Despite some production issues, the original Toy Story went on to become a massive critical and financial success. The film received three Oscar nominations for writing and music, and John Lasseter eventually received a Special Achievement Award. Naturally, Disney demanded a sequel, and originally wanted a direct-to-video sequel as they had recently done with their other properties. Around the same time, Pixar worked on A Bug’s Life, released in 1998 to similar critical and financial success. When Disney saw the initial animation, they were so impressed that they decided to have the sequel be released theatrical. Unfortunately, Pixar was not happy with how it was looking, so they decided to retool everything and enhance the quality. Since the release date couldn’t be moved, they had to complete the entire feature in nine months, which is unreal. Despite these issues, 1999 saw the release of the much anticipated Toy Story 2.
%
Rating
After a mishap gets his arm torn, Woody (Tom Hanks) is placed on the shelf, reigniting his fear of abandonment. When he sees a broken toy penguin named Wheezy (Joe Ranft) about to be sold, Woody goes to save him. Unfortunately, Woody gets snatched up by Al McWhiggin (Wayne Knight), rabid toy collector and owner of Al’s Toy Barn. Buzz (Tim Allen), Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Slinky (Jim Varney), and Rex (Wallace Shawn) venture forth. Meanwhile, Al plans to sell Woody to a toy museum in Tokyo, alongside other toys from his line-up. These include the trusty steed Bullseye, cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack), and the ol’ timey prospector Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer). Though reluctant at first, Woody decides to join them because he doesn’t want to see them locked away in storage. It’s when his fellow toys come to his aid that the truth is revealed.
Like I said in my review of Toy Story, I still enjoyed that film overall despite some very minor gripes. With Toy Story 2, not only are some of the original’s flaws corrected, but more is added to enhance it. While some of the animation is dated, it still holds up incredibly well, and further shows Pixar’s advances in technology. Much of the original cast returns and do similarly well, and the new cast also adds more to the story. One particularly heartbreaking moment is when we learn Jessie’s backstory, told in song, about her feeling abandoned by her owner. Joan Cusack perfectly balances being fun and jovial, while also showing vulnerability and emotion that makes her character feel alive. Kelsey Grammer does a similarly phenomenal job, adn Wayne Knight continues succeeding at playing a character you love to hate. At least he doesn’t die here like in Jurassic Park.
Similar to the first film, the humor is once again on point, offering plenty of jokes for kids and adults. One highlight includes Buzz running into another Buzz that acts like he did at the beginning of the original. There’s also a fun parody of Star Wars that’s done between the other Buzz and Emperor Zurg (Andrew Stanton). Though it’s not necessarily a complaint, it was unfortunate that there weren’t many scenes between Woody and Buzz. However, the scenes between Woody, Jessie, and Stinky Pete more than make up for it, especially the more emotional moments. The music is also worth talking about, which is still good, especially the incredibly heartbreaking song “When She Loved Me”. I believe that this was the film where people started seeing how Pixar movies could tug at their heartstrings. Overall, Toy Story 2 improves what made the original fantastic and offers so much more.
