There’s some real genius moments in these bits with a few references for the parents and a real lesson on why not to cross the road hiding under traffic cones but they make it to Al’s Toy Barn where they think Woody is being kept and things get funnier by the minute. The toys know they must save Woody and begin their investigations before tracking him down. Woody saves one of the toys that are taken to the yard sale but gets stranded on his return and ultimately stolen when a prospective buyers offers are rejected.
The second film begins with a yard sale as Andy’s mom is clearing out his old toys and other junk but the highlight of the start is the dog that is a present at the end of the first one, the answer to “Now Buzz, what could Andy possibly get that is worse than you?” who is now a much older dog. This is especially true of action/thrillers but the playful nature of Toy Story helps avoid this in my opinion, expanding on the initially established world of the Toys and providing a backstory for Woody in this one in particular. I do find that a lot of franchises get tired and boring at least in my opinion, it’s the same thing as the first one but with little character development. It was a film that, in the ever growing industry of franchises, definitely deserved a sequel and thankfully it was as good as the first.
Initially planned to just be a straight to VHS release the film did also get limited cinematic release as well. Continuing the build-up of Toy Story 4 it’s a review of the second film in the franchise, Toy Story 2.