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TOY STORY 2
They’re
back!
The
trendsetting Toy Story from Disney and Pixar went on to become a blockbuster,
and now it’s sequel, which has grossed $244 internationally after
25 weeks, hits the Mumbai screens...
Computer animation has come a long way in the few years since Toy
Story made motion picture history, as the first feature-length undertaking
of its kind. With Toy
| MUSIC
IN THE FILM After two great collaborations on Toy Story and A Bug’s Life, acclaimed composer/songwriter Randy Newman once again joins creative forces with John Lasseter on Toy Story 2. The film boasts of a beautiful ballad When she loved me, which accompanies a poignant story montage giving insights into Jessie, the cowgirl’s life. Sarah McLachlan, who’s sung the number, says, “As I listened to it, I started to cry.” |
Story 2, the sequel to the 1995 blockbuster, history has repeated itself as far as technique and success is concerned. The film bagged the Golden Globe award for the Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) this year, besides being among the highest earners at the b.o.
RETURN
OF BUZZ LIGHTYEAR AND WOODY Creating a sequel to one of the most successful and loved animated films of all time was a daunting task, but for John Lasseter and the creative team, the challenge was well worth it. It gave them a chance to work with established characters they knew, as well as to create a cast of fresh new characters that would complement and add to the story possibilities. Lasseter hatched the idea for Toy Story 2 one day over lunch, with his colleague Pete Docter. Says Lassetter, “We felt that there were so many more ideas and stories with these toys being alive that we hadn’t dealt with. One of those was the notion of a toy being outgrown by its child. If you’re lost, you can be found and everything will be okay. If you’re broken, you can be fixed. But for a toy, being outgrown is the worst thing that can happen.” “One of the things we’re really proud of on this film,” notes co-director Lee Unkrich, “is the amount of heart that it has. Toy Story 2 is as action-packed as the first film, and has as many jokes. But at the same time, there’s a richness to the characters that was only hinted at in the first film. We’ve gone even further with this one and spent a lot of time plumbing the depths of a toy’s psyche. The film taps into a lot of themes and a lot of primal human emotions like being afraid of growing up and getting older, being afraid of your kids moving away from home, etc. These feelings are really universal and people of all different ages can relate to them.” With her extreme moods and wild gymnastic antics, Jessie the cowgirl, a new addition, was an instant favourite with the artists. “A lot of the animators really wanted to work on scenes with Jessie because she’s so vivid and such an incredible character to animate,” informs Lasseter, “She has big emotional swings. When she’s excited, she’s extremely excited. When she is low, your heart goes out to her it’s so heart-wrenching.” Al McWhiggin, the villian, was tough to animate because since he moves slow, and the animators had to slow down their mindset to work on him. |
In the sequel, the toy gang from Andy’s room gets together once again.
So you have Buzz Lightyear, Woody and a colourful cast of toys, being
joined by a delightful group of new characters for an action-filled comedy-adventure.
Taking the art of computer animation a step further, the film utilises
state-of-the-art technology to work its story-telling magic and create
a world of infinite possibilities. Toy Story 2 picks up as Andy heads
off to Cowboy Camp, leaving his toys to their own devices. Things take
a dramatic turn when an obsessive toy collector named Al McWhiggin (owner
of Al’s Toy Barn) kidnaps Woody. At Al’s apartment, Woody discovers
that he is a highly valued collectible from a 1950’s TV show called
‘Woody’s Roundup’, and he meets the other prized toys from
that show - Jessie, the cowgirl, Bullseye, the horse, and Stinky Pete
the Prospector. Back at the scene of the crime, Buzz Lightyear and the
other toys from Andy’s room like Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Rex
and Hamm spring into action to rescue their pal from winding up as a museum
piece. The toys get into one predicament after another, in their daring
race to get Woody home before Andy returns.
|
INNOVATIVE
TECHNIQUES |
Toy Story 2 is the third directorial venture for Pixar’s acclaimed
resident filmmaker John Lasseter. He received a Special Achievement Academy
Award in 1996 for the first Toy Story, and went on to garner additional
kudos last year for his second feature, A Bug’s Life. Lasseter has
earned a reputation as one of the best story-tellers of his generation
and continues to be one of the leading pioneers in computer animation.
The original Toy Story became an international sensation, grossing $360
million at the worldwide box-office, and selling more than 22 million
videocassettes in the U.S. alone. It also became the first animated feature
ever to be nominated in the Best Screenplay written directly for the screen
category. Among its other distinctions, Toy Story currently ranks as the
third highest-grossing animated film of all time (behind The Lion King
and Aladdin).
SEEKING
NEW AVENUES More than 250 artists, animators and technicians were involved in this production, including 90 technical directors and nearly 60 animators. Whereas the main action for the original Toy Story took place in Andy’s room, Sid’s house, Pizza Planet and a few exteriors, the sequel is a more ambitious cinematic adventure, which takes its principal characters well beyond the secure confines of Andy’s room. Among the dangerous and uncharted territories the toys venture into are Al’s Toy Barn (stocked with shelves and shelves of toys); his Art Deco apartment; the busy streets of Downtown; the mechanical inner-workings of an elevator shaft; and the labyrinthine interior of airport cargo handling area. In the film’s opening sequence, the audience even gets a glimpse at Buzz Lightyear’s intergalactic travels. This wide assortment of sets and locations provided production designers with many challenges. With their team of artists and set-dressers, 18 different sets were created along with more than 1200 model packets to define the various objects in the film. |
Citing the reason for a sequel, Thomas Schumacher, president of Walt Disney
Feature Animation, observes, “Toy Story 2 gives us a chance to re-visit
characters that we know and love. It’s a very entertaining story
but it’s also a very profound movie. The story has a beautiful message
about seizing the day and taking control of your life.”
Schumacher adds that in making a
sequel they were able to concentrate on the story since the main characters and the world already existed. Says he, “We wanted to build upon the foundation and create a
THE
VOICE OF THE TOYS  Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and all the other voice talents from the first film reprise their original roles to bring alive the toys. Opines Lasseter, “The most important thing we look for in casting our films is great actors. We don’t ask them to put on voices. We want them to be themselves. As I direct the actors, what I look for is believability, a natural performance. Since these films take years to make, we have the opportunity to adjust the personality and the design of the character to fit with the voice. The voice and the animation have to work together. Like Joan Cusack’s voice for Jessie provided something real and dimensional to work with. She made the character very appealing.” |
new adventure that would be equal to the first. For me, it’s the
story that holds the audience, not the technology and not the look of
the film.”
Compiled By Salma Khatib