Every ‘Toy Story’ movie, ranked from worst to best

No one asked for a fourth “Toy Story” movie, especially after the third film closed out the franchise perfectly with a grown-up Andy gifting his beloved toys to a young girl, Bonnie, believing they’d be cared for before heading off to college. Instead, when we catch up with Woody in “TS4,” Andy’s favorite toy has been abandoned in the closet. Woody appeared to be a mere fad for Bonnie.

What’s worse is that the fourth film betrays the end of “TS3” in which Andy tells Bonnie that Woody will be there for her “no matter what. ” By the end of “TS4,” Woody decides to ditch Bonnie to hit the road with his old flame, Bo Peep. At its core, “Toy Story 4” is about finding your purpose in the world when you think you don’t have one anymore.

And while that’s a great message, too much time was spent with buzzy, new characters — a spork named Forky, Ducky, Bunny, and Keanu Reeves’ scene-stealing Duke Caboom — instead of the original gang (Buzz, Slinky dog, Mr. Potato Head) that made “Toy Story” beloved. The movie’s strangest decision was separating best friends Buzz (Tim Allen) and Woody (Tom Hanks) for much of the film.

The on-screen banter of Allen and Hanks was always one of the best things about the franchise. If you’re a big fan of the franchise, you were probably left wondering about the original version of “TS4” since Bo Peep actor Annie Potts told RadioTiimes that 75% of the original script was scrapped . In 2015, former Disney Animation and Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter said the movie would be an emotional love story about Woody and Bo Peep , inspired by his wife.

But Lasseter left Disney in June 2018 after reports alleged Lasseter behaved inappropriately toward employees. Again, did we need another entry into the “Toy Story” universe? Absolutely not. But director Angus MacLane’s “Toy Story” prequel spin-off centered around Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Chris Evans) is a gorgeous love letter to sci-fi films (especially Disney-owned “Star Wars”) that reminds viewers to let go of past mistakes, learn from them, and move forward.

And Buzz’s robot therapy cat, Sox (Peter Sohn), is Pixar’s most delightful new sidekick since Forky in “Toy Story 3. ” It doesn’t totally make sense that none of Buzz’s space-ranger colleagues have been mentioned until now or that Sox didn’t exist as a toy before, though. Regardless, “Toy Story” purists and “Lightyear” skeptics should be thoroughly entertained by an unexpected twist that keeps the franchise fresh.

If “Lightyear” is the first introduction to the “Toy Story” franchise for kids, they’ll likely want to seek out the original saga immediately afterward. Even though “Lightyear” is gorgeous and an enjoyable watch, it’s tough to hold a candle to the original “Toy Story” franchise, which has been reviewed as a near-perfect trilogy. It’s impossible to not tear up 121 minutes into “Toy Story 3” as Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of Andy’s toys accept their grim fate, holding hands, as they believe they’re about to be incinerated at the local landfill.

If you grew up watching the trilogy, “Toy Story 3” perfectly captured the internal struggle of not knowing how to part with your favorite childhood toys when moving on to the next phase of your life. If you say you don’t get emotional watching Andy playing with his toys one last time before Woody waves him off to college at the film’s end, you’re cold-blooded. “Toy Story 2” is the rare sequel that holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes .

At the time, it was one of the few sequels not only to be good, but many critics argued that it was superior to the original. (I wouldn’t go that far, but it is a very fun and satisfying watch. ) Honestly, it was a bit of a struggle to decide if “Toy Story 2” was better than “Toy Story 3.

” The animation quality becomes superior with each passing film. What pushed it over the top to put it above “TS3” on this list? “Toy Story 2” didn’t solely focus on a fun rescue mission to save Woody from a slimy toy collector. It also delivered two shocking reveals in the span of a few minutes.

In a nod to “Star Wars,” Buzz’s nemesis Zurg is revealed to be his father. Additionally, who wasn’t surprised to learn that Pete turned out to be a villain in the film’s final stretch? This could’ve been a lazy villain reveal that made little sense and was solely contrived to push forward the film’s final chase scene. Instead, it provided thoughtful commentary on less popular toys that sit on shelves collecting dust.

By comparison, “TS3” didn’t offer up any groundbreaking reveals. In some ways, that film’s villain, Lotso, felt like a darker variant of Stinky Pete from the second movie. Instead of a pickax, Lotso walked around with a cane.

The introduction of cowgirl Jessie and the backstory of her owner tied to Sarah McLachlan’s ” When She Loved Me ” is also heartbreaking and a much more memorable song than 2010’s ” We Belong Together ” by Randy Newman. It’s wild to imagine that this movie was originally intended to be released straight to video . “Toy Story” isn’t only one of the greatest animated movies ever made, it’s also responsible for inspiring most of the innovations in how we see animation today .

The first full-length CGI animated film, “Toy Story” succeeds in pioneering new animation tools while delivering a timeless classic that taps into everyone’s inner child by addressing a topic most people have pondered at least once: Do toys come to life when we’re not around? One of the most iconic moments in movie history is when Buzz and Woody soar through the sky toward a moving truck after Buzz has accepted that he’s a toy that cannot fly. Though Woody insists he’s flying, Buzz tells the audience that he’s simply falling with style. Falling never sounded so cool.

In 2005, “Toy Story” was among 25 movies added to the National Film Registry list for being deemed ” culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. “.