Today in Film History (November 24th, 1999): Pixar Releases "Toy Story 2" in the United States!

On November 24, 1999, Pixar released "Toy Story 2" in the United States. The film was directed by John Lasseter, and served as the sequel to "Toy Story" (1995). After initial story reels were produced, Pixar was unhappy with the film's quality, prompting the story team to redevelop the entire plot in one weekend. In most circumstances, Pixar films take years to develop, but due to the inability to move the established release date, the production schedule for "Toy Story 2" was compressed into nine months! The film was released on time, on November 24th, 1999, and had a successful box office run, ultimately grossing over $511 million. It received critical acclaim from critics, and achieved a 100% rating on "Rotten Tomatoes", like its predecessor. It is one of the few sequel films in history that viewers believe to be better than the original. "Toy Story 2" became the third-highest-grossing film of 1999, behind "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace", and "The Sixth Sense".