Viewed in
1999 (3), 2000 (2), 2009
Premise
Woody is toy-napped by a toy dealer who discovers that he is a valuable collector's item.
Who should watch
Fans of Pixar films. Shame on you if you're not!
Thoughts
A worthy sequel for a classic.
While it lacked the novelty of the first film (then again, what sequel doesn't?), but there were times when it was cooler or funnier than the original. I really liked the new characters, especially Mrs. Potato Head and the energetic cowgirl Jesse, voiced by Joan Cusack.
One of my favorite scenes came from the release of Buzz's nemesis, Zurg, which evolved into a 'Star Wars' parody. The 'Jurassic Park' and 'Space Odyssey 2001' shout outs were also very funny. In fact, this film might have started the snowball of computer-animated films having pop-culture reference diarrhea.
Woody's dilemma was well-written. While laughing my butt off, an emotional punch came out of nowhere, as Jesse explained her past of once being loved, but loved no more. People love you, then leave you. Such was the life of a toy. Randy Newman should have won for best song for giving me chills and nearly bringing a tear.
My only gripe was that Mrs. Potato Head was pretty much a Jewish mother archetype, though she was funny as hell. Nevertheless, it was borderline racist.
Watching the re-release, I discovered that the story and most of the animation still held up after all these years. The most noticeable improvement was the super-cute dog, Buster. Buster was much more convincing than Scud from the original. In addition, the world expanded to an outer space scene and more of the human world. I laughed at the same lines as I did the first time, and still loved these characters.
The double-feature was fun, as the 3D enhanced the overall experience, and in certain scenes, just made them flat-out cool. In addition, they added a quick little intro and ten-minute intermission with characters goofing around in the background. Lastly, a big boo to my local AMC for messing up the screen dimensions in the first film, and turning on the lights and local ads well before the credits were done. Though it was kind of trippy to see a two-dimensional ad superimposed on 3D credits and outtakes.
Pixar delivered another home run that was on par, and at times funnier or more heart-warming, with the original 'Toy Story'.
What I would change
Nothing.
Personal
I finally get the 'don't touch my mustache' joke! Thanks to my Japanese-speaking friend.
