Toy Story 2

DON'T TALK TO ANY TOY YOU DON'T KNOW!!

With Kung Fu Panda 2 coming out and the fact that it is animated and getting great preliminary reviews, I thought I would go back to the cartoon franchise that started it all. The digital age of computer generated toons began with Toy Story in 1995, but in 1999 Toy Story 2 gave us a story of loyalty, respect, and freedom of choice. It's funny to me that as kids, Woody is our Hero, but as adults, when we dissect it, he is a bit of a selfish punk in every film. Buzz is the real man of the series. His loyalty to Woody is above reproach. When Woody is "toynapped" by Al - of Al's Toy Barn - he is hot on the trail. I also like Buzz's sunny disposition. He is strapped to a rocket in 1, imprisoned by another Buzz in 2, and turned into factory setting Buzz followed by Spanish Buzz in 3, yet he is always okay with everything. Woody, however, is always so right about everything and he makes his decisions based on him...nothing else. The cast is all back and the jokes and tributes are better than ever. Star Wars to Jurassic Park. It never gets old. The film is about getting Woody back to Andy before he gets home from Cowboy Camp, yet Woody is all geared up to go to Japan with the rest of his "Roundup Gang". We meet Jessie, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete. They were all characters in a marionette puppet show in the '50's. He and his gang are worth a lot of money to a toy museum in Japan and he doesn't want to abandon his new friends to a life of storage, yet his real friends come calling and he finds it hard to deny his instincts. The final 20 minutes are very intense...not like TS 3 intense, but still. This movie is better than its predecessor, though Toy Story is as good as it can get, this one peaks it by just so much in the term of depth of story and emotion. Plus when Woody gets cleaned and refurbished, that is one of the most fun scenes I have ever seen. Just to watch the rejuvenation is invigorating to me.

NBM rates Toy Story 2 - A Work of Cinematic Art