Should he have a brief but satisfying life as the beloved friend of a child who will eventually grow up and leave him bereft? Or should he remain perfectly preserved and perpetually honored as a museum exhibit? It's a hard choice, but one that gets at the very heart of what growing up really means. In these days when 8-year-olds can talk knowledgeably about the extra value that a "mint" tag adds to a Beanie Baby auction on Ebay, it's enormously valuable to think about the issue that Woody faces in Toy Story 2. It's very, very funny, with sly references to classic films, and it's also insightful and touching, with a sort of Velveteen Rabbit theme about the important role that a well-loved toy plays in the life of a child. The animation is better - the main characters' facial expressions should have qualified the animators for a Best Actor Oscar, and the backgrounds are more authentically lived in. This film is stunning, witty, exciting, enchanting, and very moving, and amazingly, it's just as good as the sensationally entertaining original.
Some had been built quickly for non-emotive roles in Toy Story.
And minor characters posed unexpected challenges. The most important new characters, Jessie, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete, had to be compelling enough to lure Woody away from Andy.
This comedy-adventure picks up as Andy heads off to Cowboy Camp leaving his toys to their own devices. Toy Story 2 reunited an already beloved cast, and new rendering tools literally gave them more texture.