This is my first film analysis of the year. Each month, I may have a film analysis entry or two, based on a movie or a series of films. While popular movies may be easier to recognize, I decided to do a more obscure one. This one is The Brave Little Toaster (1987), made by Hyperion Pictures and the Kushner-Locke Company, distributed by Disney. This would have to be the precursor of every Pixar movie that came out since 1995.
In case if you’re curious on what it’s about, The Brave Little Toaster is a movie about five appliances (Toaster, Radio, Blanky, Lampy, and Kirby) going on an adventure after being left behind in a cottage for years. Their goal was to find the Master’s home and reconcile with the Master. During their journey, they went through several dangers that required everyone helping each other out, such as a windy thunderstorm in the forest, a parts shop ran by an unethical businessman, and a junkyard where an electromagnet was trying to kill them. While they were on their journey, they met other appliances and machines, like the broken, low-functioning parts shop appliances, the fancy, high-tech cutting-edge appliances, and the old junkyard cars that were about to meet their end.
There are many ways you can interpret the movie and the symbolism surrounding it. One way I interpret it are the social classes in society, and everything that went wrong with each appliance represents the hardships each of the social classes had to go through. In particular, the main appliances represent the middle class, the parts shop appliances represent the poor, and the cutting-edge appliances represent the rich.
WARNING: There are spoilers below. If you are interested into watching The Brave Little Toaster, but have not seen it, do not continue reading until you watch it. If you have seen it or don’t want to watch it, you may proceed further.
The Cutting-Edge Appliances:
As soon as the main appliances finally made it to the city, they went to the Master’s apartment, but he left to the cottage to pick them up. While they were there, they met some other appliances that were more technologically advanced. Being the most advanced at the time, they sang a song, bragging about how they’re better than the main appliances. Because the Master loved the main appliances more, they kicked them out of the apartment, which got them sent to the junkyard.
Whether or not they got rid of the main appliances, the Master rejected the cutting-edge appliances. He wouldn’t take them to college, even if he couldn’t get the main appliances. Fortunately, he was able to find the main appliances via false ads given by the TV, and he was able to take all five of them. The main appliances got a happy ending after everything that went wrong, while the cutting-edge appliances were left behind.
As many viewers acknowledged, the cutting-edge appliances were bound to become obsolete. They were lucky that they were the state of the art back in the 1980s, but as time went on, there was something more advanced that replaced them, only to be replaced by something even more advanced. If you think about it, this is a big deal to the cutting-edge appliances, because they would eventually become worthless and be sent to the junkyard, just like what they did to the main appliances. Or they could be sent to the parts shop if anyone wanted to collect them in the future. Another problem the cutting-edge appliances would encounter is that older technology were built to last, while newer technology were built to appeal to customers while making profit. One reason why the main appliances have won in the long run is because of how long they would last. Several people have used appliances like refrigerators and microwaves that lasted over 20 years. Sometimes even 50 years. While flatscreen HD TVs, smartphones, computers, while they can do anything that older appliances can’t do, they don’t last long, especially when some older computers are no longer being supported after 10 years. The Master’s choice of choosing the older appliances isn’t just out of love and nostalgia. It’s also about practicality. Another reason why the main appliances have won in the long run is because of their timeless designs. While the cutting-edge appliances look very 1980s by today’s standards.
How they symbolize the rich:
Their song “The Cutting Edge” sounds a lot like something coming from a rich person, boasting about themselves to everyone who’s not like them. Well actually, they do represent the rich. When something is new, they are capable of performing better, and as new technology, they can do more than what the main appliances can do. This is like how having more money would give you more access to anything, like better houses, better cars, more entertainment, and better education. Let’s say that you or your family makes $150,000 a year. You would be able to afford a nice house, get a nice car, and have a decent living. But a rich person, they would not only be able to afford a bigger house, but also a better house. Your house may have a lawn in the backyard at best, while they got a swimming pool that’s fancier than your average swimming pool. You may also have to work to save up for a trip to Disney World or a trip to Paris, while they can do that any time.
Now for the hardships. Just because one person is rich doesn’t mean they are free from hardships. The fact that the cutting-edge appliances got rejected by the Master can be seen as how rich people really can’t get everything they want. Take The Powerpuff Girls for example. One of the characters, Princess Morbucks, came from a fancy rich house whose father can get her anything she wants because they have money. But one thing she wanted most was to become a Powerpuff Girl. Unfortunately, she could not become one, because she’s not capable of showing responsibility of having powers, as she’s more about herself than helping others. Or in all Charlie and the Chocolate Factory media, the worst of the kids, Veruca, was used to getting everything she wanted. She finally began to face the limits when Willy Wonka refused to sell one of his squirrels (or in the 1971 movie, one of his geese), but she couldn’t accept it. Even in serious, one-chance cases, the rich still can’t get everything they want.
Another hardship of being rich as the cutting-edge appliances represent is that one day, the rich are bound to fall. While a high-paying practical job would keep some rich people rich, one problem is that some don’t save their money and continue to spend them on needless luxuries. Sure they can continue getting away with it, but what if they lose their source of income? Eventually, they’ll run out of money, which will send them downwards to the lower classes of society. The cutting-edge appliances were the most advanced at the time, but eventually, even more advanced technology made them more obsolete. This is like how the richest will no longer be considered the richest, and the wear and tear of cutting-edge appliances is akin to how they would go down a couple steps in social status.
The Main Appliances:
The main appliances went through a lot throughout the movie. As the first few scenes imply, they have been abandoned for years, as they have been hopelessly waiting for the Master to come back. The final straw with this, was that the cottage they’ve been staying in was being put for sale. As a result, they left the cottage and went to find the Master.
The first two days of their adventure was okay, but after that bad dream scene, they began to face the dangers of their journey. They went through a violent storm, fell down the waterfall, sank in the mud, nearly got killed by a parts shop owner, got discarded to the junkyard, and nearly got killed by the crusher. However, every time they went through these dangers, they all helped each other out, despite differences. At the end, they were all together and well, as they went to college.
Over time, the appliances got along with each other better. Toaster was able to get everyone under her control. Lampy and Radio, who fought each other for most of the film, got along with each other better. Blanky was redeemed for his clinginess and accepted by all. And Kirby, despite his grouchiness, got along with the rest. It would’ve been better for them to wait until the Master came, but had they done that instead of going through the hazards of nature and others, they wouldn’t have become closer friends. That, and Toaster did make somewhat a practical decision because it’s very likely that the Master wouldn’t come back to the cottage at all.
How they symbolize the middle class:
Compared to the cutting-edge appliances (which were more advanced) and the parts shop appliances (which were more broken and less functional), the main appliances are quite decent. The fact that they are based on appliances that nearly everyone uses, not like the cutting-edge appliances, is symbolic to what represents the general populace. Now the middle class, in today’s age, is shrinking. Between the parts shop appliances, the cutting-edge appliances, and the main appliances, the third group is the smallest group, even if you want to include the television (the only friendly appliance in the apartment) and the air conditioner (who wasn’t very friendly to the main appliances in the cottage). They are also quite functional, but not as fancy. This is pretty much what middle-class life is like. Not as fancy or exciting as being rich, but still capable of maintaining a good living.
Each of the main appliances represent different perspectives of the middle class. Toaster represents optimism, which reflects people with a positive viewpoint of their status and would think they’ll get what they want, no matter how hard it is. Radio represents vanity, which reflects people that are proud of themselves over what they have, based on their limitations. Blanky represents immaturity, which reflects those who think they’ll get what they want, but don’t understand the realities of their status. Lampy represents innovation, which reflect those who work on new ideas to improve, even if they’re not practical. And Kirby represents realism, which reflects those who neither have a positive or negative viewpoint, but more of a realistic viewpoint of their status. As for the air conditioner in the cottage, he reflects pessimism, which have a more cynical view about getting what they want.
Now for the hardships. When the appliances didn’t work together to look for the Master, that reflects how those who don’t try aren’t going to get what they want most. But when they did work together, they went through a lot. This represents all of the challenges the middle class had to face. This includes inflation, struggling to save for necessities, and not getting any benefit from tax cuts or welfare increases. Also, when you work to get what you want, that requires taking risks. The rich don’t have much to worry about since they have all of the money, but the middle class have to worry about the risks they’re capable of overcoming. The cottage was actually a safe place for them, but it wasn’t ideal because they stayed there for years without the Master coming back to pick them up. This is like how the middle class don’t have to go through the worst of the hardships but are still in a tough position.
The Parts Shop Appliances:
After Elmo St. Peters rescues the main appliances from the mud, he takes them to the parts shop where he works at. In the context of the movie, the parts shop is a very creepy place. Some appliances were getting killed for their parts, like the blender. And some appliances were mutated into abominations. Think of Sid’s house in Toy Story, but much worse than that.
Inside the parts shop, the main appliances were greeted by several old and broken appliances, who sang a song about not just how creepy the place is, but also that once they’re in, there’s no way out. That was, until four of the five main appliances disguised themselves as a ghost, scaring Elmo St. Peters, and thus ultimately ruining his business. Judging by some of the looks of the appliances, they do not look like they’re in their best condition. Needless to say, some of them are even based on appliances that were outdated by 1980’s standards. They’re essentially the opposite of the cutting-edge appliances, where they would rather keep the main appliances in rather than kick them out.
How they symbolize the poor:
Not only are they broken or not as properly functioning as the main appliances, but they’re also together, inside a place that they could not get out. When they’re in, there’s no way out, and if they’re in, there is a chance that they could be mutilated for their parts or remade into abominations. When it happened to the blender, the hanging lamp told the main appliances that it may happen to them too.
This is very much like the worst of the low-income areas, which are densely packed, but poorly maintained. Like a trailer park in a rural area or an inner-city apartment complex. Anyone living in there would have a hard time even maintaining their current living conditions. They also have other problems to deal with, like broken plumbing or other house features, possibility of being robbed or broken into, food security, and being the most vulnerable to natural disasters like heat waves and flooding. Also, those living in these areas have a hard time getting a good job. Several can’t even get a job, and the only jobs they could get are the minimum wage jobs. Some are overworking themselves to even keep their houses. They’re basically stuck there. Luckily, there are some who are lucky to escape. There are several stories about some people who went from below the poverty line to the top 1% of the nation’s income bracket.
At the end, the parts shop appliances have escaped the parts shop and went back to their masters, all thanks to the main appliances. This is similar to how systematic barriers are why these people can never get out of poverty. Once the barriers are gone, they would escape and would reach prosperity.
The Junkyard Cars:
That’s all for the class symbolism, but since I’m going over The Brave Little Toaster, let’s not omit the other group the appliances met, the singing cars that were doomed to face their deaths. From my interpretations, each car represents a different perspective of life and their reflections upon them on their last days.
- The first two cars represent those who don’t want to work. The first car represents the people who have worked their whole lives until they have finally given out. The second car represents the people who were unwilling to take risks, even if that leaves them behind everyone else.
- The next two cars represent those who want to continue working. The third car represents those who will not give up working, even if it takes a toll on their lives. The fourth car represents those who where widely respected for their efforts, but no longer needed after someone else came along.
- The two cars after represent those who had a negative view of life. The Texas limousine represents those who were traumatized by certain events of the past and wouldn’t let go of them. The hearse represents those who mostly had a negative life and never saw happiness.
- The beach van represents those who had a positive view of life. But these are going over their favorite memories of the past where they had all the fun or got everything they wanted, but are no longer going to experience them.
- The Indian reservation car represents those who have accepted their deaths. They mostly had a good life and were aware that they’re going to die soon, but were willing to move on to the afterlife.
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