Play with your toys, but not with their feelings ...

Rating: 9/10 (15 May 2014)

The first "Toy Story" was on the same historical significance than "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", it established the digital revolution that would change (literally) the face of animation, forever. This is perhaps why most of the praise was concentrated on the technological achievement, the 'toy' aspect rather than the 'story'. We were all moved by the endearing relationship between Andy and his cowboy doll Woody (Tom Hanks), immortalized in the 'You've got a friend in me' song, we also smiled at the little rivalry between Woody and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) turning with style into a touching friendship, and we all laughed at all the secondary characters populating this great adventure, from Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles) to the cowardly dinosaur (Wallace Shawn) but nonetheless, we revered "Toy Story" for the amazing visual experience.
But in 1999, "Toy Story" was already part of history, and any similar movie would most likely be judged for its content. And being the sequel to a successful film wouldn't be enough to ensure its success or its reason to be released on the theaters. And this is where, in the case of "Toy Story 2", the writing makes all the difference. Indeed, after exploring the psychology of toys within their relationships with their owners, the second opus goes further in that existentialism by confronting the toys to both their future and past. The story starts when Woody is stolen by a guy working in a toy factory, panning to sell it to a toy collector in Japan, among other props from the same Western theme, including Bullseye, Woody's legendary horse, Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl (Joan Cusack) and Stinky Pete, a Gold Prospector (Kelsey Grammar) still living in his package.
Like the best sequels, when you think no new character can steal the show, you have one that gets instantly stuck in your heart. Any viewer would see in Jessie, the premise of a predictable romance with Woody (well, there are some romantic vibes between the two toys) but there's more in Jessie to earn our sympathy: a wound from the past, the revelation that she too had her 'Andy' before the worst happened: she got old. Her melancholy is expressed through a touching song 'When She Loved Me", and a sad nostalgic sequence showing a little girl playing with her cowboy doll, before her main interests would become make up, clothes, phones and (ugh!) boysÂ… I love that sequence, it is as deep and emotional as the unforgettable montage from "Up" and for once, it confronts teenage girls to their constant obsession to become women fast. If only because a 14-year old girl would think, "why do I want to grow up?" "Toy Story 2" accomplishes something great.
And there's more in that scene that induces this guilt, the rejection endured by toys, and the realization of Woody that the happiness he lives with Andy is only a matter of years, before hormones tickle his mind and make him think about girls. Then, Woody imagines that the eventuality of being owned by a toy collector is the only light of hope for such a dark fate, at one point, he is almost excited to know that he'll live with someone who'll value him forever. After all, wasn't he a big star who had his own Western TV show in the 50's? Why would he end up in a dump, a box of forgotten items or a dusty attic? What Woody doesn't know is that all his friends came to rescue him, lead by the real hero of the story: Buzz Lightyear. And in their perilous adventure, they discover where they come from: a toy factory, offering us a marvelous sequence whose highlights are a Tour Guide Barbie, and the magical moment when Buzz discovers the Buzz Lightyear shelves.
Basically, there are two parallel stories in "Toy Story 2". Woody discovers how valuable he became because he's getting rarer and unique, and Buzz sees how worthless he is, having so many replicas, outside Andy's house, he's not the center of the universe, and is easily replaceable. But both are wrong, because there's one thing, that puts them on the same level of worth, they have ANDY written in their feet and that's the difference, for one little kid, they are priceless. It might be temporary but the excitement is worth being lived, a toy is to be played with, not to be worshiped and valued, and that's the mistake collectors commit. I am just collecting old comic books (yeah, I'm a geek) but I don't think I ever find time to read them, so where is all the fun? Stinky Pete tries to convince Woody that he's wrong, but since he's the only toy not to have been played with, his reaction is explainable, we understand his bias.
But let's not spoil the rest of the story, because beyond all this existentialism, "Toy Story" is an extraordinary adventure movie, playing with the concept of toys evolving in the real world, including their own world, allowing them to solve personal issues. The film is amazing for children's eyes, and insightful for nostalgic adults, it's entertaining at best, and certainly one of the sequels that almost outshine the original, to the point I wondered why it wasn't Oscar-nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Writing. Anyway I spent a great moment watching the film. And normally, I hate the bloopers during the end credits, even for comedies, but in that particular case, I'll make an exception. The ending was hilarious, a fitting (temporary) conclusion for one of the greatest animated film of the last 20 years, which is saying a lot.