Toy Story 2

TNT RoughCut Christopher Brandon

One of those rare sequels that's even better than the original.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Toy Story 2 may not have the most original title, but everything else about it is, well, mint in the box.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

It's a great, IQ-flattering entertainment both wonderful and wise.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

With its agile, clever script and winning characters, Toy Story 2 is that rare thing -- an excellent children's movie with no upper age limit.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Toy Story 2, like its forebear, will stand the test of time.

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Stack

The most entertaining movie of the year. Funny and action-packed, it's also got that rare thing, heart.

LA Weekly F. X. Feeney

No parent who's been roped into leading the troops to a matinee need fear being bored: gags are, Simpsons-like, conceived to tickle several generations at once.

Newsweek David Ansen

The superrealist images beguile us with their bold wit, and the storytelling is so tight, urgent and inventive there doesn't seem to be a wasted moment. Which makes you wonder -- why can't scripts this clever be written for human beings?

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

It not only pushes the computer-generated film envelope to the very edge, it's every bit as charming, funny and exciting as the original. In fact, I enjoyed it quite a bit more.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

A sequel that eclipses the original. The toys are back with even more hilarious vengeance. The story's twice as inventive as its predecessor.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

The animation is even more mind-blowing, if that's possible. The characters and objects seem even more palpable and real than last time. There's a thickness to bodies of the human characters and an amazing attention to detail throughout.

Chicago Tribune Marc Caro

You can't ask for a family film to do more than Toy Story 2. It's smart and playful enough to entertain adults, yet it never aims above the heads of kids.

USA Today Susan Wloszczyna

What's most amazing is the finely nuanced performances these bits and bytes deliver.

Baltimore Sun Ann Hornaday

Prove(s) once again how ingenious, artful and flat-out entertaining animation can be.

Film.com Robert Horton

Doesn't have the purity, the sense of discovery, of the first Toy Story, but it's still an utter delight. Its images and gags keep replaying themselves in the mind well after the film is over.

Variety Todd McCarthy

Toy Story 2 is to "Toy Story" what "The Empire Strikes Back" was to its predecessor, a richer, more satisfying film in every respect.

Salon.com Janelle Brown

Just as good as the original. In fact, it might even be better. Not only is it just as visually stunning and witty as the first, but it's funnier, more thoughtful and more grown-up.

The New York Times Janet Maslin

Making sure that computer-generated animation will never be the same.

Film.com Tom Keogh

So funny and smart that holding it up against its predecessor is as pointless as comparing peak episodes of "Seinfeld."

Time Richard Schickel

Pixar's improved computer animation is up to all the demands of this excellent adventure.

Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard

A technologically marvelous animated movie that's just as funny and inventive as the first, but also more emotionally engaging than most live-action films. This is clearly a sequel in name only.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

This isn't a made-for-video that they decided to put into theaters, but a version intended from the first to be theatrical. That's important, because it means more detail and complexity went into the animation.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

The sequel is faster, funnier and wilder, with more cunningly contrived computer effects.

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

Toy Story had a simpler, stronger story and the advantage of being the first of its kind. But it's quickly apparent that TS2 represents a major step forward in computer-animation artistry.

Village Voice Michael Atkinson

The kitsch is back in full bloom.

Dallas Observer Andy Klein

The story is just as funny and touching. The only problem is the inevitable one: The freshness -- the novel delight -- is a little faded now.

Film.com John Hartl

Runs on wit and creativity.

San Francisco Examiner Wesley Morris

Aspires to the boundlessness of a kid's imagination.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

The story is surprising, the screenplay is witty, and the animation is wonderfully creative. A super sequel.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

Everything you could want in a sequel. It satisfyingly regenerates the characters and qualities that made the first film so popular. And then it moves them forward into newer, fresher, more elaborate, more involving territory.

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

Some powerful dialogue.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

It's impossible not to shake the feeling that we've been here before, and the movie never does convince you that a return trip was entirely necessary.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The story is simple enough for young children to follow, and the computer-animated images are both bright and surprisingly complex. Adults won't find the action heart-stopping.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

If you (or your kids) loved Toy Story, you'll like Toy Story 2 as well. Just don't expect any big surprises.