Toy Story 2

Commentary & Trivia

Critical response to Toy Story 2 was overwhelmingly positive. The Rotten Tomatoes entry http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/toy_story_2/ lists 108 reviews for the film, all of them positive. Many even claim the film is superior to the original, a rare feat for a sequel.

Related Topics:
Rotten Tomatoes - Sequel

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hanks' salary for portraying Woody in the original Toy Story was USD$50,000. His fee for Toy Story 2 was $5,000,000.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Before the toys are due to cross the road to Al's Toy Barn, Slinky Dog says "I may not be a smart dog, but I know what roadkill is". This may be a reference to a phrase in another Tom Hanks film, Forrest Gump, "I may not be a smart man, Jenny, but I know what love is".

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A Life magazine in Al's apartment features Woody riding Bullseye on its cover. It is dated January 12, 1957 (which is John Lasseter's birth date). Its price is 25 cents and the headlines on the cover read:

Related Topics:
Life - January 12 - 1957

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• "Children television. Saturday's favorite cowboy 'Woody'"
• "Sputnik - First photos revealed" (note that the surprise Sputnik 1 launch occurred on October 4, 1957)
• "Doctors say 'Americans don't eat enough fat'"

The dust in the scene where Woody meets Wheezy set a record for number of particles animated for a movie by computer.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the opening sequence, when Buzz is on an alien planet, and ultimately battles the evil Emperor Zurg, many of the sound effects are directly from the original Star Wars trilogy, including lightsaber sound effects, the torture droid's hum, and the scraping metal noise the AT-ATs make as they lumber across the plains of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back.

Related Topics:
Star Wars - Lightsaber - AT-AT - Hoth - The Empire Strikes Back

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The scene where Zurg identifies himself as Buzz's father is, of course, a reference to The Empire Strikes Back. John Ratzenberger, who plays Hamm, had a small part in The Empire Strikes Back, as Major Derlin.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The floating platforms Buzz Lightyear hops on play "Thus Spake Zarasthustra", the theme to the 1968 film '.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Buzz says goodbye to the second Buzz he gives him the Vulcan salute, a Star Trek reference.

Related Topics:
Vulcan - Star Trek

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

While filming a documentary on the making of Toy Story 2, presenter Andi Peters was invited by John Lasseter to record a line for the film. However, since Peters did not own a US Work Permit, the cameo very nearly didn't happen. However, the dilemma was solved as Peters recorded his line in the UK supervised by Lasseter via satellite, and his line made it into the film (he's the Baggage Handler who shouts "Hold it! There's a couple more bags coming from the terminal!").

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During the beginning of the film, it is revealed that the Buzz Lightyear introduction is part of a video-game that Rex is playing. The controller Rex is playing the game with looks similar to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) controller. Minutes later, the console is revealed on the top of Andy's TV, which is almost unmistakable for an SNES.

Related Topics:
Super Nintendo Entertainment System - SNES

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~