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  Matt
  
Willis
Toy Story 2
USA, 1999
[Ash Brannon & John Lasseter & Lee Unkrich]
Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, John Ratzenburger (voices)
Animation / Comedy
Completing with aplomb the feat of being a sequel superior to an already excellent original, this was one of the truly standout films of a vintage year for great cinematic triumphs. The plot is something of a rehash of the original with the toys once again having to venture outside into alien territory in search of a missing comrade. However, the idea of a real rescue is far more exciting this time around due to the new urban location and, with the dependable Woody as the rescuee rather than the main hero, there seems far more scope for the minor characters to assert themselves. All the original cast snugly reprise their voices and with a script produced by an increasingly intelligent and challenging Pixar staff there seems no end to the depth of the characters. It seems strange but a CGI animated cast of plastic and wood toys show more feeling, friendship and courage than even the best actors are capable of achieving.

The growth and change from the first to the second film is obvious with Buzz and Woody now firm friends and running their toy world with the same happy efficiency as before. As Woody bravely goes to the rescue of a fellow toy he is stolen by an evil collector and it's up to his old friends, Mr Potato-Head, Rex, Slinky Dog, Hamm and, of course, Buzz to risk life and limb in order to save him. The film then splits into two seperate sections with Woody becoming aware of both his important past and his subsequent dollar value, and the guys attempt to locate him and return him to where he belongs. Only a few new characters have been added but their value and originality make them worth their weight in gold. Jessie the cowgirl in particular is fantastic and Joan Cusack, an actress I have never been able to stand, is nevertheless perfect in her voiceover role. Kelsey Grammar's Stinky Pete makes for a great straight man, and yet listening to his voice and thinking of either Frasier Crane or Sideshow Bob still has you in stitches.

The humour of the first
Toy Story film was one of it's finest achievements as it broadened considerably the range of jokes available to animated kids features. Many puns were aimed solely at an older audience yet few of any kind went without a laugh or two, happily Toy Story 2 continues and indeed improves upon this winning formula. Hamm reading the car manual for instance, or the toys utter ignorance of the destruction they cause crossing the road, are brilliant scenes and guaranteed to get anyone from six to sixty laughing out loud. Another excellent addition is the spoofing of many famous moments from films such as Star Wars, Jurassic Park and so on which, when seen in the context of animated living toys, is hilarious. The scene where an alternate Buzz meets his arch-enemy Zurg has to be seen to be believed.

Though the two films on the surface appear almost exact in terms of graphics you can definitely see a considerable improvement in the detail of the characters and especially the movement of the humans which was surprisingly bad in the original. This is shown best in the scene with the Cleaner which is so exact and flawless that you wonder how long it must have taken to do, considering its relative unimportance to the main plot. Talking of the plot, its scripting comes in looking very lean with every scene, every line, every look on the characters faces refined to perfection. This is an asset animated films have over their live-action compatriots but the 'mistakes' associated with the latter still appear in
Toy Story 2, much to the embellishment of the films brilliance. When you watch it you'll see what I mean.
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