Toy Story 2 (1999) 4 stars out of 4. Featuring the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, Annie Potts, Jim Varney and John Ratzenberger.
If you want to treat the kids and yourself to an early holiday gift, I strongly urge you to see "Toy Story 2," a warm and wonderful sequel that will keep you laughing from the outset.
Some movies make you feel good from the get-go, hugging you until the closing credits quit rolling. "Toy Story 2" is one of those movies.
"Toy Story 2" is, on a basic level, a fable about the relationship between toys and children - and the transient nature of that unique partnership.
The main plot of "Toy Story 2" deals with the kidnapping of Woody by a dishonest toy collector and his rescue by his former rival Buzz Lightyear and a group of Andy's other toys.
Andy has gone off to cowboy camp, but Woody - who usually goes with Andy - had to be left behind because his arm is ripped. Trying to save one of Andy's old, abandoned toys, Woody accidentally winds up in a yard sale from which he is stolen.
A witty script, filled with pop culture references to the James Bond villain, Oddjob, "Jurassic Park" and "Star Wars," ensures that "Toy Story 2" will be just as enjoyable to adults as it is to the kids.
The technicians at Pixar have again used computer animation to bring to life a lively group of toys, and you soon forget how they were created. Subconsciously, you know they are not human, but on the screen they appear as real and you or I.
And what a collection. Besides Woody and Buzz, returning characters include Mr. Potato Head, Rex the dinosaur, Slinky Dog and Hamm the pig.
The movie is filled with funny lines. As Mr. Potato Head prepares to venture forth with his comrades in search of Woody, Mrs. Potato Head tells him she has packed an extra pair of feet and his mean eyes.
Of course, it's the talented voices that make these characters so charming. Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Wallace Shawn as Rex, Jim Varney as Slinky Dog and John Ratzenberger as Hamm are joined by the heavenly Joan Cusack as Jessie the cowgirl and Kelsey Grammer as Stinky Pete the prospector.
You see, after being kidnapped, Woody discovers that he is a cultural icon, a star of his own kiddie TV show back in the 1950s. He was joined on the show by Jessie and Stinky Pete.
With the addition of Woody, the evil toy collector now has a complete set of Woody memorabilia and plans to sell it all to a toy museum in Tokyo.
Woody doesn't want immortality. He wants to return to Andy, despite the protests of Jessie - who was cruelly discarded when her own grew up - and Stinky Pete, who is still wrapped because he was never removed from his box.
One of the film's finest sequences occurs when Woody's would-be rescuers invade a toy store. There, Buzz meets an updated model of himself (the new Buzz has a utility belt), the toys are aided by a flight attendant Barbie and Buzz comes face-to-face with his mortal enemy, the evil Emperor Zurg.
Everything, naturally, works out for the best. But "Toy Story 2" is such a fun ride that I cannot help but rhapsodize about it. The movie is one of the top films of the year, a must-see, can't-miss, family excursion kind of event.
It can be argued that like "Bride of Frankenstein," "Godfather II," "Aliens" and "Terminator 2," "Toy Story 2" is a sequel that surpasses the original.
A wonderful, tuneful score by Randy Newman, a laugh-filled script, out-of-this-world effects and some very talented voices and technicians have created a world we will want to visit again and again.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at cbloom@iquest.net
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