JOHN LASSETER, ASH BRANNON, LEE UNKRICH
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBBBB. USA, 1999. Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures. Story by John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Ash Brannon, Andrew Stanton, Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin, Chris Webb. Cinematography by Sharon Calahan. Produced by Karen Robert Jackson, Helene Plotkin. Music by Randy Newman. Production Design by William Cone, Jim Pearson. Film Editing by Edie Ichioka, David Ian Salter, Lee Unkrich. Academy Awards 1999. Golden Globe Awards 1999.
Excellent sequel that fully matches the quality of its predecessor. Buzz Lightyear and Woody are back at it again, protecting the world of toys from those who would do them harm. This time the trouble starts when Woody is toynapped by a rare collector who plans on turning him into a priceless museum piece. Buzz and his friends are right behind him and ready to save the day, but Woody finds immortality tempting: after all, the toy collector DID give him some great touch-ups and some new paint, as well as the opportunity to appear before children in a Tokyo museum forever. Isn’t that better than waiting for his owner to grow up and throw him away? The voice work by Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, and new cast addition Joan Cusack in the leads is once again top-notch, the computer animation stunning and the writing fantastically funny without resorting to cheap antics. Fans of Pixar Studios’ work will notice that the toy refurbisher in this film was also the star of Pixar’s Academy Award-winning short Geri’s Game (which can be found on the A Bug’s Life DVD).
