20 Greatest Direct Sequels Ever Made

5. Toy Story 2

Back To The Future II
Pixar

Pixar's first sequel (and only sequel until the trilogy-closing Toy Story 3 eleven years later) is almost the complete opposite of the usual cash-grab follow-up made in Hollywood. Originally set for a straight-to-video release, the entire development was scrapped and started from scratch after John Lasseter took over the production, with the entire movie being completed in just nine months.

The end result? A sequel that was vastly superior to its predecessor, one of the greatest animated features ever made and a movie with a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from no less than 163 reviews.

Toy Story 2 is Pixar doing what they do best; groundbreaking animation, hugely inventive storytelling, a cast of memorable characters, jokes that appeal to audiences of all ages and surprising emotional heft that can reduce grown adults to tears. In short, a movie that perfected the formula that would make the animation studio one of the most consistently brilliant outfits in the entire industry.

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