This was released as the second film in the "Brave Little Toaster" trilogy, but is actually the final adventure. The third film, "The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue", takes place in between the original and this one. After all these years, I've finally seen the two late 90's direct-to-video sequels to the barely theatrical 1987 original, which I saw many times in my childhood, probably mostly before the sequels were made. I knew these two sequels weren't that popular, so I didn't have very high expectations for them. As it turns out, it's good I didn't, or I would have been let down. Neither of them is any match for the bizarre 80's Hyperion Pictures production, though both of them have their moments. "The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars" might be the worst of the three.
Rob, known as "The Master" to his childhood appliances, has graduated from college and become a veterinarian. He is now married to his long-term girlfriend, Chris, and they live in rural house, along with Rob's old appliances (Toaster, Blanky, Kirby, Lampy, and Radio), and Ratso. One day, the couple returns home with a new baby boy, Robbie. At first, the appliances are not sure how this will work out for them, but soon find themselves enjoying the company of the "Little Master". One night, the Hearing Aid, who lives in the kitchen drawer, sneaks upstairs while everyone else is asleep. The Toaster wakes up and can tell he's up to something, so he tells the others about it the next day. The following night, they all witness Robbie being sucked out the window in a beam of light, and soon learn that he has been taken to Mars! In order to try and get the baby back before his parents wake up and realize he is gone, the Red Planet is where the appliances must go!
Like the other two installments in the trilogy, this one features a bunch of songs. The baby song near the beginning seemed awfully sappy for a "Brave Little Toaster" song to me, but I guess the rest of them aren't that bad. I thought it would be kind of interesting seeing our appliance heroes on their only adventure away from Earth, but to me, it wasn't too entertaining after all. Neither of the sequels' plots can match the appliances' first adventure. The part where the appliances (original and new ones) are on their way to Mars and meet a bunch of helium balloons floating in space I found to be a weak moment, but I guess it's more for kids. "The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars" also lacks humour, much like "To the Rescue", but maybe even more so. There were parts I found amusing, such as Ratso making baby sounds into the intercom, but I don't think there were too many others. With Wayne Knight providing the voice of the Microwave, the character definitely could have been funnier.
I probably would consider this sequel slightly inferior to "The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue", but I feel I could give it the same rating, 6/10, instead of 5. Looking back, it doesn't seem all that bad, and has a pretty good ending. However, I certainly couldn't give either sequel the 8/10 I gave to the original. I haven't read Thomas M. Disch's "Brave Little Toaster" books, which the films are based on, but now that I've seen the entire film trilogy, I think the 1987 original was aimed at all ages, whereas the two late 90's sequels are more for kids. I'm not saying all adults should avoid them like the plague, I've seen worse kiddie flicks, but if you're an adult fan of the original, you could easily be disappointed by them. Regardless of your age, if you're going to watch all three movies, I suggest you watch this one last (even though it came in the middle), after you've seen the original and the other sequel, or else you could get confused.
