9 Fun Facts About Toy Story 2

1. He’s Famous!

Thoughts of a sequel to Toy Story began around a month after the film’s opening in December 1995. A few days after Toy Story’s release, John Lasseter was traveling with his family and saw a young boy clutching a Sheriff Woody doll at an airport. It was then that he realized that his character didn’t belong just to him but to others as well. This memory was a defining factor in making Toy Story 2.

2. Achoo

The scene where Woody meets Wheezy set a record for the number of dust particles animated for a movie by computer. To achieve the effect, the computer animated and distributed one tiny particle of dust throughout the entire shelf. Over two million dust particles appeared on the final scene’s shelf.

3. Game On!

The controller that Rex uses when playing the Buzz Lightyear video game scene is a Super Nintendo controller.

4. Take Two

This is the only Toy Story film that didn’t have outtakes as part of its original theatrical release, which took place on November 24, 1999. Happily, this was quickly rectified when end credits scenes were added a month later.

5. A Premonition, or Wishful Thinking?

During the new blooper scenes, a few characters mentioned the existence of Toy Story 3. This eventually came true when Toy Story 3 was released 11 years later.

6. A113

When the Barbie backpack containing Stinky Pete arrives on the conveyor belt, the announcer in the background announces the arrival of a flight named LassetAir Flight A113. LassetAir is a reference to director John Lasseter, and A113 is the Easter egg that has appeared in several Pixar films to date. However, in the DVD version, the subtitles misinterpret the part as Atlantic Air Flight 810.

7. Yeah, They Were Off By Just a Bit…

In the scene where the toys travel through the Buzz Lightyear aisle, Tour Guide Barbie says, “Back in 1995, shortsighted retailers did not order enough dolls to meet demand.” This quote is actually true. When the original Toy Story came out in 1995, store owners underestimated the popularity of Buzz Lightyear and only ordered 60,000 figures, a far cry from the eventual demand of 9 million.

8. Pixar Easter Eggs

There are lots of Pixar self-references tucked away in the film. For example, the ball from Luxo, Jr. is shown in the Al’s Toy Barn TV commercial. It can also be seen when Buzz Lightyear and the toys enter the toy store, and a container of those balls can be spotted to the left of the door as they exit. As Hamm flips through the TV channels looking for the Al’s Toy Barn commercial, frames from several Pixar projects go by, including Tin Toy, Knick Knack, Red’s Dream, Luxo, Jr., Pixar’s Listerine commercial, and their old logo from the 1980s. Finally, the Cleaner who comes to fix Woody is Geri from the short film Geri’s Game. In one of his drawers, his chess pieces can be seen.

9. Watch Out Bugs!

A closeup of Flik and Heimlich from A Bug’s Life can be seen in one of the outtakes, returning the favor after Woody made a cameo in one of the outtakes for A Bug’s Life. Humorously, the same scene can be found in the actual movie, as Buzz and the gang cut through some branches on the way to Al’s Toy Barn. If you look closely, you can see the tiny figures of Flik and Heimlich just before Buzz crashes through.