Okay, so, Toy Story 2 (1999).  Do not ask me to recount to you the events of the original Toy Story (1995), or what they have to do with this installment.  As best I can remember, it has something to do with all the play things that inhabit Andy Davis’ (voiced by John Morris) bedroom.  When he is not present, as we see in the first one, they form a community with Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) as their de facto leader.  I do not how this makes the sequel materially different from its predecessor.  To this point, a throwaway line from Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) about how Woody had once saved the Space Ranger shows you that the two films are basically identical, or at least mirror images of one another.  What does that say about the human condition?  Toy Story 2 is concerned with these questions, so read on to find out how.

Woody is busy preparing his comrades at the beginning of Toy Story 2 for Andy’s imminent departure for “Cowboy Camp,” whatever that is.  Since Woody is Andy’s favorite item, Woody is sure that he will be brought on the trip.  As the person in charge, he is making sure everybody understands their role to keep their community functioning.  Unfortunately, some rough play among them leads to his arm being partially torn off.  Andy sees this and reluctantly put Woody back on the shelf, not wanting to risk a complete loss of the appendage while at the camp.  Woody does not take this well, spending a lot of time alone on his lofty perch.  It turns out that he is not by himself.  Also up there is Wheezy (voiced by Joe Ranft), a singing penguin that had lost its voice.  Wheezy is broken, in other words, and Andy’s mom (voiced by Laurie Metcalf) collects him to sell in a yard sale she is hosting.  Woody will not stand for any of his friends by treated in this manner, and makes his way down to the yard to attempt a rescue of Wheezy.  While Woody is able to get Wheezy to safety, Woody is noticed by a passer-by looking through the stuff for sale.  This is Al McWhiggin (voiced by Wayne Knight), a vintage toy enthusiast who must have Woody.  Not knowing how Woody got down there, but understanding the importance of his to her son, Andy’s mom refuses to sell.  Thus, Al steals Woody.  This is all witnessed by the toys upstairs, and Buzz’s attempts to spring Woody from Al’s trunk fail.  Still, they all agree that there is something familiar about this particular thief.  He is the mascot for Al’s Toy Barn, a place they all look at with some dread.  Figuring that is where Woody is being taken, Buzz calls for some volunteers to go with him to retrieve Woody.  As for their friend, Woody is instead brought to Al’s apartment.  Once there, and following Al leaving the apartment once more, Buzz finds out a few things about himself.  First, he is part of a set of toys based on a hit children’s show during the 1950s.  There is a horse named Bullseye, and two other companions, Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack), who is insane, and Stinky Pete the Prospector (voiced by Kelsey Grammer).  When Woody announces his desire to return to Andy, the others react in disgust.  This is particularly true for Jessie.  She had once belonged to another human, like Andy.  Then, when Jessie’s owner forgot about her, she collected dust under the bed until one day she is unceremoniously donated.  She then spent many years in storage, a fate that she is not eager to repeat.  To avoid it, the Roundup Gang must be allowed to be sent as a set to a buyer Al has arranged in Japan, who is willing to pay a lot of money for the old school toys.  For Stinky Pete, it is a pathway to immortality rather than being locked away or worse, being thrown into a landfill.  Stinky Pete, along with Jessie, convince Woody that Andy will eventually do the same as Jessie’s owner, which convinces the toy cowboy to go along with the rest of his set to the “Far East,” what the Pixar people obliquely refer to as Japan.  As for Buzz and the others, after a tiring set of misadventures at Al’s Toy Barn, where they do not locate Woody, they follow Al back to his apartment.  What they find there is a Woody committed to going to Japan, to Buzz and the rest’s disappointment.  Minds are changed when Woody hears himself on the television playing “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”  Now he wants to bring all his new friends back to Andy’s.  The one standing in the way of this happening is Stinky Pete, who is convinced that such a choice will only lead to them eventually being thrown in the trash.  Thus, he contrives to have himself, Jessie, and Woody loaded into their carrying case and taken to the airport along with Al.  How does Buzz keep up?  By stealing a car, of course.  That is right, kids, when you are in danger of seeing your favorite people separated from you by an ocean, commit grand theft auto to prevent it.  Anyway, Buzz and Woody manage to abscond with Jessie before the plane takes off, and make it to Andy’s room in time for the kid to enter fresh from camp.  He, of course, does not question why there are suddenly new toys.  Anyway, we close with everyone adjusting to life once more in Andy’s room.

As usual, I did not fully understand the mechanics of Toy Story 2.  This is particularly apparent when Buzz and the others are in Al’s Toy Barn.  Why are all other toys not coming to life?  Anyway, I could go on, but I must give credit to the movie for some of the deeper existential questions it asks.  Again, I do not get why these are present in a flick aimed at children, but I must have forgotten what that is like at some point . . . as adults do.  The seminal issue is found in the debate between Stinky Pete and Woody.  The former wants to be admired behind a glass case, whereas the latter desires love through a more personal connection.  It should be clear which is the more Christian stance.  To further this position, a running theme in the proceedings is that of impermanence.  No matter what Stinky Pete will tell you, nothing will last forever, even if you are left untouched in a box like him.  Attempting to hold on to such things by remaining separated from humanity is not God’s intention.  We are called to community, and they sustain us while we are in this life.  They serve a purpose, for a time, preparing us for a different eternity beyond this life.  This is also where the film is incomplete.  I am with Woody in choosing to experience love, but he is also not thinking too far ahead.  That is okay, as I have been learning from my spiritual director, but some thought should be given to that eventuality.  In the meantime, it is good to be loved, and God has plenty of that for all of us.

So, why Toy Story 2?  Why not?  Actually, I heard they are making a fifth edition, for some reason, and thought that I might as well get caught up on this nonsense.  And that is what it is: pure nonsense.  At the same time, it is harmless nonsense, so feel free to watch it if it strikes your fancy.