Toy Story 2
Year: 1999
Rating: PG
Length: 92 minutes / 1.53 hours
For all the flack that sequels get, there are the occasional few that surpass the original. Whether it’s flipping the script by making the first movie’s villain the hero (as in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)) or merely having room to grow the characters past their introductory stories (like in Spider-Man 2 (2004)), a well-done sequel should advance the story of the franchise and not just repeating the success of the first film. Toy Story 2 (1999) is one of those rare movies that does an excellent job of advancing the groundwork laid in Toy Story (1995).
Not only does Toy Story 2 now have its original semi-villain, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), as the hero saving Woody (Tom Hanks), but there’s also room to explore what in means to be a toy in the context of collectors items instead of just as a child’s plaything. Considering how revolutionary the original Toy Story was as the first completely computer-generated full-length movie, it still had a lot of visual rough edges that are hard to ignore by today’s standards. This is where I think Toy Story 2 really shines: its visual polish makes everything a lot more believable.
While there are definitely a lot of top-notch jokes and visual gags in this film, it’s also worth noting the immensely emotional heart that it carries as well. Jessie (Joan Cusack) has an absolutely tear-jerking song that cuts to the core of the theme of the film: eventually, toys are forgotten by the children that once loved them. This would be the turning point for Pixar, which would then show how easily they could make emotionally gripping moments in films meant for families. Even though we could have gotten a straight-to-video cash grab for this movie, I’m glad that it stands as one of the best sequels ever created.
A remarkable achievement for a sequel to a groundbreaking movie, I give Toy Story 2 5.0 stars out of 5.
This movie appeared in Cinema Connections:
– #396. Tim Allen
– #397. Miniature Worlds
