Daniella Valadez

This is one of those rare sequels that manage to outshine its already sensationally entertaining predecessor on its own in every conceivable way. The first Toy Story film was the pioneer for the world of computer-generated animation, as well as for children’s movies and cinema in general. It was the first-ever full length CGI animated feature film, with groundbreaking visuals pretty darn impressive for 1995, as well as an inventive and imaginative storyline that can appeal to both young and old. Toy Story 2 builds on the grand adventures of our beloved characters Woody and his gang, by expertly fleshing out the characters we’ve come to love, such as Buzz Lightyear who went from delusional space ranger to the wise voice of reason, and in a twist of irony, had to be the one to knock some sense into Woody when the idiot decided to stay with Jessie, Stinky Pete and Bullseye and live the rest of his life as a mere collector’s item instead of with the boy who truly loves him and the one whom he’s made to keep happy while Andy’s still young. Woody has also changed for the better, having learned the previous movie’s lesson that it’s not about being the favorite toy, but rather being a toy is all about making a child happy, as well as the usual themes of friendship, loyalty, and teamwork that the Toy Story series strongly emphasizes on for children and adults alike to learn. The movie introduces new characters and taking the time and effort to build up the drama surrounding them, such as with Jessie’s heart wrenching backstory which made her lose faith in being owned by a child. The film even raises questions that definitely paved the way for the future and for the eleven year gap between this film and Toy Story 3: What will happen when Andy grows up and doesn’t need toys anymore? The script is also very, very, very clever and funny, with sly references to classic films such as Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and even Jurassic Park, as well as subtly touching humor that its target audience humorously won’t understand. The undying friendship between Woody and Buzz is undeniably heartwarming and one of the best things about the movie and the series. The animation definitely improved from the first movie as well, and is crisper, clearer, and dazzlingly gorgeous for 1999. Overall, Toy Story 2 is literally perfect in every possible way, from its expert character development, its effective worldbuilding, its screenplay, the voice cast and voice performances, the animation, the storytelling, all of it. It’s definitely an all around classic just like it’s predecessor, but better in animation and entertainment. I give it a 10/10