Toy Story 2—The Search for Woody (Part 1)

"Somewhere in that pad of stuffing is a toy who taught me that life’s only worth living if you’re being loved by a kid. And I traveled all this way to rescue that toy because I believed him."

It’s beginning to be a trend the way I approach the next Pixar film with trepidation. I wasn’t sure at first what I could say about A Bug’s Life but it quickly grew on me. As I began watching Toy Story 2, I had similar reluctance. This time, rather than wondering “What could I find of value to talk about with A Bug’s Life,” I’ve asked myself “What could I say about Toy Story 2 that hasn’t been said?” The good news is that as I watched the movie I began to find quite a bit there that no one else seems to have addressed.

My feelings about Toy Story 2 have evolved since I first watched it. I quickly got caught up in it, and still enjoy it to this day. But it bore me after a while. Sequels have a way of overshadowing the earlier movie, as if newer is always better. Therefore, Toy Story 2 got overplayed with my friends. The more I tired of the movie, the more I looked for excuses to like the movie less, and I found a few. Eventually I came to like it okay again. Toy Story 3 helped a little. That one went out of its way to connect all the stories into one. Both sequels contain stories and concepts that Pixar had no room for in the first movie, and they did a pretty decent job of creating opportunities for those moments. Since Toy Story is now a trilogy I can take the second installment as the middle chapter in a longer saga, for good and bad.

Woody has a back-story now. Buzz was the cool toy with a mission, a nemesis, a popular TV show, the works. Thanks to Toy Story 2 we know that Woody used to be the coolest toy anybody owned. He had records, games, yo-yos, novelty items, and a TV show of his own with plenty of adoring kids tuning in. I can’t help but wonder why he didn’t remember all of this until he met Jesse. The real answer, of course, is that Pixar probably didn’t know Woody’s history when they first wrote Toy Story. It’s pure speculation, but not everyone had a TV in the late 50’s when Howdy Doody—I mean, Woody’s Round-up—was on the air. I guess it’s possible that when he was bought he never saw the show. Less likely, but possible. Regardless, Woody grows as a character as he comes to understand his heritage, as a toy and as a cowboy.

The world of Toy Story expanded as well. We explore Al’s Toy Barn. We meet Zurg, Buzz’s Darth Vadar. We even learn where “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” comes from. Apparently Randy Newman is older than he looks. The toys don’t just move between neighborhoods, they trek through stores and run around a huge luggage conveyor in an airport. Each scene holds a lot more detail and texture than before, too. Andy’s dog Buster looks much more lifelike than Sid’s dog Scud. And where Woody was jealous of the new Space Ranger the last go-around, now we see that Western Toys nation-wide had to deal with the same dilemma.

My dissatisfaction for Toy Story 2 for a while came from how uneven the story seemed. There was this movie where Woody learns about his legacy and deals with his fear of abandonment—this is what Toy Story 2 is famous for. Then there’s the Buzz Lightyear journey to Al’s Toy Barn. This story didn’t seem to carry much weight or meaning. There are jokes about what it’s like to be a toy, a bit of sleuth work, and that’s about it. Buzz didn’t really have a personal conflict like Woody's. He was just honoring the friendship they share.

I think everything I dislike about the movie boils down to one problem: Sequel-itis. Lots of sequels assume you know who everyone is so there’s no need to explain why anything is funny/meaningful. And that may be why Buzz’s search doesn’t click with me. We see Buzz calming Woody down before Cowboy Camp and making frequent “Woody needs me” speeches on his journey, but Woody seems mostly annoyed with Buzz:

Buzz: Woody, you haven’t found your hat yet, have you?
Woody: NO! And Andy’s leaving for cowboy camp any minute, and I can’t find it anywhere!
Buzz: Don’t worry, Woody. In just a few hours you’ll be sitting around a campfire with Andy, making delicious, hot schmoes!
Woody: (blank stare) They’re called s’mores, Buzz.
Buzz: Right, right, of course.

If I were to guess, I believe the rescue mission was added after developing Woody’s story. This movie was originally planned direct-to-video, which was the style at the time for cartoon sequels. Pixar felt so confident in Woody’s tale as it developed that they decided to extend the film’s running time and reanimate it for the big screen. That may be why the humor in this movie doesn’t advance the story quite like the first one did. Much of it comes from the supporting cast, who don’t really develop like they did before. Potato Head and Slinky Dog already resolved their character arcs previously, so they really stick with Buzz just to make jokes or references to other movies:

Buzz: Is everyone present and accounted for?
Potato Head: Not quite everyone.
Buzz: Who’s behind?
Slinky: Mine.

Hamm comes along, too, but his character hasn’t changed or added anything yet. It’s as though the writers wanted to see old favorites again, not having anything important for them to do.

Not only that, the movie assumes that we already know what good friends Woody and Buzz are. We don’t really see how much they care about each other until they confront each other in Al’s apartment. Toy Story 3 demonstrates their friendship by showing them co-hosting a staff meeting. Maybe they could have played hide-and-seek together with Buster, so we could see them interact more at first. It would make Woody’s kidnapping more poignant. The story works well watched back to back with the original, but as a stand-alone movie it feels like we started in the middle of something.

Despite those problems, I’ve seen Toy Story 2 enough times now to appreciate it more. Not because of familiarity, but because the substance I looked for was a little hidden. Taken as a whole, Buzz’s journey does add weight to the scene where Woody’s friends find him in Al’s apartment. We learn more about things that Buzz longs for, and how strong his faith is when others around him shrink away.

And thankfully, Toy Story 2 is not a rehash. The first movie dealt with jealousy, identity, and purpose. The second focuses on life’s fragility, loneliness, and being true to heritage. I’m pretty excited to share some of the ways Toy Story 2 presents these themes. We’ll go into them as we discuss the characters, including some themes in surprising places. I still roll my eyes at the Star Wars tribute, but I applaud Pixar for the obstacles they threw in the toys’ path. It shows how resilient and loyal the toys are, even if they sometimes need little reminders of that fact. End of Part 1.