Toy Story 2

Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy

Tom Hanks	Woody
Tim Allen	Buzz Lightyear/Buzz Lightyear #2
Joan Cusack	Jessie
Kelsey Grammer	Stinky Pete the Prospector
Don Rickles	Mr. Potato Head
Jim Varney	Slinky Dog
Wallace Shawn	Rex
John Ratzenberger	Hamm
Annie Potts	Bo Peep
Wayne Knight	Al McWhiggin, the chicken man
Tom Hanks (Voice)
Tim Allen (Voice)
Joan Cusack (Voice)
Kelsey Grammer (Voice)
Don Rickles (Voice)
Jim Varney (Voice)
Wallace Shawn (Voice)
Annie Potts (Voice)
Wayne Knight (Voice)
John Morris (Voice)
Jodi Benson
R. Lee Ermey
Estelle Harris
John Lasseter
Laurie Metcalf

Director	Ash Brannon; John Lasseter
Producer	Karen Robert Jackson; Sarah McArthur
Writer	John Lasseter; Peter Docter; Pete Docter

John Lasseter and his gang of high-tech creators at Pixar create another entertainment for the ages. Like the few great movie sequels, Toy Story 2 comments on why the first one was so wonderful while finding a fresh angle worthy of a new film. The craze of toy collecting becomes the focus here, as we find out Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) is not only a beloved toy to Andy but also a rare doll from a popular '60s children's show. When a greedy collector takes Woody, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) launches a rescue mission with Andy's other toys. To say more would be a crime because this is one of the most creative and smile-inducing films since, well, the first Toy Story.

Although the toys look the same as in the 1994 feature, Pixar shows how much technology has advanced: the human characters look more human, backgrounds are superior, and two action sequences that book-end the film are dazzling. And it's a hoot for kids and adults. The film is packed with spoofs, easily accessible in-jokes, and inspired voice casting (with newcomer Joan Cusack especially a delight as Cowgirl Jessie). But as the Pixar canon of films illustrates, the filmmakers are storytellers first. Woody's heart-tugging predicament can easily be translated into the eternal debate of living a good life versus living forever. Toy Story 2 also achieved something in the U.S. two other outstanding 1999 animated features (The Iron Giant, Princess Mononoke) could not: it became a huge box-office hit. --Doug Thomas