TOY STORY 2 Even Better Than the First

Rating: 9/10 (9 December 2010)

Pixar raised the standard for feature film animation with their wildly successful TOY STORY in 1995. It was a fun adventure for the kids that was so well done that adults could enjoy it with them. Sequels are notorious for failing to live up to the original (with obvious exceptions) and TOY STORY 2 could've easily ended up as a direct-to-DVD throwaway in an attempt to cash in on the success of the original. Instead, I felt it surpassed the quality of the first and brought even more to the table. The film follows Woody as the begins to sink in that toys don't last forever. His arm is torn and Woody is shelved, a seeming death sentence for toys. In an attempt to rescue a fellow broken toy from being sold at a yard sale, Woody is stolen by an obsessed collector who wishes to complete his "Woody's Round-Up" collection for sale to a Japanese museum. Upon arriving at the collector's apartment, Woody meets the other members of his round-up gang (Jessie, his loyal horse Bullseye, and Stinky Pete the Prospector) and it's revealed that Woody is actually a collector's item spawned from a popular kid's television show of the 50s. As Buzz Lightyear assembles the rest of Andy's toys to mount a rescue operation, Woody must make a decision: immortal glory as part of a museum exhibit or the temporary love of his owner Andy.
All of our favorite toys from the first film return with the original voice cast, with a few new additions. Estelle Harris (George Costanza's mom on SEINFELD) is Mrs. Potato Head and Joan Cusack is Jessie; both have some hilarious moments and fit right in with the originals. While Woody and Buzz are the stars, my favorite characters have always been the supporting players: Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Slinky Dog (Jim Varney), and Rex (Wallace Shawn). We get plenty of them as they accompany Buzz on the mission and their romp through a toy store is just great. Despite the awesomeness of the toy cast, one of my favorite characters is toy collector Al (Wayne Knight). Knight is great as the spastic money-grubbing baddie who's finally gotten the final piece to his cash cow.
The movie felt more action-oriented than the first. The first TOY STORY had its moments but this film ups the ante with the toys crossing a dangerously busy four-lane road, a twisting chase through a cavernous airline baggage sorter, and an eventual chase over the tarmac to reach a plane. While it is a kid's movie by nature, it's still a fun movie to people of any age thanks to the characters and a universal love of our childhood playthings. The story was well written and Woody's dilemma over his mortality as a toy is an interesting followup to Buzz's moment of depressing recognition that he was indeed just a toy in the first film. Overall, a great family film and easy to recommend to anyone.