1011. Toy Story 2 (1999)

Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack

Director: John Lasseter

Running Time: 92 mins

Toy Story 2 is an American film and the sequel to Toy Story. After being stolen from a yard sale, Woody finds himself torn between his dedication to Andy and the potential of a life of love away from him, whilst his friends venture out of Andy’s room to save him.

The first Toy Story was both a fun, enjoyable flick and one that holds great cinematic importance. However, its sequel is even better, building on everything that was introduced in the first film in brilliant fashion by slightly intensifying the atmosphere and stakes, adding great new characters, and simply creating a wholly more impressive film.

The main difference between the two films is the light-heartedness of the atmosphere. The first film was intelligent and often deep, but it was on the whole more of a fun adventure comedy. This sequel, on the other hand, is so much more, taking on a much more emotional and dramatic atmosphere that makes it even more engrossing to watch.

Throughout, the stakes are higher and more important for the characters, as Woody finds himself in a painful dilemma, Andy really begins to grow up, and everybody has to deal with the brutal reality of becoming forgotten toys as the years go on.

There’s nothing that shows that as clearly as the famously devastating ‘When She Loved Me’ sequence, an incredibly powerful montage that will likely have you in floods of tears, and although I’m not going to spoil anything, I have to say that that scene is the perfect evidence to show how this sequel really is more emotional than the first.

Away from that, the comedy here is still a lot of fun. It’s still an easy watch for kids, although some elements are a little bit scarier, because it retains the vibrant look and top-quality humour of the first film, plus the addition of new characters adds a whole extra level of buddy comedy to enjoy.

Simply, this is the first Pixar film that contains the now-famous formula: a fun comedy adventure for all the family, but a story with enough intrigue and heart to wholly engross you in it, regardless of the fact that it’s an animated film, and it’s all of that that makes Toy Story 2 a very impressive sequel, so that’s why I’m giving it an 8.3.