InsidePulse DVD Review – Toy Story 2: 2-Disc Special Edition

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(Credit: Amazon.com)

Directed by:
John Lasseter

Co-Directed by:
Ash Brannon
Lee Unkrich

Starring:
Tom Hanks……….Sheriff Woody
Tim Allen……….Buzz Lightyear/Buzz Lightyear II
Joan Cusack……….Jessie, the Yodeling Cowgirl
Kelsey Grammer……….Stinky Pete the Prospector
Don Rickles……….Mr. Potato Head
Jim Varney……….Slinky Dog
Wallace Shawn……….Rex the Green Dinosaur
John Ratzenberger……….Hamm the Piggy Bank
Annie Potts……….Bo Peep
Wayne Knight……….Al the Toy Collector/The Chicken Man
John Morris……….Andy
Laurie Metcalf……….Andy’s Mom
Estelle Harris……….Mrs. Potato Head

The Movie
For as long as I can remember I never understood peoples reaction to Toy Story 2, for the life of me I just couldn’t understand people declaring the film better than the original Toy Story. The first film not only broke new ground with animation, writer & director John Lasseter quite simply made one of the all-time greatest animated films. It hit every mark, it was smart, simple and was a film people of all ages could enjoy. It captured that childhood imagination perfectly. Something about that movie is so magical and majestic I could never grasp the world wide consensus that its sequel surpassed it.

Initially starting out as a direct to video sequel (something Disney seems to do with all of their films nowadays) the creators over at Pixar and Disney began to see what kind of story they were starting to unravel and gave Toy Story 2 a theatrical run. Things begin shortly after the toys and Andy move in to their new house and while Andy’s away at camp his mother holds a garage sale trying to unload some old unused things. One of those things happened to be Wheezy, an old toy who’s lost his squeaker, one that has become a forgotten toy spending his days hidden behind a book on the top shelf on the wall. Woody races to rescue Wheezy from being sold only to find himself being toynapped by a sly local toy collector who just so happens to be Al from Al’s Toy Barn.

When taken back to the collectors apartment Woody is faced with the fact that he’s a rare collectible. It’s revealed that Woody was a part of an after school childrens program in the 50’s that features other characters such as Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl, Stinky Pete the Prospector, and Bullseye Woody’s trusty stead. He finds out that Al plans to sell him along with the rest of the “Woody’s Roundup” memorabilia to a museum in Japan. As for the rest of the crew, they’re off the rescue Woody and are risking their lives to get to him. Being lead by no other than Buzz Lightyear the toys venture off from the safe harbor of Andy’s room and risk heading in to the outside world to save their friend.

There’s a reason that Pixar is revered in the industry, not because they started it all, simply because they get it, they know how to make a great film instead of making the most marketable one. Lasseter and his crew are fans first and professionals second, if they don’t love the story or the directions the characters are taking they simply don’t move forward. If the story isn’t worth telling then why bother with it. Movies like Robots and Madagascar that have come after Pixar paved the way just don’t grasp that part of movie making. They can create imaginative imagery but when it comes to a story and relatable characters they usually fall flat on their faces. Pretty video footage isn’t why Pixar is at the top of the heap, it’s because they know how to tell a story.

It’s been almost two years since I last watched the movie so sitting here to review it I desperately tried to see the film through new eyes and leave my past asumption at the door. The reason for that is the two films are so unique on their own that comparing them just wouldn’t be right. The first movie took a look at how great it was to be a toy and to have an owner, Toy Story 2 does the exact opposite by showing just what happens after a toys owner grow up and discards them and the effect it has on the toy. The story is still heart warming and the characters are as lovable as ever. It’s been a while since I saw the film and finally it showed me some things I’ve managed to over look all these years to look at the movie from a different direction.

When reviewing DVD’s I usually have the DVD on in the background while I write up my review after viewing it a couple of times. Yet with Toy Story 2 every time I sat down to write I kept finding myself drawn in to the story and eventually had to shut of the DVD player to get this review done in a timely fashion. Any form of review wouldn’t do justice to how this movie makes you feel while watching it. At times you’ll realize you’re smiling and not know why, it just has something about it that is heart warming and joyous. For 85 minutes you’re a kid again.

Score: 10/10

The Video
(Presented in 1:77:1 Anamorphic Widescreen)
For this re-re-release Pixar and Disney went back to give the film a higher bit rate on the DVD disc. They took an already perfect picture presentation and actually improved on perfection. Sure the change will go unnoticed by most, but for those with a sharp eye for detail or use high end equipment will see a huge upgrade in the presentation of the film which I’m sure most thought wasn’t possible. The only way this movie could possibly look better is the eventual release on high definition.

The Audio
(English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, English DTS 5.1, English, French, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0)
With a lot of audio tracks put on a title there’s always the chance that by packing in so many options it could make the overall audio suffer. Thankfully the audio is fine here and things come out crystal clear. The film gives a nice ambient surround effect with all the speakers given something to do at all times.

The Extras

First the good, for those who missed out on the release of this movie when it was put out on DVD before, this is the copy for you to buy. However for those who already own the now out of print Ultimate Toy Box DVD set released five or so years ago there is very little here that will motivate you to upgrade. Basically what Disney has done is release both Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in separate 2-disc releases and split the material of the above mentioned Ultimate Toy Box bonus disc between them. This may be bad news for those who already posses the three disc collection, but for those who refuse to pay outrageous prices on eBay for the collection owning the two new DVD releases are a nice substitute. You’re also getting better picture and audio than the others have so that’s a plus.

Disc one:

Filmmaker Audio Commentary – John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich, Ash Brannon and Andrew Stanton are on the track and there’s never a dull moment when listening to the guys, they keep it light and informative. This is the exact same commentary track that was put on the Toy Story 2 DVD that was released almost 5 years ago so I hope you didn’t have your hopes up for a new recording. Since the track is from start to finish fun and engrossing it makes sense to not try and one up it with a new recording.

Sneak Peeks – Included are a few trailers for upcoming Disney titles, Cars, Chicken Little DVD, Lady and the Tramp DVD, The Little Mermaid DVD, Bambi II DVD, Toy Story DVD and a look at the new Incredibles video game Rise of the Underminer.

Disc Two:

Outtakes (5:27) – Here are some fake bloopers made up by the Pixar crew and the cast. They give some good laughs and are a unique feature the studio has added to just about all their films.

Who’s The Coolest Toy? (3:19) – Tom Hanks and Tim Allen sit down to discuss who they believe the coolest toy is. Other cast members give their two cents as to whom is the central character, and as you might have guessed everyone picks themselves. The piece is short and doesn’t really hold much replay value.

Which Toy Are You? – A quick game that asks you a series of questions and tallies up your answers to reveal which character from the film you most resemble. It’s not something you’ll find yourself using more than once even children will grow tired of this after one sitting.

Ponkickies (:45) – Possibly the oddest thing I have ever seen. Ever. It involves Woody and Buzz dancing talking in Japanese for some TV show overseas about Rock, Paper, Scissors. The short runs for just under a minute, still a really strange addition to the disc.

Riders In The Sky Music Medley (3:11) – This is basically and extended version of the “Woody’s Roundup” theme song performed by Riders in the Sky. Personally I prefer the edited down version you see in the film as this extended cut is a little too blue grass for my taste. Fans of the song will want to give it a listen for sure though.

Autographed Pictures (:45) – A short slide show of the toys in the movie as autographed 8×10 head shots.

Making Toy Story 2 (8:10) – Director John Lasseter sits down to talk about what was taken in to account before moving forward with the sequel. Also in the piece are crew members talking about the new characters in the story and the advancements with computer effects for the film compared to the original. Some Characters and scenes that were cut from the first movie due to different circumstances wound up fitting perfectly in this movie so the creators added them. A retrospect on the impact of Toy Story closes out the short featurette and Lasseter mentions just how high the bar was for number two that he and his crew didn’t want to let down the fans.

Deleted Scenes (4:11) – While nowhere near what was included on the Toy Story 10th Anniversary Edition DVD the two scenes added here are worth a look at. The first involves Rex playing Godzilla and accidentally knocking Woody out the window and in to the yard sale this idea was later scrapped and replaced with Woody rescuing Wheezy from the yard sale instead. The other scene is simply the toys crossing the road to Al Toy Barn only in a different location that was planned and then later scrapped for what was used in the final cut of the film. Not a whole lot and the short intro that can be played before you watch the scenes basically covers everything that happens.

John Lasseter Profile (3:02) – Cast and crew talk about what a vital part of the studio John is and how he’s the driving force behind so many aspects of the films the company makes, going all the way back to “Luxo Jr.” the studios first animated short. If any part of these special features should have been longer it should have been this one because it just seems so light and lifeless. Certainly a longer more coherent piece could have been produced instead of having countless peoples opinions be cut and edited together in the shortest run time possible.

Cast of Characters (3:20) – As if the Lasseter piece wasn’t short, they packed every character from the film into a piece slightly longer and manage to cover each character with a few seconds of coverage. It’s poorly done and feels rushed much like the rest of the disc. They talk about the returning cast then spend most of the time on the three new toys added to the story.

Design – Here are three options with two galleries in each one, there are Characters, Sets and Color. With characters you can either see the evolution of each character through a slide show of sketches showing different phases artists took before coming to the definitive characters. Or you can watch 3D models of all the toys. Both are tiresome after a while and combined will run for around 17 minutes. Sets are much more informative that the last set as the 3D turnarounds have audio commentary adding some interesting details while watching. Galleries show the changes that took place with locations such as Zurgs planet and Al’s Toy Barn. Lastly color is given an intro video giving detail as to what color has to do with the filming process and how it is colored story boards that set the mood of the film and are sort of blueprints for the lighting and shading departments.

Story (7:08) – Something that is certainly a unique feature, this shows a crew member pitching a scene to a group of co workers about the Woody’s Nightmare scene. It would be a lot more interesting if the scene wasnt talked about so much on this set as it is. The scene allows you to switch back and forth with the pitch recording and the story board itself. The second scene is a side-by-side comparison of the Jessie’s Song scene, it’s more interesting listening to the creators describe the scene and how they work with moving towards the finalized version than watching the comparison itself.

Designing Woody’s Past (2:50) – John Lasseter and co-director Ash Brannon show us a small portion of the toys and memorabilia they came up with to create a history for Woody and the television show Woody’s Roundup. Then they talk about how they wanted to come up with things that people would instantly believe.

Making Woody’s Roundup (2:00) – In one of the sets most interesting featurettes the films effects artist Leo Hourwitz sits down to discuss how the crew created the old 50’s style string puppet clip that is seen in the movie as footage from the Woody’s Round up show. Shown is how the effects were created and what the footage looked like before the crew went in to take away color and add age and grain to the clip.

Production Tour (2:31) – Here we have multiple creators break down how a scene is made from start to finish. First thing is of coarse the story and once that is locked and the creators sign off on it the next step is story boards which map out how the movie is going to look in a rough form and allows the crew to see how the movie is going to appear. The next step is a layout of the film in the computers where the crew will go in to digital sets and set up shots using basic character structures to give them a rough cut of the film. Once that is all finished and the movie is set up in a near complete stage they go in once again and start to animate and give the characters more defined features such as facial animation. And the very last stage before the film is complete lies with the lighting and shading department.

Production Progression (3:29) – This is pretty neat, here you’ll get to see what is talked about above in real time, with the help of the angle button on your remote you can go back and forth between the 4 stages on animation. The scene included is the opening shot of the movie involving Buzz flying around Zurg’s planet.

Early Animation Tests (3:04) – Supervising animator Glenn McQueen plays through some animations that were created in pre-production. Some footage included and talked about include the string puppet Woody and some test footage of Bullseye (some scrapped test footage of bullseye talking is put in). Also shown are some test shots with new characters like Al, Zurg and Jessie.

Special Effects (1:38) – Here is basically another featurette covering a scenes creation from start to finish, talked about in this one is the explosion scene on Zurg’s planet. Nothing is talked about in here that hasn’t been shown elsewhere on the disc.

International Scene (1:47) – One scene in the movie shows Buzz giving a motivational speech to the toys with the national anthem playing and the American flag waving behind him. The Pixar crew realized however that since the movie plays internationally it wouldn’t be as effective overseas as it would in an American theater. So what they did was replace the national anthem with a new song written by Randy Newman titled “The One World Anthem” with a spinning globe instead of a waving American flag. Included here is that alternate take of the scene that was shown overseas.

Making the Songs (3:25) – Once again John Lasseter is heading this piece and it showcases the three songs from the movie. Those three songs are “Jessie’s Song”, “Woody’s Roundup” and a new recording of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” performed by Robert Goulet.

“Woody’s Roundup” Music Video (2:17) – Here is an alternate music video which incorporates parts of the Riders in the Sky music video with scenes taken out of the movie that involve the toys.

“Jessie’s Song” Randy Newman Demo (2:48) – A truly beautiful song, this is the demo recorded before they went back to have it re-recorded with Sarah McLachlan. Hard to listen and not get even a little misty eyed.

Designing Sound (5:38) – Here we get a look at the sound effects of the film. Mainly what is done here is show the scene of the toys crossing the road but in three different takes, one with on the music score, another with only sound effects and one that includes the final mix with everything put together.

Mixing Demo – An interactive piece that lets you fiddle around with the sound in a scene, basically you can listen to certain parts of a scene like dialog, music or effects in any type of order you want. Like for instance you can hear only dialog or only music and effects, any concoction you want. It’s a nice feature but you’ll get bored with it eventually.

Character Interviews (2:05) – A bizarre studio made interview segment has a random host ask Woody and Buzz about Toy Story 2 and how the fans will react to it.

Wrapping up the second disc are two of the films theatrical trailers, four TV spots and a gallery of posters.

Score: 7.5/10

Currently residing in Washington D.C., John Charles Thomas has been writing in the digital space since 2005. While he'd like to boast about the culture and scenery, he tends to be more of a procrastinating creative type with an ambitious recluse side. @NerdLmtd