50 Fun Facts About Toy Story 2

In Toy Story 2, the toy store owner Al stars in his own TV commercials dressed as which animal?

A chicken costume is how Al first appears in the film, and it earns him the nickname the Chicken Man from Andy's toys. By the film's last advert he is openly sobbing over his lost museum deal.

Which doll was kept out of the first film by its maker, which then asked for a part in Toy Story 2?

Barbie was meant to play Woody's girlfriend in the first film, but Mattel refused. Once that film was a hit the company asked for her to be included, and she arrived as a toy store tour guide.

Emperor Zurg telling a Buzz Lightyear toy he is his father in Toy Story 2 parodies which film?

The Empire Strikes Back twist is replayed almost word for word on top of an elevator. The newer Buzz then stays behind to make peace with Zurg while Andy's Buzz races on.

What saved Toy Story 2 after an accidental command erased most of the film from Pixar's servers?

A copy on a home computer belonged to technical director Galyn Susman, who had been working remotely to care for her newborn. The studio's own backups had been failing for about a month.

Wheezy, the shelved toy with a broken squeaker that Woody rescues in Toy Story 2, is which animal?

A penguin squeeze toy, Wheezy was an idea recycled from an early version of the first film. Pixar's Joe Ranft gave him his speaking voice.

In Toy Story 2, what is the name of Woody's loyal toy horse from the Woody's Roundup collection?

Bullseye does not speak in the film, getting his feelings across through body language and horse noises. Frank Welker provides the sounds.

Which Canadian singer recorded When She Loved Me, the ballad about Jessie's past in Toy Story 2?

Sarah McLachlan cried the first time she heard the demo, which reminded her of Kermit the Frog singing Bein' Green. The song went on to win a Grammy for its writer.

In Toy Story 2, which girl owned and adored Jessie before outgrowing her and giving her to charity?

Emily forgot Jessie under her bed for years, then found her as a teenager and left her in a charity donation box. The loss left Jessie with a dread of being shut away in storage.

In Toy Story 2, Al plans to sell his Woody's Roundup collection to a toy museum in which city?

Tokyo is where the museum waits, but it will only take the set if Woody is part of it. That is why the other Roundup toys face going back into storage when he wants to leave.

Which actress, a two-time Oscar nominee, voices the yodelling cowgirl Jessie in Toy Story 2?

Joan Cusack won an Annie Award for the role and came back as Jessie in the later films. The yodelling itself was performed by Mary Kay Bergman.

Where is Andy about to take Woody at the start of Toy Story 2 when the toy's arm rips?

Cowboy Camp goes ahead without Woody, who is left on a shelf fearing that Andy is about to discard him. Andy gets home that night to find some new faces among the toys on his bed.

At what kind of event outside Andy's house does Al spot and steal Woody in Toy Story 2?

A yard sale put Woody within Al's reach after he slipped outside to save Wheezy from being sold. Andy's mom refused to sell, so Al caused a distraction and stole him.

Which of Andy's toys accidentally knocks Emperor Zurg down the elevator shaft in Toy Story 2?

Rex, the nervous dinosaur voiced by Wallace Shawn, sends the villain tumbling entirely by accident. He is one of four toys Buzz takes along on the mission to bring Woody home.

Which vehicle do Buzz and the other toys drive across town to chase Al in Toy Story 2?

A Pizza Planet truck gets them there, a pickup that turns up again and again across the Toy Story films. In this one its owner's manual names the model as a Gyoza.

Where does the final chase of Toy Story 2 take place?

An airport baggage system becomes the battleground, and the chase ends with Woody and Buzz pulling Jessie off a plane before it takes off.

Which gadget sets apart the newer Buzz Lightyear who captures Andy's Buzz in Toy Story 2?

A utility belt is the upgrade, and the new Buzz is as sure he is a real space ranger as Andy's Buzz once was. He shuts his rival in a box and joins the mission in his place.

The Buzz Lightyear space battle that opens Toy Story 2 turns out to be which kind of thing?

A video game is the answer, played by one of Andy's toys. The idea began in early plans for the first film as a Buzz cartoon showing on television.

Which missing item do Andy's toys hunt for at the start of Toy Story 2 so Woody is ready to travel?

His hat means so much to Woody that he becomes alarmed whenever it goes missing. Bo Peep and even the pink-haired Troll doll join the search before Andy's trip.

Which songwriter returned from the first film to score Toy Story 2 and write two new songs?

Randy Newman doubted that small children would sit through a slow, sad ballad, until a test screening showed even the youngest paying attention. He later called it the work he was proudest of on the film.

Toy Story 2 opened in US theaters over which holiday weekend, setting an opening-day record?

Thanksgiving gave the film a $9.5 million first day, beating a holiday record held by Back to the Future Part II. It stayed at number one for the next two weekends as well.

Which Cheers star voices Stinky Pete, the scheming boxed prospector doll in Toy Story 2?

Kelsey Grammer, television's Frasier Crane, is also the voice of Sideshow Bob in The Simpsons. His Prospector blames space toys for getting Woody's Roundup cancelled.

Which Seinfeld actor voices Al McWhiggin, the greedy toy collector who steals Woody in Toy Story 2?

Wayne Knight also played the double-crossing programmer Dennis Nedry in Jurassic Park. Director John Lasseter said the obsessive collector was inspired by himself.

How did Disney first intend to release Toy Story 2 before impressive story reels changed the plan?

Straight to video was the plan, following money-spinners like the Aladdin sequel The Return of Jafar. A small team began work in a separate building from the rest of the studio.

Which pet dachshund of Andy's helps Woody save a toy from being sold in Toy Story 2?

Buster was mentioned at the end of the first film as Andy's Christmas present. He happily obeys Woody's commands, though never Andy's.

Which toys do the Potato Heads adopt in Toy Story 2 after Mr. Potato Head rescues them?

The three aliens tag along for the frantic chase across town. Once rescued, they join Andy's collection with the Potato Heads as their adoptive parents.

What does Buzz use to get the rescue party across a busy road to Al's Toy Barn in Toy Story 2?

Traffic cones hide the toys as they shuffle across, dropping to the ground whenever a car comes near, and the swerving traffic piles up behind them.

Which song from the first film does Wheezy sing once his squeaker is fixed in Toy Story 2?

You've Got a Friend in Me is sung twice in the film, once by Tom Hanks as Woody and once by Wheezy, who uses the toy tape recorder Mike as a karaoke machine.

Which clue tells Buzz that the owner of Al's Toy Barn stole Woody in Toy Story 2?

A car's license plate reading LZTYBRN gives the thief away, since it stands for Al's Toy Barn. It was the real plate of the film's co-director Ash Brannon.

In Toy Story 2, which satellite's launch is blamed for children deserting Woody's Roundup?

Sputnik turned children across America from cowboys to astronauts, in the film's telling, and the show was axed. It is why Stinky Pete so despises space toys like Buzz.

At which awards ceremony did Toy Story 2 beat four live-action comedies to a best picture prize?

The Golden Globes named it Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy over four live-action rivals, among them Notting Hill and Being John Malkovich.

Which actor voiced Slinky Dog for the last time in Toy Story 2, months before his death?

Jim Varney, famous as the comic character Ernest P. Worrell, died of lung cancer in February 2000. Blake Clark took over as Slinky from the third film.

Which actress, George's mother on Seinfeld, voices Mrs. Potato Head in Toy Story 2?

Estelle Harris joined the cast because Mrs. Potato Head, only mentioned in the first film, finally appears on screen. She kept the role in the two films that followed.

Which actress, the voice of Disney's Ariel, plays the toy store tour guide in Toy Story 2?

Jodi Benson gives the guide her unshakable cheer and came back to the series for the third film. In the credits the character waves the audience off, then drops her smile to take a break.

While a small crew started Toy Story 2 in a separate building, most of Pixar was busy on which film?

A Bug's Life was due out a year earlier and had first call on the studio's 300 staff. Two of its insects, Flik and Heimlich, drop into the blooper reel in the sequel's credits.

Toy Story 2's When She Loved Me lost the Best Original Song Oscar to a song from which film?

Tarzan won with Phil Collins's You'll Be in My Heart, from another Disney animated release of the same year. The Pixar ballad had to settle for a Grammy.

Which 1986 short, Pixar's first film, was shown with Toy Story 2 in theaters?

Luxo Jr. stars the hopping desk lamp that became the studio's mascot, and an on-screen note before it explained why a lamp sits in the Pixar logo.

The Cleaner who repairs Woody in Toy Story 2 first appeared in which Pixar short?

Geri's Game won the Oscar for best animated short, and its elderly hero plays chess against himself. As a nod, the Cleaner's repair kit has a drawer full of chess pieces.

Who pressed John Lasseter to give Toy Story 2 a strong female character, which led to Jessie?

His wife Nancy wanted a character with more substance than Bo Peep. Jessie had started out in early plans as a very different sidekick for the Prospector.

Woody's Roundup, the puppet show within Toy Story 2, was inspired by which real children's series?

Howdy Doody, a Western-themed puppet show that ran on NBC until 1960, was one model, along with Hopalong Cassidy. Woody himself was based partly on its puppets.

Where do Andy's toys stuff the villainous Stinky Pete once he is finally beaten in Toy Story 2?

In a girl's backpack he meets his fate, carried off by its artistic owner Amy as her new toy. Andy's toys had dazzled him first with camera flashes.

Which Toy Story 2 co-writer, later the director of Finding Nemo, voices Emperor Zurg?

Andrew Stanton voiced the villain in a film he helped to write, playing a toy with no idea that he is one. In the 2022 spin-off Lightyear the part went to James Brolin.

Which singer, Broadway's first Lancelot in Camelot, is Wheezy's singing voice in Toy Story 2?

Robert Goulet steps in for the squeaky toy's big-band finale, while Pixar's Joe Ranft handles the speaking lines. Goulet had won a Tony Award on Broadway in 1968.

Which Grammy-winning Western group performs the Woody's Roundup theme song in Toy Story 2?

Riders in the Sky so impressed the studio that they were asked to make a whole tie-in album of Woody's favourite songs. It won the Grammy for best children's album.

John Lasseter and Lee Unkrich voice which pair of squabbling toys in Al's office in Toy Story 2?

Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots argue over which of them Slinky is talking to, then settle it with a boxing match in which blue beats red.

A pressing error put a scene from which R-rated film into some Toy Story 2 DVD box sets?

High Fidelity interrupted the film on about 1,000 box sets shipped to Costco, strong language and all. The stores recalled the faulty discs and replaced them.

Which Looney Tunes director wrote John Lasseter a letter of praise after seeing Toy Story 2?

Chuck Jones praised the animation warmly, and Lasseter, a personal admirer of his, keeps the letter framed in his house.

In early Toy Story 2 plans, Jessie's role was a Mexican sidekick for the Prospector with which name?

Señorita Cactus was meant to win Woody over with her charms, until the team redefined the part as the much tougher cowgirl Jessie.

Who shut Pixar's CD-ROM division, freeing its staff to become the first Toy Story 2 crew?

Steve Jobs closed the group even though its two Toy Story discs had been successes. Its 95 staff had made as much new animation for them as the whole first film contained.

Toy Story 2 held the record opening weekend for an animated film until which 2001 release beat it?

Monsters, Inc. took the record two years later, keeping it in the Pixar family. The sequel's $57.4 million debut had also been the third-biggest opening weekend of any film at the time.

Which tiny detail was hard to animate on the shelf where Woody finds Wheezy in Toy Story 2?

Dust proved so tricky that the team animated a single tiny particle and had the software scatter copies across the shelf. More than two million specks ended up in the shot.