Not only do I think Toy Story 2 is an amazing sequel, but I would argue that it is even better than the previous entry. Everything that the first Toy story started has been brought up to the next level with new adventures and even higher stakes. If the first movie started the rise in computer animation, then this movie would cement Pixar as the almighty animation studio we all know today.
Taking place a few years after the last movie, Woody (Tom Hanks) is all set to go to cowboy camp with Andy until he is left behind after getting a rip on his arm. While trying to save a toy from being sold in a yard sale, he unfortunately ends up in the hands of a toy collector named Al as he takes him back to his apartment in the city. Buzz (Tim Allen) gathers a group of toys including Hamm Rex and Mr Potato Head to go to the city to find and rescue Woody. That may prove to be difficult as Woody discovers his origins as the star of an old tv show called Woody's Roundup and may want to travel with the gang including Jessie (Joan Cusack), Bullseye and The Prospector to Japan to be placed in a museum where he can be loved by children forever.
The Narrative tackles many ideas and themes. All of them are done with great care and it perfectly balances the creative ideas with moments that really bring out the drama of what some of the characters go through. The many places our characters explore are made very grand and epic as this movie goes further with putting the toy’s in many different scenarios that are fun and quite inventive. One second they might be cruising through Al’s Toy Barn and another second they might be running through the baggage handling system at the Airport. Each scene is timed out perfectly and it gives us a lot of time to establish everything the movie throws at us. This is also the first time that I think Pixar really nailed the Blended effect of creative fun and impactful heartfelt emotions. While their previous movie’s sustained a number of elements to keep us coming back for more, I believe that this movie was the first time I felt that they perfected a formula that really emphasized what Pixar was really capable of.
The Characters have still retained the charm that made them lovable in the first movie and the new characters work just as great with adding more layers to the world of Toys. Buzz and the rest of the Andy’s Toys work on the comedic side of the adventure while Woody’s side of the story is more down to earth and adds some great world building when diving deep into how toys feel about their owner especially when it comes to Jessie and her emotional backstory.
The Animation has noticeably improved from the first movie and it manages to improve many of the awkward bits that didn’t look very appealing the last time. The textures feel more realistic and the animation on the humans is more natural and appealing. The environments feel more immersive and huge thanks to the update in technology and every place the toy’s visit is always made adventurous and epic. The thing that captured my attention the most is the attention to detail they put into the Woody’s Roundup sequences. The look of the show really resembles the style of an old 50’s show and the puppet animation is superb. It’s also interesting to bring up how Pixar managed to get the animation to look so good even with the fact that it was almost deleted and they only had a limited amount of time to get the animation finished. This really shows how committed Pixar is to getting a movie out on time even with major setbacks dragging them along
The Music is once again helmed by Randy Newman. He uses the same style of Nostalgic like violin tunes while adding some new scores that really help drive the emotion of every scene regardless of the feeling. This is also the first time that Pixar hired an actual artist to record songs for their movie. Riders in the sky sung a few songs for the movie, one of them being the theme for Woody’s Roundup. Sarah Mclachlan sang a song for Jessie’s backstory called “When she loved me” which is done beautifully and really emphases the emotion of the tragedy of Jessie’s and her Owner which is so lovely and sad that it is guaranteed to make you cry.
Although the first movie was a great start for the series I think this movie really captivated The emotions and pathos of a toy’s point of view with heartfelt moments, great new characters and a great blend of Creative ideas with relatable emotions. It’s an outstanding movie that has everything I believe an animated movie should have and it’s definitely one of Pixar’s finest.
(Final Grade A+)