My first and dearest toy was a stuffed Curious George. About the size of a pillow, "Georgie" and I were inseparable during the formative years of my life. Even during many of my years in elementary school, Georgie would lie under my head every night (I often used him as a pillow). I swore I'd never leave him or put him in storage. But time has a funny way of making you forget that magical connection you have with your toys, and now Georgie, replete with a patch on his chest to cover where a hole was created, sits at the back of my closet gathering dust.
Toy Story 2 understands this fact of life. Regardless of when or how it actually occurs, toys and their child owners are eventually parted. Even adult toy collectors who seem to have motives of recapturing their youth are often merely trying to make money in an increasingly lucrative market. They have no interest in the world of "play". The film, at times disarmingly poignant, ponders what happens to the lonely toy when owners and collectors alike cease to use them as they were intended: as an object with which to play.
Directed by John Lasseter, Toy Story 2 isn't all existential questions of self-purpose though, either. A sequel to the 1995 smash hit, the movie once again uses computer animation to bring an imaginative world to life. The story picks up right where the last one left off, with a real boy named Andy accidentally busting up the arm of his beloved toy cowboy Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks). Spotted by an avaricious adult (aptly voiced by the smarmy Wayne Knight), Woody is stolen and taken to the back of a toy store, where he is introduced to a crew of fellow cowpokes who were rolled out when the popular TV puppet show "Woody's Roundup" was popular. They include Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack), Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer) and a devoted horse called Bullseye. When fellow toy friends Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Rex (Wallace Shawn) and Slinky Dog (Jim Varney) try to rescue Woody, they find themselves out in the real world, attempting to do such dangerous things as crossing the street, driving a car, and, of course, doing battle with the Evil Robot Zurg.
As is the case with other Pixar movies, Toy Story 2 provides a canvas of characters and details to soak in. All the jaw-dropping animation would be for naught though, if the plot fell flat on its face. Fortunately, this isn't the case here. There is drama, adventure, a lot of pop-culture references and plenty of levity and wit. Even the slower passages serve a purpose and take the story forward.
The critters are all memorable. Whether a 3-eyed alien, a Tourist Barbie or a squeaking penguin, they all scuttle about with only one thought on their minds at any given time. That singular thought might be of rescue, or of self-preservation or of completing a specific task at hand, but all manage to become characters we trust implicitly, and more importantly, each is lovable in their innocent naiveté. If Toy Story 2 strikes a chord, it is because it knows that, young or old, everyone has had a special toy or toys and carries that memory with them all of their lives. In tapping into the guilt of having weened away from our once-sacred toys, the film could easily have become accusatory or manipulative in tone. Wisely, it ventures into neither area and rekindles a little bit of joy and playfulness instead.
