Deep Dive - Toy Story 2

Ship It Studios
Jun 19, 2019
3 min read

Scoring

We polled our entire team and ranked every Toy Story film across six categories. We weighted each category based on their overall value to the success of the movie.

Plot - 25%
Character Development - 20%
Villain - 20%
Humor - 12.5%
Intangibles - 12.5%
Supporting Cast - 10%

Overview

Film: Toy Story 2

Release Date: November 24, 1999

Reception

IMDB: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomato - TOMATOMETER: 100%
Rotten Tomato - Audience: 86%

Box Office

Opening Weekend: $57,388,839
Gross US: $245,852,179
Gross Worldwide: $485,015,179

Trailer:

Plot

Synopsis: When Woody is stolen by a toy collector, Buzz and his friends set out on a rescue mission to save Woody before he becomes a museum toy property with his roundup gang Jessie, Prospector, and Bullseye.

Analysis: It's a good thing they made this movie when they did, being set in a toy store since there are hardly any toy stores left. It would have been much less fun if this took place in an Amazon warehouse. Maybe if Al succeeded in selling Woody's Roundup Gang to that museum, stores like Al's Toy Barn wouldn't be going out of business. Real selfish move by Woody.

Grade: 9.5/10

Character Development

Analysis: Woody's ego has taken plenty of hits since the first Toy Story. He went from Andy's favorite toy to ripped and missing out on his special alone time with Andy at Cowboy Camp and worrying about being thrown away. You almost can't blame him for considering the museum offer of immortality. We all experience what Woody went through at some point. You suffer your first major injury and it makes you realize your mortality. It's a tough thing to come to grips with, but an important lesson.

Grade: 8.7/10

Villain

Name: Stinky Pete

Bio: The Prospector from Woody's Roundup and the toy that was never sold because no kid wants a doll of an old man named Stinky Pete.

Evil Plan: Sabotage Woody's escape back to Andy so the Roundup Gang could complete their trip to a toy museum in Japan and be preserved forever.

Analysis: Stinky Pete isn't exactly the most menacing villain, but you can at least understand his motivations and why he is so bitter, especially towards Buzz. We can hope that he learned to enjoy his time with Amy the artist. At least he's finally getting some attention.

Grade: 8.4/10

Supporting Cast

Tommy John

The Real Buzz Shady

Calamity Jane

Eye of the Bull

Pack Rat

Mood Swings

Two Person Horse Costume

Jurassic Toy Store

Noobmaster69

Bo Knows

Ovalheads

We've Got Stinky Pete Here! See? Nobody Cares

Buzzarro

Darth Zurg

Lil Wayne

Analysis: Let's see, they added a female counterpart to Woody, a female counterpart to Mr. Potato Head, and a clone of Buzz to the cast. Real creative. Buzz even lobbied the director to give his father a role in the film. Would it kill them to give some other toys a chance?

Grade: 9.5/10

Humor

Analysis: The funniest part of Toy Story 2 was the blooper reel during the credits. That alone lets you know this one came up a little short in the comedy department compared to the other Toy Story movies. The story centered around Jessie and Woody gave the bulk of the film a more serious tone, which isn't a bad thing, but that left most of the funny parts in the remaining characters' quest to find Woody.

Grade: 8.8/10

Intangibles

Analysis: Jessie's song cuts deep. Makes perfect sense that it's by Sarah McLachlan. The thought of Jessie and Bullseye being locked away in storage indefinitely is almost as sad as seeing those abused animals on McLachlan's commercials. What this film may lack in humor it makes up for in emotion.

Grade: 9.8/10

Best Moments

Barbie Girl

Final Score

Analysis: Being the worst Toy Story movie is like being the ugliest Hemsworth brother. Still better than almost anything you'll find outside of its family. Toy Story 2 was just Pixar's third film, so maybe they wanted to make sure they had another hit early on, but they had a fantastic run of original movies after this until their next sequel.

Grade: 9.1/10