wonderful sequel

Rating: Null/10 (26 November 1999)

"Toy Story 2," the superb sequel to the groundbreaking 1995 "animated" hit, is simply bursting with imagination, humor, and enough technical wizardry and high spirited energy for a dozen such films. Rare indeed is the sequel that outshines the original, but, in the case of this series, the second time around turns out to be just that exception.
All the beloved original characters have made a return appearance as the film bursts the bounds of the bedroom and the neighborhood and moves out into the big wide world of crowded city streets, highrise apartment buildings and airport runways. In this installment, Woody is "kidnapped" by an opportunistic toy salesman who is bent on selling him and three other "western" figures to a Japanese museum. (It turns out Woody was once the centerpiece of his own marionette show on 1950's television - a clever and witty takeoff on that long lost genre). The frenetic plot involves Woody's friends' desperate attempts to recover their old buddy and bring him safely back to themselves and the boy who loves him.
What is most remarkable about this film is that each toy is differentiated so beautifully, given a distinctive personality that makes every one of them appear very lifelike. Even more impressive is that, while each conveys a goodnatured sweetness that makes them palatable to children, most of them also contain that subtle touch of cynicism that makes them appealing to adults as well. This is portrayed most humorously in the witty juxtaposition between the Buzz Lightyear who is conscious of his status as a toy and a newly-opened "deluded" Buzz who sincerely believes he is a genuine action hero on a mission and whose exaggerated heroic mannerisms generate many of the belly laughs in the film.
The film also achieves a depth of thought rarely achieved in animated features. Woody, for instance, is confronted with a moral dilemma of either leaving his old time friends, who have braved any number of dangers to come and rescue him, or abandoning the new friends he has made who are counting on him to save them from obscurity by becoming a member of the museum entourage. In addition, the film actually confronts the issue of toy mortality, as Woody must face up to the fact that his owner will soon grow out of his love for his playthings and that he and the other toys will one day be consigned to the inevitable trash heap that sadly awaits them all.
Still, the main delight of this film is the incredibly high level of energy it manages to sustain during its near-90 minute running time. The inventivness and humor never flag as the eye feasts on the brilliant technical accomplishments of each aspect of the film. This is indeed animation of the very highest order and the speed with which it zooms by, with delight upon delight spilling off the screen, makes "Toy Story 2" one of the very best of the genre. This is one fantastically fun movie!