Well Worth Another Trip to the Toybox

Disney is a sequel factory, especially in recent years. Direct-to-video, we’ve got mangled trips back to classics from Cinderella and Bambi to The Little Mermaid and The Emperor’s New Groove, while in the theaters we’ve seen 102 Dalmatians, The Princess Diaries 2 and Herbie Fully Loaded, to say nothing of all the remakes. We’re loaded down with sequels, and more often than not, they don’t live up to the original. Thankfully, Disney has come up with at least a couple that break the trend, and one of those is Toy Story 2.

When Toy Story came out, computer animation was a strange commodity, and audiences were riveted by this unusual new style of film-making. By the time Toy Story 2 hit theaters, computer animation wasn’t quite so new anymore, but the charm of the characters didn’t wear off. And as the technology had advanced somewhat in the intervening time, they looked even better than they had before. All the same voice talent was back: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, Jim Varney, John Ratzenberger… Add to that a few more familiar voices - Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head, Joan Cusask as cowgirl Jessie, Kelsey Grammer as prospector Stinky Pete and Wayne Knight as Al, the villainous human plotting to send Woody and his vintage buddies to a museum for a tidy sum of money.

All this comes about when Woody, that always reliable pull-string cowboy, accidentally winds up in a yard sale back at home and is toy-napped by Al, who is thrilled to finally have the last member of his set of dolls from the television show Woody’s Round-Up. When Woody discovers that he used to be a famous TV star, it opens up a whole new world for him, and he begins to wonder whether he ought to just stay where he is rather than go back to Andy, especially when Jessie shares her tragic tale of having been rejected by the girl she loved.

But Buzz Lightyear is not about to give up on his best buddy. He and an intrepid gang of fellow toys - including a hen-pecked Mr. Potatohead, a videogame-playing Rex and the always faithful Hamm and Slinky Dog - embark upon a quest to discover Woody’s whereabouts and rescue him. It’s a big world out there for a toy, and if Woody and Buzz’s adventure in the first movie was a bit out of the ordinary, this second foray is simply exhilarating - and intimidating. Confusing, too, once the toys reach Al’s Toy Barn, which they found thanks to a commercial, for inside the massive toy store are thousands of other toys, including a huge display of Buzz Lightyears. In a silly but very satisfying side-plot, Buzz becomes acquainted with a new model of himself and is astonished at its naivety, while Buzz’s arch-nemesis Zurg gets out of his box and prepares to wreak havoc.

Woody’s portion of the story here winds up being low-key and introspective for the most part. There aren’t a lot of complex action shots; mostly it’s just him getting acquainted with his new posse: sassy Jessie, brooding Pete and the exuberant horse Bullseye. In the first movie, Woody worried that with Buzz around, Andy might not want him anymore. Here, he is faced with the reality that all children grow up eventually, and most of the time that means outgrowing the toys they cared so much about in years past. It’s a somber revelation, but it is also cause for him to reflect on how grateful he is to have someone like Andy in the first place.

The Buzz side of the story, meanwhile, is full of slapstick and overly elaborate sight gags that are an audience delight. There are nods to all sorts of different cultural phenomena, from Star Wars and Forrest Gump to Christmas toy crazes to the space race. There are quips and running jokes and references snuck in for two seconds so that you probably won’t catch them until the second or third viewing, if at all. The characters’ traits are emphasized even more fully than before, and there are new obstacles to overcome. Rex is determined to discover how to defeat Emperor Zurg. Mr. Potato Head valiantly reminds himself, in the face of dozens of perky Barbies, that he is a married spud. Buzz wonders how he could have ever been as clueless as the new model fresh from the box. All this makes for more highly developed characters and multitudinous opportunities for laughs.

Toy Story was a brilliant achievement, and I really doubted its sequel would be able to live up to that level of artistry. But Toy Story 2 is even more hilarious and touching than the first installment. It’s a rare exception in the wasteland of cheapquels and unnecessary remakes. This is one story I don’t mind being told over and over again.