“Toy Story 2” was Pixar’s third feature film, coming after the release of the then-liked-but-now-ignored “A Bug’s Life” in 1997. The sequel followed up on Woody the Cowboy (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear the Spaceman (Tim Allen) as they became separated. It had been agreed by the living toys in Andy’s room that Buzz and Woody were co-captains of the group, seeing as they were the toys Andy played with the most. Woody, however, turns out to be a rare collectible, and a mad toy collector kidnaps Woody and places him alongside other rare cowboy toys — Jessie (Joan Cusack) and Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer) — released decades before. Because of the way memories work in the “Toy Story” universe, Woody has no recollection of being packaged and stored on a shelf.
It will later be revealed that Stinky Pete is bitter and cruel because he’s a collectible still being held in his original packaging. Because no children opened the box to play with him, he has become mean and despondent. The purpose of toys, as we all know, is to be played with, not collected. “Toy Story 2” might serve as a subtle criticism of adult Disney collectors who keep children’s playthings sealed in plastic.
Of the 171 critics who reviewed “Toy Story 2” for Rotten Tomatoes, every single one of them gave it a pass. Not all of the reviews were rated four stars, but no one felt bitter enough to rate it lower than a “thumbs up,” as it were. Speaking of “thumbs up,” Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of four.