Linkstew

Well, it took me long enough to see this movie. I tried to go see it with a group from work on the day it came out, but we got there a little too late and they were sold out. And then my roommate and I repeatedly made plans to go see it, but I got smashed by the end of semester crush, and we never managed to make it to the theater. But now that classes are over and there are just two finals are left, I felt sufficiently free to go enjoy myself for a little while.

First of all, don't let me dissuade from seeing this movie, because it is eminently enjoyable. If you haven't seen this movie, there is no reason that you shouldn't.

Really, I have just two things to say about this movie, and they're kind of nits I'm picking.

First of all, the movie seemed strangely longer than it really was. It was on the verge of dragging. Of course, that's probably just because the whole movie only spans about 5 major plot points, and most of the plot is focused in one day, and in one building at that. What was there was fantastic, and not really anything to complain about... I guess I just didn't feel like it was very... epic, maybe.

Not a big deal, really, but it was something I was thinking about after the night was over. We watched Monsters, Inc. and Harry Potter in the same night, and Monsters, Inc. felt longer than it was while Harry Potter felt shorter, and I've been dwelling on why.

The other nit is just that the final action sequence of the movie left me with that eerie deja vu feeling, and I was practically expecting Buzz Lightyear to fall through the background towards a passing suitcase door attempting to rescue Woody. Um, in other words, it just wasn't that original, and Pixar was just recycling their own old ideas. Sure, it was spiced up ever so slightly, but it wasn't different enough.

I'd mention the animation, but it almost feels redundant at this point. We know Pixar has their act together, and while they've practically been using the same kid modeling look since Toy Story, it's just their style, and so I won't begrudge them that.

Any which way, it was a good movie. It was incredibly sweet, and at the end it left me wishing I had someone I could have hugged and shared a warm cuddly moment with. But it just wasn't particularly innovative on any of its axes, and that's its only real flaw. 4/5

This review was published in the Kern Valley Sun in December 1999. This the unedited copy, meaning it wasn't copy edited, meaning things might be wrong in here. Sorry.

With its memorable characters, great story, and ground-breaking computer generated animation, Toy Story was a success in every way. With Toy Story 2, Pixar Animation Studios not only succeeds in again creating a children's movie thatc can be enjoyed by adults, but in surpassing it.

Toy Story is about the toys of a young boy named Andy, and is based on the premise that toys are able to move around and interact with their surroundings and each other independent of humans.

Toy Story 2 relies upon the same basic plot as Toy Story--that of the toys rescuing another toy. Woody, who turns out to be a rare collectable toy, is stolen by a toy collector to be sold to a museum in Japan.

All of the best characters from Andy's toy chest are back from the first movie, with the addition of a few new characters. Jessie the yodeling cowgirl is introduced as Woody's female counterpart, while Buzz Lightyear's arch nemesis Zerg is perhaps one of the funniest new characters in the movie.

Zerg is a clever parody of Darth Vader of Star Wars fame, and no opportunity to exploit that is wasted. Other incredibly amusing elements of the movie include a scene lifted straight from Jurassic Park and a cameo from the short ``Geri's Game'' which was included as part of Pixar's last film, A Bugs Life.

In addition to the laughs, however, the movie also features some highly emotional content which brought a tear to my eyes. In a scene which can only be completely appreciated by a person who has left childhood behind, Jessie reminisces about her previous owner Emily, who carelessly discarded Jessie under the bed as she grew up. Later in the movie, Buzz comments that ``You never forget kids, but they forget you.''

Back in 1995, the 81 minutes of fully computer generated animation in Toy Story was unimaginable, and the quality of that animation set incredibly high standards for all future computer animated movies to live up to. Since then, numerous computer animated movies have come along, each introducing new visual tricks, making the 92 minutes of animation in Toy Story 2 nothing new. However, the quality of the animation from Pixar continues to be amazing, and is easily the best animation found in a movie yet.

It's the subtle details which really make the animation in Toy Story 2 shine. From the scratches and scuffs on Buzz's plastic finish to the realistic textures found in the face of Big Al the toy collector, it's clear that Pixar's animation process has been highly polished over the years. A widespread effect is the clear reflective wrapping in which numerous toys in the movie are wrapped.

Toy Story 2 tops the climactic sequence of the first movie early, and saves the truly amazing action sequences for the end. A car chase followed by an escape from an airplane preparing to take off reaffirm what Toy Story showed four years ago--that computer animation is capable of creating beautiful pictures which tell a good story with memorable characters.