One of the coolest things about having a son is enjoying the things with him that I loved growing up. After torturous hours of Baby Einstein and Elmo, we are now watching the Toy Story films. After years of arguing that Toy Story was the superior film, I am now having a hard time deciding. The originality of Toy Story blew me away as a teenager, but as I watch Toy Story 2 now, I appreciate the humor more and notice things that I never had before. The beauty of the two Toy Story films is that unlike many series, each character is pretty much the same person (read toy) in each part, with the exception of Buzz because his illusion has been unmasked. Woody is still the jealous, slightly arrogant cowboy in each, Ham and Potato Head still play off each other and Rex is still an insecure beast of a creature. Perhaps the most ingenious thing about Toy Story 2 is the introduction of essentially the same Buzz Lightyear that we had in the first to antagonize the “toy” Buzz. Buzz finally sees what it was like to hang around with him and is embarrassed by that, it’s a clever way to incorporate the new Buzz and the continued battle between Buzz and Zurg. All of the adult references also help the make the Toy Story films enjoyable for all ages. The Exorcist, Jurassic Park, E.T. Star Wars, Forrest Gump, Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey and many Pixar short films are all referenced to great enjoyment. Repeat viewings showcase the rather vulgar humor of Buzz’s sexual arousal by Jessie the Cowgirl and Potato Head losing his bowels at the sight of the inside of baggage handling.

Unlike, many animated films of years past, the because of the quality and crispness of the animation, we do not look back at the Toy Story films and think, “Boy do those look like crap compared to Car’s.” Even by today’s standards, you are impressed. Fortunately for audiences, it is still the story that drives Pixar films and not their amazing animation (which they all possess). If we are lucky, Pixar will not follow the same path as Disney did under Eisner control and release worthless sequels and a low quality release every year. Audiences deserve great films every couple of years, instead of a mediocre one every fall. So far that is exactly what we have gotten.