Toy Story 2

When Toy Story first came out in the fall of 1995, the film proved to be an event as it was the first computer-animated feature film of its time. The film drew rave reviews and massive box office giving Pixar Studios the power it needed as they returned three years later with their second film A Bug’s Life with Walt Disney Studios as its distributor. While Disney wanted a sequel to Toy Story to be a direct-to-video release, Pixar and the people involved with the film refused as it eventually became a feature-film that finally came out in the fall of 1999.

Directed by John Lasseter, with additional direction by Lee Unkrich and Ash Brannon, and screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsaio, Doug Chamberlain, and Chris Webb that was based on a story by Lasseter, Stanton, Brannon, and Pete Docter. Toy Story 2 tells the story of Woody being kidnapped by a toy collector as Buzz Lightyear and other toys go on a rescue mission. During his captivity, Woody discovers that he was an old TV star as he is about to be sold to a Tokyo toy museum with other toys. The second film is a more ambitious film that blends all sorts of genres as it also introduces to new characters for the franchise.

Featuring the voices of previous players like Tom Hanks Tim Allen, Jim Varney, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, John Morris, and R. Lee Emrey plus Joan Cusack, Estelle Harris, Jodi Benson, Wayne Knight, and Kelsey Grammer. Toy Story 2 is an adventurous and heartwarming film from Pixar.

After being accidentally ripped by Andy (John Morris) before going to cowboy camp, Woody (Tom Hanks) gets shelved as he finds the old squeeze penguin toy Wheezy (Joe Ranft). When Andy’s mom (Laurie Metcalf) takes Wheeezy to sell for a garage sale, Woody with help from the dog Buster saves Wheezy only to be found by a toy collector named Al (Wayne Knight). Andy’s mom refuses to sell Woody as Al decides to steal him while Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) tries to save him. With a chicken feather and a license plate ID as clues, Buzz finds out who Al is as he organizes a mission to save Woody with help from Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), Slinky the Dog (Jim Varney), Rex (Wallace Shawn), and Hamm (John Ratzenberger).

During his captivity, Woody learns he was a popular toy/TV star in the 1950s as he meets Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl (Joan Cusack), the horse Bulls-Eye, and Stinky Pete the Prospector. Learning that Al wants to sell him and the other toys to Japan to a toy museum, Woody doesn’t want to go only until he gets fixed and learns about Jessie’s story of abandonment. When Buzz and the gang finally reach Al’s toy store and his apartment with another Buzz Lightyear joining them. They learn what Woody wants to do as Buzz reminds Woody about being a toy as they’re stopped by Al prompting Buzz and the gang to go on a more daring adventure to save their friend.

In this sequel to the 1995 landmark film, director John Lasseter and his team create a story that is far more ambitious than its predecessor. Even as it recalls themes of growing up and abandonment which would play out in the third film eleven years later. Yet, the heart of the film is the friendship between Woody and Buzz as it grows much stronger in the second film. When Woody gets kidnapped, Buzz feels that he owes Woody for rescuing him in the previous films as supporting players like Slinky, Rex, Mr. Potato Head, and Hamm join in the rescue. Woody meanwhile, learns about Jessie’s own issues in a wonderful sequence that recalls Jessie’s brief life as a toy to a young girl until she got abandoned and be sent to Goodwill.

Jessie is a new character to the franchise as she is a rare female character that is more active and is willing to go out there and do what’s right. She is definitely an equal to Woody and Buzz while the character of Stinky Pete is also interesting as he is someone who had been inside a box that hopes to be loved and seen. Yet, when he realizes that Woody wants to return home, Pete’s sudden change of character becomes evident since he had never been played. Other antagonists like Al and Zurg aren’t fully-realized antagonists as Al is just a greedy man while Zurg is just a villain that wants to destroy the other Buzz Lightyear.

The direction of John Lasseter, along with help from Lee Unkrich and Ash Brannon, is truly spellbinding from the way he opens the film with a wonderful sequence of Buzz fighting aliens. The look of the film is broader with a wide depth of field as Lasseter allows the frame to show more space and characters in the film. At the same time, he mixes all sorts of genres for the film while bringing in a few film references to give it some humor. From the wide shots and close-ups Lasseter uses to the wild, intense camera movements such as Woody’s first ride with Bulls-Eye is truly amazing to watch. Overall, Lasseter and his team of co-directors and animators create a film that is equal to its predecessor.

Cinematographer Sharon Calahan does some great work with some of the lighting used for the film to bring some mood to the look such as the scene where Woody tries to sneak out at night or the scenes on top of the elevator where Buzz and the gang try to rescue Woody. Editors Lee Unkrich, Edie Bleiman, and David Ian Slater do a fantastic job with the editing such as Jessie’s flashback scenes as well as the amazing rhythm for many of the film’s action sequences. The overall work in the editing is superb as it plays it straight while adding some stylistic flairs for some of the film’s dramatic and funny moments.

Production designers William Cone and Jim Pearson do some wonderful work in the look of Al‘s Toy Barn along with the apartment and the look of Zurg‘s base in the opening sequence. Sound designers Gary Rydstrom and Tom Myers along with sound editor Michael Silvers do a fantastic job with the sound from the opening scene to the scenes in the city as the sound work is masterful.

The music by Randy Newman is a highlight of the film as it plays a wonderful mix of bombastic orchestral pieces along with low-key dramatic and funny moments to country-western music for Woody’s old show. Featuring a jazzy version of You’ve Got a Friend in Me by Robert Goulet and the theme to Woody’s show by Riders in the Sky. The real moment of the film’s soundtrack is the somber song When She Loved Me that is sung by Sarah McLachlan in Jessie’s flashback scene. It is truly the most heart-wrenching song of the soundtrack as McLachlan’s vocal performance truly captures the sense of loss that Jessie endures in that sequence.

The casting by Mary Hidalgo and Ruth Lambert is phenomenal as it features cameo voice appearances from John Lasseter and Lee Unkrich as Rock N’ Sock ‘Em Robots, Andrew Stanton as the Evil Emperor Zurg, Jodi Benson as Barbie dolls, and Dave Foley in a cameo as Flik from A Bug’s Life. Other notable voice appearances include R. Lee Emrey as Sarge, Joe Ranft as Wheezy and from A Bug’s Life Heimlich, Jonathan Harris as Geri the Cleaner, Laurie Metcalf as Andy’s mom, John Morris as Andy, and Jeff Pidgeon as the Squeeze Toy Aliens. Estelle Harris is wonderfully funny as Mrs. Potato Head along with Annie Potts as Bo Peep. Wayne Knight is very funny as over-zealous toy collector Al while Kelsey Grammer is great as the manipulative yet charming Stinky Pete the Prospector.

John Ratzenberger and Don Rickles are amazing as in their respective yet hilarious roles as Hamm and Mr. Potato Head. Wallace Shawn is joyfully superb as the insecure yet video-game obsessed Rex. Jim Varney is excellent as loyal yet sassy Slinky. Joan Cusack is phenomenal as Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl with her lively vocal performance as well as the sense of anguish she faces about her memories in being a toy as she is the real highlight of the film. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are spectacular in their respective roles as Woody and Buzz. Hanks brings that every-man quality to Woody along with a sense of fear about not being played with only to remember the value of being a toy. Allen brings a performance that is very engaging as Buzz along with some humor about his own reaction to the Buzz Lightyear toys. Even as he gets to be very silly as the other Buzz.

Toy Story 2 is truly a superb sequel to its 1995 predecessor as John Lasseter and company step up their game in bringing a film that is entertaining and heartwarming. While it’s hard to say which of the three films of the Toy Story trilogy is the best as they each have something different to offer. The second is truly one of the most lively and imaginative thanks to the introduction of new characters like Jessie and Bulls-Eye along with old characters from the previous everyone knows and love. In the end, Toy Story 2 is a joyful film that allows the audience to spend more time with Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the characters of the beloved franchise.

Pixar Films: Toy Story - A Bug’s Life - (Monsters, Inc.) - (Finding Nemo) - The Incredibles - Cars - Ratatouille - WALL-E - Up - Toy Story 3 - Cars 2 - Brave - Monsters University - Inside Out - The Good Dinosaur - (Finding Dory) - (Cars 3) - Coco - Incredibles 2 - Toy Story 4 - (Onward) - Soul (2020 film) - (Luca (2021 film)) - Turning Red - (Lightyear) - (Elemental (2023 film)) - Inside Out 2 - (Elio) – (Toy Story 5)

© thevoid99 2011

Toy Story

Before 1995, animated films was hand-drawn and presented in two-dimension whether as feature films or as shorts. The idea of computer animation was something that had been thought of for years as a computer scientist named Ed Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith founded a company called Pixar as a spin-off for George Lucas’ Lucasfilms computers division. When Lucas’ interest towards the company decreased, Apples Computer co-founder Steve Jobs took interest as they found an animator in John Lasseter to help create computer-animated shorts. For many years, Lasseter and Catmull dreamed up of creating the first-ever feature-length computer-animated film that finally came true in the fall of 1995 called Toy Story.

Toy Story is the story of a pull-string cowboy doll who finds himself competing against a new space ranger toy for the affection of their owner. In turn, the two would go have an adventure as their owner would move to a new town. Directed by John Lasseter with a story written by Lasseter, Pete Docter, Joe Ranft, and Andrew Stanton that was later scribed by Stanton, Joss Whedon, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow. It is a film that transcends the idea of not what an animated film can be but also reach an audience wider than just kids and families. With an all-star voice cast that includes Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger, Wallace Shawn, Jim Varney, Don Rickles, Annie Potts, John Morris, and R. Lee Ermey. Toy Story is an exciting and entertaining landmark film John Lasseter and Pixar Studios.

Since kindergarten, Andy’s favorite toy is a pull-string cowboy doll named Woody (Tom Hanks). Andy (John Morris) often has Woody play with other toys like Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), Slinky the Dog (Jim Varney), a Tyrannosaurus Rex named Rex (Wallace Shawn), a piggy bank named Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Bo Peep (Annie Potts), the binoculars named Lenny (Joe Ranft) and RC the Car. When Andy’s birthday is moved a week earlier before the big move to a new town, Woody asks the toy soldier Sarge (R. Lee Emrey) to scout for new presents as the new toy Andy gets is a space ranger named Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). Woody is at odds with Buzz, who believes he’s a real space ranger, as he becomes Andy’s new favorite.

When Andy’s mom (Laurie Metcalf) wants to take Andy and his baby sister Molly (Hannah Unkrich) to Pizza Planet, Andy wants to take Buzz as Woody makes a plan to get rid of him only to have it go wrong. Buzz decides to exact revenge as the two get lost while they try to return to Andy at Pizza Planet. Instead, they get retrieved by a kid named Sid (Erik von Detten) who loves to destroy toys. With Sid living next door to Andy and Woody trying to redeem himself, Buzz learns some surprising revelations as he and Woody try to find a way to return home.

The film is about a cowboy toy who feels upset over the fact that he’s being replaced by something new and exciting in a space ranger. Because of this sense of jealousy, he decides to have this new toy get lost only for the plan to go horribly wrong where the two embark on an adventure. During this adventure, an unexpected friendship between the two happens where both learn the values of being toys and sharing the love for their owner.

What has kept Pixar vital over the years isn’t the use of the technology they created that has gotten better over the years. It’s always been about the story and how the technology enhances the story as Woody and Buzz are the main characters that start off as rivals only to become the best of friends. The screenplay is a mesh of various genres ranging from the buddy comedies to action-adventure with a dash of family entertainment. This mesh of genres is one of the reasons Pixar has been so successful which always bring in wide variety of viewers with different taste as the script is truly a highlight of the film.

John Lasseter’s direction is truly lively in the way he frames the scenes and gets the action going. Yet, he also allows the presentation of the film to be very simple for some of the dramatic moments of the film. The animation is truly amazing for its three-dimensional look as well as the layers of light and shadows used for some of the scenes in the film. The look of the characters are also shown with a movement that is very loose as the camera is always looking at the action and playing up its intensity. Lasseter’s direction is truly spellbinding in every frame he creates for this film.

Editors Lee Unkrich and Robert Gordon do an incredible job with the film‘s editing in creating a straightforward presentation that has wonderful rhythmic cuts for the film‘s action sequences. Art director Ralph Eggleston does a phenomenal job with the look of Andy‘s room and the objects used including the dark world that is Sid‘s room. Sound designer Gary Rydstrom and sound editor Tim Holland do an amazing job with the sound from the way the soldiers walked to the places that Woody and Buzz encounter throughout the film.

The music by Randy Newman is a real highlight of the film as it features a mixture of piano-based pop music with elements of orchestral scores to play up the intensity of the film in terms of drama or humor. The songs Newman create such as Strange Things to play up the rivalry of Woody and Buzz along with I Will Go Sailing No More as a dramatic piece. Yet, the highlight of the soundtrack is the song You’ve Got a Friend in Me that serves as the theme for entire series about the friendship between Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toys that includes a duet version with Newman and Lyle Lovett.

The voice cast is absolutely phenomenal as it features some memorable voice appearances from Jack Angel as Shark and Rocky Gibraltar, Jeff Pidgeon as the Squeeze Toy Aliens, Joe Ranft as Lenny the binoculars, Sarah Freeman as Sid’s sister, and R. Lee Emrey as Sarge. Other notable voices include Erik von Detten as the destructive Sid, Laurie Metcalf as Andy’s mom, Hannah Unkrich as Andy’s baby sister Molly, and John Morris as Andy. For the varied roles as the toys, there’s Don Rickles at the funny yet outspoken Mr. Potato Head along with Wallace Shawn as the insecure yet lovable Rex. Annie Potts is excellent as Bo Peep as is John Ratzenberger as the humorous Hamm and Jim Varney as loyal yet witty Slinky .

Finally, there’s Tom Hanks and Tim Allen in superb voice performances as Woody and Buzz Lightyear. Hanks brings a wonderful mix of comedy and drama as a pull-string cowboy doll who adores Andy while also being a bit of a schemer when it comes to Buzz. Hanks’ funnier moments is when he gives Woody a chance to go all out when Buzz refuses to believe that he’s a toy. Allen’s voice work is perfect for the heroic tone as Buzz where there’s a lot of bravado and dead-pan humor to the voice. Hanks and Allen don’t just elevate the film with their voice performances but also provide life to two of the best animated characters on film.

Toy Story is a dazzling yet exhilarating film from John Lasseter and his team at Pixar. Anyone that is interested in the films of Pixar Studios will no doubt see this as a great place to start. Even for anyone interested in animated films should find this as one of its landmark films. Particularly as this was the film that helped launch a slew of computer-animated films for many years to come. In the end, Toy Story is a remarkable feature film from Pixar Studios and John Lasseter.

Pixar Films: A Bug’s Life - Toy Story 2 - (Monsters Inc.) - (Finding Nemo) - The Incredibles - Cars - Ratatouille - WALL-E - Up - Toy Story 3 - Cars 2 - Brave - Monsters University - Inside Out - The Good Dinosaur - (Finding Dory) - (Cars 3) - Coco - Incredibles 2 - Toy Story 4 - (Onward) - Soul (2020 film) - (Luca (2021 film)) - Turning Red - (Lightyear) - (Elemental (2023 film)) - Inside Out 2 - (Elio) – (Toy Story 5)

© thevoid99 2011