11/20/99: When the first Toy Story was released, I went mainly for the "wow" factor. As in what a cool concept/novelty, that an entire movie was made on a computer. I had no idea that I would end up loving the movie because of the story and characters. As it turns out Toy Story is now one of my all time favorite movies, and probably my second favorite animated movie after the recent Iron Giant. So going into Toy Story 2 I had high hopes, but also doubts, because how often does a sequel live up to the original. Well all doubts were vanquished within minutes, and I think I actually enjoyed the 2nd one more.

The animation is absolutely stunning. Computer animation has come a long way in the few short years since the last one. The first one focused much more on the toys, you didn't see the humans very often, mostly just their legs. The ability to render organic materials has advanced, we get to see much more of the humans and also Andy's puppy. But still everything is focused on the toys and you see the world from their point of view. It's really fun to see everyday settings, turn into exotic and dangerous locations.

The voice actors know that they are involved in a great movie, and really seem to enjoy bringing life to the toys. The original cast returns. Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Jim "Ernest" Varney as Slink Dog, Wallace "Inconceivable!" Shawn as Rex, R. Lee Ermey as the Sergeant of the Army Men, and John "Cliff" Ratzenberg as Hamm. All do a wonderful job, and fall right back into character. This being a sequel we are introduced to a few new toys, Woody's background is filled out a little more, and three toys from the same toy line join in, Joan Cusack as Jessie the Cowgirl, Kelsey "Frasier" Grammer as The Prospector, and Woody now has a horse, who speaks volumes without saying a word. We also get to meet Buzz's arch nemesis, the evil Emperor Zurg, when they finally face each other it's one of the funniest jokes in the entire movie.

The story this time around is a little more involved. Woody is stolen by Al the toy collector, voiced by Wayne "Newman" Knight. It's up to Buzz and his buddies to save him. This leads them through one frantic scene after another, where something as simple as crossing the street turns into a life threatening situation. Meanwhile Woody is finding all about his past from his new friends, and also learning what life can be like without a kid to play with.