Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Toy Story 1 is not something that I care for that much when I was a kid, but I grow to appreciate it more as an adult when I rewatched it and realize that it's a great film with a solid third act that elevates it from great to excellent. Toy Story 2, on the other hand, I openly declared as a kid that this film is not only my favorite Toy Story film, but also one of my favorite animated films of all time, and boy. I'm looking at past me with pride because you were right, past me. Toy Story 2 is a freaking masterpiece.
The film tackles the idea of whether something is worth playing until it breaks or whether something is worth preserving for future generations, and that idea still resonates well to this day even if you don't play with toys. Video games are essentially digital toys, and we are fighting our hardest for its preservation. The parallels between Woody as a toy and Woody as a collector's item is brilliant, and the pros and cons between the two are handled surprisingly well without any clear answers, adding more to the complexity and depth to the situation that we can appreciate as adults and make us think as children.
While Toy Story 1 is simpler and arguably scarier regarding its commentary on toy maintenance and human-toy relationship, Toy Story 2 is where the franchise starts to become deeper in its narrative and commentary, touching relevant subjects that resonate with everyone, both kids and adults alike, as they realize that time is finite for both them and the toys that they grow up in, and also realize that there's really no clear answer to that part in life. While their time was precious when it happens, eventually, we all have to move on. While pieces of that time can be preserved, it's not the same as it was.
Oh, and Jessie's backstory? One of the rare moments in my life as a kid when I actually cried watching fiction, and I don't usually do that on fiction. It hits just as hard back then as it is right now, and that whole segment alone is a significant reason why Toy Story 2 elevates itself from an already excellent film to one of Pixar's absolute masterpieces.
Toy Story 2 is a brilliant story that is still relevant to this day with great sets of characters that complement the story very well, especially the villain. He's no Sid, but he is excellent and so much fun to watch. It's bright. It's fun. It's colorful. It's hilarious. And it's also viciously melancholic and utterly depressing. This film should be preserved the same way Toy Story 1 was preserved by the Library of Congress. I freaking love this film. It's an animation masterpiece, and I cannot recommend it enough.
Toy Story 1 is not something that I care for that much when I was a kid, but I grow to appreciate it more as an adult when I rewatched it and realize that it's a great film with a solid third act that elevates it from great to excellent. Toy Story 2, on the other hand, I openly declared as a kid that this film is not only my favorite Toy Story film, but also one of my favorite animated films of all time, and boy. I'm looking at past me with pride because you were right, past me. Toy Story 2 is a freaking masterpiece.
The film tackles the idea of whether something is worth playing until it breaks or whether something is worth preserving for future generations, and that idea still resonates well to this day even if you don't play with toys. Video games are essentially digital toys, and we are fighting our hardest for its preservation. The parallels between Woody as a toy and Woody as a collector's item is brilliant, and the pros and cons between the two are handled surprisingly well without any clear answers, adding more to the complexity and depth to the situation that we can appreciate as adults and make us think as children.
While Toy Story 1 is simpler and arguably scarier regarding its commentary on toy maintenance and human-toy relationship, Toy Story 2 is where the franchise starts to become deeper in its narrative and commentary, touching relevant subjects that resonate with everyone, both kids and adults alike, as they realize that time is finite for both them and the toys that they grow up in, and also realize that there's really no clear answer to that part in life. While their time was precious when it happens, eventually, we all have to move on. While pieces of that time can be preserved, it's not the same as it was.
Oh, and Jessie's backstory? One of the rare moments in my life as a kid when I actually cried watching fiction, and I don't usually do that on fiction. It hits just as hard back then as it is right now, and that whole segment alone is a significant reason why Toy Story 2 elevates itself from an already excellent film to one of Pixar's absolute masterpieces.
Toy Story 2 is a brilliant story that is still relevant to this day with great sets of characters that complement the story very well, especially the villain. He's no Sid, but he is excellent and so much fun to watch. It's bright. It's fun. It's colorful. It's hilarious. And it's also viciously melancholic and utterly depressing. This film should be preserved the same way Toy Story 1 was preserved by the Library of Congress. I freaking love this film. It's an animation masterpiece, and I cannot recommend it enough.
