Toy Story 2 (1999) Disney/Comedy-Adventure RT: 92 minutes Rated G (mild violence and rude humor) Director: John Lasseter Screenplay: Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin and Chris Webb Music: Randy Newman Cinematography: Sharon Calahan Release date: November 24, 1999 (US) Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, Estelle Harris, John Morris, Wayne Knight, Laurie Metcalf, R. Lee Ermey, Joe Ranft, Jodi Benson, Jonathan Harris, Jeff Pidgeon, Andrew Stanton. Box Office: $245.9M (US)/$511.3M (World)
Rating: ****
Despite the massive success of the first film, Disney almost sent Toy Story 2 straight to video. It seemed like a smart move given the success of other straight-to-video animated sequels like The Return of Jafar (1994) and The Lion King II (1998). That changed when studio execs got a sneak peek at some early reels. They liked what they saw so much, they upgraded it to a theatrical release and set a date for Thanksgiving weekend. That didn’t give John Lasseter a lot of time to redevelop the plot and fine tune the animation. Somehow, he and his team pulled it off and made a sequel that actually surpasses the original.
The toys are back in town! Cowboy Woody (Hanks, Forrest Gump) and spaceman Buzz Lightyear (Allen, The Santa Clause) return along with the rest of the gang in Toy Story 2. The second movie finds Woody in trouble this time. He’s stolen from a yard sale by a greedy collector (Knight, Seinfeld) while trying to save another toy, a squeaky penguin named Wheezy (animator Ranft). He’s already feeling insecure about his place in his owner Andy’s life after damage to his arm causes him to be put on a shelf by the mom. Is he about to be thrown away?
Woody is taken to the apartment of the toy rustler, a nasty toy store owner named Al, where he makes an amazing self-discovery. He learns that he was designed after the hero of a popular 50s children’s show called Woody’s Roundup. He’s part of a collection that includes cowgirl Jessie (Cusack, Grosse Point Blank), faithful horse Bullseye and an old prospector named Stinky Pete (Grammer, Frasier). They inform Woody that with his arrival, the collection is complete and they’re to be sold to a toy museum in Tokyo. Woody wants to go home, but if he does, his old gang will be put back in storage.
Buzz, now the co-leader of the toys, sets out to rescue his best friend with Mr. Potato Head (insult comedian Rickles), Slinky Dog (Varney, Ernest Goes to Camp), Rex the T-Rex (Shawn, The Princess Bride) and Hamm (Pixar mainstay Ratzenberger). Their journey takes them to Al’s Toy Barn, a place with a sign on the door reading “No Children Allowed”. There, they run into trouble with a rival Buzz (with a utility belt!) and the spaceman’s arch-nemesis Emperor Zorg (co-writer Stanton). Well, it wouldn’t be much of a movie if they didn’t hit a snag or two, would it?
Once again, Lasseter and company tap into something universal in Toy Story 2, the power of imagination. The first one introduced the idea of toys coming to life when unobserved. The sequel expands on it by taking our favorite characters to new places where they meet new toys with lives of their own. Woody’s backstory is a stroke of genius. I wasn’t alive in the 50s, but I’m familiar with the shows that were popular with kids at that time. It would easy to believe a show like Woody’s Roundup actually existed. The look of wonder and astonishment on Woody’s face as he watches old episodes is priceless. I love that the writers saw fit to also show the merchandise from the show (e.g. lunchboxes, records, etc.). It speaks to a much larger theme. We, as humans, have questions about where we come from, who made us and what we were made for. Apparently, toys have the same deep philosophical questions. That’s the genius of the Toy Story movies. They address heavy issues while remaining accessible to small children.
Now let’s talk about Toy Story 2 as entertainment. It’s pure magic. We love the old characters and the new ones which also include Mrs. Potato Head (Harris, Seinfeld), the perfect match for grumpy Mr. Potato Head. Jessie is a welcome dose of estrogen to the previously male-dominated world of Andy’s toys. She’s a strong, feisty cowgirl with a heartbreaking backstory. It only follows she has trust issues, becoming irate when Woody says he’s going back to his kid. Cusack, using just her voice, nails the role perfectly. She’s always been a singular actress, one with talent and unconventional looks. It extends to the vocals she lends to Jessie.
The rest of the cast is aces, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Hanks and Allen make a great team as do Woody and Buzz. They exemplify friendship and what it truly entails. Even better, there’s no sign of exhaustion in their voices. They appear to love what they’re doing here. That’s always a plus. The same goes for the supporting cast. Rickles is always funny and Varney (in one of his final roles) is just so darn likable. Shawn is neurosis personified. Knight excels at playing nasty characters and he proves it here. Honestly, there are no wrong choices here. Everybody does a wonderful job.
The computer animation is beautiful and lively. Like the first movie, it truly brings the characters to life in a way 2D animation cannot. It makes them tangible which is exactly what toys should be, right? I mean, what good is a toy you can’t touch or play with? Here, it’s like you could just reach through the screen and grab them. I absolutely LOVE that aspect of the Toy Story films.
Toy Story 2 is the one that proved to the suits at Disney what a valuable commodity the franchise is. The fact that Pixar made a sequel that isn’t just a total rehash is an anomaly. It’s one of the few that disprove the saying that sequels aren’t equals. In fact, sometimes they can be better. What is the series’ secret? Please tell the other filmmakers in Hollywood.
