Continuing my countdown of every Pixar movie…
#8. Toy Story 2 (1999)
(down three spots from previous ranking)
I remember when Toy Story 2 was announced and everybody’s first response was to question why this inventive new animation studio was going to the sequel well so soon.
Pixar quieted those concerns quickly, delivering its first masterpiece. The movie doubled down on the ingenious plotting and wry humor of the first film, and pushed the characters into new emotional territory.
In the heartbreaking ‘When She Loved Me Sequence,’ the studio proved it could make grown-ups cry, something it would consistently do in its best films from this point on.
Right here every day
Woody’s roundup
Come on, it’s time to play
There’s Jessie, the yodelin’ cowgirl
(Yo-de-la, you-de-la, yo-de-la)
Bullseye, he’s Woody’s horse
(He’s a smart one)
Pete the old prospector
And Woody the man himself
Of course
It’s time for Woody’s roundup
He’s the very best
He’s the rootinest tootinest cowboy
In the wild wild west
Woody’s roundup
Come on, gather ’round
Woody’s roundup
Where nobody wears a frown
Bad guys go runnin’
Whenever he’s in town
He’s the rootinest, tootinest
Shootinest, hootinest cowboy around
Woody’s roundup
Meet Me In Montauk 
Well, I would argue that the original Toy Story was Pixar’s first masterpiece, but, certainly, TS 2 stands in rarified air as a sequel either equal to or better than the first. It’s the animated equivalent to Godfather 2.
Which one did you write the review on that made me cry?
Ha.. that would be Toy Story 3. 🙂
Love this film, though I agree that Pixar had already created a masterpiece in the original Toy Story.
As you know, I have Toy Story 2 higher than the original Toy Story on my own list (though both significantly higher), so I do agree with you here! They hit it out of the ballpark with this one. Jessie brought something so special to an already fantastic group of characters. The heart is strong in this one.
The sequence where Woody is restored, and “Andy” painted over on the bottom of his boot, may be one of the most breathtaking animated sequences in all of Pixar.
And let’s not forget the addition of Bullseye and the Prospector!
This seems like a fair placement. The sequences you mention I agree are top tier. I love the introduction of new characters and the further development of some of our favorite characters. That being said I need to rewatch the film in order to have an opinion beyond that!
You’ve got an awful lot of “top tier” comments today. What is left for the middle and bottom tiers, I wonder.