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Pixar's follow-up to 1995's hugely successful Toy Story is another whopping cinematic victory, guaranteed to garner critical raves and still make money hand-over-fist while packing theaters through this holiday season. The original, the third-highest-grossing animated film ever (behind The Lion King and Aladdin) and the first full-length computer-generated movie, made almost $200 million during its theatrical run, catching Hollywood a bit off-guard. This sequel even pokes fun at the fact that unaware toy stores didn't stock enough of the film's action figures the first time around.
For the few people that haven't seen the first film, it focused on a group of toys owned by a six-year-old tyke named Andy Davis (voiced by John Morris). His favorite toy, a cowboy doll named Woody (Tom Hanks, You've Got Mail), faced his greatest fear when Andy received a shiny new Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen, Home Improvement) doll for his birthday. A jealous Woody hatched a plan to get rid of his cocky rival, but it backfired, leaving the cowboy and his toy cohorts to perform a daring rescue mission to return Buzz to their master.
Here, Woody, Buzz and the other toys all get along nicely, even playing with Andy's dog, Buster, whom he received as a Christmas gift in Toy Story's final scene. As the film opens, we learn that Andy is about to leave for Cowboy Camp and plans to take his trusty pal Woody along. But right before they leave, Woody's arm is partially torn, which not only results in Andy leaving him behind, but also in his mother (Laurie Metcalf, The Norm Show) relegating the damaged toy to a dusty shelf. The ledge appears to be a home to toys that Andy has either grown out of or has broken.
Long story short, Woody is taken by an unscrupulous toy collector (Wayne Knight, Seinfeld), courtesy of Mrs. Davis' yard sale. The graying, balding pudge named Al recognizes Woody as a rare toy in near perfect condition and plans to sell his find to a Japanese museum along with three other figures he has previously collected from the `Woody's Roundup' set - Jessie the Cowgirl (Joan Cusack, Arlington Road), Stinky Pete the prospector (Kelsey Grammer, Frasier), and Bullseye the horse (David Ogden Stiers, Two Guys, a Girl & a Pizza Place).
Having no idea that he was so valuable, a pragmatic Woody is faced with the inevitable fact that Andy is growing older and will, at some point, stop playing with toys. He has to decide whether to go back to Andy and the other toys, or lead a boring life of virtual immortality from a glass case. Plus, Woody has to factor in the guilt aspect – if he ditches Jessie, Pete and Bullseye, they'll end up packed away in storage boxes indefinitely, until Al can find another Woody-clone to complete his sale.
Like the original film, Toy Story 2 is visually stunning, with CG images so true-to-life that you can easily forget that you aren't watching a live-action movie. It features better and more realistic action sequences than most films. And like its predecessors (Toy Story and A Bug's Life), this sequel seems to offer more jokes for adults than kids, spoofing Jurassic Park and Star Wars, among others. In fact, I'm not even sure that kids will grasp the whole concept of collecting old toys, or appreciate Al's videotapes of the hokey ‘50s television show that featured Woody and his pals.
Created by the same team of writers and directors that made both Toy Story and A Bug's Life, this new film seems to be filled with more emotional moments than either of its predecessors. The conflict Woody feels is more real than what we're used to seeing in films, and there is also an oddly effective Sarah MacLachlan song (her second weepy number this month after Anywhere But Here) about Jessie's former owner ditching the cowgirl for a life of makeup and boys. Again, this will likely be more effective for adults than children. And, after Pokémon, is that such a bad thing?
1:35 - G for cartoonish action
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