The Brave Little Toaster is a 1980 novel by Thomas M. Disch intended for children or as put by Disch, A Bedtime Story for Small Appliances. The story centers on a gang of five household appliances—a Tensor lamp, electric blanket, alarm clock/antique radio, Hoover vacuum cleaner, and Sunbeam toaster—on their quest to find their owner, referred to as the Master.

The story first appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (August 1980). Although appearing in a general circulation magazine, the story was written in the style of a children's fable. It was one of the most popular science fiction and fantasy stories of the early 1980s, and was nominated for both a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award for Best Novella. It also won a Locus Award, Seiun Award and British SF Association Award. It was later published as a book.

The Brave Little Toaster was well received by critics.Anna Quindlen, writing for The New York Times, called it "a wonderful book for a certain sort of eccentric adult. You know who you are. Buy it for your children; read it yourself," and also suggested that the book lacked a clearly defined audience.

The Brave Little Toaster is a 1987 American animated musical comedy-adventure film adapted from the 1980 novel The Brave Little Toaster: A Bedtime Story for Small Appliances by Thomas M. Disch. The film was directed by Jerry Rees. The film is set in a world where household appliances and other electronics come to life, pretending to be lifeless in the presence of humans. The story focuses on five appliances— a toaster, a lamp, an electric blanket, a radio, and a vacuum cleaner—who go on a quest to search for their original owner.

The film was produced by Hyperion Animation along with The Kushner-Locke Company. Many CalArts graduates, including the original members of Pixar Animation Studios were involved with this film. While the film received a limited theatrical release, The Brave Little Toaster was popular on home video and was followed by two sequels a decade later: The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1998) and The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1999). The two sequels were released out of chronological order.

The Brave (1997) is a film adapted from the Gregory McDonald novel of the same title directed by, co-written by and starring Johnny Depp alongside Marlon Brando.

This film was Depp's directorial debut. He co-wrote the screenplay with his brother, directed and acted in it. The film was first shown at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival where it received mixed reviews. The film was released in theaters and on DVD internationally, but not in the United States.

Plot

The film concerns a Native American man named Raphael who lives with his wife and two children in a remote community near a rubbish dump selling whatever he can to make a living. Raphael, seeing the hopelessness of his situation and his inability to provide for his family, agrees to star in a snuff film for a large sum of money that he hopes will give his family a chance for a better life.

Having been given the money in advance, Raphael is given a week to live and then return to be tortured and killed in front of the camera. The film follows Raphael's transformation with his relationship with his wife and children over the course of his final week of life and his own personal anguish with his fate.