MY MOVIE SHELF: Toy Story 2

The Task: Watch and write about every movie on my shelf, in order (Blu-rays are sorted after DVDs), by June 10, 2015.  Remaining movies: 149  Days to go: 101

Movie #289:  Toy Story 2

The original Toy Story is fantastic, truly. Toy Story 2 is better, I think.

In the first film, the toys’ troubles are largely insular, instigated and aggravated within their own community — and within their own insecurities. In the sequel, there are clear and identifiable nemeses — outside forces working against the toys of Andy’s room, villains for them to defeat. This makes for higher stakes, greater perils, and a more thrilling story.

This time Al (Wayne Knight), proprietor of Al’s Toy Barn, steals Woody (Tom Hanks) from the family’s yard sale when Woody goes to rescue one of the toys Andy’s mom (Laurie Metcalf) has placed for sale. Woody, see, is a rare collectible — a toy from an old-timey TV show starring Woody himself. Al needs Woody to complete his set, which includes cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack), horse Bullseye, and Old Prospector Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer), so he can sell the whole kit and kaboodle to a toy museum in Japan. Woody tries to escape on his own, but he’s injured (his arm seam popped) and both Jessie and Bullseye are loath to go back into storage. Plus someone is undermining Woody’s efforts. Woody’s friends, meanwhile, are also on a mission to rescue him. Led by Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), a group of Andy’s toys made up of Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), Slinky (Jim Varney), Hamm (John Ratzenberger) and Rex (Wallace Shawn) head out into the wilds of suburbia to find and bring home their friend — with their own share of snags and pitfalls along the way.

The movie is as clever as the first, but it also features tons of hilarious and winking references to other movie blockbusters. (Probably far more than I notice, even.) There’s Slinky saying, “I may not be a smart dog, but I know what road kill is,” in homage to Hanks in Forrest Gump. There’s Rex chasing after the car that Tour Guide Barbie (Jodi Benson) is driving and being seen through the side mirror, à la Jurassic Park. There’s Evil Emperor Zurg channeling Darth Vader in all sorts of ways. And there’s Mr. Potato Head pulling an Oddjob (from Goldfinger) by flinging his hat at the closing condominium doors to hold them open.

Toy Story 2 also brings back some old favorites — like the Pizza Planet aliens Mr. Potato Head saves from certain death. (“We are eternally grateful!”) Plus Bo Peep (Annie Potts) is still around to be Woody’s girl (and to be thoroughly impressed by his new arm muscle once Andy repairs his ripped seam). And they add some new favorites as well. The end of Toy Story saw Andy’s baby sister receiving a Mrs. Potato Head (Estelle Harris), and in Toy Story 2 she and her husband are sweet and passionate lovers. And Barbie herself gets a chance to dig the original Toy Story retail marketers for not making enough Buzz Lightyear dolls to meet demand.

There are cute moments, sweet moments and, in the case of Jessie’s lost little girl Emily, quite sad moments. But the best moments are, as always, the daring rescues, the thrilling escapes, and the overwhelming excitement of playing with Andy again. Well, that and Buzz’s spontaneous wing erection when Jessie courageously helps Buster out of the room. He gets literally sprung, and that’s a reference right up my alley.

MY MOVIE SHELF: Toy Story

The Task: Watch and write about every movie on my shelf, in order (Blu-rays are sorted after DVDs), by June 10, 2015.  Remaining movies: 150  Days to go: 101

Movie #288:  Toy Story

Pixar probably would’ve been a sensation just by virtue of their advances in digital animation. Finally there was something to really compete with hand-drawn animation — something that could be just as beautiful, just as graceful, just as moving — without looking amateurish. Pixar really broke the barrier between the computer animation of old and the slick, seamless animation you see today. But that’s not all they did. They produced great stories too.

Toy Story explores a world long-imagined by kids everywhere: What if your toys were alive? What if they could walk and talk and think and play? What if they came to life as soon as you left them alone? What if that’s the reason they’re never where you left them? Or how they become lost?

The toys in Andy’s room are kind of forever having an existential crisis, with Woody (Tom Hanks) being a leader and the voice of reason most of the time. But when shiny new space ranger toy Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) comes on the tails of Andy’s birthday, Woody loses his mind. Not only is Woody replaced as the favorite toy in Andy’s young heart, he’s also no longer looked up to and listened to by the other toys, who are far too impressed with Buzz’s flash and pizzazz and are easily influenced by Andy’s obvious change of preference. (Mr. Potato Head — voiced by notorious grump Don Rickles — is particularly instigating.) This change in Woody’s circumstances would be bad enough, but add to it that Buzz doesn’t actually realize he’s a toy, and Woody finds himself at a complete loss. Not only does he have to compete for position and favor, he has to combat Buzz’s delusions about his mission, his laser, his flying ability, and about a hundred other things.

It’s such an original, imaginative concept. Toys are so easily replaced and discarded over the span of someone’s childhood, that of course if they were sentient they would worry about the constant threat of becoming obsolete, of being replaced. Additionally, some toys would undoubtedly believe their own hype, perhaps not even realizing they’re toys. It’s brilliant.

The rivalry between Woody and Buzz escalates horribly, leading to Buzz being pushed out of a window near the evil neighbor boy’s yard and the rest of the toys — led by Mr. Potato Head, of course, but with additional inciting words from Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Slinky (Jim Varney)  and the army men (R. Lee Ermey), plus the fretful nonconfrontationalism of Rex the dinosaur (Wallace Shawn) — accuse him of being a heartless villain. Woody is reluctantly taken to Pizza Planet with the family, and has a chance at redemption when Buzz shows up in the car, only Buzz is set on revenge and the two toys wind up being left in a Dinoco gas station lot and wind up being found by evil neighbor boy Sid and brought back to his house. It takes an act of daring and an unlikely pairing of the rivals to escape destruction and teach Sid a traumatizing but important and lasting lesson, before triumphantly returning to the folds of Andy’s room (in his new house), now best friends forever.

It’s a heartwarming, thrilling and funny tale that set a new standard for animated films. It’s a serious accomplishment, even if it is about silly toys.