Toy Story 2 is a 1999 American animated adventure comedy film directed by John Lasseter and written by Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin and Chris Webb. Produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, it is the sequel to Toy Story (1995) and the second installment in Pixar's Toy Story franchise. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, R. Lee Ermey, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf and Jeff Pidgeon reprise their roles from the first Toy Story film. In the film, Woody is stolen by a greedy toy collector, prompting Buzz Lightyear and his friends to save him. However, after meeting Jessie and other toys from his franchise, Woody is then tempted by the idea of immortality in a museum. This is the last Toy Story film to feature Jim Varney as the voice of Slinky Dog before his death the following year.
Disney initially envisioned Toy Story 2 as a direct-to-video sequel. The film began production in a building separated from Pixar, on a small scale, as most of the main Pixar staff were busy working on A Bug's Life (1998). When story reels proved promising, Disney upgraded the film to a theatrical release, but Pixar was unhappy with the film's quality. Lasseter and the story team redeveloped the entire plot in one weekend. Although most Pixar features take years to develop, the established release date could not be moved and the production schedule for Toy Story 2 was compressed into nine months.
Despite production struggles, Toy Story 2 premiered at the El Capitan Theatre on November 13, 1999, and was released on November 24 to box office success, grossing $511 million against a $90 million budget, making it the third-highest-grossing film of 1999. It received widespread acclaim from critics, with a ratingon the websiteRotten Tomatoes, similar to its predecessor. It is considered by critics to be one of the few sequel films superior to the original, and is frequently featured on lists of the greatest animated films ever made. Among its accolades, the film won Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the 57th Golden Globe Awards. A further sequel, Toy Story 3, was released in 2010.
Plot
One year after the events of the first film, Woody and Buzz Lightyear, having become best friends, are now the co-leaders of Andy's toys. Andy plans to take Woody to Cowboy Camp, but accidentally rips his arm during a brief playtime. Andy's mother places Woody on a shelf, causing Woody to begin fearing that Andy will soon discard him. Woody finds Wheezy, a penguin toy with a broken squeaker, who has also been shelved. After saving Wheezy from being sold at a yard sale, Woody is found and stolen by a greedy toy collector. Buzz fails to foil the theft, but finds clues identifying the thief as Al McWhiggin, the owner of the "Al's Toy Barn" store.
At Al's apartment, Woody discovers that he was designed as the main protagonist of Woody's Roundup, a popular 1950s children's Western series, where he meets the toy versions of his character co-stars: Jessie the Cowgirl, Bullseye the Horse, and Stinky Pete the Prospector. While delighted to meet them, Stinky Pete informs Woody that Al plans to sell the entire Woody's Roundup collection to a toy museum in Tokyo. Woody desperately wants to return home to Andy, dismaying the group because the museum will not accept the collection without him, which will lead them back into storage. After Woody's arm is repaired the next day, he learns that Jessie was once loved by her owner Emily, until she outgrew and donated her away. Convinced that Andy might do the same to him, Woody decides to go to the museum.
Buzz, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Rex, and Hamm venture out to Al's Toy Barn to rescue Woody. Separated from the gang, Buzz encounters "Ultra Buzz Lightyear", a Buzz variant toy with a utility belt who assumes he is a real space ranger. Ultra Buzz captures and imprisons Andy's Buzz. Ultra Buzz meets the gang, and accompanies them to Al's apartment, assuming they are on a mission to defeat his arch-nemesis, Emperor Zurg. Andy's Buzz escapes and follows them, inadvertently releasing a toy Zurg who follows Buzz to destroy him. Both Buzzes and the rest of the search party arrive at the apartment, meeting Woody and the Roundup toys.
Experiencing a conflict of choices, Woody refuses to go home to stay with the Roundup toys. Shortly after the search party leaves, Woody has a change of heart, inviting Jessie, Bullseye and Stinky Pete to join him and become Andy's toys. While a hesitant Jessie and an enthusiastic Bullseye accept Woody's offer, Pete refuses and blocks them from leaving, as he is adamant about going to the museum. Al returns to the apartment and takes the Woody's Roundup collection to the airport. On the elevator ride down, Zurg appears and fights the toys until he is knocked off the elevator by Rex. They learn that Zurg is Buzz's father, and Ultra Buzz stays behind to reconcile with Zurg. Andy's Buzz and the other toys pursue Al to the airport by driving a Pizza Planet truck, accompanied by three toy aliens from the restaurant.
Buzz and the rest of Andy's toys pursue the baggage through the airport's baggage handling system to recover Woody, Jessie and Bullseye. Stinky Pete knocks Buzz and retaliates against Woody by ripping his arm again. Buzz and the others work together to subdue Pete with camera flashes, placing him in the backpack of a young girl, who takes him away with her. Bullseye is saved, but Jessie is loaded onto a baggage tractor and taken to the plane. Woody, Buzz, and Bullseye race to rescue her before the plane takes off. The toys return to Andy's house. Andy returns from Cowboy Camp that night, and finds all of the toys on his bed, ready to be played with. The next morning, Woody's arm and Wheezy's broken squeaker are repaired, and Jessie and Bullseye find the comfort of their new home. Al mourns the loss of the lucrative deal with the toy museum on a TV advertisement, and leaves in despair, much to the toys' amusement. As the toys celebrate, Woody tells Buzz that he no longer fears Andy losing interest in him, promising to keep each other company for "infinity and beyond".
Voice cast
Tom Hanks as Woody Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear Allen also voices Ultra Buzz Lightyear, a next generation Buzz Lightyear action figure with a utility belt who at the end reconciles with his father Zurg. Joan Cusack as Jessie, a cowgirl doll and member of the Roundup gang. She has a sad life after being abandoned by her owner Emily. Mary Kay Bergman provided the vocals for Jessie's yodeling. Kelsey Grammer as Stinky Pete, an elderly prospector doll and member of the Roundup gang. When Woody meets him, he is still in his original box. He is eager to be sold to the museum and tries to stop Woody from going back to Andy. Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, a grouchy and grumpy Mr. Potato Head who is married to Mrs. Potato Head. He joins Buzz on the mission to rescue Woody. Jim Varney as Slinky Dog Wallace Shawn as Rex John Ratzenberger as Hamm Annie Potts as Bo Peep Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head, a Mrs. Potato Head who is married to Mr. Potato Head. John Morris as Andy Davis Wayne Knight as Al McWhiggin, an avaricious toy collector and owner of Al's Toy Barn. He kidnaps Woody and plans to sell him and the rest of the Woody's Roundup merchandise to a toy museum abroad. Laurie Metcalf as Andy's mother R. Lee Ermey as Sarge Joe Ranft as Wheezy, a penguin toy with a broken squeaker. Woody finds him neglected on a high shelf and later rescues him from a yard sale. Ranft reprises his role as Heimlich from A Bug's Life (1998) during the credits. Robert Goulet as Wheezy's singing voice Jodi Benson as Tour Guide Barbie, a Barbie doll who meets Woody's friends in Al's Toy Barn and helps them find Al's office. For the first Toy Story, Pixar had asked Mattel to allow the use of this doll to play Woody's girlfriend, which was not approved. After the success of the first film, Mattel asked that she be included in the second film. Jonathan Harris as the Cleaner, an elderly man hired by Al to clean and repair Woody. Jeff Pidgeon as the aliens Andrew Stanton as Evil Emperor Zurg, Buzz's Darth Vader-esque arch-nemesis who is unaware that he himself is a toy. In addition, Dave Foley reprised his role as Flik from A Bug's Life during the credits.
Production
Development A conversation about a sequel to Toy Story began around a month after the film's opening in December 1995. A few days after Toy Storys release, John Lasseter was traveling with his family and found a young boy clutching a Sheriff Woody doll at an airport. Lasseter described how the boy's excitement to show it to his father touched him deeply. Lasseter realized that his character no longer belonged to him only, but rather it belonged to others, as well. The memory was a defining factor in the production of Toy Story 2, with Lasseter moved to create a great film for that child and for everyone else who loved the characters.
Ed Catmull, Lasseter, and Ralph Guggenheim visited Joe Roth, successor to recently ousted Jeffrey Katzenberg as chairman of Walt Disney Studios, shortly afterward. Roth was pleased and embraced the idea of a sequel. Disney had recently begun making direct-to-video sequels to its successful features, and Roth wanted to handle the Toy Story sequel this way, as well. Prior releases, such as 1994's Aladdin sequel, The Return of Jafar, had returned an estimated $100million in profits.
Initially, everything regarding Toy Story 2 was uncertain: whether stars Tom Hanks and Tim Allen would be available and affordable, what the story premise would be, and even whether the film would be computer-animated at Pixar or traditionally hand-drawn at Walt Disney Feature Animation. Lasseter regarded the project as a chance to groom new directing talent, as top choices were already immersed in other projects (Andrew Stanton as co-director of A Bug's Life and Pete Docter as director of what would eventually become Monsters, Inc.). Ash Brannon, a young animator who was previously animation director on Toy Story, was selected by Lasseter to direct after admiring his work on the first film. Brannon, a CalArts graduate, joined the Toy Story team in 1993. Disney and Pixar officially announced the sequel in a press release on March 12, 1997.
Story
Lasseter's intention with a sequel was to respect the original Toy Story film and create that world again. The story originated with him wondering what a toy would find upsetting, how a toy would feel if it were not played with by a child or, worse, a child growing out of a toy. Brannon suggested the idea of a yard sale where the collector recognizes Woody as a rare artifact. The concept of Woody as a collectible set came from the draft story of A Tin Toy Christmas, an original half-hour special pitched by Pixar to Disney in 1990. The obsessive toy collector named Al McWhiggin, who had appeared in a draft of Toy Story but was later expunged, was inserted into the film. Lasseter claimed that Al was inspired by himself.The Making of Toy Story 2, Disc 2, Toy Story 2 2-Disc Special Edition DVD, 2005
Secondary characters in Woody's set were inspired by 1940s–1950s Western and puppet shows for children, such as Four Feather Falls, Hopalong Cassidy and Howdy Doody. The development of Jessie was kindled by Lasseter's wife Nancy, who pressed him to include a strong female character in the sequel with more substance than Bo Peep. The scope for the original Toy Story was basic and only extended over two residential homes, roadways, and a chain restaurant, whereas Toy Story 2 has been described by Unkrich as something "all over the map".