I saw this a few times, each time was just as bad. It continues from the first in the series, but Lovitz as the Radio is replaced, there are some annoying songs, The internet was introduced, along with a whole new line of strange characters including a pregnant cat, a very stereotypical Hispanic chihuahua and a rat that seemingly has no purpose. The Master, Rob, is in college with his girlfriend, and he has to write a thesis statement. Rob's girl keeps getting hit on by this pimp-looking fat guy in a lab coat, who tries to sell all the animals in the college to be test subjects in a medical research laboratory. The plot kind of takes a turn for the crazy when the appliances discover an enormous but outdated computing system, one that needs a bulb to survive and help them rescue the animals. When the Radio accidentally breaks the bulb, the other appliances yell at him, so he wanders off behind a box and performs self-surgery to remove his own bulb and slide it over to them. The toaster, rather apathetically, declares the radio dead (this scene traumatized my sister and I when we were kids.) Anyway, after the new bulb is donated to the large computing system, all that's left is to save the animals and stop Mr. Unmemorable-Named Pimp Guy from selling them off.
For kids, this film is okay, save for the radio's suicide (although he lives because Master and the girlfriend repair him). If you grew up with the original though, you may be disappointed by this lousy sequel, complete with some highly dopey songs that just don't compare with the original, and some very pointless characters added in just for the hell of it. The animal rights activism gets very annoying, not to get into a debate in my review but there are two sides to every story, not just, "aw, don't hurt the poor little fuzzy kitties!" It's about saving lives, cancer research that could save millions of humans (and animals, too). I'll bet P.E.T.A. is a huge fan of this movie. My favorite character of the franchise has always been the radio, so it was disappointing that John Lovitz was no longer the voice actor of Radio. I thought the fat lab guy hitting on Rob's girlfriend was a little weird and out of place.
If you are looking for a movie to show your kids, I suggest you try the original from 1987, because not only is the radio scene disturbing, but the whole concept of just what is supposedly going to happen to the animals in the lab could be extremely disturbing to kids, and if you're a parent you might want to save yourself the trouble of explaining animal testing to your kid. There were several actions the characters did that appeared perverted and I think were there intentionally (in the VHS tape I ordered of it the fat pimp-like lab guy reaches for the girl's butt, that's one example). To be honest, it all depends on what you consider appropriate for your children, and if you're watching it for nostalgic value as an adult, you won't find it here.
For kids, this film is okay, save for the radio's suicide (although he lives because Master and the girlfriend repair him). If you grew up with the original though, you may be disappointed by this lousy sequel, complete with some highly dopey songs that just don't compare with the original, and some very pointless characters added in just for the hell of it. The animal rights activism gets very annoying, not to get into a debate in my review but there are two sides to every story, not just, "aw, don't hurt the poor little fuzzy kitties!" It's about saving lives, cancer research that could save millions of humans (and animals, too). I'll bet P.E.T.A. is a huge fan of this movie. My favorite character of the franchise has always been the radio, so it was disappointing that John Lovitz was no longer the voice actor of Radio. I thought the fat lab guy hitting on Rob's girlfriend was a little weird and out of place.
If you are looking for a movie to show your kids, I suggest you try the original from 1987, because not only is the radio scene disturbing, but the whole concept of just what is supposedly going to happen to the animals in the lab could be extremely disturbing to kids, and if you're a parent you might want to save yourself the trouble of explaining animal testing to your kid. There were several actions the characters did that appeared perverted and I think were there intentionally (in the VHS tape I ordered of it the fat pimp-like lab guy reaches for the girl's butt, that's one example). To be honest, it all depends on what you consider appropriate for your children, and if you're watching it for nostalgic value as an adult, you won't find it here.