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| [voices
of:] Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Wallace Shawn,
Don Rickles |
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Anamorphic
widescreen |
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Dolby Digital
5.1 |
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DTS |
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Trailer(s) |
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Featurette(s) |
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Documentary |
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Audio commentary
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Deleted scenes
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Concept art
/ storyboards |
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Multi-angle
feature |
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Barbie:
And this is the Buzz Lightyear aisle. Back in 1995, short-sighted retailers
did not order enough dolls to meet demand.
Woody
is stolen by a toy collector and it's up to the other toys from Andy's
room to save him.
 Coming
after DreamWorks' AntZ and Pixar's own A Bug's Life, both
of which were somewhat disappointing though they each had their own
strengths, this sequel manages to rise to the occasion and more than
succeeds in delivering a fine sequel to the digitally animated feature
that set the standard for them all. It contains the best elements from
the first movie, but manages to improve on it by taking the characters
in some new directions and giving them even better dialogues and funnier
lines than the first movie.
Technically, the movie has a look that is quite consistent with that
of the first movie, but it includes more elaborate sequences featuring
some spectacular effects work and also improves the look of the humans:
one look at Al's hairy chin and the amount of detail that has gone into
his stubble clearly reveals how much farther computer animation has
come in those few years. None of the elements in this sequel look odd
or unconvincing - like for instance the dog's eyes in the original -,
and all of it is in solid support of an excellent screenplay. Like its
predecessor, proceedings do get rather overly noisy and hysterical at
times, but it is amazing to see such an assured follow-up that pulls
off the impossible and delivers something even better than the original. |
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Toy
Story 2
is available in Region 2 as
a single-disc release and also as part of a 2-disc set together
with the original Toy Story. Identical releases are available
in Region 1, where it is also available as part of a feature-packed
3-disc set called 'The Ultimate Toy Box'. This review refers
to the version available as part of the 2-disc set and as a separate
release.
The
anamorphic widescreen image is framed at 1.85:1. Like
Toy Story, it was taken straight from the digital master, and
together they represent two of the cleanest and best transfers ever
to make it onto DVD. There isn't the slightest hint of visual noise
or artifacting and the picture looks breathtakingly clear throughout.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix provides a broad and dynamic soundstage for
the excellent and highly active sound design. The movie takes full advantage
of the surround sound field with uncanny directional effects adding
strongly to the illusion of realism.
As
this isn't a Special Edition release of the movie, there are still some
nice extras available here.
'Luxo Jr.' is the ground-breaking first short from Pixar featuring the
little hopping desk lamp, and it's a modest masterpiece of characterization
and understatement.
Pixar's previous feature A Bug's Life introduced the great tradition
of presenting a collection 'outtakes' in the end credits, and they are
also available full-screen in the Extra Features on this disc. They
are hilarious and as perfectly rendered as the rest of the movie.
The other extras are three short segments on the movie, featuring some
interview footage from the crew and the voice talents. They are light-weight
and quite short, but still enjoyable for people with a casual interest
in the film. Real fans will surely opt for the features-heavy 'Ultimate
Toy Box' (only available for Region 1), but for many others - especially
those with an interest in getting different language versions of the
film - this release constitutes a more than acceptable (and affordable)
alternative. The
menu screens are completely static without any sound or animation. This
is a missed opportunity for a movie like this that would have benefitted
from some nice little animations.
Dan
Hassler-Forest
Reviewed: 2001
Click
here for IMDB info on Toy
Story 2.
Click here
to return to the front page.
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