MovieChat Forums > The Brave Little Toaster (1987) Discussion > What is 'a thing'

What is 'a thing'

posted 14 years ago by jktomas
10 replies | jump to latest

Ok, I haven't seen the movie (and I'm not going to), but I imagine that there is no logic or explanations whatsoever. I mean, talking and walking things. How stupid is that?
But the worst part is that everything can be a thing, so does that mean that everything (from your TV to a grain of sand) can talk in the world of this film?
If something breaks into half, do these pieces become two diferent walking and talking creatures? If toaster looses a spring or a screw, it becomes another organism? Or worst: if human dies it becomes a thing, right? Could that thing walk and talk despite the fact that it was a life organism once?...
Ok, now you're saying: "It's just an animation for kids blah blah blah"... But it doesn't make sense even for a fairy tale. It's forgivable if animal talks, because at least you now it can think in real life. Talking toys is also not a bad concept, because you can seperate toys from other things and they have shape of life organisms. But when all kinds of housewares talks and moves it's insane and dumb. Whoever wrote a book about a *beep* living toaster is an idiot!

I'm overreacting of course. I don't really think the concept like that is stupid, but it is weird as hell.

Did you see all my favorite movies? http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=39935568

[–] StarskyandChinaHutch 14 years ago

Which is the bigger "idiot", the creators of likable (albeit unlikely) fiction, or the idiot who criticizes without firsthand knowledge of the subject?

Who busts the Crimebusters?

[–] jktomas 14 years ago

I don't know... Maybe the brave little toaster is the real idiot. Or maybe fans of this film. But I'm not sure. As you said, I'm criticizing without any knowledge of the subject.

Did you see all my favorite movies? http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=39935568

[–] GoryPumpkinToby 14 years ago

Even when you think certain things in humane reality don't have feelings you understand a lot of feeling went into the things humans were making, hence things that might not be active if not plugged in or charged up with a battery or having few tears sewen up or given something more actually have feeling in them.

But I'm just an artist so I say a lot of things that seem meaningful to myself where others over-look. But if you really want to understand, watch the movie yourself, I guarentee you it'll be worth your while and make you wish you'd seen it when you were still a kid.

It's a kids movie, sure. It's about talking appliances trying to find their master and to not feel forgotten or abandoned, okay. It's 2-D paper-animated, now there's something you'll never see again in any mainstream light for years to come, but a cartoon nonetheless that seems boring and lame to normal folk. But it really is a good movie, and NOT an Alvin and the fvcking Chipmunks...

"You know what's funny? People. People are funny."

[–] jktomas 14 years ago

Wow. Now I'm convinced. Maybe it's not as stupid as I thought it is. Maybe it's a good animation after all. So sorry for being such a jackass and for judging movies by its cover (literally). I'll give it a try one day. :D

Though, I don't agree with you about one thing:
"It's 2-D paper-animated, now there's something you'll never see again in any mainstream light for years to come".
There's always studio Ghibli, you know. It's not as popular to be called mainstream, but it's pretty well known animation studio. So 2d animation isn't dead yet.

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[–] GoryPumpkinToby 14 years ago

It's really your opinion that matters, but I'm glad you reconsidered, it's not a bad film whatsoever, have a box of tissues with you because it does get a little sad sometimes.

No, no, no, no, I didn't mean Studio Ghibli isn't a rarity thing, they're great like any good Japanese anime that's out there. I just mean American animation like this movie is never going to come back on mainstream or be idolized as mainstream, not unless I get my fantasy film underway.

I want to make it with the whole film done in stop-motion animation, not like Coraline but more like Mr. Fox or even more like the Rankin/Bass cartoons (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jack Frost, Santa Claus is coming to Town, the Last Unicorn), while I have the flashback sequences done in hand-drawn 2-d Animation done like anime but done american as well.

"You know what's funny? People. People are funny."

[–] Morson 14 years ago

Repeat to yourself "It's just a show, I should really just relax."

[–] MirrorofReflection 13 years ago

You're a jackass.

[–] ebbradsh 13 years ago

Personally I think in this movie's universe, anything that requires an energy source to function would be considered alive. Example: a car would be alive, but a bicycle wouldn't.

[–] ianscool 13 years ago

I don't know what's so stupid about it. It's taking the idea of it being unfalsifiable. Just like Toy-story the appliances and stuff turn to 'thing' mode whenever a person is around and nothing can make them stop.. even if they're being tortured and killed. So it's going on the idea that all this stuff could be really happening when we're not looking and there's no way to prove it because a person can't be around to see it.

[–] 13 years ago

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