Toy Story 2 is the prime example of how a Pixar sequel should properly be made. You hear that Monsters University (yes, I know it’s a prequel, but it applies to my point as well), Cars 2, Finding Dory, and Incredibles 2? GET OUTTA HERE!
I don’t get it, fellas. Why is this one often held as the weakest of the trilogy? The entry with…
1) the finest variety of locations
2) the grandest jump in animation quality
3) the introduction of Jessie (who, by the way, shares one of the franchise’s best moments as the tunes of Sarah McLachlan romp), Bullseye, Stinky Pete (the original Lotso Bear), and Al (AKA the Chicken Man)
4) the crucial build-off/origin to Toy Story’s main themes of growing up
…is considered the worst? WHAT? Toy Story 1 is my personal favorite, but Toy Story 2 is damn close to nailing the magic of it and Toy Story 3 is, in reality, a carbon copy of Toy Story 2 that took LITERALLY all of Toy Story 2’s credit—we’ll get into that later in my Toy Story 3 review. This is Pixar’s “true” sequel extravaganza that concentrated around the “plastic gang” in my humble opinion.
The only reason I would put the original above this one is plainly for the fact that Toy Story 2 doesn’t have even half of the creative ambition that Toy Story 1 had. I mean, for example, half of 2’s comedy is reliant on crappy pop culture references, and a lot of Star Wars ones at that. But in the nucleus of a movie that is strictly more of a children’s film than an adult one this time around, it still serves as one of the most rewarding sequels ever made, echoing back to some of its predecessor’s clippings while propping on new ones that progress the franchise in a worthwhile manner.
Verdict: B+
This Movie is a Part of My List: Ruining Your Childhood (Pixar Ranked)
“Toy Story 2” is now available to rent and buy on Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu.
Burning the Celluloid 
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