Toy Story 2
I don't have kids, so this wasn't a must-see, but I did want to see it. If nothing else, the animation is top-notch, Allen and Hanks are hilarious, and the "outtakes" are enough to bring tears to your eyes. When the theatre was filled with movies I had no interest in, or had already seen, I shelled out matinee bucks for an hour and a half of cutting-edge animation.
The story this time around is that Woody accidentally ends up in a yard sale, and gets snapped up by a collector of rare toys (specifically, Woody's Roundup). It turns out that Woody was a sensation back in the 50's, with a more devoted following than Buzz has today - complete with TV show and all! Woody meets all the other toys that were a part of the collection and learns they are to be sold, as a set, to a museum. Meanwhile, Buzz and the other toys have mounted a rescue operation to scoop Woody up and bring him home. Will they succeed? Will Woody want to return?
I knew from the first movie that I would probably enjoy this one, but I lowered my sights, expecting the traditional "sequel bomb". Fortunately, the movie remained true to the characters, and the script was worthy enough to hold up to the rep of the original. Although my biggest laugh came from the fake "outtakes" ("...and you say you're identical in every way?..."), this was a kick to watch the whole way through. It rips on Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Nintendo junkies, etc., and puts a lot of jokes out there for the adults without touching on subject matter inappropriate for kids (except the outtakes... God, Kelsey Grammar is funny!)
If you've got kids, take the clan out for a night at the movies. If you don't have kids, go and see it anyway (although a matinee wouldn't be too bad an idea).
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