Though they continue to be one of the most celebrated animation studios for a wide range of projects, the Toy Story franchise remains one of Pixar’s most iconic, and Toy Story 2 is a prime reason why. The 1999 sequel served as the studio’s third feature-length project after making their debut with the 1995 original, which was nominated for three Oscars, and 1998’s A Bug’s Life, one of Pixar’s more underrated efforts. It also wouldn’t be the end of the franchise, either, as two more sequels have been released and a Toy Story 5 is currently in production.
Toy Story 2 picked up sometime after the events of its predecessor, with Woody and Buzz now living harmoniously as the co-leaders of Andy’s toys. When Andy inadvertently rips Woody’s arm and leaves him behind to go to cowboy camp, the cowboy toy tries to rescue one of the boy’s forgotten toys from a yard sale, only to be taken by a toy store owner looking to sell him, cowgirl Jessie and elderly prospector doll Stinky Pete for a high price. Buzz sets off with the other toys to rescue Woody and bring him home before Andy returns from camp.
Toy Story 2’s Story Packs Some Heavy Themes
Existential Reflections On Relevance & Purpose Are Surprisingly Effective
While Pixar may be well known now for packing plenty of heartstring-pulling moments into their films, Toy Story 2 remains an interesting experiment in the studio’s history in seeing just how much they could get away with in a kid’s film. The first movie certainly invited an interesting discussion about the nature of toys, but the creative group of Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin, Chris Webb, John Lasseter, Pete Docter and Ash Brannon really took things to a new level with the sequel.
Kelsey Grammer’s Stinky Pete, though, is the ultimate example of the movie’s deeper exploration of relevance and purpose.
The biggest evidence of this is the exploration of when a toy is no longer deemed worthy of being played with by its owners. Wheezy’s reflection on being shelved is an interesting look back for older viewers on the toys they didn’t treat too delicately, while Jessie’s origin story is a heartbreaking reminder of the toys we’ve left behind. Woody’s dream of being thrown into the trash by Andy and coldly being told goodbye is also still something of an existential nightmare to watch, thanks in large part to its chilling imagery of damaged and destroyed toys pulling him down.
Kelsey Grammer’s Stinky Pete, though, is the ultimate example of the movie’s deeper exploration of relevance and purpose. For younger viewers, his motives seem pretty straightforward about wanting to keep Woody with the group to be popular, but as an adult, it cuts deeply to hear him angrily reflect on watching endless other toys bought while he remained on the shelf. It’s a reveal that offers another layer to the character, painting him as a sympathetic villain, especially considering he never got the same love from a child as Woody and Jessie and therefore wouldn’t believe what they shared.
The Animation Still Rivals That Of Many Modern Movies
A Four-Year Gap Led To Some Truly Innovative Visuals
One of the other most impressive elements of Toy Story 2 is just how well the animation still holds up after 25 years. The original Toy Story was notably the first entirely computer-animated movie to be produced, and as impressive as it looks for 1995, there are admittedly some elements that don’t quite hold up in the same vein today. Much of what goes on with Sid and Sid’s dog in the original, as entertaining as they are, particularly looks a bit stiff in their general animations and lighting in comparison to the rest of the film.
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With Toy Story 2, the studio faced an interesting challenge as they went through various behind-the-scenes changes and turmoil, and yet somehow came out with a movie that looked and ran better than its original. Its character models don’t look so smooth as to feel egregiously artificial, their movements feel largely natural, and there’s even a sense of cinematic style infused into many of its sequences. Beyond Woody’s aforementioned nightmare, the movie’s opening sequence of an in-action Buzz is not only a charming ode to some of sci-fi’s most iconic titles, including Star Wars, but also a visually stunning mini-movie.
The Movie’s Humor Is Charming & Effective Enough To Forgive A Few Missteps
There Are Occasional Gaps In Logic
Another major curse most sequels fall prey to — that Toy Story 2 nicely avoids — is failing to capture its predecessor’s level of hilarity. The concept of toys being alive and having their own emotions and motivations is novel, but it can only carry a movie so far beyond its self-awareness and successful jokes. Even with so many good ones in the original, there are still so many great gags throughout the sequel. Whether it’s Buzz and Zurg turning their Darth Vader-Luke Skywalker moment into father-son bonding or subtly adult jokes, the team delivers laughs for all ages.
The film overcomes some of the narrative’s logic gaps to remain a rare sequel that manages to be better than the original 25 years later.
That’s not to say this movie is perfect from start to finish. Toy Story 2‘s biggest issues are the various gaps in logic in the story and the inconsistencies in the toys’ depictions. The fact that Woody was kidnapped by Al, who also broke into Andy’s mom’s safebox at the garage sale, should’ve been far more of a red flag for her when the doll reappeared.
Additionally, the fact that neither Jessie nor Woody saw who left the TV remote in front of the former while the latter was trying to get his arm back from a sleeping Al is a little too convenient to set up the Stinky Pete villain reveal.
To be fair, I know some of these things could be waved away as the movie is for kids, and therefore I can cut it a little slack. The humor as a whole is still delightful, the storytelling thought-provoking and the voice cast fantastic, particularly then franchise newcomer Joan Cusack as Jessie. The film overcomes some of the narrative’s logic gaps to remain a rare sequel that manages to be better than the original 25 years later.
Toy Story 2 is available to stream on Disney+.
- The story is even more thought-provoking and emotional than the first.
- The animation is far more stylish and fluid than the first film.
- The humor largely matches the same joyous heights as the original.
- There are a few gaps in story logic and inconsistencies in the toys’ abilities.