scapp70's Full Review: Toy Story/Toy Story 2 (3-Disc Ultimate Toy Box Col...
Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie''s plot.
I have always loved these two movies. I have watched them over and over again. I then put them away tucked into my collection neatly. My son was born. When he reached about 1½ years old, between the episodes of The Wiggles that was on for two hours each morning (4 hours at my house because we have the western feed also), on Playhouse Disney which is what the mornings are called now on The Disney Channel, he watched Toy Story and Toy Story 2.
For the sake of these movies he has learned to speak a couple of words like, "again, again" or "toy, toy" or even "two, two". He knows what he likes.
In any case he had given my wife and me newfound appreciation for these two movies. It was fun to rediscover a movie we watched so much to be somewhat new, as we watched through our son's eyes.
Toy Story is the first, obviously, and the story line is typical for this type of movie. It is the story of a boy's (Andy) toy collection secretly being alive when no one is looking. The initial problem is birthday parties and Christmas and the like when new and better toys could come in and take over Andy's room and their Andy's heart.
That is the problem here when Woody, the cowboy feels threatened by the new toy Buzz, the intergalactic space ranger is Andy's new birthday present. All of the toys are happy and accepting of what they are, just toys. But the new toy, Buzz Lightyear, doesn't think he is a toy, but the genuine article. This dilemma ends up with comical circumstances and results, and soon Buzz and Woody have gotten themselves lost far from home, and have to find their way back to Andy's room.
The idea almost sounds plausible if this situation could exist. Toy Story was written beautifully and the computer animation was up until that time unmatched, yet it still stands up very well.
Toy Story 2 takes off from where the original left off sort of. The original left off at Christmas, this one starts off in the summer again. This sequel contrasts the first one in a few ways. Where Toy Story starts the first thing you see are white clouds against a light blue sky, the second one starts with white stars against the black space scene.
Buzz Lightyear ends up getting killed by his enemy evil emperor Zerg in the first five minutes of the movie. We find out that it is not the real Buzz, but the toy dinosaur Rex is playing the Buzz Lightyear videogame. Rex is obsessed with the video game throughout the movie, and this leads to many funny one-liners in the movie.
In TS2, it turns out that Woody is a rare collectable doll from the 50's, and a toy collector (Wayne Knight), stumbles upon him in a garage sale. Woody is there by mistake, and Andy's mom, tells the collector that Woody is not for sale. Through a couple of sneaky moves, the toy collector is able to distract Andy's mom, and steals Woody. So the rest of the movie is basically Andy's other toys coming to Woody's rescue to bring him back home to Andy's room, all the whilst Andy is away at cowboy camp.
Toy Story 2 forces the viewer to stretch the imagination a little bit more than the original, but it is a classic just the same.
Tom Hanks plays Woody, and Tim Allen gives the voice for Buzz Lightyear. They give the characters life and humor in a way that only these two can. Also in the cast are:
Don Rickles, the late Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts...etc...
One of the greatest things about these two movies, if not the greatest thing, is the songs. Randy Newman wrote and performed the memorable songs for this movie. The beautiful lyrics and music provided by Newman go where few movies with musical numbers can go. Newman's songs give the movie the story where common dialogue between characters cannot capture the heart and feeling and soul of the movie. Great songs like You've Got A Friend In Me, Strange Things, I Will Go Sailing No More, and my favorite When Somebody Love Me, they make the movie come alive even more than the computer graphics.
I know that these are my son's favorite songs. I remember when I used hear him trying to sing the words, and he was already humming them in tune.
When Somebody Loved Me sung by Sarah McLaughlin is my favorite song out of the two movies. It sounds like the most heartfelt heartbreak in music's history. She sings Randy Newman's words perfectly and so full of emotion.
Disc three is about how it was made and stuff like that, and my son can really care less about it, frankly neither do I. But I watched it (once), and it did prove interesting. It features some cool things, like songs not used in the film, and the demos that Randy Newman produced to present for the movie. The disc contains mostly interviews with Pixar people that were a little boring, and very long.
This box set comes in a really cool package, and has lasted all these years (6 or 7) so far, still in mint condition. Just as long as it was out of reach of the 18 month old, as it should be. Since then, I have copied the DVDs and they stay in his room. But now, his morning time is used up by preschool and the Doodlebops. I miss Toy Story.
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