Good Sequel

Rating: Null/10 (22 December 2010)

Toy Story 2 (1999)
*** (out of 4)
Nice sequel to the 1995 smash hit has Woody getting stolen by a toy collector who plans to sell him to a museum in Japan. Buzz, Mr. Potato Head, Hamm and Slinky Dog decide to go and try to rescue him but Woody gets some pressure from his other collectibles that it might be best to start a new life elsewhere. It seems many fans consider this one a lot better than the first but I wouldn't go that far. While this is still an impressive little gem I do think it falls a tad bit short of the first film for a couple reasons. The majority of this film centers in on Woody, Buzz, the rescuers and of course the new toys who want Woody to stay with them so that they can be sold off as a complete set. The group goes on several adventures while the majority of the other toys from the first film are at home and off the screen. I think this is one of the problems with this film because many memorable characters simply aren't in this film and to me that is a letdown. The first movie had one great joke and adventure after another and a truly remarkable imagination. It's fair to say that this film has that same imagination but just not as wide as the previous movie since it did feature more characters. With that said, this is still a charming little film thanks in large part to the voice work of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. They certainly have no trouble getting back into their roles and the same is true for Don Rickles, Joan Cusack and the underrated Jim Varney. We even get Kelsey Grammar as a rather unfriendly part of Woody's collection. The Big Al character by Wayne Knight is one of the new folks that I actually enjoyed as I thought he summed up that obsessive collector quite nicely but at the same time he can't hold a candle to the mean kid from the first. The adventure that the group sets out on is pretty funny and the highlight is a terrific sequence where they're trying to cross a busy road when all mayhem breaks loose. The final ride through the airport is another nice sequence and as you'd expect the animation is terrific. TOY STORY 2 is certainly a good movie and one well worth watching but at the same time I think it falls well short of the first film.