Not just any Sequel

Rating: 9/10 (24 June 2015)

What can I say about this film that hasn't already been said? I watched this film when I was younger, and while I definitely enjoyed the first Toy Story installment, there was something about this one that made it far superior to me.
The characters we all know and love are back, this time facing a different dilemma: Woody being "toy-napped" as it were by an adult man who wishes to sell the complete set of toys from a show called "Woody's Round-Up" to a museum in Japan. We meet new characters who become so lovable that we almost forget that they're not in the original story (at least I did) As a little girl, I found that the addition of Jessie the Cowgirl was what I had missed in the first Toy Story. While there is Bo Peep, Woody's sweetheart, in the original, she was not a character I could relate to.
And then, lo and behold, there was Jessie: the a rough-and-tumble cowgirl doll who has a rather touching background story that you wouldn't expect first viewing the film.
For me, being a tomboy as a child, Jessie was my absolute favourite, and it still holds true to this day. I wanted a character in a film that was loud, brash and not afraid to state her opinions; a girl that I could relate to, even if that girl was just a plastic cowgirl doll. Getting older, I related more to her back-story: I too had been abandoned by those that I loved (friends, for example) and it made me reluctant to trust again.
Bullseye the horse is also a worthy addition to the series; he's so cute he's almost puppy-like in his behaviour. He's loyal to Woody and the gang, and so lovable I don't see how anyone - adult or child - could dislike him.
In short, Toy Story 2 is not only a worthy sequel to the first Toy Story, but also a good film in its own right.