By ALLISON POND
allison@newsroom.byu.edu
Being torn, shelved, outgrown and forgotten, or worst of all, sold in a garage sale: a toy's greatest fears.
A funny, action-packed computer animated adventure, 'Toy Story 2' is an unpredictable sequel that easily measures up to the first 'Toy Story.'
The action begins when Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) is stolen by Al McWhiggin (Wayne Knight), a rare toy collector, while attempting to rescue fellow toy Wheezy the penguin (Joe Ranft) from a yard sale.
Buzz Lightyear, space ranger (Tim Allen) heads up a rescue party made up of Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), Slinky Dog (Jim Varney), Hamm the pig (John Ratzenberger) and Rex the dinosaur (Wallace Shawn).
They tumble through several adventures, including a dangerous trek across a busy road and run-ins with another Buzz Lightyear and Emperor Zurg, Buzz's arch-enemy and terrorizer of the universe.
Meanwhile, Woody meets other wild western toys Jessie (Joan Cusack) and Prospector Pete (Kelsey Grammer) in Al's collection and learns he was the star of 'Woody's Round-up,' a favorite children's show decades earlier.
When Buzz and company finally reach him, they find that Woody has decided to go to Japan as part of a rare museum display instead of escaping home to the toy room, where he believes he will inevitably be outgrown and discarded. In an ironic turning of tables from the first movie, Buzz searches for a way to remind Woody what it means to be a toy and to be loved by a kid, if it isn't too late.
Advances in computer animation since the first 'Toy Story' four years ago give a more realistic and detailed touch to this sequel. While the original characters have only been touched up a little, the faces of new human characters have lost that matted digital look in favor of wrinkles or a five o'clock shadow.
This new technology also makes it possible to create textures like the furry family dog's coat and Cheeto dust on Al's fat fingers.
Creative uses of lighting and shadow add yet another dimension, as in several scenes where the TV is on and others in the toy store after hours.
Next to the animation, the film's biggest selling point is the vocal talent behind the toys. Tom Hanks, Allen, Varney, Ratzenburger and the rest of the original cast are joined by other award-winning actors including Cusack, Grammer and Wayne Knight.
This high-profile cast lends more than just voices to the characters; their trademark personalities also come through. The toys are even animated to resemble them.
It's like watching Frasier, Clint the mailman, and Vizzini from 'The Princess Bride' interact with Ernest and 'Tool Time's' Tim Taylor -- only everyone looks like a pig or an astronaut or a potato.
The actors' humor has kids and adults giggling throughout the movie at 'Star Wars' jokes, Mrs. Potato Head packing her husband's angry eyes in case of battle and Hamm getting excited when the gang stumbles onto a Barbie pool party.
The soundtrack is also good, with the exception of a cheesy Sarah McLachlan song. The animation during the song is excellent, but the song itself left me with that funny feeling you get sometimes after a trite, overdone, manipulative pulling of heartstrings.
This successful sequel leaves the door wide open for a third 'Toy Story' -- or, as Buzz Lightyear would say, 'to infinity and beyond.'
'Toy Story 2' opens nationwide Wednesday for the holiday weekend.