All 4 Toy Story movies ranked from worst to best

There is another Toy Story movie in the works. The fifth one will see the toys deal with children who are now turning to technology for their entertainment.

There are sure to be some who wonder if a fifth movie is even necessary. We take a look at the previous movies to see how they rank. This ranking is in order from worst to best, although admittedly, the two top ones are very close to each other and it is hard to pick.

Toy Story 4

After a nine-year break, Pixar brought us the fourth installment in the franchise. Quite honestly, there were questions about whether this was needed considering the way the third one ended. The toys had been passed onto a new owner, and it seemed like the perfect ending for Andy’s journey and start for the toys with Bonnie.

Then everything changed with the fourth movie. The toys went missing again, and this time in they went on a road trip that saw new friends and old. Woody came across Bo Peep, who had been missing in the third movie. We didn’t just get to find out what happened to her, but also what could happen to the other toys.

While each movie has seen the toys come to a realization that humans grow up, this one felt pessimistic. Woody made a decision to leave the life of being a toy behind, which just felt so out of character for him, even after chatting to Bo. I tend to pretend that this movie didn’t happen.

Toy Story

The first movie was a brilliant start to the franchise. We got to see the world and what could happen when we closed the door. Who didn’t try to catch their toys in the act after this?

Buzz’s introduction as he believed that he was a real space ranger was a great part of the story. There were so many plot holes to this, but none of us really cared the first time watching it. We just got this great story of Buzz and Woody growing to accept each other and the world they were in.

Woody learned to accept change in this movie. Buzz learned to accept himself for who he is. The rest of the toys had to figure out things without their trusted leader, especially after finding out that their trusted leader was not the perfect toy he seemed to be.

The story is downright predictable, but it’s cute and fun.

Toy Story 2

I love the introduction of Jessie and Bullseye, and this movie offered a great look at what can happen to toys as their children grow up. We got to learn who Jessie was, and there are still many theories that Andy’s mom is Jessie’s owner. There’s a sense of abandonment that we can all experience in life.

For children watching this, there’s a lesson in not just abandoning toys. This lesson is carried into the third movie, which is why I saw the top two movies are so close to each other. They continue the development of the same message.

One thing that made this second movie so great was the expansion of Woody and Buzz’s backstories. We got to see where Woody came from in a line of his toys, and then we saw all these Buzzes who believed they were space rangers. There’s even a cute Star Wars moment thrown into it. It’s not easy for a second movie to improve on the first one, but this one did.

Toy Story 3

Then there’s the trilogy. I still watch in fear as the toys head toward the fire. I know how it all plays out, but I think back to the first time watching it and asking myself whether Pixar would really do that to us!

This story continued the storyline of abandonment. Jessie had already been through it once, but she felt secure in being accepted by Andy and his toys. Then Andy grew up, and suddenly the toys were all relegated to a box. However, Andy wasn’t quite ready to give them up. He wasn’t someone to just abandon them, although it did seem that way to the toys at one point.

This movie captured the nostalgia of the first movie in a great way, reminding us that it was years later. It also captured the idea of recycling toys as we get older. In the end, having Andy be the one to pass on all the toys to Bonnie and share who they all were with him was adorable and made the perfect ending to the franchise.