Toy Story 2 (1999)

1995's Toy Story proved to be a hit and changed the way we looked at animation but making a sequel to the first movie made by computers is a very risky move from Disney and Pixar. Even riskier, the film was originally intended to be a direct to video sequel but when the story had potential, Disney decided to give the film a theatrical release and production had to be completed in 9 months. Will Toy Story 2 be as good as the original, or will it be a disappointment? Let's find out!

After Andy goes on a camping trip, Woody (Tom Hanks) gets stolen at a yard sale by a greedy toy store owner because he's actually a rare collectors item based on a 1950s TV show called Woody's Roundup and he's about to be shipped to a museum in Japan. He meets new friends based on the show, including a cowgirl doll named Jessie (Joan Cusack), a stuffed horse named Bullseye, and a rubber prospector named Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer), who lives in a box that's never been opened. Woody now has to decide to either go to Japan or go back to Andy's house while Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the gang goes on a journey to save Woody.

Forget about the fact that the film was originally meant to be direct to video, the animation has slightly improved over the original film and still holds up today. You get details like reflections, the amount of plastic on the toys, the light sources, rugs, and even dust. The visuals are bigger in scope too. There's an chase sequence at the end of the film when Buzz and the gang are at the airport to save Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye and the baggage handling system is so big with those suitcases on the conveyor belts, the hard work from the animators really payed off for that scene.

The performances are equally strong as they were in the first. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen were great as usual in their respective roles but there's a whole gallery of great supporting performances from Don Rickles as Mr Potato Head, Jim Varney as Slinky, Wallace Shawn as Rex, and even newcomers to the series like Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, and Estelle Harris as Mrs Potato Head. They're all chosen well for their roles and the way the voices mixes with the characters personalities are perfectly handled.

What's equally impressive about the film is it's character development and storytelling, which deals with friendship, growing up, and moving on while also dealing with the fear of rejection.  Andy accidentally rips Woody's arm and his mom puts him on a special shelf, reminding him that toys don't last forever. Woody later has a surreal nightmare of Andy not wanting to play with him anymore because of his broken arm and throws him in the trash. After Woody gets stolen, he makes some new friends, who are on their way to Japan or else they'll go back into storage.

When Woody was telling Stinky Pete, Bullseye, and Jessie about Andy, they're weren't convinced that Andy loves Woody because of his broken arm and the fact that he tried to save a rubber penguin with a broken squeaker in the yard sale earlier in the film. After Woody loses his arm while trying to have a picture taken with his friends, Pete warns Woody that the outside world is dangerous. After Woody's arm is fixed, he decides to go back to Andy.

This is when we get to understand Jessie's fears as Woody learns that she belongs to a little girl named Emily. Rather than spelling out to the audience, we get a flashback with Jessie's fond memories with Emily since they both bonded with each other. As Emily begins to grow up, she buys make up and music instead of toys and when she finds Jessie under her bed, she decides to give her away. This was why Jessie often gets jealous of Woody trying to get back to Andy and having her own fears of being owned by another child. After Stinky Pete warns Woody that Andy might do the same thing, he decides to stay with his new friends and go to Japan.

At this point, Woody begins to forget that a toy is meant to be played with and when Buzz and the gang convince Woody to get back to Andy's house, he turns down the offer. When he sees a kid playing with a Woody puppet on the TV set, he realizes his purpose in life is to be played with and not for show, so he decides to leave and take his new friends to Andy's house along with Buzz and company. This leads into Stinky Pete being a bigger threat in the film.

It turns out that Pete can get out of the box anytime he wants to and reveals that he framed Jessie for foiling Woody's escape attempt the previous night because he'd rather be appreciated in the museum rather than being played with. He also hates space toys since the Space Age was responsible for Woody's Roundup's cancellation and children bought space toys as a result. He doesn't seem to understand that they're are children who love toys and take care of them no matter what kind of toy they are. Realizing Stinky Pete's problem, Woody and company puts him in a little girl's Barbie bag to show him the true purpose of being a toy.

The movie ends with exciting climax when Woody, Buzz, and Bullseye save Jessie from a cargo ship heading to Japan, Andy coming home from camp and accepting the new toys, Woody's arm being fixed again after Stinky Pete ripped it at the airport and the toys lived happily ever after.

Overall, Toy Story 2 is equal to it's predecessor with it's improved animation, strong themes, great performances, and lovable, well developed characters. This film really deserves to be ranked with The Empire Strikes Back and Terminator 2 as one of the best sequels of all time and deserves a higher recommendation from me. I loved the Toy Story movies as a kid, I wasn't disappointed as a grown up.

Tune in next time for the final conclusion to the Toy Story trilogy.

RATING: 4/4.