While Toy Story 3 touches on many of these ideas, they were ultimately first introduced into the series with Toy Story 2, and that reverberating idea of time and passage is what makes that sequel so fully furnished.
As funny and winning as Toy Story 1 was, it doesn’t often reach the same thoughtful insight that is gleaned throughout Toy Story 2.
While the filmmakers at Pixar were under the wire when it came time to release Toy Story 2, they didn’t rush the important details.
They took the time and patience to make sure these thematic elements were as effective and emotionally resonant as possible, resulting in a sequel that harkens back to the ideas placed in the first movie but using the passage of time and the effects therein to showcase how meaningful and bittersweet this journey can ultimately be.