Pixar's Toy Story (1995) is arguably one of the most popular franchises and the one that's had the biggest impact on '90s kids. I'm pretty sure this movie is the reason I'm convinced all my inanimate objects have feelings, and I walk around apologizing to things when I bump into them.
All four of the movies and a few of the shorts are not only critically acclaimed but they're beloved by audiences, too, allowing them to be unicorns in a sea of divisive movies that often split the Rotten Tomatoes score.
Still, the result is also shocking when you examine both points of view, and it's fascinating to explore all the reasons why. Based on the audience scores, we're ranking the Toy Story movies ahead of Toy Story 5 (2026) from its lowest score to highest, and then, I'll be running to Disney+ for another rewatch.
4. Toy Story 2 (1999)
With an 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, Toy Story 2 comes in at the lowest, and it's quite frankly shocking to me. The introduction of Jessie the Cowgirl is one of the franchise's best decisions, so the fact that we're here is surprising. Still, 87% is a pretty solid rating for a sequel that expands the original story and adds depth to the fictional TV shows the toys are based on.
It's not every Disney sequel that's exceptional in its means of keeping up with the original's magic, and Toy Story 2 certainly does this while delivering emotional beats that especially stick the landing for those of us who are at the same age as the kids when they start to weed out the toys they're playing with. It's as perfect a sequel as The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride (1998), and personally, I'd rank it in the third slot.
3. Toy Story 3 (2010)
This one hurts because I would've sworn up and down that Toy Story 3 would've been in the second spot. But maybe millennial audiences cried way too much at the end when Andy gives away his toys, so they rated it lower for emotional damage. Coming in fresh with a 90% audience score, Toy Story 3 is basically the story that proves why trilogies are such a gem in filmmaking.
A duology is great, but there's something extra enticing about a trilogy and how it wraps up a story through perfectly executed narrative beats that explore significant periods of time for all the characters involved. I'd argue that it's the best third film in any trilogy for how it manages to bring everything full circle in a way that's not only wholly satisfying but emotionally profound in a manner that can never be replicated. Don't forget a pack of tissues if you decide a rewatch is in order.
2. Toy Story (1995)
From start to finish, Pixar's Toy Story is a perfect movie and undoubtedly one of the strongest depictions of friendship to date. How the original kickstarts everything and establishes a world that can expand in various ways is no small feat because it can also be contained, too. If you choose never to watch the remaining films, you aren't exactly missing out on a fully fleshed-out story, and that's an art form in and of itself.
Coming in with an audience score of 92% percent and in second spot, Toy Story is clearly beloved by all kinds of viewers and even critics who've granted it a 100% Rotten Tomatoes certified fresh rating. It's one of the first few movies to introduce kids, too, with its sharp writing, unbeatable animation, and astounding voice work, making it an absolute blast that gets better and better with every viewing.
1. Toy Story 4 (2019)
Toy Story 4, coming in at the number one position with an audience score of 94% broke me a little. This isn't to say that the film isn't good, but it's certainly not the strongest of the four. Little old me, who wanted Woody and Little Bo Peep to get together, was certainly satisfied with their reunion, but that's as far as the film's strength goes for me. Are romance fans the ones giving this rating, because if so, valid. If not, we've got to talk.
The isolation and changes in the movie are entirely understandable given where the toys end up in the third, but there's a sadness and melancholy woven throughout that doesn't hold the same level of hope the others do. Still, it's solid, and despite the fact that we don't need another movie after this, these characters are too lovely to not watch all their adventures.
