Toy Story 2 knocked me out. It is one of the few sequels in the history of cinema that is an unqualified improvement over its predecessor in every way.
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"Toy Story," released by Disney in 1995, was the first full-length animated feature to be made entirely on computers in digital graphics. The film, produced by the Pixar Animation Studios, created quite a sensation at the time, not only because it offered amazing visuals, but because it told a sweet fable, too. It was followed in 1999 by "Toy Story 2," a splendid sequel that improved dramatically on its predecessor's story line. Disney's deluxe boxed set of both "Toy Story" movies, labeled "The Toy Box," comes with the added advantage of a third, bonus disc of supplementary material. Of course, you can buy the two films separately, but then you would miss out on some of the fancy extras.
Video:
Right off, you're probably wondering more than anything else about how the movies transferred to DVD, so let's skip right to the audiovisual part of the chase. The transfers are fantastic, incredible, marvelous, phenomenal, fabulous, stupendous, astonishing, wondrous, and I'm running out of adjectives, but you get the idea. Presented in 1.74:1 ratio anamorphic widescreen, the picture quality equals or surpasses "A Bug's Life" in its clarity and definition. The computer graphics are simply astounding, and they're rendered here probably as accurately and precisely as they might have been in a movie theater. I can't imagine high-definition television improving the overall color or image detail much better than we're getting here.
Audio:
What's more, the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround audio is every bit as spectacular as the picture, especially in the second movie. Both the picture and the sound are THX certified, and the results are impressive, indeed. The sonics are full, wide, dynamic, and deep, with things flying overhead and around through all five channels. But one can appreciate the little things, too, like voices that move across the sound stage as needed, rather than remaining stationary in the center speaker. Let it suffice to say that both the picture and sound are state-of-the-art. Heck, I was even impressed by the little THX introductions that precede the movies, again with the second film's sound standing out more than the first.
The Movies:
Now, let's go back to the beginning with "Toy Story." The premise is simple: when kids aren't around, their toys come alive and enjoy an existence of their own. More than that, however, "Toy Story" is a tale of friendship and the importance of love in everyone's life. The toys are important to Andy, the young boy who owns them, because they're his pals. Andy is important to the toys because he gives them a feeling of being needed. And the toys are important to each another because without interpersonal relationships, life is pretty much meaningless, even to plastic playthings. In the story Woody, an old cowboy doll, is Andy's favorite toy. But things get dicey when Andy is given a new toy for his birthday, a Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger. No sooner does the new toy arrive on the scene than a rivalry flares up between Woody and Buzz. Fortunately, in true comic-book style the two heroes unite to fight a common foe--a mean, sadistic, little brat who lives next door--and become bosom buddies in the process.
"Toy Story" is fairly confined in its action to Andy's house and yard and the house next door. The mean kid, Sid, is not really in the action much at all, and the film's conflict development suffers somewhat from the film's lack of any extended menace. But the story is saved by its winning moral, its happy demeanor, its engaging voice characterizations, and its delightful music. Tom Hanks does the voice of Woody; Tim Allen is Buzz; Don Rickles plays Mr. Potato Head; Jim Varney is the Slinky Dog; Wallace Shawn is Rex; John Ratzenberger is Hamm; R. Lee Ermey is the Sarge; and Annie Potts plays Bo Peep. Randy Newman's music is catchy, and everyone by now will recognize the title song, "You've Got a Friend in Me." In addition to the film, the disc includes the Academy Award-winning short, "Tin Toy"; an audio commentary by the director, John Lasseter, and other filmmakers; a twenty-seven-minute documentary, "The Story Behind Toy Story"; interviews with Woody and Buzz; THX's "Optimode" series of audio and video tests for optimizing audiovisual performance; English and French language options; and thirty scene selections.
I must admit I was only mildly amused by "Toy Story," but "Toy Story 2" knocked me out. It is one of the few sequels in the history of cinema that is an unqualified improvement over its predecessor in every way. I laughed, I cried, I was totally entertained. This time out there's a genuine villain in the story, an unscrupulous toy store owner who discovers that Woody, who has been in Andy's family for years, is a valuable collector's item and steals him to sell to a Japanese toy museum. Naturally, Woody's friends, led by Buzz Lightyear, go to the rescue. This time there is a serious threat involved, and serious thrills, in an adventure yarn that will charm almost any adult as well as any child. More important, the story reflects real life as it involves some serious decision making. Once Woody is kidnapped, he meets a new set of friends, buddies he didn't even remember from his long-ago past--Jessie, his cowgirl friend (Joan Cusack); Bullseye, his horse; and Stinky Pete the prospector. When his old friends come to save him, Woody has to decide which gang to go with. In the film's most touching scene, Jessie tells him that no owner ever keeps a toy forever, that every child grows up and discards his toys, so why go back to Andy when they can all be together forever in the museum. Then she sings a song, "When She Loved Me," about her own previous owner, a little girl who finally gave her away, and I confess at that point I shed a tear.
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[release]5480[/release]