We’re ranking the films of Pixar Studios, leading up to the release of Inside Out.
Toy Story 2
Directed: John Lasseter, Ash Brennan, Lee Unkrich
Writers: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, et al.
Would you rather: Live forever in immortality, alone, or live a happy life with loved ones, knowing that it will all end too quickly? This is the question that Woody must answer in Toy Story 2. A collector steals Woody from a garage sale, restores him to his former glory, and puts him in a museum where he will be admired by future generations, part of the complete set (new characters, Jesse and Stinky Pete included) he never knew existed. Staying would mean giving up his owner, Andy, and all his toy friends. But it would also mean being remembered.
The question is one of mortality, love and having value. But this is not a film about death (that’ll come in Toy Story 3). This is a movie about worth. What does it mean to have worth, to be valued by others? Buzz Lightyear, in Toy Story learned the value of being a cherished toy. This time, Woody learns the value being a collector’s item. Is it worth it?
Well, no, but the option entices Woody for good reason. Toy Story 2 continues the process of complicating life as a toy. As Andy’s mom says, “toys aren’t made to last forever.” Woody chooses his friends and Andy, even knowing that one day Andy will leave him behind. It’s a pretty sad story for the funniest, most rapid-fire joke-filled film in Pixar’s canon.
A remarkable feat, really, given that the production of Toy Story 2 was disastrous. The film was developed to be a low-budget, direct-to-video sequel to the surprise box-office smash of its predecessor. Early animation tests were so promising that Disney decided to make it a theatrical release. But the film failed to satisfy the creators, and Pixar employees did not want to continue on with the picture in its current form. John Lasseter was asked to come in as director, but he was directing A Bug’s Life, and did not come on to the scene his all the commitments for that film were completed.
Eventually, Lasseter took over the film, and asked to push the release date back. Disney refused because of merchandising deals (!) that were already in place. In order to keep the release date, Lasseter and his creative team re-wrote the story in a weekend, and Toy Story 2 was stripped down, rebuilt, and made in just over 9 months (the first film took 2 years). Somehow, this crunch resulted in a sequel that is superior to the original.
It’s possible that the tight timeline and pressure in story development are responsible for how joke and reference heavy Toy Story 2 became. The movie has that comedy-routine feeling of a room full of writers talking about bits and waxing nostalgic and pulling out references to their pasts. If Ratatouille is the least referential of the Pixar pictures, Toy Story 2 is the most. From the 1950s hit-show Woody’s Roundup to Buzz Lightyear’s discovery that the evil Emperor Zurg is actually his father evidences how steeped in pop culture Toy Story 2 really is.
Pixar is not a studio of auteur filmmakers. The company works by committee, bringing everything the table to be worked and re-worked tirelessly. That process might not work for everyone, but Toy Story 2 is evidence of how effective the creative committee can be. The movie works because the writing, the physical comedy, and the VO talent bring it together, and it only happened because everyone worked themselves to exhaustion to make it so.
Best Line: “It’s a dangerous world out there for a toy.”
Saddest Line: “You never forget kids like Emily, or Andy, but they forget you.”
Best reference-busting joke: After learning that the Emperor Zurg is his father, Buzz and Zurg have a catch.
Least Confidence: Disney planned Toy Story 2 as a direct-to-video sequel. Pixar outperformed that expectation.
Pixar’s Time Crunch: feature films at Pixar take years to animate. Toy Story 2 happened in 9 months. Employees worked long, tiresome hours. Many developed carpal tunnel, and a third of the staff was diagnosed with repetitive strain injuries. One employee forgot to drop his kid off at daycare, leaving his baby in the backseat of his car.
Ratzenberger: Ratzenberger’s best Pixar moment
Best Animated Feature: Not yet a thing.
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