Pixar Month - Toy Story 2 (1999)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. It's been a few days, but here we are with the continuation of Pixar Month with the first feature length sequel produced by Pixar: Toy Story 2. Originally intended for a straight-to-video release, the story of this film became a project worthy of a theatrical release. So, let's dive into Toy Story 2. 

       We open with Buzz Lightyear, who is on a mission for Star Command seeking out the secret base of Emperor Zurg, only to be defeated by Zurg, followed by a "Game Over" screen. Yeah, this fake-out turns out to be Rex playing the Buzz Lightyear video game. While Buzz gives some words of encouragement to Rex, Woody is looking for his cowboy hat, as he and Andy are set to go to Cowboy Camp. Slinky does manage to find the hat, but it turns out that the hat was taken by Buster, Andy's puppy that he got for Christmas at the end of the first Toy Story. Andy eventually walks in, and plays a scenario where Woody and Buzz save Bo Peep from the clutches of Hamm's villainous alter ego: evil Dr. Porkchop. During the scenario, Woody's arm gets ripped, and Andy's mom puts Woody on the shelf, after an upset Andy deciding to leave Woody at home and going to Cowboy Camp without him. 

         After a nightmare of Andy throwing him away because of his arm, Woody sees that another toy, a squeeze toy penguin named Wheezy, is on the shelf with him, and Wheezy points out Andy's mom putting up a sign out front, signaling a yard sale going on. Andy's mom picks up some of the younger-aimed items and toys from Andy's room, taking Wheezy with her. Woody, not wanting to leave a fellow toy behind, whistles for Buster and heads to the yard sale to rescue Wheezy. Unfortunately, Woody ends up on the pavement, where's he's picked up by a little girl, whose mother tosses Woody aside for being broken. Woody's voice box draws the attention of Al McWhiggin, who takes Woody despite Andy's mom being unwilling to sell him. Later on, Buzz mounts a rescue mission to find Woody at the toy store, Al's Toy Barn, with Mr. Potato Head, Rex, Slinky, and Hamm joining him on his journey. 

        Woody is not at Al's Toy Barn, but is actually in Al's apartment across the street from the store. It is here that Woody meets a horse named Bullseye, a cowgirl named Jessie, and the prospector Stinky Pete. It is here that Woody learns of his past, that there was once a TV show called "Woody's Round-Up," and he was the star. There was a ton of merchandise from the show, including a yo-yo, a bubble blower, a boot with a snake in it, and a record player. It is here that Woody learns two things, the first of which is that "Woody's Round-Up" was cancelled on a cliffhanger due to the space race, and that he, Jessie, Prospector, and Bullseye are being sold, along with the rest of the collection, to a toy museum in Tokyo, Japan. Woody is more concerned with getting home to Andy's, but Prospector warns him that if he does, the museum won't accept the collection, and all of it will be placed into storage. After Woody loses his arm completely, Al call for a cleaner to come in the next morning and fix it. The cleaner, who turns out to be Geri from the Pixar short Geri's Game, fixes Woody's arm, cleans him up a bit, and paints over Andy's name on Woody's boot. After Geri finishes up, and Al takes some pictures, Woody learns that Jessie had a kid as well, a girl named Emily, who grew up and moved on, eventually putting Jessie into a box on the side of the road near a park. After Prospector tells him that Andy will eventually outgrow Woody as well, Woody decides to go to Japan with the rest of the Round-Up gang.

       Meanwhile, Buzz, Rex, Hamm, Slinky, and Potato Head look around in Al's Toy Barn, getting a tour of the store by Barbie, while Buzz is switched up with a newer model Buzz Lightyear action figure, with an anti-gravity belt. Buzz 2.0 places him in a box, leaving him behind. Al arrives, and Andy's toys, along with Buzz 2.0, hop into his bag, hoping Al will take them to Woody. They arrive at Al's apartment building, climb up the elevator shaft, with Andy's Buzz in tow, who himself is being followed by a toy of Emperor Zurg. After a confrontation between the Round-Up gang and Andy's toys, with Andy's Buzz arriving and bringing Buzz 2.0 up to speed, Woody breaks down everything going on, and that he has chosen to go to the toy museum in Japan. Andy's toys and Buzz 2.0 leave, with Woody changing his mind after watching an episode of "Woody's Round-Up" where Woody sang the song "You've Got a Friend in Me" to a child passing by. Woody invites the Round-Up gang to join him, and while Bullseye is all-in and Jessie is uncertain, Prospector shows his true colors, and tells the others off about hating being overlooked at stores while other toys are being purchased for children, and the toy museum in Japan is the opportunity he's been waiting for. Al grabs everything and heads to the airport to fly to Japan. Buzz and the rest of Andy's toys head to the elevator, where they are confronted by Zurg, who (in an obvious Empire Strikes Back rip-off) tells Buzz 2.0 that he is Buzz's father. Rex knocks Zurg off of the elevator, but we later see Zurg playing catch with Buzz 2.0, with Andy's Buzz, along with the rest of Andy's toys, following Al by driving a Pizza Planet truck. Potato Head rescues three Squeeze-Toy Aliens from falling out of the truck, and they arrive at the airport, where Prospector us put into the backpack of a little girl named Amy, who's an artist, while Woody rescues Bullseye, but has to get into the plane to save Jessie, which he does. Woody, Buzz, and the gang head back home to Andy's, along with Jessie, Bullseye, and the aliens, whom Mrs. Potato Head decides to adopt. Wheezy has a new squeaker, thanks to Mr. Shark finding a spare. Overall, a happy ending. 

        Toy Story 2 is definitely better than the first movie, with a lot of neat story ideas that really expand the universe quite a bit. Returning actors including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Tickles, Wallace Shawn, Annie Potts, and John Ratzenberger are all terrific, and new voice actors like Joan Cusack as Jessie, Estella Warren as Mrs. Potato Head, Kelsey Grammer as the Prospector, Jodi Benson as Barbie, and Wayne Knight as Al, are great additions as well. The animation is definitely improved over the first film, and it definitely shows the progress of Pixar's animation. Overall, a great addition to Pixar's line-up, I give Toy Story 2 a rating of 4.75/5. Now, I would like to point out a couple of things. First, this would mark the last time that actor Jim Varney would voice Slinky, as he passed away between the release of this film and production of Toy Story 3, and second, that after the release of Story 2 Pixar wouldn't make another sequel until 2010's Toy Story 3. But, we'll get to that one later. Meanwhile, we'll continue Pixar Month next time with Monsters, Inc.