A marvellous achievement CONTAINS SPOILERS

Rating: 10/10 (22 March 2000)

Toy Story 2 was my favourite movie of the last year. I'm a big movie fan, but this was the only movie I saw more than once in the theaters last year.
For those of you that haven't seen it yet or will again, I want to concentrate on the quality of the amazing amount of work that went into the animation in this film, the amount of personality put into characters.
The characters that were established in the first movie are drawn a little finer here, showing the better angels of their nature: Woody's loyalty and sense of responsibility to his fellow toys, Buzz's loyalty to Woody and his support of the other toys. The personality animation they gave Andy's puppy when it bursts into his room and starts playing with Woody was incredible, being both puppyish and human, as if the dog shared the "away from humans" life the toys possess.
When I saw the first movie, I was amazed that I kept forgetting that I was watching an animated feature, and so it was in this case. The character of Al, the guy that steals Woody from the cash box during the yard sale, is a caricature of a short fat man but is so lifelike in movement and skin texture, it just adds to the suspension of disbelief that draws you into the movie. Once the movie gets to the place where Woody finally meets the other members of The Roundup Gang (and my favourite character, Jessie, voiced perfectly by Joan Cusack, is introduced), the real magic becomes apparent if you watch the characters that aren't speaking in some scenes. For instance, when Woody accuses Jessie of wrongdoing and the two of them have a fight (and Jessie kicks Woody's butt, too... Poor Woody can't seem to fight very well) Stinky Pete the Prospector breaks it up and scolds them. When you see this scene, watch Woody and Jessie. Their facial expressions, Jessie's especially, tell you volumes about them.
The scene where Jessie tells her story of abandonment to the tune of "When She Loved Me" is one of the most touching scenes I've seen on film in a long time. The character is so likeable that to see her owner outgrow her and relegate her to a Salvation Army truck is heartbreaking. The shot of her peering in dismay through a hole in the box she's left in as the camera pulls away from the spot (ironically just down a dirt road from the place she and her owner had once played) left the entire theatre silent, except for a few sniffles.
The key to a movie, ANY movie, is for the audience to identify and feel empathy with the characters, to draw you in to share their hurts and triumphs. Toy Story 2 succeeds in spades as the toys make you laugh, cry and cheer in equal measure.