the bleakness of their world, and avoid any comedic takes. It’s a surprisingly thoughtful approach, and it definitely works – the film’s emotional weight stays with you long after the credits roll.

Rees’ animated appliances were treated with genuine emotion, much like the characters Buzz and Woody in Toy Story. This similarity isn’t accidental – the team behind The Brave Little Toaster included future Pixar pioneers like John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, and David Newman (Randy Newman’s cousin). They used what they learned from making Toaster – both its triumphs and mistakes – to help create one of the earliest and most successful computer-animated films.

The Brave Little Toaster Crawled So That Pixar’s Toy Story Could Run

John Lasseter was deeply influenced by the concept of giving emotions and personalities to everyday objects, particularly their fears of being left behind. This idea, first explored in The Brave Little Toaster, became the foundation for Toy Story and would ultimately define Pixar’s storytelling style. Watching Toaster now feels like seeing an early version of a Pixar film. Even specific scenes, like the trash compactor sequence, foreshadowed later moments, such as the intense incinerator scene in Toy Story 3. Almost every Pixar movie featuring objects with feelings – including Cars, WALL-E, and Inside Out – draws inspiration from The Brave Little Toaster. Though Pixar’s tone shifted towards a more hopeful, Disney-like approach, the films still treat the struggles of non-human characters with genuine seriousness, a key element that began with Toaster.

Surprisingly, The Brave Little Toaster was important in the making of Toy Story. John Lasseter, who later directed Toy Story, was initially fired from Disney after proposing a computer-animated version of The Brave Little Toaster. This rejection led him to join a small graphics team that eventually became Pixar. Essentially, the idea that cost him his job at Disney became the foundation of Pixar’s success. Brave Little Toaster can be seen as a key stepping stone between Disney’s traditional animation and Pixar’s groundbreaking digital work – it was one of the first films to explore giving objects personality and purpose.

Maybe that’s part of why The Brave Little Toaster remains so beloved. While its bizarre and sometimes scary scenes stuck with many who grew up in the ’90s, the film also tapped into relatable feelings of being abandoned and finding purpose even when things are outdated. It evolved from being about a boy and his toaster to a boy and all his toys, though with less frightening imagery.

Did watching The Brave Little Toaster upset you when you were younger? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2025-10-23 23:40