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. The rights were acquired by Disney in 1982. John Lasseter, then employed at Disney, wanted to do a CGI film based on that, but it was turned down and he was terminated the following year. While the film received a limited theatrical release, "The Brave Little Toaster" received positive reviews and was popular on home video and was followed by two sequels: "The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars" and "The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue".