"Your not a collectors item... You're a toy!"
Toy Story 2 finds
the hero of Toy Story kidnapped by a
rare toy collector. Woody (Tom Hanks) is taken from his owner, Andy and kept in
a Perspex box ready to be shipped to Japan where he will become an exhibit in a
toy museum. In an attempt to rescue Woody, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Rex, Slinky,
Mr Potato Head and
What started out as a direct to video movie became one of
the best loved sequels of all time. I personally don’t think it is as good as
the original but I only The Godfather
Part II is a better sequel in my opinion. The story is much more sprawling
than Toy Story and it encompasses
many more locations. The plot is fun and exciting but isn’t as neat as the
original film. I like that the plot touches upon how toys feel when they are no
longer played with, a theme present in both Toy
Story 1 & 2 and the main theme of the third instalment. It is beefed up by the introduction of some
new characters, including Buzz’s nemesis Zurg and Woody’s Roundup Gang; Jessie,
Stinky Pete and Bullseye. I found Jessie a bit irritating but liked the
additions on the whole. In addition characters from the first instalment are
given greater depth, with Slinky’s rear end developing its own character and
Rex becoming much more rounded and less one dimensional. While making the
original film, Pixar were unable to secure the rights to use Barbie but after the success of that
film, Barbie makes an appearance here
with obvious product placement.
The animation isn’t notably different from the original but
is perhaps more detailed. I don’t think the film is as funny as the original
but there are still funny moments. The car chase scene stands out both in terms
of humour and action. The addition of a second Buzz presented plenty of laughs
and the references to
Overall this is a very good film but is in my view the
weakest of the trilogy. That being said, it is still funnier and more action
packed than 90% of animations and doesn’t follow the tradition of lazy, cash-in
sequel.
8/10
