Average Rating: 
Rating: - A non-technical review of a great movie package
EXCELLENT! If you are a fan of the movies, or enjoy fantastic story-telling and need a break from Hollywood's penchant for special effects without scrips, get your copy of this movie package. The stories are suitable for all ages, not just the kids. Adults will enjoy revisiting not only the toys they played with as children, but a joy that we all knew as children - making inanimate toys come to life. This time, though, it's not imagination providing the action, it's the wizards at Pixar. In addition to wonderful characters, characterizations, and great stories, the movies feature some of the best music Randy Newman has ever done. If you don't get even a little bit misty during "When She Loved Me," in Toy Story 2, it's time to seriously reacquaint yourself with the child within. Finally, because it's DVD, you're copy will be jam-packed with all sorts of additional information, dialogue, and making-of features. Watch the movies, and then play the "outtakes." They are a hoot! Good job to all concerned in the making of this DVD boxed set.
Rating: - Better than the Original!
In this sequel to Toy Story, Woody (Tom Hanks) begins to fear that his usefulness as a toy is coming to end. When Woody is stolen, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) organizes a rescue. While our erstwhile heroes are seeking Woody out, Woody finds out the truth about himself; it seems that in the '50s he was the star of a hit show - Woody's Round-up. Given a choice between returning to his owner (and facing the end of his usefulness), or staying with the Round-up gang and living forever in a toy museum, Woody is torn. Simultaneously, the rescue team is facing peril after peril, culminating in the ultimate confrontation - Buzz Lightyear versus the evil Emperor Zurg! This movie is outstanding, and even better than the original! The darkness that shaded the original (Sid) is missing in this one, and the minor sadness is quickly replaced with adventure and hilarity. The New Villan, is toy Collector Al (Wayne Knight) who does an amazing "bad-boy job" But as an added bonus, the VHS includes the original Pixar cartoon Luxo Jr. and a set of outtakes (both originally seen in the theatre version), plus a video of the Riders in the Sky singing the Woody's Round-up Medley. Toy Story 2 concerns itself with what happens when Woody is abducted by an evil, money-grubbing toy collector(Wayne Knight). Without making it into a lecture, the movie points out the ugly greed of toy collecting for profit, not fun. The movie gently asserts that toys are for us to play with and to enjoy, not to be stuffed on to a shelf to gather dust. It'll break your heart when you see Wheezy included among the yard sale items; you'll want to rescue him yourself. "Toy Story 2" also includes some special touches that carry over from the original. The Pizza Planet delivery truck makes an appearance in "2", and the results are hilarious when the toys attempt to drive. At one point, the toys must cross the street to get to Al's Toy Barn, and they do this by hiding under orange road cones, with hilarious/disastrous results -- it reminds you of how Woody and Buzz sneaked into Pizza Planet in "Toy Story". It's little touches like these that really illustrate how much they tried to make "2" feel like the original. These are great Disney productions that does not have your run-of-the-mill Disney story line. These aren't musically inclined like most Disney movies, except for a couple of songs in "Toy Story 2". And these movies aren't Disney remakes of a fairy tale or a historical event. The movie is vibrant, funny, and heartwarming as the first one, the soundtrack is entertaining, and the action is spellbinding. But I would also like to recommend "A Bug's Life", and "Antz" which has the same brilliance in animation and story telling as the "Toy Story" movies. Thanks, Jordan
Rating: - Outstanding animation
This is perhaps Disney's best film yet, even managing to top the original, which is certainly a rare feat. Basically it's a children's film for adults, who'll love the many movie references ('Jurassic Park' and 'The Empire Strikes Back' to name but two) and the jokes that go over the kids' heads. Thankfully though, the film also delivers to the kids though too, with plenty of visual jokes as well.There's not one annoying character, each one drawn sympathetically and realistically to help the audience completely forget that they're only watching an animated film. The new characters are great too - especially Jessie (Joan Allen), Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer) and Mrs Potato Head. More importantly though, 'Toy Story 2' grips its audience with some stunning action pieces (with the camera moving as if Woody and co. were real) and real poignancy. I can think of countless children's films that have been spoiled by an overly schmaltzy ending, but this is genuinely heart-warming, with the story of children outgrowing their toys being startlingly close to children outgrowing their parents. Wisely picking Sarah McLachlan to sing the theme 'When She Loved Me', with her achingly sad vocals, works well. Quite frankly, this is a movie that crosses all boundaries as well as all expectations. One to be watched.
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