A Worthy Sequel To A Landmark Motion Picture.

Rating: Null/10 (7 October 2013)

After dazzling the world with its groundbreaking debut feature & following it up with another imaginative story, Pixar Animation Studios' third feature film finds them returning to the very story & characters that made its studio a household name. Considered by many to be one of those rare sequels that outshines its predecessor, Toy Story 2 keeps alive Pixar's winning streak and is as inventive, entertaining & fun as the original Toy Story.
Continuing the adventures of Andy's toys, Toy Story 2 begins with Woody being stolen by a vintage toy collector & owner of "Al's Toy Barn" who brings him to his apartment where he meets Jessie, Bullseye & Stinky Pete and learns that he's a valuable collectible based on a 1950s TV show. On the other hand, Buzz Lightyear devises a plan to rescue Woody from his captor & enlists the help of Hamm, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog & Rex.
Directed by John Lasseter, Toy Story 2 opens on an impressive note with a visually striking sequence that instantly showcases the various improvements Pixar had made in computer animation, only to follow it up with a few more breakthroughs as the plot progresses. The 3D animation is far more refined, colour composition is accurate to a greater degree & while the characters retain their original design, they're rendered in a more seamless manner.
Screenplay is fabulously written for the team behind it delivers a story that's as interesting, witty & original as its predecessor. Cinematography makes more dynamic use of camera as well as colour palettes, images are sharper & finely detailed than before, Editing is brilliantly carried out for the most part & steadily paces the narrative but its middle act could've used a few more trims. And Randy Newman keeps the story fresh, alive & energetic with another fantastic score.
Reprising their respective roles from the last film, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen & others once again step up to voice their characters with sublime effectiveness while out of the new additions, it's Joan Cusack who leaves the most lasting impression with her exuberant take on Jessie. Its homage to earlier classics is wonderfully carried out, the themes are nicely addressed & although it employs the same out-of-box thinking that made Toy Story a historic success, everything about this sequel feels fresh, new & redesigned.
On an overall scale, Toy Story 2 is another fascinating blend of a heartfelt story, rich set of characters & cutting-edge animation from Pixar that's ingeniously directed, deftly written, gorgeously photographed, firmly edited & mesmerisingly scored and is a work of quality filmmaking that sets a new benchmark for sequels in animation. While Toy Story is superior in my opinion, Toy Story 2 still manages to be a worthy follow-up to its predecessor & is another timeless classic from the animation studio that has always dared to think differently.