Having seen and enjoyed the original Toy Story, this came as one of the best sequels ever to grace the screen. We get a back story for our favorite cowboy figure and some new characters to boot. Plus some clever spoofs and references from other sources. And much of the original cast returns to make the movie worthwhile. This is the sequel to see from Pixar, though there aren't very many Pixar sequels out there. But please see it and enjoy it. It's really a fun movie.

I've never been a huge fan of this franchise in general, but of the three movies, this one was the best. It had a pretty good plot and premise, for a sequel, and it did a great job of bringing in new characters and whatnot. I like it. Don't love it, but it's good.

It occurred to me while watching that for those viewers who were between the ages of eight and twelve years old when the picture came out, that this film will resonate strongly in the nostalgia department once they achieve adulthood, just like my kid shows of the Fifties bring back so many warm memories of that time. Stuff like "The Roy Rogers Show", "Andy's Gang" and "Crusader Rabbit". Say, there was an Andy who became a TV friend even back then; that would have been Andy Devine, who also doubled as Roy Rogers' sidekick in a handful of B Westerns. This was a nice follow up to the original "Toy Story", and reinforced the idea of having a friend by being a friend. Cowboy Woody learned that there was a lot more to his legacy as a famous toy than he ever realized, but eventually figured out that there's even more value in being with friends and family than there ever would be as a top shelf collectible. I liked the new toys that showed up in this story, like Cowgirl Jessie and Penguin Wheezy, and it's too bad Stinky Pete turned out to be a villain, he reminded me a little of Warner Brothers' Yosemite Sam.In general, I'm not a big animated movie fan but there was something about this one that struck me in just the right way. I guess part of it is the nostalgia factor I mentioned earlier, along with the delightful color rendition and clever sight gags throughout the movie. When I get involved with these stories, I lose all sight of who's doing the voice animation and never even think about it. This one even threw in some 'bloopers' if you will to go with the after movie credits, another quirky idea that someone came up with that works to make the ending even more enjoyable.

After the first Toy Story film (released in 1995) wowed audiences, the public clamored (despite the Pixar policy of not making animated films into sequel franchises) for an encore. Thus, in 1999, Toy Story 2 was released and, remarkably, surpassed even the highest of expectations, besting the original (no small feat).For a basic plot summary, this film sees Sheriff Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) get "kidnapped" by a money-hungry toy collector, who needs the Woody doll to complete the now-infamous set from the classic "Woody's Roundup" TV show (the origins of the Woody doll). With Andy away at cowboy camp, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the rest of the toybox gang plot and execute a rescue mission. Little do they know, though, that Woody, upon meeting the rest of his gang-- Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammar), horse Bullseye, and Jessie the Cowgirl (Joan Cusack)--forms a bond that may lead him to spend the rest of his shelf-life inside a museum.What really makes this film work is that the writers/producers made the brilliant decision to include Woody's backstory into the movie, as it would have been very easy to focus (once again) on Buzz and have the cowboy play second-fiddle. Instead, the story actually hones in on Woody and the big decisions he must make. Of course, the entire film is also filled with hilarious sight gags, situations, and jokes that both children and adults will enjoy with equal enthusiasm. In terms of both humor and storytelling, this effort eclipses the original by quite a wide margin.Plus, the addition of the Bullseye and Jessie characters are welcome (and vital) new additions to the show, as their presence leads to some pretty tense emotional drama. In a music-video montage involving the girl Jessie doll, you may find yourself holding back (or letting go) tears. The best part of it is, you won't even feel as if you are watching nothing but a bunch of carefully constructed pixels...you will come to view them as characters as real as you or I.Thus, in a remarkable feat, Pixar was able to improve on the ground-breaking original Toy Story and take things up even another notch. As Toy Story 3 currently begins playing in theatres across the country, it will be interesting to see if the ante will be upped once again. As usual, it will be a difficult task.