Toy Story 2
| Toy Story 2 | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | John Lasseter Lee Unkrich (co-director) Ash Brannon (co-director) |
| Produced by | Karen Robert Jackson Helene Plotkin |
| Screenplay by | Andrew Stanton Rita Hsiao Doug Chamberlain Chris Webb |
| Story by | John Lasseter Pete Docter Ash Brannon Andrew Stanton Colin Brady Jimmy Hayward Supervisors: Dan Jeup Joe Ranft |
| Starring | Tom Hanks Tim Allen Joan Cusack Kelsey Grammer Don Rickles Jim Varney Wallace Shawn John Ratzenberger Wayne Knight John Morris Laurie Metcalf Estelle Harris Andrew Stanton |
| Music by | Randy Newman |
| Cinematography | Sharon Calahan |
| Editing by | Lee Unkrich Edie Bleiman David Ian Salter |
| Studio | Pixar Animation Studios |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Pictures Buena Vista Distribution |
| Release date(s) | November 24, 1999 |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $90 million [1] |
| Gross revenue | $485,015,179 [1] |
| Preceded by | Toy Story |
| Followed by | Toy Story 3 |
Toy Story 2 is a 1999 American computer animated family film, the third Disney·Pixar feature film, and the sequel to Toy Story, which features the adventures of a group of toys that come to life when humans are not around to see them. Toy Story 2 was produced by Pixar Animation Studios, directed by John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich and Ash Brannon, and released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution in the United States on November 19, 1999,[2] in some parts of Australia on December 2, 1999 and the United Kingdom on 11 February 2000. Toy Story 2 was re-released in a double feature with Toy Story in Disney Digital 3-D on October 2, 2009.
The film keeps most of the original characters and voices from the first movie, including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, Annie Potts, John Ratzenberger, Joe Ranft, John Morris, and Laurie Metcalf. They are joined by new characters voiced by Jodi Benson, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Estelle Harris, and Wayne Knight.
Contents |
Plot
Woody prepares to go to cowboy camp with Andy, but his arm is ripped, forcing him to stay on the shelf. There Woody finds a broken squeeze toy penguin toy named Wheezy, who is to be sold at a yard sale. With help from Andy's dog, Buster, Woody sneaks out and saves Wheezy, but is stolen by an enthusiastic toy collector. Buzz Lightyear and the other toys recognize the thief as Al McWhiggin, the owner of Al's Toy Barn, and set out to rescue him.
In Al's apartment, Woody discovers he is a valuable collectable based on an old, popular TV show called Woody's Roundup, and is set to be sold to a toy museum in Tokyo, Japan. The other toys from the franchise—Jessie the yodeling cowgirl, Woody's horse Bullseye, and Stinky Pete the Prospector, who is in mint condition inside his unopened box—are excited about the trip, but Woody intends to return home because he is still Andy's toy. They needed Woody to stay because if he wasn't with them, they would go back into storage. That night, Al accidentally rips off Woody's broken arm and Woody attempts to recover his arm and return to Andy. However, his attempt gets sabotaged when the TV turns on, waking Al up and ruining his later attempts to return to Andy. Woody suspects Jessie because the TV remote was near her and he plans to return to Andy when his arm is repaired. However, he changes his mind once he learns that Jessie was outgrown by her old owner Emily and realizes Andy will outgrow him at some point.
Buzz and the other toys—Rex, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, and Hamm—reach the Al's Toy Barn store across from Al's apartment. However Buzz gets captured by a newer Buzz Lightyear action figure who is more deluded than the old Buzz wasbefore. The new Buzz is mistaken by the other toys as Andy's Buzz and joins them to Al's apartment. The real Buzz escapes and chases them, accidentally releasing an action figure of his arch enemy Emperor Zurg, who, just like Utility belt Buzz, doesn't realise he's a toy.
Buzz rejoins the others as soon as they find Woody, but Woody refuses to return to Andy. However, he changes his mind once he watched a boy with him on TV making him realise how much he missed Andy and Buzz reminds him that toys are meant to be played with. Woody convinces Jessie and Bullseye to come with him as another way to stop them going back into storage, but Stinky Pete, out of his box, locks up the air vent the toys used to get to Al's apartment. Stinky Pete blocked the vent to get the Roundup gang to Japan. It is revealed that Stinky Pete was the one who sabotaged Woody's attempt in recovering his broken arm during the night to prevent him returning to Andy. Stinky Pete tells them that he wants to go to Japan because he was never sold. The two Buzzes and the rest of Andy's toys encounter Zurg in an elevator shaft(Who Utility belt Buzz starts to fight) while chasing Al, but the new Buzz remains behind to play with Zurg once he discovers that Zurg is his father.
Buzz and the others follow Al to the airport and enter the baggage claim area to save Woody. Stinky Pete tries to stop them, ripping Woody's arm again, but he is defeated and stuffed in the bag of a girl who draws on the faces of her toys; this gives him a chance to see what it is like to be played with (what Woody calls "the true meaning of 'playtime'"). Jessie ends up being boarded on the airplane to Japan, but Woody, Buzz and Bullseye save her just before the plane lifts off and the toys return home to await Andy's arrival. Later, Andy takes Jessie and Bullseye in as his new toys and fixes Woody's arm. The toys also learn that Al's business and mood have sharply declined because his attempt to sell the Roundup gang to Japan was a failure. As the new toys become accustomed to having a new owner, Woody tells Buzz that he isn't worried about Andy outgrowing him, because when he does, Woody and Buzz will have each other for infinity and beyond.
Woody's Roundup
Toy Story character Woody is actually based on a character from the fictional television show Woody's Roundup, which in Toy Story 2 ran from 1941 to 1943, then 1946 to 1957 and gained a great deal of popularity, especially for its lead character, Sheriff Woody Pride. The show was a western adventure series that utilized puppetry in a way not unlike the real-world shows The Howdy Doody Show and similar in vein to Gerry Anderson's marionette western, Four Feather Falls. The show followed a serialized format, including the use of cliffhangers. The show also had a peanut gallery. The show was cancelled after the launch of Sputnik made westerns unpopular with kids. The final episode ended on a cliffhanger at the Grand Canyon that was never resolved; there was supposed to be a finale, dubbed "Woody's Finest Hour", but the show was cancelled before it could conclude.
The main cast of the film consisted of:
- Sheriff Woody
- Jessie, the yodeling cowgirl.
- Stinky Pete the Prospector.
- Bullseye, Woody's horse.
- Assorted 2-dimensional critters such as rabbits and snakes.
The main theme song for Woody's Roundup is heard in its entirety in the end credits of Toy Story 2. It appears as the first track on both the Toy Story 2 original soundtrack and Woody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs by Riders in the Sky. This tune is also renditioned on the record player when Bullseye jumps onto the disc.
Voice cast
- Tom Hanks as Woody
- Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear/New Buzz
- Joan Cusack as Jessie
- Kelsey Grammer as Stinky Pete
- Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head
- Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head
- Jim Varney as Slinky Dog
- Wallace Shawn as Rex
- John Ratzenberger as Hamm
- Annie Potts as Bo Peep
- Wayne Knight as Al McWhiggin
- John Morris as Andy
- Laurie Metcalf as Andy's Mom
- R. Lee Ermey as Sarge
- Jodi Benson as Tour Guide Barbie
- Jonathan Harris as the Cleaner
- Joe Ranft as Wheezy
- Andrew Stanton as Emperor Zurg
- Jeff Pidgeon as Squeeze Toy Aliens
Crew
- Directed by John Lasseter
- Co-Directed by Lee Unkrich and Ash Brannon
- Produced by Helene Plotkin and Karen Robert Jackson
- Executive Producer Sarah McArthur
- Story by Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, John Lasseter and Ash Brannon
- Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlain and Chris Webb
- Music by Randy Newman
- Story Supervisors Dan Jeup and Joe Ranft
- Edited by Lee Unkrich, Edie Bleiman and David Ian Salter
- Sound Designer Gary Rydstrom
Production
Toy Story 2 was not originally intended for release in theaters. Disney asked Pixar to make a direct-to-video sequel for the original Toy Story with a 60 minute running time.[3] The task was turned over to a secondary production team at Pixar while the primary team focused on the production of A Bug's Life. When Disney executives saw how impressive the in-work imagery for the sequel was, and due to pressure from the main characters' voice actors Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, they decided to convert Toy Story 2 into a theatrical movie.[4]
However, many of the creative staff at Pixar were not happy with how the sequel was turning out. John Lasseter, upon returning from European promotion of A Bug's Life, watched the development reels and agreed that it wasn't working. Pixar met with Disney, telling them that the film would have to be redone. Disney, however, disagreed, and noted that Pixar didn't have enough time to remake the film before its established release date. Pixar decided that they simply could not allow the film to be released in its existing state, and asked Lasseter to take over the production. Lasseter agreed, and recruited the creative team behind the first film to redevelop the story. Over the course of a weekend, the script was completely rewritten. To meet Disney's deadline, Pixar had to complete the entire film in nine months.[5] Some animators got repetitive strain injuries rushing to complete the film, which taught the Pixar managers to arrange breaks between each project from then on.[6]
Pixar and Disney had a five-film co-production deal and Pixar felt that with its change in status, Toy Story 2 should count as one of the pictures in the deal. Disney felt that since the production of Toy Story 2 was negotiated outside of the five-picture deal, it should not count. This issue became a particularly sore spot for Pixar, leading to a falling out between Pixar CEO Steve Jobs and Disney CEO Michael Eisner, concluding in Pixar's 2004 announcement that it would not extend its deal with Disney and would instead seek other distribution partners. The problems were eventually resolved following Eisner's departure from Disney, with new CEO Bob Iger negotiating Disney's purchase of Pixar in 2006.
Music
Randy Newman wrote two new songs for Toy Story 2 as well as the complete original score:
- "When She Loved Me" - performed by Sarah McLachlan: Used for the flashback montage in which Jessie experiences being loved, forgotten, and ultimately abandoned by her owner, Emily. This song was nominated at the Oscars in 2000 for Best Song, though the award went to Phil Collins for "You'll Be in My Heart" from another Disney animated film Tarzan.
- "Woody's Roundup" - performed by Riders in the Sky: Theme song for the "Woody's Roundup" TV show. Also end-credit music.
The film also includes two new versions of "You've Got a Friend in Me," the theme from the first film. The first is performed by the puppet Woody (Tom Hanks) "on guitar" as part of the "Woody's Roundup" show. The second is a Vegas-style finale production number sung by Wheezy (singing voice provided by Robert Goulet).
Release
Marketing
A video game for the PC, PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast was released. The game featured original cast voices and clips from the movie as introductions to levels. Once earned, these clips could be viewed at the player's discretion. Another game was released for the Game Boy Color.
Box office performance
Toy Story 2 opened over the Thanksgiving Day weekend at #1 to a three-day tally of $57,388,839 from 3,236 theaters averaging $17,734 per theater over three days, making $80,102,784 since its Wednesday launch, and staying at #1 for the next two weekends. It eventually made $245,852,179 domestically and $239,163,000 overseas for a total worldwide gross of $485,015,179, becoming the third highest grossing film of 1999, and far surpassing the original, and in fact, every other animated movie to that date except for The Lion King, even though both were later eclipsed by 2 CGI movies, Shrek 2 and Finding Nemo. Ironically, Shrek 2 and Finding Nemo's box office would both be surpassed by Toy Story 3's box office, this film's sequel.
Reception
Critical reception to "Toy Story 2" was unanimously positive. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 100% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 147 reviews, with an average score of 8.6/10. The critical consensus is: Entertaining characters and eye-popping animation make this sequel an instant classic. Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 are all Pixar's highest-rated films to date. It is currently #1 on Rotten Tomatoes' list of best rated movies. It currently holds a 100% approval from critics, and 92% from the community, while the original holds a 96% community rating[7] and the best rated animated movie.[8] The film also holds an 88 out of 100 on Metacritic.[9] It joins the rare number of sequels judged to be "as good as or better than the original." Toy Story 2 won the Golden Globe for Best Picture Comedy or Musical at the 2000 ceremony. Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a half stars out of four and said in his print review "I forgot something about toys a long time ago, and Toy Story 2 reminded me." Kenneth Turan of Los Angeles Times said "Toy Story 2 may not have the most original title, but everything else about it is, well, mint in the box." Entertainment Weekly said "It's a great, IQ-flattering entertainment both wonderful and wise."
On June 12, 2010, in its broadcast on Disney Channel, the film received 7.479 million viewers, making the number one show or movie of the week.[10]
3-D re-release
On October 2, 2009, the film was re-released in Disney Digital 3-D.[11] The film was released with Toy Story as a double feature for a two-week run[12] which was extended due to its success.[13][14] In addition, the film's sequel, Toy Story 3, was also released in the 3-D format.[11] Lasseter commented on the new 3-D re-release: "The Toy Story films and characters will always hold a very special place in our hearts and we're so excited to be bringing this landmark film back for audiences to enjoy in a whole new way thanks to the latest in 3-D technology. With Toy Story 3 shaping up to be another great adventure for Buzz, Woody and the gang from Andy's room, we thought it would be great to let audiences experience the first two films all over again and in a brand new way."[15]
Translating the movies into 3-D involved revisiting the original computer data and virtually placing a second camera into each scene, creating left-eye and right-eye views needed to achieve the perception of depth. Unique to computer animation, Lasseter referred to this process as “digital archaeology.” The lead stereographer Bob Whitehill oversaw this process and sought to achieve an effect that impacted the emotional storytelling of the film.[16]
Unlike other countries, the UK and Argentina received the films in 3-D as separate releases. Toy Story 2 was instead released January 22, 2010 in the UK, and February 18, 2010 in Argentina.[17]
Home Video
Toy Story 2 was released as a two-pack with Toy Story on October 17, 2000. That same day an "Ultimate Toy Box" set was released containing both films and a third disc of bonus materials. On September 6, 2005 it was again re-released as a "2-Disc Special Edition" alongside the 10th Anniversary Edition of the first film. Both editions returned to the vault in January 31, 2009.
The film was available on Blu-ray for the first time in a Special Edition Combo Pack that was released on March 23, 2010, along with the original film.[18] There was a DVD-only re-release on May 11, 2010.[19]
Pixar themes
Trailers
One Pixar tradition is to create trailers for their films that do not contain footage from the released film. In one trailer for Toy Story 2 (released theatrically with Tarzan), the green squeeze toy aliens watch the metal claw they worship coming down. The claw first brings down the words Toy Story, and the aliens react with their trademark "Oooooh." The claw next brings down the number '2'; in reaction, the aliens turn to face the camera and parody themselves with a 'Twoooo.' Then Woody appears, saying "Hey howdy hey, folks! It's good to be back." He is swiftly disappointed when Buzz shows up as well, and expresses his annoyance that the Space Ranger is also in the sequel. Buzz retorts, "Excuse me, Pullstring Boy, what would Toy Story 2 be without Buzz Lightyear?" "A good movie," counters Woody.
Attached short film
The initial theatrical and video releases of this film include Luxo Jr, Pixar's first short film released in 1986, starring Pixar's titular mascot,. Before "Luxo Jr.", a message states: "In 1986 Pixar Animation Studios produced their first film. This is why we have a hopping lamp in our logo".
References to other Pixar films
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Toy Story 2 (1999) – Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=toystory2.htm. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ↑ "Variety: Digital Editions". Variety.com. http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=filmsearch_exact&dept=Film&movieID=10740. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
- ↑ "Toy Story 2 Is Not Your Typical Hollywood Sequel". Animation World Network. http://www.awn.com/articles/reviews/toy-story-2-not-your-typical-hollywood-sequel. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
- ↑ "Tom Hanks, Tim Allen fought for ‘Toy Story 2’ release". New Movie Releases DVD. http://newmoviereleasesdvd.loginby.com/tom-hanks-tim-allen-fought-for-%E2%80%98toy-story-2%E2%80%99-release/. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- ↑ Leslie Iwerks. (2007). The Pixar Story. [Documentary]. Leslie Iwerks Productions.
- ↑ George Rousch (2009-02-06). "Brad Bird Talks To Latinoreview About 1906, Toy Story 3, Iron Giant Re-Release And More". Latino Review. http://www.latinoreview.com/news/brad-bird-talks-to-latinoreview-about-1906-toy-story-3-iron-giant-re-release-and-more-6121. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
- ↑ "Top Movies". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt_year.php. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
- ↑ "Best Animated Films - Toy Story 2". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides/best_animated_films/toy_story_2/. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
- ↑ "Toy Story 2 reviews at". Metacritic.com. http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/toystory2?q=Toy%20Story. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
- ↑ "Cable TV Top 25: Disney’s Toy Story 2 Tops Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Pawn Stars, True Blood - TV Ratings". Tvbythenumbers.com. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/06/15/cable-tv-top-25-disneys-toy-story-2-tops-burn-notice-royal-pains-pawn-stars-true-blood/54150. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Richards, Olly (January 24, 2008). "Toy Story Movies Going 3D". Empire. http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=21856. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
- ↑ Associated Press (March 31, 2009). "Disney does 3-D with `Toy Story,' 'Beast' reissues". Yahoo!. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090331/ap_en_ot/film_disney3_d. Retrieved March 31, 2009.
- ↑ "Toy Story news". October 12, 2009. http://twitter.com/leeunkrich/statuses/4820087123. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
- ↑ David Chen (October 12, 2009). "Lee Unkrich Announces Kristen Schaal and Blake Clark Cast in Toy Story 3; Toy Story 3D Double Feature To Stay in Theaters". http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/10/12/lee-unkrich-announces-kristen-schaal-and-blake-clark-cast-in-toy-story-3-toy-story-3d-double-feature-to-stay-in-theaters/. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
- ↑ "Toy Story Franchise Going 3-D". VFXWorld.com. January 24, 2008. http://vfxworld.com/?atype=news&a=search&term=Toy%20Story&id=22054. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
- ↑ Murphy, Mekado (October 1, 2009). "Buzz and Woody Add a Dimension". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/movies/04murp.html. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
- ↑ "Toy Story in 3D: MSN Review". http://entertainment.uk.msn.com/movies/reviews/article.aspx?cp-documentid=149974281. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
- ↑ "Amazon.com - Toy Story 2 (Two-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo w/ Blu-ray Packaging)". Amazon.com. February 10, 2010. http://www.amazon.com/Story-Two-Disc-Special-Blu-ray-Packaging/dp/B0030IIZ56/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1265865548&sr=1-2. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
- ↑ "Amazon.com - Toy Story 2: Special Edition - DVD". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Toy-Story-2-Special-DVD/dp/B0030IIYYS. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
External links
- Official website
- Toy Story 2 at the Internet Movie Database
- Toy Story 2 at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Toy Story 2 at Allmovie
- Toy Story 2 at Rotten Tomatoes
- Toy Story 2 at Metacritic
- Toy Story 2 at Box Office Mojo
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Shakespeare in Love |
Golden Globe: Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy 1999 |
Succeeded by Almost Famous |
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||