Starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Joan Cusack
Written By: Doug Chamberlin, Rita Hsiao, Andrew Stanton, Chris Webb
Directed By: John Lasseter
Studio: Disney/ Buena Vista
Buy on Amazon.com link

It’s pretty rare for sequels to be better than the original. Or at least on par with the original movie. Toy Story was a great animated film and rose the bar for any type of film. Toy Story 2 was originally supposed to be going straight to video but Disney and Pixar realized they had a good thing going; and they were right! Now Disney has re-released Toy Story 2 with better video & audio, along with some new extras.

Toy Story 2 continues the adventures of Woody & Buzz, and the rest of Andy’s toys. While Andy is away at cowboy camp, Woody gets kidnapped by Al’s Toy Barn’s owner, who is a greedy toy collector. He needs Woody to complete his Woody’s Roundup Gang Collection so he can sell them off to a Japanese museum. Woody gets convinced from the other toys Jessie, Bullseye and Stinky Pete that museum life won’t be so bad and to enjoy being famous. Buzz and some of the other toys decide to rescue Woody and help him realize he’s still wanted by Andy.

The first Toy Story was re-released because of the 10th anniversary, and now this is released with a new transfer & audio, plus new extras! I think Toy Story was an excellent movie that set up the characters & the story but I enjoyed Toy Story 2 a lot more. I think the story is more interesting and I think the movie is a lot funnier as well. Thanks to the secondary characters of Mr Potato Head, Hamm, Rexx and Slinky Dog. Having Mr Potato Head married, and voiced by Frank Costanza’s mom was a brilliant casting decision. The whole cast was just PERFECT! The story was interesting because toy collecting is very popular, I even dabbled in it a little so I can see why some people will go nuts over rare toys. There’s so many stories you can do with toys, and i’m not surprised at all to see that Toy Story 3 is in the works. I just hope Disney and Pixar come to an agreement so Pixar is involved because without them, these movies wouldn’t have been made.

Toy Story 2 was also a technical achievement, and I still think both movies are pioneers in CGI animation. Pixar created something special, and now everyone is trying to reach that bar that they set. Shrek 1 & 2 were great too (who might have met that bar in my opinion), but not too many movies can come close to the Toy Story movies and Shrek. Toy Story 2 really shines on DVD because the movie looks so great on my high definition TV. The animation is so crisp and clear. Almost too clear haha.

The extras are plentiful and you can tell Pixar took the time to work on them. Some seem duplicate from the Toy Box DVD set that was released a few years ago. The outtakes are on here and like with most Pixar movies, are always fun to watch. I especially love Mrs Potato Head putting all those weird things into Mr Potato Head’s storage thing. I giggle watching it every time! There’s lots of other things to watch like profiles on John Lasseter (he really does remind you of a kid trapped in a man’s body. A kid with LOTS of money), behind the scenes video, a making of featurette, deleted scenes, games and a sneak peek at Pixar’s next movie: Cars!

If you missed the boat on the Toy Box DVD set, then this is the DVD to get for Toy Story 2. The transfer is cleaned up and so is the audio and there are plenty of extras to watch after the movie. Now get going and buy this before Disney releases another definitive collection for this movie!

Features:
Deleted Scenes
Hilarious Outtakes
New Sneak Peak at Pixar’s Next Animated Picture
All-New Game “Which Toy Are You?”
And Much More!

Audio:
ENGLISH: DTS ES Surround
ENGLISH: DD-EX 5.1
SPANISH: Dolby Digital Stereo
FRENCH: Dolby Digital Stereo

Video:
Widescreen 1.77:1 Color (Anamorphic)

Subtitles:
English

Favorite Scenes: The toys searching for woody, Al’s Toy Barn scenes, the aliens annoying Mr Potato Head, scenes at the airport.
Rating: G
Running Time: 81 minutes
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: