TOY STORY 2 (1999) - ♦♦♦♦♦

Directed by - John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, Lee Unkrich

 

Written by - John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Ash Brannon, Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlain, Chris Webb

 

Starring - Tom Hanks, Tim Allen

 

 

 

"In 1999, Disney and Pixar already surprised and impressed everyone by doing something that is generally accepted as being very rare; made the sequel to a great film even more impressive than its predecessor. In retrospective, it is easy to see that one of the main reasons for this was that perhaps at this stage there was a greater familiarity with the groundbreaking computer animated techniques that had revolutionised and invigorated the world of animation forever. Still, it could have been just as easy for Disney and Pixar to rest on their laurels and cash in on what would have been a predictable enormour box office success no matter what. This, thankfully does not happen. And while in the previous film it was the gang rescuing Buzz Lightyear, this time they use team effort to save Woody who has fallen in the hands of an obsessive toy collector who is planning to send him further away from his beloved owner Andy. This new screenplay gives an even greater chance for each indivisual character to shine. Toy Story 2 is in fact hilariously funny also because of the way in which each individual character is part of a comedy team like mechanism that is structured with amazing precision. The pace of the film is equally exciting and the imaginative and adventurous approach makes the film very entertaining. While this element of nostalgia was something that the previous film certainly touched on in a vague yet noticeable way, here it does so more explicitly by addressing the older appeal of older toys. Once again, this element will appeal its old and young audience in different ways, yet completes and indeed deepens the emotional depth of a film that will already entertain young and old alike."

 

 

Animation, USA