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- "The toys are back in town!"
- —Tagline
Toy Story 2 is Pixar's third film and the first sequel to their first film Toy Story. Toy Story 2 was released in theaters on November 24, 1999, and was directed by John Lasseter, the director of the first film. The film takes place about a few years after the first film. The film 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 was released in theaters in 2D and 3D on June 21, 2019. It was the last independent Toy Story film by Pixar before its purchase by Disney in 2006, and the final Toy Story film distributed by Buena Vista Distribution before it was renamed to simply just Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures in 2007.
Synopsis[]
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 has been playing. The game ends with him being pulverized by Evil Emperor Zurg, much to Rex's dismay. The film is set some time after the events of the first film. Andy is preparing to leave for Cowboy Camp with his favorite toy, Woody. Unfortunately, while playing with Woody, Buzz, and all the other toys, Andy accidentally tears Woody's arm off while linking his arms with Buzz, leaving him unable to bring Woody to camp. Andy's mother places Woody on the shelf before Andy leaves. Soon after, Woody experiences a nightmare of Andy returning home early from camp and reuniting with him, only for Andy to remember his arm is broken. This causes Andy to drop Woody through playing cards on the floor and into a garbage can with severed toy pieces that promptly drag Woody down.
After waking up from his dream, Woody hears coughing and looks behind a dusty book, where he finds another broken toy, Wheezy, who has a broken squeaker and was placed on the shelf by Andy's mom. When Wheezy points out a yard sale Andy's mom is setting up outside, Woody orders Sarge to have an emergency role call to account for all the toys. However, Andy's mom soon comes into the room and takes a handful of toys to the yard sale, including Wheezy. Woody calls Andy's dog Buster and rides on him to get to the yard sale to save Wheezy. Woody manages to rescue him but is accidentally left behind by Buster as he begins to head back to the house. He is seen by an obsessive toy collector, who tries to buy Woody from Ms. Davis, but she refuses to sell him. Having failed 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 climb onto the car as the toy collector is driving away, but by the time he opens the trunk, Buzz loses his grip and falls from the car as it escapes.
Buzz however finds a clue from feathers which flew out of the collector's trunk as the car sped away. While the rest of the toys, including Etch, are having problems creating an identity portrait of the toy thief, Buzz tries to use Mr. Spell to decode the license plate of the car, which reads: "LZTYBRN". 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. However the word "toys" causes Buzz to decipher the license plate to be an abbreviation of "Al's Toy Barn". Piecing the information together, Buzz tells Etch to draw the man in the chicken suit, whom they identify as the Toy Barn's founder, Al. They then find an Al's Toy Barn commercial on Andy's TV to trace a map to the shop. Buzz encourages the other toys to launch a rescue mission, reminiscing on how Woody saved him from Sid. Rex, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, and Hamm agree to join Buzz's rescue party as they set out to find Woody.
Meanwhile, Woody is taken to Al's apartment, where he is greeted by a yodeling cowgirl named Jessie, a horse named Bullseye, and the Prospector, an unsold toy still in his 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, which will only accept the collection if Woody is a part of it. However, Woody refuses to go to Japan and abandon Andy. Later, Al arrives and tries to take pictures of the Roundup collection, only for Woody's arm to be torn off completely as he takes him out of the display case. That night, Woody attempts to retrieve his arm while Al is sleeping, only for the TV to be turned on suddenly and wake up Al. Woody accuses Jessie for turning on the TV to thwart his escape, due to her earlier expressing resentment towards Woody's desires to return to Andy.
The next morning, Buzz and his companions finally locate Al's Toy Barn, but are forced to cross a busy road to get there. They cross the road by walking while underneath traffic cones, dropping when cars come near. This causes numerous chaotic traffic accidents, most notably with a semi truck carrying a drainage pipe causing notable traffic backup, while additionally having the pipe fall off the trailer and rolling down the road. Mr. Potato Head is almost unknowingly crushed by the pipe after getting his foot stuck in fresh gum on the road. Luckily, he escapes in time. Meanwhile, Al hires a repairman who thoroughly cleans Woody and fixes his arm.
As Buzz's party enters Al's Toy Barn, they split up to search for Al. However, Buzz soon finds himself in an aisle full of other Buzz Lightyear figures, including one on the display shelf sporting a new utility belt. The new Buzz snaps to life and confronts Andy's Buzz. With him deluded into believing he's actually a Space Ranger like Andy's Buzz initially was, New Buzz ends up in a scuffle with Andy's Buzz, mistaking him for a rogue Space Ranger. Andy's buzz is soon tied up and crammed in a packaging box before being placed on the shelf. New Buzz then joins the rest of Andy's toys in their search, believing them to be able to help him defeat Zurg when Rex notes about information he read in a Buzz Lightyear video game guidebook.
At Al's apartment, the Prospector implores Woody to make amends with Jessie before leaving. Jessie admits to Woody that she once belonged to a girl named Emily, who passionately played with her when she was young. However, as Emily got older, Jessie was forgotten. When Jessie was finally found, Emily merely donated her away. Realizing he could easily suffer the same fate with Andy, and hearing the Prospector's warning that Andy will inevitably grow up, Woody agrees to go with the Roundup Gang to Japan.
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New Buzz imprisoning Andy's Buzz in a box
While Al comes to his office in Al's Toy Barn to finalize his deal with Mr. Konishi to sell Woody and the Roundup collection, the Andy's toys sneak into Al's bag along with New Buzz. At that point, Andy's Buzz escapes from the cardboard box he was imprisoned in and finds Al leaving the store with his companions in his bag (spotting Rex's tail sticking out). Though he isn't fast enough to catch Al initially, Buzz knocks over a stack of boxes onto the floor mat to trigger the door sensor to open. However, this unknowingly releases an Emperor Zurg toy which begins following Buzz.
With Al leaving his bag in his car, new Buzz and the rest of Andy's toys sneak through Al's apartment building through a series of air vents and eventually reach Al's apartment on the 23rd floor after riding on top of the elevator. Upon entering the apartment, the toys prepare to forcefully take Woody and leave, but are stopped by the arrival of Andy's Buzz, who reveals his identity after opening new Buzz's helmet and showing Andy's name on his boot. However, Buzz and the other toys are disappointed when Woody affirms his intentions of going to Japan, with Buzz even reiterating what Woody told him about the joys of being loved by a child. Despite that, Woody refuses to leave, while Buzz warns Woody that being in the museum will mean he can never be personally played with or loved by a child again.
Luckily, Woody experiences epiphany and remembers his true purpose as a toy is to be there for a child. He acknowledges to the Prospector that while he cannot prevent Andy from growing up, he wouldn't miss it for the world. After calling Buzz and the gang back, who are consequently delighted by his change of heart, Woody decides to invite the Roundup Gang to come with him to be played with by Andy. Jessie is uncertain about it, but Bullseye agrees. However, the Prospector traps them in the room, revealing that he framed Jessie for turning on the TV to prevent Woody from escaping the previous night. When Woody and Jessie object, the Prospector angrily notes that he was never sold, and seeing the museum as his only chance to be loved, refuses to allow them to ruin it for him. Al returns and packs the Roundup Gang whilst the rest of the toys give chase, but are interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Emperor Zurg toy. As the other toys ride on top of the elevator, Utility Belt Buzz battles Zurg. During the battle, Zurg reveals himself to be Buzz's father. Shortly thereafter, Rex inadvertently knocks Zurg off the elevator and into the shaft. As the toys leave Al's apartment, Utility Belt Buzz stays behind with Zurg, who play father-son like games together. Andy's Buzz and the rest of Andy's toys then use the Pizza Planet truck to follow Al to the airport, while also meeting three green squeeze Aliens from Pizza Planet.
After arriving at the airport, the toys sneak into the baggage system to follow the green box which Woody is stored in. However, they spot another identical green box as well, prompting Buzz and Slinky to split up from the rest of the group to focus on one of them. Slinky then ends up separated from Buzz when his rear end is caught on a suitcase going on another conveyor belt. Buzz eventually catches up to the green box, but is punched away by Stinky Pete. An outraged Woody scuffles with the Prospector, but quickly gets overpowered. Stinky Pete then uses his axe to reopen the tear in Woody's arm and threatens to tear him apart, insisting that Al would have him fixed like he was earlier. Despite the threats, Woody refuses to get back in the box before Buzz and the rest of Andy's toys return, using flash cameras found in the other green box to distract the Prospector before he is restrained by Buzz. Dismissing the Prospector's claims that children would destroy toys, Woody decides to teach the him the "true meaning of playtime". He and the other toys stuff Stinky Pete into a backpack belonging to a girl named Amy, who likes to draw on her dolls, much to Pete's horror upon seeing the Barbie doll with her face painted.
After sending the Prospector away, Woody and the other toys redirect their focus to the green box. Though Bullseye escapes, Jessie remains trapped inside as the box is loaded into a baggage carrier. Riding on Bullseye, Woody and Buzz pursue the carrier, with Woody boarding it before it arrives at the plane to load the remaining baggage. Woody manages to find Jessie inside the plane, and convinces her to come home to be played with by Andy. 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. As Woody falls off the fixtures, Jessie catches him before he could be run over by the wheels upon the ground. Woody's rip gets bigger and his hat is flown away, but Buzz and Bullseye arrive in time to catch the hat. As the plane pulls onto the runway and prepares to take off, Woody orders Buzz to move behind the tires before using his pullstring to latch a loop around a bolt on the fixture between the tires. Woody then tells Jessie to let go of the plane, referring to the cancelled finale episode of Woody's Roundup. Jessie does so as she and Woody swing to safety, landing on Bullseye moments before the plane becomes airborne. All of the toys then return to Andy's house by using a stolen baggage carrier. Upon returning home, Andy finds all of his toys on his bed (with Etch displaying a "Welcome Home Andy!" message). Andy ecstatically rejoices and proudly accepts Jessie and Bullseye into his collection.
The next morning, Woody's ripped arm is repaired by Andy himself before he goes off with his mother and sister Molly for a family outing. Buzz also becomes romantically infatuated with Jessie, who refers to him as "the sweetest space toy [she] ever met". The events of the airplane's cargo hold have a terrible and hilarious consequence for Al. After Hamm loses at the Buzz Lightyear video game, he flips through the channels and sees Al in an Al's Toy Barn commercial, sobbing since he lost his luggage and the money he was going to get for the delivery. This causes Al's business to suffer, forcing him to sell his merchandise for cheap prices, causing Hamm to remark that "crime doesn't pay". Upon discovering that Mr. Potato Head saved the Aliens from falling out of the Pizza Planet truck, Mrs. Potato Head decides to adopt them as their children, much to Mr. Potato Head's reluctance. Meanwhile, Wheezy, having had his squeaker replaced, sings a jazzy rendition of "You've Got a Friend in Me" as the other toys celebrate. During that time, Buzz asks Woody if he's still worried about Andy growing up. Woody assures Buzz that while it will eventually happen, he will enjoy the time he has with him, while also affirming that they'll be together "for infinity and beyond."
Voice Cast[]
- Tom Hanks as Woody
- Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear/New Buzz
- Annie Potts as Bo Peep
- Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head
- Wallace Shawn as Rex
- Jim Varney as Slinky Dog
- John Ratzenberger as Hamm
- John Morris as Andy
- Laurie Metcalf as Andy's Mom
- R. Lee Ermey as Sarge
- Jeff Pidgeon as Aliens
Voice Cast Introduced[]
- Wayne Knight as Al McWhiggin
- Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head
- Joan Cusack as Jessie
- Kelsey Grammer as Stinky Pete
- Joe Ranft as Wheezy (speaking voice) and Heimlich
- Dave Foley as Flik
- Robert Goulet as Wheezy (singing voice)
- Jodi Benson as Tour Guide Barbie/Amy's Barbie doll
- Andrew Stanton as Emperor Zurg
- Jonathan Harris as The Cleaner
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 widespread 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.
Reception[]
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 film, Finding Nemo. Worldwide, Toy Story 2 grossed $485 million.
Reviews[]
The film received 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 and Tarzan, 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, "Two." 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. Also teaser trailer shown before the VHS opening of Pinocchio.
Attached Short Film[]
Theatrical and video releases of this film include Luxo Jr., Pixar's first short film released in 1986.
Sequels[]
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 Jim Varney’s close friend, Blake Clark. Bo Peep, Wheezy, and Zurg made silent cameos in the film. The sequel features Andy all grown and prepared 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[]
It was announced on November 6, 2014 that Pixar was working on Toy Story 4, which was released in theaters on June 21, 2019. The film focuses on a new "toy" that Bonnie creates named Forky, and Woody helping him realize what being a toy is all about.
Gallery[]
Posters[]
Titles[]
Stills[]
Screenshots[]
_-_prepare_to_die.png "Toy Story 2 (1999) - prepare to die.png (1.01 MB)")
_-_Emperor_Zurg_03.png "Toy Story 2 (1999) - Emperor Zurg 03.png (1.27 MB)")
Other[]
