Toy Story poster

Toy Story (1995)

Directed by John Lasseter

Led by Woody, Andy's toys live happily in his room until Andy's birthday brings Buzz Lightyear onto the scene. Afraid of losing his place in Andy's heart, Woody plots against Buzz. But when circumstances separate Buzz and Woody from their owner, the duo eventually learns to put aside their differences.

89 connections found
View:

89 connections, in both directions

What critics compared Toy Story to

Director

Domee Shi

Critics compare Toy Story to 2 of Shi’s films.

Elio poster
Since its formative first film, Toy Story, the brand has consistently put out quality entertainment for both children and adults that highlights the misunderstood and shows how they’re able to find a way to connect with those around them who at first didn’t seem like they could possibly have any traits in common.
Abe Friedtanzer • Awards Buzz • Jun 17, 2025
awardsbuzz.com ↗
The way Toy Story made us believe that our toys love us back.
Michael Ward • Should I See It • Jun 20, 2025
shouldiseeit.net ↗
…there have been classic and revered examples of male friendship like Woody and Buzz and Mike and Sully throughout Pixar’s history…
Don Shanahan, facebook.com • Film Obsessive • Jun 20, 2025
filmobsessive.com ↗
…classic and revered examples of male friendship like Woody and Buzz…
Don Shanahan • Every Movie Has a Lesson • Jun 18, 2025
everymoviehasalesson.com ↗
…franchises like Toy Story or Inside Out still do tremendously well in terms of business (and toy sales)…
film-authority.com • Film Authority • Jun 17, 2025
film-authority.com ↗
Films like “Toy Story” and “The Incredibles” shaped many of our childhoods.
Hector Gonzalez, Kevin Parks, Matt DeCristo, Mark Ziobro, Movie Buff Staff, Vidal Dcosta • The Movie Buff • Jul 7, 2025
themoviebuff.net ↗
Turning Red poster
Not only must Mei negotiate her hormones and control them at school, where a braces-mouthed bully reminiscent of Sid from Toy Story (1995) taunts her, but she must contend with her mother.
Brian Eggert • Deep Focus Review • Mar 13, 2022
deepfocusreview.com ↗
Before Pixar returns to the Toy Story franchise with Lightyear, Turning Red represents a reminder as to the wonderful originality they are capable of when not designing films to sell toys.
Such old-fogey objections aside, “Turning Red” represents a fresh change from traditional Pixar fare, eschewing the slightly fuddy-duddy nostalgia of “Toy Story” and “Cars” for a this-side-of-Y2K millennial mindset.
Peter Debruge • Variety • Mar 7, 2022
variety.com ↗
It feels wrong to see the production company of Toy Story and Monsters Inc. finally working with original ideas again and only for those movies to be subjected to the comfort of your couch.
Leo Brady • A Movie Guy • Mar 9, 2022
amovieguy.com ↗
The Toy Story pictures, for example, demonstrated a total understanding of the meaning playthings have in our lives.
Aisle Seat
aisleseat.com ↗
Toy Story’s putting away of childish things devastated us with the bittersweetness of aging, pristinely packaged inside the odd couple act of Woody and Buzz.
Wreck-It Ralph poster
The beginning is reminiscent of Toy Story , with an underground world of video games that come to life once the arcade closes for the night and characters who leave their game to explore other worlds.
The concept is a little like that of Toy Story : the characters in video games have existences of their own and, once the arcade is closed, they can roam around, even crossing over into other games.
With bouncy CG that's given greater depth by 3-D, director Rich Moore 's film blends the secret-lives-of-toys reality of Toy Story with the self-actualization vibe of Bolt, with the former proving far more electric than the latter.
Disney's variant on themes from Pixar's Toy Story is a mixed bag of frantic action, humorous antics and blunted satire pitched squarely at the juvenile.
Radio Times • Sep 25, 2012
radiotimes.com ↗
Executive Producer John Lasseter is the man behind Toy Story, and it shows.
James Rocchi, David Ehrlich, Vadim Rizov, Sparktech Software LLC • BoxOffice
archive.org ↗
Unlocking the Pixar cheat-code for No. 1 blockbusters, Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph" features winsome voice-overs by comedians playing it kid-safe, a simplistic yet universal moral and even "Toy Story" director John Lasseter as executive producer.
Graham Killeen • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel • Nov 1, 2012
archive.org ↗
Sausage Party poster
What if the premise of a film like Toy Story, in which inanimate objects come to terms with the meaning of their existence, was pushed to its logical, dark-as-hell conclusion?
Nick de Semlyen • Empire • Sep 2, 2016
empireonline.com ↗
In the grand tradition of "Toy Story," ''Sausage Party" imagines the lives of the foodstuffs in the local supermarket aisle.
Animated movies have a long history of anthropomorphizing inanimate objects (toys in Toy Story, automobiles in Cars, plastic building bricks in The LEGO Movie , etc.).
Aisle Seat
aisleseat.com ↗
Because, legitimately, Sausage Party is part Toy Story, part The Lego Movie, part Team America, and part Book Of Mormon, all with the sheen and vigor of Chuck Jones animation, but which, despite its influences, is still very much it's own glorious monstrosity.
Gregory Wakeman, www.cinemablend.com, gregory-wakeman • CinemaBlend • Aug 9, 2016
cinemablend.com ↗
Brave poster
In the same way Pixar's movies refuse to speak down to the youngest members of their audience, they've also never pandered to gender: Remember, the Toy Story franchise ended with Andy, the benevolent overlord of Buzz Lightyear and Woody the cowboy, bequeathing his boyhood playthings to the little girl next door.
Willamette Week • Jun 20, 2012
wweek.com ↗
Or, more simply put, when compared with the rich attention to humor, subtext and story featured in Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Toy Story 3, Brave comes up short.
Although Brave is satisfying and spirited and laced with humor (haggis jokes, kilt jokes), it doesn't quite mark a return to form for Pixar following the digital house's disappointing 12th feature, Cars 2. The company's founder, Toy Story director John Lasseter, has been running his operation as well as parent company Disney's animation division, and Brave feels more like an aesthetic mix of the two camps.
Steven Rea, Inquirer Movie Critic • The Philadelphia Inquirer • Jun 21, 2012
philly.com ↗
But for the Pixar Animation crew it’s just another number in their unbelievable string of hits:  “Toy Story” (1995), “A Bug’s Life” (1998), “Toy Story 2” (1999), “Monsters, Inc.” (2001), “Finding Nemo” (2003), “The Incredibles” (2004), “Cars” (2006), “Ratatouille” (2007), “WALL-E” (2008), “Up” (2009), “Toy Story 3” (2010), “Cars 2” (2011) . . .
James Plath • MovieMet • Nov 11, 2012
moviemet.com ↗
Advertisement
Hoppers poster
I can't remember the last time the studio has done something that disturbing since the scene where Woody first arrives in Sid's room in Toy Story. I still think about those mutant toys and think about how they freaked me out as a little kid.
Mick Joest, www.cinemablend.com, mick-joest • CinemaBlend • Apr 7, 2026
cinemablend.com ↗
…the animation glows with colourful fervour and a giddy lack of restraint, the human character designs having come a long way since the early CGI of Toy Story.
Calum Cooper • Cinerama Film • Mar 5, 2026
cineramafilm.com ↗
Hoppers may not have the powerful, moving moments found in previous films like Up, WALL-E, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., the original Inside Out, or the Toy Story series.
Michael Ward • Should I See It • Mar 7, 2026
shouldiseeit.net ↗
Películas como Toy Story, Finding Nemo o Inside Out demostraron que el estudio podía combinar innovación técnica con relatos emocionalmente complejos capaces de resonar tanto en niños como en adultos.
Algo Más Que Cine
algomasquecine.com ↗
The legendary ‘can do no wrong’ run of 1995 to 2004, taking in two Toy Storys, Monsters Inc, and Finding Nemo…
Fiction Machine • Jul 21, 2026
fictionmachine.com ↗
…as creative as 1995’s Toy Story…
Leo Brady • A Movie Guy • Mar 5, 2026
amovieguy.com ↗
Director

Greta Gerwig

Critics compare Toy Story to 2 of Gerwig’s films.

Barbie poster
Barbie deliriously draws inspiration from a wide range of cinematic sources, with references to The Umbrellas of Cherbourg , Groundhog Day , The Matrix , Toy Story , and, most hilariously, The Godfather .
Gregory Nussen • Slant Magazine • Jul 18, 2023
slantmagazine.com ↗
Written by Gerwig and her partner Noah Baumbach, “Barbie” boasts a joyously wry self-awareness akin to the “Lego Movies,” taps into childhood innocence a la “Toy Story,” plus goes deep weaving in actual Barbie history.
USA TODAY, Brian Truitt • USA TODAY • Jul 18, 2023
usatoday.com ↗
Pulling from such inspirations as “The Truman Show” and “Toy Story,” Gerwig — who co-wrote the script with Noah Baumbach — plunges her heroine into an existential crisis brought on by a dimly perceived real world that is encroaching on her plastic, reassuringly monotonous idyll.
Ann Hornaday, Justine McDaniel, Washington Post staff, Jura Koncius • The Washington Post • Jul 18, 2023
washingtonpost.com ↗
After Mattel, they find the culprit: America Ferrara, playing a frustrated feminist whose young daughter is giving away her toys a la “Toy Story.”
Roger Friedman • Showbiz411 • Jul 18, 2023
showbiz411.com ↗
This is a clever take on growing up as seen through the point of view of the doll itself, like Toy Story and The Lego Movie.
Fred Topel • UPI • Jul 18, 2023
upi.com ↗
This is never more apparent than when the toy, depicted as a human, despite still being an inanimate object being played with by a child (this “Toy Story”-like notion might have worked better if animated), repeats its idyllic life over and over, in which women hold all the positions of power – and their governance has surely led to equal rights and happiness for all.
Gone With the Twins
gonewiththetwins.com ↗
Little Women poster
A sixth film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel might seem even less necessary than a fourth Toy Story.
North Bay Bohemian • Dec 24, 2019
newsreview.com ↗
Frozen poster
Anna's traveling companions are an earnest rustic named Kristoff, who cuts and sells ice for a living (his business has taken a hit from the local climate change); Kristoff's mute but savvy reindeer, Sven; and a funny little snowman, Olaf, whose habit of detaching and reassembling his body parts recalls Mr. Potato Head from Pixar's "Toy Story" trilogy.
Joe Morgenstern • The Wall Street Journal • Nov 29, 2013
archive.org ↗
Frozen is really about a powerful subtext, just like Toy Story is really about figuring out who you are, and Toy Story 2 is really about the existential crisis of choosing who you want to be, and Toy Story 3 is about reminding people what Toy Story 2 was about (yeah, I said it).
Ariel Olea • Crave • Feb 14, 2013
craveonline.com ↗
Meanwhile Pixar stepped in and stole the company’s animated show with “Up,” “Cars,” “Toy Story” and “Wall-E,” to name a few.
Betsy Sharkey, www.latimes.com • Los Angeles Times • Nov 21, 2013
latimes.com ↗
And if you prefer the hand-drawn animation of latter-day Disney releases like “Aladdin” to Pixar ’toons like “Toy Story,” you might be beguiled by the visuals.
joe williams • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • Nov 27, 2013
stltoday.com ↗
The year after The Lion King, Pixar released the first CGI-animated feature, Toy Story, launching a string of 11 consecutive box-office smashes and artistic triumphs, including such masterpieces as Finding Nemo, WALL·E, Up and Toy Story 3. Disney floundered for a decade until the company bought Pixar; and Pixar creative guru John Lasseter took creative control of both groups, with the mission of reviving the invaluable brand of Disney Animation.
Richard Corliss • TIME • Nov 23, 2013
time.com ↗
Despicable Me poster
More annoying, Despicable Me borrows left and right from other, better animated/kids films, lifting ideas from The Grinch, Meet the Robinsons, The Incredibles, A Series of Unfortunate Events and Toy Story (the minions are nothing more than a carbon copy of the alien squeeze toys in that film).
Resembling the underground factory in Metropolis, it's manned by yellow, phallic, sometimes monocular humanoids not unlike the one-eyed blue B.O.B. in Monsters vs. Aliens, or the three-eyed Pizza Planet aliens from the Toy Story movies.
The Phoenix
thephoenix.com ↗
In truth, it’s not the best title from a marketing perspective, since it doesn’t tell you anything about the movie, certainly not in comparison to, say, “Toy Story,” “The Princess and the Frog” or “Finding Nemo.”
David Medsker • Bullz-Eye • Jul 10, 2010
bullz-eye.com ↗
Small, yellow, capsule-shaped and coverall wearing, these minions scurry about doing all manner of work for Gru, whom they adore the same way the aliens in the "Toy Story" trilogy worship the all-powerful Claw.
Kenneth Turan, www.latimes.com, kenneth-turan • Los Angeles Times • Jul 9, 2010
latimes.com ↗
Advertisement
Director

Chris Wedge

Critics compare Toy Story to 3 of Wedge’s films.

Robots poster
Consider "Toy Story", "Antz", "A Bug's Life", or "SharkTale" (which ironically started life with a more story-oriented name, "Shark-Slayer").
Robots combines the visionary alternate world-building of Monsters, Inc. , the flair for gadgetry and gimmickry of an old Fleishers cartoon, and most sneakily of all, the toybox nostalgia of the Toy Story movies , with cleverly worked-in toy and game references — “Operation,” Slinky, Wheelo — that will have adults grinning with recognition.
In the end, the film comes off as more of a low rent "Toy Story" mixed with "Monster's Inc.".
As far as I'm concerned, as beautiful as it to look at, "Robots" lacks the warmth of the "Toy Story" movies, the hipness of the "Shrek" films, the heart of "Monsters, Inc.," and the sheer fun and excitement of "The Incredibles."
Ice Age poster
While it may not achieve the ‘CGI classic’ status that was earned by movies like Shrek , Toy Story and Monsters Inc ., Fox Animation’s Ice Age is nonetheless a pleasantly diverting and quite amusing family flick.
Apollo Guide
archive.org ↗
It is full of hilarious characters, incredibly well voiced, silly situations, and the best computer generated animation done yet, and that includes Shrek, the Toy Story movies, and Monsters, Inc..
Three Movie Buffs
threemoviebuffs.com ↗
The ''Toy Story'' films, ''Shrek,'' ''Monsters, Inc.,'' ''Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius,'' and now Ice Age -- each of these movies is a jaw-dropping technical achievement, yet also brimming with funny and sophisticated pop prankishness.
www.facebook.com • Entertainment Weekly
ew.com ↗
While “Ice Age's” straightforward talking-animal format is too routine to go tusk-to-tusk creatively with recent landmark CG films such as niche leader Pixar's celebrated “Toy Story” and “Monsters, Inc.,” there's enough cool fun here to warm the hearts of animation enthusiasts of all ages.
Box Office Mojo
boxoffice.com ↗
If your duties include entertaining children under the age of five you�ll be seeing this film whether you like it or not, but for everyone else I offer the following advice: Ice Age is not the next Toy Story, but it�s not another Dinosaur either, so if you set your expectations at a realistic level you�ll enjoy it as much as the knee-high brigade in the front row.
Ben Nieporent • eFilmCritic
efilmcritic.com ↗
Epic poster
For me the humor was hit-or-miss, too often some jokes that should have worked fell flat and the movie never sucked me in on a level like a “Toy Story” or “Finding Nemo” would.
Director

Phil Lord

Critics compare Toy Story to 2 of Lord’s films.

The Lego Movie poster
The picture looks good, it has some yuks, and there are even early hints of an Idiocracy-style satire of a lowbrow culture — the most popular show on TV, Where Are My Pants?, is a PG version of Ow! My Balls! — but the overlong Lego Movie collapses in the third act, finally becoming an overt commercial for the toys while getting existential in a way that unfavorably parallels the Toy Story movies.
SF Weekly
sfweekly.com ↗
It’s not the second coming of Toy Story , although it does echo Toy Story in notable ways.
You’ve seen this all before — it’s Toy Story meets The Matrix — just not done in Legos.
MaryAnn Johanson • Flick Filosopher • Feb 12, 2014
flickfilosopher.com ↗
Project Hail Mary poster
Gosling is our Buzz Lightyear, befriending an unlikely alien from outer space.
John Dotson • The Cosmic Circus • Mar 11, 2026
thecosmiccircus.com ↗