Toy Story 2

Toy Story 2 is a 1999 American computer-animated comedy film directed by John Lasseter and produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the sequel to 1995's Toy Story and the second film in the Toy Story franchise. In the film, Woody is stolen by a toy collector, prompting Buzz Lightyear and his friends to vow to rescue him, but Woody is then tempted by the idea of immortality in a museum. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Jim Varney, Annie Potts, R. Lee Ermey, John Morris, and Laurie Metcalf all reprise their character roles from the original film. They are joined by Joan Cusack, Jodi Benson, Kelsey Grammer, Estelle Harris, and Wayne Knight, who voice some of the new characters introduced.

Disney initially envisioned Toy Story 2 as a direct-to-video sequel. The film began production in a building separated from Pixar, on a small scale, as most of the main Pixar staff were busy working on A Bug's Life (1998). When story reels proved promising, Disney upgraded the film to a theatrical release, but Pixar was unhappy with the film's quality. Lasseter and the story team redeveloped the entire plot in one weekend. Although most Pixar features take years to develop, the established release date could not be moved and the production schedule for Toy Story 2 was compressed into nine months.[5][6]

Despite production struggles, Toy Story 2 opened on November 24, 1999 to wildly successful box office numbers, eventually grossing over $497 million. It received critical acclaim, with a rare 100% rating on the website Rotten Tomatoes, like its predecessor. It is considered by critics to be one of few sequel films superior to the original and is frequently featured on lists of the greatest animated films ever made. The film has seen multiple home media releases and a theatrical 3-D re-release in 2009, 10 years after its initial release. Toy Story 3' was released in 2010, also a critical and commercial success. Toy Story 4 was released on June 21, 2019, directed by Josh Cooley.