Movie Type: Family-Oriented Adventure, Fantasy Comedy
Themes: Toys Come to Life, Daring Rescues, Race Against Time
Main Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Don Rickles
Release Year: 1999
Country: US
Run Time: 92 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
Plot
Woody the Cowboy, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of their friends from the toy box return in this computer-animated sequel to the 1995 hit Toy Story. This time around, Andy, the young boy who is the proud owner of most of our cast of characters, is off at summer camp, giving the toys a few weeks off to do as they please. Woody (voice of Tom Hanks) is unaware that in the years since his model went out of production, he's become a rare and valuable collector's item. An avid toy collector (voice of Wayne Knight) decides that he wants Woody for his collection and swipes him, so Buzz Lightyear (voice of Tim Allen), Hamm (voice of John Ratzenberger), Rex (voice of Wallace Shawn), Slinky Dog (voice of Jim Varney), and Mr. Potato Head (voice of Don Rickles) venture forth to rescue their kidnapped friend before Andy returns. Along with most of the original voice cast, composer Randy Newman returns with a new score and new songs. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Toy Story 2 narrowly escaped straight-to-video status, a common fate even for sequels to Disney's more successful films (The Return of Jafar, the sequel to Aladdin, is a prime example). But with the same director, vocal talents, and high-budget digital animation gathered for the second go-around of Woody, Buzz, and their plastic pals, Disney and Pixar positioned Toy Story 2 for another Thanksgiving theatrical release, saving one of film's most satisfying family franchises from the scrap heap. The sequel earned a 245-million-dollar domestic gross, well outpacing the original, and some say did the impossible: it actually improved on the near-perfect Toy Story. The film opens with a James Bond-like vignette of Buzz Lightyear dodging aliens and lasers on a wondrous foreign planet, eventually facing the Evil Emperor Zurg, his nemesis. It turns out to be a video game played by the toys in Andy's bedroom, in a sly commentary on Andy's changing interests; little do the neurotic toys know it, but video games will ultimately make them obsolete. As visually arresting as the opening is, the rest of the film maintains the pace, taking the characters through an adventure that rivals the original: saving Woody from a nerdy toy collector, outrageously embodied by Wayne Knight, who channels his pesky Seinfeld alter ego Newman. The mission brings them up and down an elevator shaft, through the place of their origin (a toy store), and face to face, in a wonderful setup, with a toy version of Zurg, delusional and hell-bent on wrecking havoc. The success of Toy Story 2 suggests that these characters could have endless adventures beyond the toy chest; however, they will have to be without Slinky Dog, voiced by Jim Varney, who died the following year. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Glenn McQueen - Animation Director, Ruth Lambert - Casting, Mary Hidalgo - Casting, John Lasseter - Director, Lee Unkrich - Director, Ash Brannon - Director, Lee Unkrich - Editor, Edie Bleiman - Editor, David Ian Salter - Editor, Sarah McArthur - Executive Producer, Randy Newman - Composer (Music Score), William Cone - Production Designer, Jim Pearson - Production Designer, Sharon Calahan - Cinematographer, Karen Robert Jackson - Producer, Helene Plotkin - Producer, Joe Ranft - Story Editor, Dan Jeup - Story Editor, Gary Rydstrom - Sound/Sound Designer, Michael Silvers - Sound Editor, Pete Docter - Screen Story, John Lasseter - Screen Story, Andrew Stanton - Screen Story, Ash Brannon - Screen Story, Andrew Stanton - Screenwriter, Rita Hsiao - Screenwriter, Doug Chamberlin - Screenwriter, Chris Webb - Screenwriter
Following the storyline of the computer animated feature film of the same name, Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 2 for the Game Boy Color has you on a rescue mission. Woody, super sheriff and beloved toy, has been stolen by a greedy toy collector/dealer and needs your help. You control Woody's friend, Buzz Lightyear, a sci-fi action figure who, before becoming a mere child's toy, was trained by the Universe Protection Unit. You must run, jump, climb, fly and shoot your way through nine scenes of obstacles and puzzles as well as two bonus rounds. You'll even ride a skateboard and a horse!
The Toy Story 2 world consists of the following levels: Andy's Bedroom, The Yard Sale, The Road to Al's Toy Barn, In the Toy Barn, Bonus Level (the elevator to Al's apartment), Al's Apartment, another Bonus Level (this time riding an elevator to the first floor of the airport), Conveyor Belt, The Runway, The Airplane and The Race to Andy's Room.
You'll meet up with several characters from the movie as you progress through the game. Rex the dinosaur is on a rampage and must be calmed down. Excitable aliens (the little three-eyed green guys from the movie) must be avoided as they jump for joy at the prospect of being "chosen" as part of Andy's toy gang. Other toys include Jessie the cowgirl, Bullseye the horse, Stinky Pete the prospector, Hamm the piggybank, and Emperor Zurg, who happens to be Buzz's archenemy and father.
Bonus items are scattered throughout the game. Coins provide points and extra lives, batteries regenerate Buzz's health, Disk Launchers and Air Blast Attachments upgrade Buzz's Laser Light, and an Aqua Pack allows Buzz to breathe underwater. Other items to find include a feather, a key and a wrench -- all of which are useful for performing certain tasks, such as fixing a fire hydrant or opening the door to the toy store.
Like most Game Boy Color cartridges, this game is playable on the standard Game Boy system. Also, it has been specially designed to allow enhanced graphics when played using the Super Game Boy -- an adapter which lets you play Game Boy titles on your Super NES.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Roots & Influences
Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 2 is based on the computer animated movie of the same name, which was released on November 24, 1999. The first film, simply titled Toy Story, came out in 1995 and spawned a game for the 16-bit Super NES and Genesis as well as for the monochrome Game Boy. The developers of this game, Tiertex Limited, also developed Disney's Toy Story for the Game Boy.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
As much as I enjoyed the first Toy Story film, I thought Toy Story 2 was even better. The storyline was a great send up of toy collecting, the script was witty and cleverly written, and the characters were more believable and likable than those in most live action films. In short, Toy Story 2 deserves an Oscar nomination for best picture. The accompanying Game Boy Color videogame, Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 2, is an average 2D platformer. Nothing more, nothing less.
Fans of the feature film will derive some pleasure out of controlling Buzz Lightyear. He can run, jump, shoot and climb with ease. Flying requires more skill as there are only certain places in each level in which he can get airborne; if you find the right spots, you can fly to reach certain items that are sometimes necessary to complete levels. These and other puzzle-like elements pose most of the challenges in the game. The obstacles are easy enough to avoid, and the levels are very short.
A password feature lets you save your progress after you beat each level. This is fortunate because the levels aren't much fun to repeat. Getting stuck in a level is a drag as well. If you don't already, you'll find that you wish you had a list of passwords for the entire game. The game can get tedious very quickly.
I know Disney doesn't want much violence in their videogames, but a healthy dose of action would serve this game well. Dodging the trashcans and other obstacles isn't very exciting. Shooting Rex the dinosaur one time makes him go away. The game needs some bosses and more laser-blasting action.
Compared to Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, the graphics in this game are lacking in richness of color. However, the characters and levels are fairly well drawn, and the game is cute enough to please most kids.
Overall, Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 2 is an adequate, but very forgettable and very short game. Kids will tire of it quickly and want to see the movie again.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
The levels present some puzzling challenges, but the action is weak.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
Kids will have fun seeing all their favorite characters from the movie. The animation and artwork is above average for a Game Boy Color title.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
Bright and cheerful, but not particularly distinctive.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
The levels are short and they are not much fun to repeat.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
The manual is cute and fun to read.
~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide
Production Credits
DISNEY Senior Producer: Dan Winters; Assistant Producer: Renee Johnson; THQ Producer: Jon Osborne; Assistant Producer: Edward J. Romiro; Q.A. Director: Donn Nauert; Lead Tester: Jason de Heras; Testers: Carlos Ramirez, J.R. Marcelo, Victor Biron, Nick Rita; TIERTEX Program Director: John Prince; Art Director: Kevin Knott; Sound Director: Mark Ortiz; Lead Tester: Gary Marshall; Special Thanks: Bryan King, Donald Campbell, Chris Brunning, Laura Prince
This article is missing citations or needs footnotes. Please help add inline citations to guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. (November 2007)
Set a few years after the first film, Woody prepares to go to summer camp with 10-year old Andy for the weekend, but Andy rips his arm by accident while playing with his toys before leaving, forcing him to be placed on a shelf and stay behind. There he discovers that Andy's mother is having a yard sale, to where she takes a fellow shelved toy, Wheezy, an old rubber penguin with a broken squeaker, to be sold. Woody sneaks down to the yard sale with the help of Andy's pet dog Buster and saves Wheezy, but is accidentally left outside and found by an enthusiastic toy collector, who ends up stealing him when Andy's mother refuses to sell him. Buzz chases after the collector's car as he drives away, but quickly loses him. During an investigation back at Andy's room, Buzz and the other toys quickly determine that the thief is Al McWhiggin, owner of the toy company Al's Toy Barn. Buzz recruits Slinky Dog, Mr. Potato Head, Rex and Hamm to go out and save Woody.
In Al's apartment, Woody discovers that he is a valuable collectable based on Woody's Roundup, a popular children's TV show from the 1950s, and meets three other toys from the franchise: Jessie, his yodeling cowgirl sidekick; Bullseye, his trusted horse companion; and Stinky Pete the Prospector, who is in mint condition inside his unopened box. With Woody's inclusion and his collection complete, Al plans to sell his Woody's Roundup merchandise to a toy museum in Tokyo, Japan. The three other toys are excited about the trip, but Woody, still being Andy's toy, wishes to return home and makes several failed attempts at escaping the apartment (at the beginning of one attempt, to get his arm back, it starts off as the beginning of the movie Poltergeist, with the TV playing the National Anthem then fading to static), though putting himself at odds with Jessie, who fears going back to storage. After his arm is fixed by a toy repairman (who is the same man in the short Geri's Game in the theatrical version of the movie A Bug's Life before the movie started), Woody learns that Jessie was once a toy beloved by a girl named Emily, but was put away and forgotten as Emily grew up, and eventually thrown away. Stinky Pete tells Woody that Andy will also throw him away when he grows up. Woody, realising that he will be forever adored by children in the toy museum, warms up to the idea of going to Japan.
Meanwhile, Buzz and the other toys reach the local Al's Toy Barn store across the street from Al's apartment. Shortly after splitting up with the other toys, Buzz encounters a newer Buzz Lightyear action figure who (like the original Buzz from the first film) believes himself to be a real space ranger. The two Buzzes fight, but Buzz #2 overpowers Buzz #1 and ends up being mistakenly taken by the others in their search for Woody. Buzz #1 chases after the team, inadvertently letting loose an action figure of Emperor Zurg, Buzz's arch-nemesis, who sets out to destroy him. Buzz catches up with the others as they find Woody and attempt to take him back home, but Woody refuses to go. Buzz vehemently reminds him that he is a toy, as Woody once told Buzz, and that toys are meant to be played with by children. Woody still refuses, leaving Buzz and his friends to leave the room angry and disgusted. Woody returns to his senses and convinces Jessie and Bullseye to come with him to become Andy's toys, but Stinky Pete, seeing the museum trip as his only chance to become immortal since he was never sold, breaks out of his box and separates Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye from the others.
As Al packs up Woody with the rest of the merchandise and drives off to the airport to ship them, Buzz #1 and the team carjack a Pizza Planet delivery truck while Buzz #2 remains behind to keep Emperor Zurg occupied. In the baggage-handling area of the airport, Stinky Pete faces off against Buzz and Woody tearing his arm (again) in the process, but is distracted by the other toys and stuffed in a little girl's backpack to be taken in and played with. Jessie ends up being boarded on the airplane for Japan, but Woody, Buzz, and Bullseye manage to save her just before the plane lifts off with Woody . The toys return home just before Andy comes back from camp and await his return. Andy takes in Jessie and Bullseye as his new toys and fixes Woody's arm with extra stuffing the following morning. The toys also learn that Al's business and mood have sharply declined due to his failure to sell and deliver the merchandise to the Museum. As the new toys become accustomed to having a new owner, Woody and Buzz accept the fact that Andy will eventually grow up, but they will still have each other.
Toy Story 2 was not originally intended for release in theaters. Disney asked Pixar to make a direct-to-video sequel for the original Toy Story with a 60 minute running time. When Disney executives saw how impressive the in-work imagery for the sequel was, they decided to create a theatrical movie, and the plot was reworked to be much more epic and cinematic in scope and the duration of the movie was extended to just over 90 minutes. Some animators got repetitive stress injuries rushing to complete the film, which taught the Pixar managers to arrange breaks between each project from then on.[3]
Pixar and Disney had a five-film co-production deal and Pixar felt that with its change in status, Toy Story 2 should count as one of the pictures in the deal. Disney felt that since the production of Toy Story 2 was negotiated outside of the five-picture deal, it should not count. This issue became a particularly sore spot for Pixar, leading to a falling out between Pixar CEO Steve Jobs and Disney CEO Michael Eisner, concluding in Pixar's 2004 announcement that it would not extend its deal with Disney and would instead seek other distribution partners. Fortunately, with Eisner's departure and Pixar's ultimate purchase by Disney by 2006, as well as Jobs now holding a seat within Disney's board of directors, these problems have been overcome. This was also one of Jim Varney's last movies before his death in 2000.
Randy Newman wrote two new songs for Toy Story 2 as well as the complete original score:
"When She Loved Me" - performed by Sarah McLachlan: Used for the flashback montage in which Jessie experiences being loved, forgotten, and ultimately abandoned by her owner, Emily. This song was nominated at the Oscars in 2000 for Best Song, though the award went to Phil Collins for "You'll Be in My Heart" from another Disney animated film Tarzan.
The film also includes two new versions of "You've Got a Friend in Me," the theme from the first film. The first is performed by the puppet Woody (Tom Hanks) "on guitar" as part of the "Woody's Roundup" show. The second is a Vegas-style finale production number sung by Wheezy (singing voice provided by Robert Goulet).
Release
Marketing
A video game for the PC, PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast was released. The game featured original cast voices and clips from the movie as introductions to levels. Once earned, these clips could be viewed at the player's discretion. Another game was released for the Game Boy Color.
Box office performance
Toy Story 2 opened over the Thanksgiving Day weekend at #1 to a three-day tally of $57,388,839 from 3,236 theaters averaging $17,734 per theater over three days, making $80,102,784 since its Wednesday launch, and staying at #1 for the next two weekends. It eventually made $245,852,179 domestically and $239,163,000 overseas for a total worldwide gross of $485,015,179, becoming the third highest grossing film of 1999, and far surpassing the original, and in fact, every other animated movie to that date except for The Lion King, even though both were later eclipsed by 2 CGI movies, Shrek 2 and Finding Nemo.
Reception
Toy Story 2 received universal critical acclaim and earned a 100% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes (one of the only animated films to do so), with an average reviewer score of 8.5/10 (based on a sample of 130 reviews). It is currently #2 on Rotten Tomatoes' list of best rated movies[4] and the best rated animated movie[5]. The film also holds an 88 out of 100 on Metacritic[6]. It joins the rare number of sequels judged to be "as good as or better than the original."
In Spain, it premiered in 2002 on Telecinco. It is broadcast sometimes on Antena 3, a channel that actually has a partnership with Disney. The last broadcast was on February 14, 2009 after airing of the first Toy Story.
3-D re-release
Poster for 3D re-release.
On October 2, 2009, the film was re-released in Disney Digital 3-D.[7] The film was released with Toy Story as a double feature for a two-week run[8] which was extended due to its success.[9][10] In addition, the film's sequel, Toy Story 3, will also be released in the 3-D format.[7] Lasseter commented on the new 3-D re-release: "The Toy Story films and characters will always hold a very special place in our hearts and we're so excited to be bringing this landmark film back for audiences to enjoy in a whole new way thanks to the latest in 3-D technology. With Toy Story 3 shaping up to be another great adventure for Buzz, Woody and the gang from Andy's room, we thought it would be great to let audiences experience the first two films all over again and in a brand new way."[11]
Translating the movies into 3-D involved revisiting the original computer data and virtually placing a second camera into each scene, creating left-eye and right-eye views needed to achieve the perception of depth. Unique to computer animation, Lasseter referred to this process as “digital archaeology.” The lead stereographer Bob Whitehill oversaw this process and sought to achieve an effect that impacted the emotional storytelling of the film.[12]
Unlike other countries, the UK will be receiving the films in 3D as separate releases. Toy Story 2 will instead be released January 22, 2010.[1]
Home Video
Toy Story 2 was released as a two-pack with Toy Story on October 17, 2000. That same day an "Ultimate Toy Box" set was released containing both films and a third disc of bonus materials. On September 6, 2005 it was again re-released as a "2-Disc Special Edition" alongside the 10th Anniversary Edition of the first film. Both editions returned to the vault in January 31, 2009. However, Disney announced a new Special Edition on DVD and Blu-Ray that is expected to be released in March 2010.[13]
Pixar themes
Trailers
One Pixar tradition is to create trailers for their films that do not contain footage from the released film.[citation needed] In one trailer for Toy Story 2 (released theatrically with Tarzan), the green squeeze toy aliens watch the metal claw they worship coming down. The claw first brings down the words Toy Story, and the aliens react with their trademark "Oooooh." The claw next brings down the number '2'; in reaction, the aliens turn to face the camera and parody themselves with a 'Twoooo.' Then Woody appears, saying "Howdy howdy howdy, folks! It's good to be back." He is swiftly disappointed when Buzz shows up as well, and expresses his annoyance that the Space Ranger is also in the sequel. Buzz retorts, "Excuse me, Pullstring Boy, what would Toy Story 2 be without Buzz Lightyear?" "A good movie," counters Woody.
The initial theatrical and video releases of this film include Luxo Jr, Pixar's first short film released in 1986, starring Pixar's titular mascot,. Before "Luxo Jr.", a message states: "In 1986 Pixar Animation Studios produced their first film. This is why we have a hopping lamp in our logo".
