Toy Story 2 (1999)
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Toy Story 2 Movie Review
Toy Story 2 is a 1999 animated adventure film directed by John Lasseter. It is Pixar’s third film and their very first sequel.
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“You never forget kids like Emily or Andy,
but they forget you“
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I actually found the plot in this film quite lacking. The problem with the entire movie is that it is very inconsequential and it has many typical problems the second part of trilogies usually have and that is that it is neither original as the first movie nor emotionally resonant as the third one. It is stuck in the middle and although we do get to meet some important new characters, this remains for the most part an unimportant story in a bigger scope of things.
Once again the film favored action over adventure and once again I was bored in some stretches of its short runtime which is never a good sign. The highlights in terms of story are that polishing sequence which is very interesting, Woody’s uncovering of his toy’s story as well as Jessie’s backstory. But the entire third act is once again too much of a spectacle with too much action and not enough character moments and emotion.
Let’s talk about the characters. Woody gets some much needed spotlight here and I liked his backstory and his interactions with the new as well as old team. Tom Hanks once again gave a terrific performance. But unfortunately Buzz Ligthyear is underutilized here and although I really liked his interactions with the other Buzz toy as those were amusing, he otherwise did not get much to do and only his speech near the end to Woody was important and great.
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Jessie is not my favorite character. I am fine with her joining the team and she is well developed and with a moving backstory, but she isn’t the most interesting or likable character and some of her personality traits annoyed me. Other toys did not get much to do with Rex being the most amusing highlight and thankfully Andy is more present this time around. As for Stinky Pete, he is a competent villain, but not particularly memorable when put against other Pixar villains.
Toy Story 2 has pretty good animation and actually it is a lot better than the one in the first flick. The advancements in computer technology that happened between 1995 and 1999 are obviously huge as evidenced by the quality of this film. Everything looks more polished and better animated with the exception of characters as character design continues to be jerky and unrealistic.
The dialogue is pretty good albeit not as strong as seen before. The humor is okay, but not terrific and the adventurous elements are the highlights with the action being boring. You’ve Got a Friend in Me is overplayed by now, but When She Loved Me is a sweet song to accompany Jessie’s important scene, although it is forgettable and again never at all comparable to the works of Disney.
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Toy Story 2 is a solid film for sure. It has its moving moments and solid characterization, but the overall story is much weaker than in the rest of the trilogy and thematically speaking, it is infinitely inferior to the original. It relies more on emotion instead of originality and themes and it just expands the universe without ever making it better. It is thus one of Pixar’s most overrated, weaker films.
Toy Story 2 has some excellent, moving scenes, solid characterization and improved animation, but too much action and not as strong dialogue and themes as the original had. It is a simpler plot and somewhat inconsequential in the bigger scope of things. Thus the film is one of Pixar’s weakest efforts and easily the worst entry in this trilogy.
