Toy Story 2

Toy Story 2 is Pixar's third movie and the first sequel to their first movie Toy Story. Toy Story 2 was released in theaters on November 24, 1999, and was directed by John Lasseter, the director of the first movie. The movie takes place about a few years after the first movie. The movie introduced an array of new characters.

Toy Story 2 was re-released in a double feature with Toy Story in 3D on October 2, 2009, ten years after its original release. Eleven years later, Toy Story 3 was released in theatres in 3D on June 18, 2010. Toy Story 4 will be released in theatres in 2D and 3D on June 21, 2019.

Story
In Toy Story 2, Woody is stolen by a greedy toy collector named Al McWhiggin who wants to sell him to a museum in Japan, and Buzz, Rex, Hamm, Mr. Potato Head and Slinky Dog embark on a journey across the Tri-County Area to rescue him.

Plot
The film begins with scenes of Buzz Lightyear on an adventure, which turns out to be a video game that Rex is playing. The game ends with him being pulverized by Evil Emperor Zurg, much to Rex's dismay. The movie is set some time after the events of the first Toy Story, presumably about 3 years later, Andy is preparing to leave for Cowboy Camp with his favorite toy, Woody.

While playing with Woody, Buzz and all the other toys Andy almost tore Woody's arm off for linking his arms with Buzz, leaving him unable to take his doll to the camp. Woody is placed on the shelf. Later, when Andy returns home from camp, he takes Woody from the shelf, but he sees his torn arm. Andy drops Woody to the floor, then lands in a garbage can that's full of severed toy arms. As he tries to climb out, he was pulled into the can. Back on the shelf, Woody finds out that is was a dream and allusion. He hears coughing. He looks behind a dusty book, where he finds another broken toy, Wheezy the Penguin, and begins to fear he'll soon be thrown away. When Wheezy is set out for a yard sale, Woody manages to rescue him, but ends up in the yard sale himself. He is seen by an obsessive toy collector. He tries to buy Woody from Andy's mother, but she refuses to sell him. After failing to negotiate a sale, the toy collector creates a distraction and steals Woody, causing Buzz to take action. He slides down the gutter into the yard sale, and sees the toy collector getting into his car after packing Woody in the trunk. Buzz manages to get to the car as the toy collector is driving away, but by the time he opens the trunk, Buzz loses his grip from the car as it escapes.

However, a clue is presented to Buzz as the car speeds away: a feather from the toy collector's trunk lands in front of him. When Buzz informs the bad news to the toys, the toys try to investigate the culprit. However, Buzz is trying to type the license plate number that he briefly saw on the toy collector's car to track it and whoever he was, and the rest of the toys, including Etch, were having problems doing an identity portrait of the toy thief. When Mr. Potato Head gets fed up with Buzz trying to investigate the number with Mr. Spell and irritably tells the others to "leave Buzz with his toys" the word "toys" caused Buzz to decipher what the license plate said: "Al's Toy Barn" and consequently tell Etch to draw the man in the chicken suit, whom they identify as the Toy Barn's founder, Al. They then had to try and locate an Al's Toy Barn commercial to trace a map to the shop. He encourages the other toys to launch a rescue mission using the clue as a basis for their search.

Woody is taken to Al's apartment, where he is greeted by a yodeling cowgirl named Jessie, an affectionate steed named Bullseye, and the Prospector, an unsold toy still in its original box. They reveal to Woody that he is a vintage Sheriff Woody collectible doll and the star of a forgotten children's TV show, Woody's Roundup. Now that Al has a Woody doll, he has a complete collection and intends to sell the toys to a museum in Japan. Woody refuses to go to Japan and abandon Andy. Later, Al arrives and rips off Woody's torn arm by accident, making Woody attempt to recover his arm and then return to Andy which he fails. Al then gets a repairman who fixes Woody's arm. After that, a suddenly depressed Jessie tearfully tells Woody of how she once had an owner that loved her, but eventually outgrew and abandoned Jessie at a charity toy drive. The Prospector warns Woody that he faces the same fate as Andy ages. Woody agrees to go with the "Roundup Gang" to the museum. Buzz and his friends search for Al at Al's Toy Barn. After Buzz orders his friends to split up and look for Al. He discovers a aisle full of newer Buzz Lightyear and gets in a scuffle with a new Buzz Lightyear, who, like Buzz in the first movie, does not realize he is a toy. The real Buzz then ends up being tied up and repackaged in a box and set on the shelf for sell by the Deluded Buzz who then sets off with the other toys for Al's apartment, genuinely believing that he is attempting to rescue a hostage from his arch-enemy, Emperor Zurg.

The original Buzz breaks free and follows them to the apartment, but while leaving the store, he accidentally frees an Emperor Zurg toy, who follows to destroy him. When the toys reach the apartment, Woody tells them he does not want to be rescued and intends to go with his new friends to Japan, since he is now a "collector's item". After the original Buzz arrives, in an ironic reversal of a scene from the first movie, he reminds Woody "you're a child's plaything. You... are... a TOY!". Woody (figuratively and literally) turns his back on Buzz, and Buzz's group leaves without him.

However, Woody soon has a change of heart and, after calling Buzz and the group back, invites the "Roundup Gang" to come home to Andy with him. Jessie and Bullseye agree, but the Prospector traps them in the room, saying that the museum trip is his first chance (since he was never sold) and won't have Woody or anyone else mess it up for him. Al returns and packs the Roundup Gang, and the rest of the toys give chase, but are interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Emperor Zurg toy. The Utility Belt Buzz battles him, and in a showdown mimicking a similar scene from The Empire Strikes Back, Zurg reveals himself to be Buzz's father, shortly before his defeat at Rex's hands. The other toys resume the rescue mission and find an unattended vehicle (a Pizza Planet delivery truck) and drive it to the airport. The second Buzz remains behind with Zurg, playing father and son games.

After arriving at the airport, Buzz and Slinky rush after the suitcase while the rest goes after the another but identical case (which, however, turns out to be camera flashes). After Slinky's feet stick on a different suitcase moving to another route and is pulled away, Buzz manages to open the Al's case on his own. However,, the Prospector punches him away brutally (due to Buzz's helmet being left open). Outraged, Woody wrestles with the Prospector but he is subjugated. Prospector has other plans though as he tears open Woody's arm again using his pickax, even though this time, it still works. He threatens Woody to rip him into pieces if he doesn't join him to plane departure. However, Buzz and his group intervene for the rescue using camera flashes to blind the Prospector and capture him. After Prospector's final execrations, they stick him in a little girl's backpack so he can learn the "true meaning of playtime". The Prospector is terrified to learn that the little girl likes to draw on all of her toys. Bullseye is out from the suitcase, but Jessie finds herself in trouble and remains trapped in the suitcase. Woody and Buzz ride Bullseye in order to rescue her from being taken to the museum on her own.

Woody manages to find Jessie inside the plane, but just when they're about to escape, the door closes and the plane heads for the runway. Woody finds another way out of the plane, through a small hatch which leads down to the landing gear wheel, and as they are doing so, he slips on tar. Jessie catches him before he could be run over by the wheels upon the ground, and Woody's hat is flown away. Buzz and Bullseye appears in time who catches the hat. When the plane is at the main runway, Woody knows that time is running out, so he uses his pull string to perfectly stick on wheel's bolt. He convinces worried Jessie to jump i n true "Woody's Roundup" style. As she did so, both of them swing down to safety on Bullseye's back - just seconds before the plane takes off. Their mission accomplished, the toys now make their way home.

At home, Jessie (with whom Buzz becomes a bit smitten) and Bullseye are adopted into Andy's toy family. Woody's ripped arm is repaired by Andy himself. The events of the airplane's cargo hold have a terrible (and hilarious) consequence for Al. After Hamm fails at the Buzz Lightyear video game, he flips through the channels and sees Al in an Al's Toy Barn commercial, crying since he lost his precious luggage and the money he was going to get for it, which is why in the commercial he is selling everything for as Al says in the chicken suit, "For a Buck, Buck, Buck". While Al is crying, Hamm says a somewhat humorous remark about Al and his scheme ("Well, I guess crime doesn't pay."). Meanwhile, a fixed Wheezy sings "You've Got A Friend In Me", and Buzz asks Woody if he was still worried about Andy giving him up. Woody replies that he isn't worried anymore, and that when it is all over, he will have Buzz to keep him company, for "infinity and beyond".

Voice Cast

 * Tom Hanks: Woody
 * Tim Allen: Buzz Lightyear (Credited)/ Utility Belt Buzz (Un-credited)
 * Don Rickles: Mr. Potato Head
 * Wallace Shawn: Rex
 * Jim Varney: Slinky Dog
 * John Ratzenberger: Hamm
 * John Morris: Andy Davis
 * Laurie Metcalf: Ms. Davis
 * R. Lee Ermey: Sarge
 * Jeff Pidgeon: Aliens

Voice Cast Introduced

 * Annie Potts: Bo Peep
 * Wayne Knight: Al McWhiggin
 * Estelle Harris: Mrs. Potato Head
 * Joan Cusack: Jessie
 * Kelsey Grammer: Stinky Pete
 * Joe Ranft: Wheezy (speaking voice - Ranft also voice Lenny in the First film), Heimlich
 * Dave Foley: Flik
 * Robert Goulet: Wheezy (singing voice)
 * Jodi Benson: Tour Guide Barbie/Amy's Barbie doll
 * Andrew Stanton: Emperor Zurg

Additional Voices

 * Jack Angel
 * Bob Bergen
 * Mary Kay Bergman
 * Sheryl Bernstein
 * Rodger Bumpass
 * Corey Burton
 * Rachel Davey
 * Debi Derryberry
 * Jessica Evans
 * Bill Farmer
 * Pat Fraley
 * Jess Harnell
 * John Lasseter
 * Nicolette Little
 * Sherry Lynn
 * Mickie McGowan
 * Andi Peters
 * Jeff Pidgeon
 * Phil Proctor
 * Jan Rabson
 * Carly Schroeder
 * Madylin Sweeten
 * Hannah Unkrich
 * Lee Unkrich

Production
Toy Story 2 wasn't 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, to be released in the fall of 1998. 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 more epic and cinematic in scope. The duration of the movie was extended to just over 90 minutes. Immediately after the release of A Bug's Life and less than a year before scheduled release of Toy Story 2, Pixar decided that the plot was too predictable, the humor fell flat, and the film overall could not be released in theaters in its current state. Pixar decided to redo the film after redeveloping the plotline, and to start over with voice acting and animation. Disney did not think this was the right decision, but allowed Pixar to attempt to redo the movie. In a bid to save Toy Story 2, the Pixar employees spent the next 9 months working shifts exceeding 10 hours, 6 days per week desperately scrambling to complete the production on time. Edwin Catmull, president of Pixar, later disclosed that a full 30% of Pixar's staff at all levels of the hierarchy suffered some sort of repetitive stress injury during the final 9 months of production. The film ultimately was finished on time and was released in theaters to record-breaking box office performance and universal critical acclaim, making it one of the few movie sequels in the history of cinema to match or exceed the original film in quality. John Lasseter and Edwin Catmull announced to the Pixar team that although they were extremely proud of the crew's performance and dedication, they would never make a movie that way again, and would leave plenty of time between the beginning of production and release in the future. The crews received a few weeks to recover from the hectic nightmare before starting on Pixar's next feature, a Pete Docter film that would become Monsters, Inc.

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, however, 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. With Eisner's departure and Pixar's ultimate purchase by Disney, however, these problems have been overcome.

An original storyline for the film can be read here.

Box Office Results
Toy Story 2 made over $245.9 million in its initial US theatrical run according to Box Office Mojo, far surpassing the original, and in fact, every other animated movie to that date except for The Lion King, though both were later eclipsed by another Pixar movie, Finding Nemo. Worldwide, Toy Story 2 grossed $485 million.

Reviews
The film was received with critical acclaim, with fans and critics claiming that it is just as good as if not better then the first film. Rotten Tomatoes reported 100% of critics gave it positive reviews and is one of the most critically praised films on the site.

During its release, John Lasseter received a letter from animation legend and hero Chuck Jones, praising the film, animation and the character of Jessie. Lasseter has had the letter framed on his wall ever since.

Trailers
One Pixar tradition is to create trailers for their films that do not contain footage from the released film. In one trailer, released theatrically with Doug's 1st Movie, the green alien toys come up to a center with the claw coming down. First the claw was carrying down Toy Story with the aliens doing their trademark "Oooh." Second the claw brings down a "2" and with the aliens turning around and looking at the audience and saying, "Twoooo." Then Woody appears and is swiftly disappointed when Buzz shows up as well. He expresses his annoyance that Buzz is in the sequel. Buzz replies, "Excuse me, pull-string boy, what would Toy Story 2 be without Buzz Lightyear?" "A good movie," counters Woody.

Attached Short Film
Theatrical and video releases of this film include Luxo Jr., Pixar's first short film released in 1986.

Toy Story 3
Eleven years later, Toy Story 3 was released June 18, 2010. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, R. Lee Ermey and Jeff Pidgeon reprise their roles of Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Rex, Hamm, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Andy, Andy's Mom, Sarge and the Aliens. Jim Varney died shortly after the release of Toy Story 2 so the role of Slinky Dog went to Blake Clark. Bo Peep, Wheezy and Zurg made silent cameos in the film. The sequel features Andy all grown and about to head for college and his remaining toys - Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Rex, Hamm, The Potato Heads, The Aliens, Slinky and Bullseye - mistakenly being donated to a daycare center and then racing to get home before Andy leaves.

Toy Story 4
Toy Story 4 was announced on November 6, 2014 and slated for release on June 21, 2019.