When you have a film as good as “Toy Story,” it’s nerve-wracking to make a sequel. This is mainly because – with very rare exceptions – sequels are not nearly as good as the original. However, leave it to the folks at Pixar to manufacture the quintessential exception to this rule.

I can’t say that “Toy Story 2” is better than “Toy Story.” After all, the first film was as perfect as it could be, considering the CGI animated movie was still in its infancy. However, I can say that the sequel lives up to the original in every way possible.

I honestly believe that if you sat fans of “Toy Story” down and interviewed them as to what they would like to see in a sequel, you’d have all the elements of “Toy Story 2.” There’s all the favorite characters returning, with the original voices. The tables get turned, and Buzz has to save Woody. We have some wonderful, touching new characters. And, most importantly, the spirit of the original “Toy Story” came intact, as if it was never removed from the box in the first place.

This sequel sees the toys in Andy’s room living their daily life, only to have his favorite toy Woody get toynapped by a collector. It turns out that Woody is a rare toy from the 1950s, the star of his very own show “Woody’s Round Up.” Because Buzz was saved by Woody before, he takes it upon himself to rescue the stuffed cowboy, leading the other toys on a mission far from Andy’s room.

While I saw “Toy Story” in the theatres, I missed the sequel. This was mainly because I assumed it would stink compared to the original. However, a few years ago, I was doing a story on the Disney on Ice rendition of “Toy Story 2,” so I rented the film (available only on VHS at my local video store) to check it out.

I fell in love with it. So did my son, who insisted that we renew the rental several times before I could finally pry it out of his hands to take back to the story days later.

One of the most beautiful and melancholy moments in the film is when Woody’s counterpart from the collectable set recalls what it was like to be a forgotten toy. As a former child who remembers his old toys fondly, and as a parent who watches the joy kids have with their own toys today, I can’t help but feel very touched by this moment. It simultaneously reminds me of what it was like to be a kid and to long for that time as well.

The new DVD has a phenomenal look and sound. It comes with a complete second disc that includes some very snappy bonus features. There’s a lot of focus on director John Lasseter, which normally becomes ego-driven in other films, but this had a lot of charm. It’s clear to see in Lasseter’s profile why he is ideal to direct these films.

Other features packed onto the discs include a feature commentary, film intros, outtakes and games, deleted scenes and in-depth behind-the-scenes features covering everything from the pre-production design of the film to the publicity at release.

With Disney’s tendency to release classic films for a limited time only to pull them from the shelves months later, it’s not a bad idea to snatch up this DVD while you still have time. The movie is excellent, and the bonus material on the double-disc set is priceless.



Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX. DTS 5.1 Surround ES. Widescreen (1.77:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions. French and Spanish language track. English subtitles for the hearing impaired.