Claim: Toy Story is a work.

Toy Story 2 is a 1999 American computer-animated comedy adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures . Directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Lee Unkrich and Ash Brannon , it is the sequel to the 1995 film Toy Story .   In the film , Woody is stolen by a toy collector , prompting Buzz Lightyear and his friends to vow to rescue him , but Woody is then tempted by the idea of immortality in a museum . Many of the original characters and voices from Toy Story return for this sequel , and several new characters -- including Jessie -LRB- voiced by Joan Cusack -RRB- , Barbie -LRB- voiced by Jodi Benson -RRB- , Stinky Pete -LRB- voiced by Kelsey Grammer -RRB- and Mrs. Potato Head -LRB- voiced by Estelle Harris -RRB- -- are introduced . It was the last Toy Story film that starred Jim Varney as Slinky Dog before his death in 2000 .   Disney initially envisioned the film as a direct-to-video sequel . Toy Story 2 began production in a building separated from Pixar , on a small scale , as most of the main Pixar staff were busy working on A Bug 's Life -LRB- 1998 -RRB- . When story reels proved promising , Disney upgraded the film to theatrical release , but Pixar was unhappy with the film 's quality . Lasseter and the story team redeveloped the entire plot in one weekend . Although most Pixar features take years to develop , the established release date could not be moved and the production schedule for Toy Story 2 was compressed into nine months .   Despite production struggles , Toy Story 2 opened in November 1999 to wildly successful box office numbers , eventually grossing over $ 497 million , and received universal acclaim from critics . Toy Story 2 has been considered by critics to be one of few sequel films to outshine the original , and it continues to be featured frequently on lists of the greatest animated films ever made . The film has seen multiple home media releases and a theatrical 3-D re-release in 2009 , 10 years after its initial release . Toy Story 3 was released in 2010 , which was also critically and commercially successful .