Synopsis

When Woody is stolen from a yard sale by a toy collector, Buzz Lightyear and the other toys mount a daring rescue mission. In the collector's apartment, Woody discovers his roots as the star of a 1950s television show and meets Jessie, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete. He must decide whether to return to Andy or embrace a new life in a museum.

Factoids & Trivia

• Toy Story 2 was originally planned as a direct-to-video sequel. After Disney executives saw the quality of the developing film, it was upgraded to a theatrical release.

• The change created an extremely compressed production schedule, with Pixar reworking the project in roughly nine months.

• During production, an accidental computer command deleted much of the film's stored animation data. A backup copy kept at home by supervising technical director Galyn Susman helped Pixar restore the project.

• The sequence built around "When She Loved Me" was created to communicate Jessie's history and emotional attachment through music rather than extended dialogue. Randy Newman's song received an Academy Award nomination and won a Grammy.

• The film won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, a rare major award recognition for an animated feature at the time.

• Tour Guide Barbie's comment about retailers underestimating demand for Buzz Lightyear toys references the shortage of Toy Story merchandise after the original film became a hit. It also alludes to Mattel's initial reluctance to license Barbie for the first movie.

• The television channel montage includes references to earlier Pixar shorts and commercials, along with imagery connected to Pixar's early computer-graphics history.

• A Disney Digital 3-D double-feature release of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 arrived in 2009, introducing both films to a new theatrical audience.