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The toys are back in town. This fun filled sequel to 1995's
immensely successful Toy Story has all the lovable characters
and the action of the original, but with even more amazing computer
animation.
This time, Woody (Tom Hanks) is stolen by a greedy toy collector
(Wayne Knight) to become part of a museum collection of valuable
toys. Woody's pals Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Ham (John Ratzenberger),
Rex (Wallace Shawn), Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), and Slinky
Dog (Jim Varney) orchestrate a daring plot to rescue him and
return him to Andy's bedroom.
Meanwhile, Woody discovers some stories about his past and
meets some of his toy 'family'. This presents a dilemma as he
is forced to evaluate the importance of friends and family (but
in a toy related sense, of course).
What makes this movie work? The characters are fun. The animation
is amazing, but it is the all star voices that bring the characters
to life. Some of the voice casting is inspired, especially John
Ratzenberger as the cynical pig Ham, and perpetual slimeball
Wayne Knight as the villainous toy collector Al. The story has
suspense, dramatic tension, and plenty of laughs. There are
the obligatory movie in jokes, although the Star Wars references
are so obvious and cliched that they may even be poking fun
at in jokes themselves.
There are messages to be taken in as well. On the surface they
may be about whether toys should be played with or not and what
happens to a toy's feelings when it is discarded. Maybe this
will lead to children hoarding all their toys for the rest of
their lives for fear of breaking Barbie's heart or driving Action
Man to post traumatic stress disorder. Or maybe the real message
is that for all of us, life is there to be lived, that we need
to take some risks and push the barriers of our comfort zones.
None of us should be satisfied with a life spent wrapped up
in cotton wool or in a display case.
A rare movie that will appeal to viewers of all ages without
offending any of them. Take the whole family.
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