3) Toy Story 3
The genius of Pixar on its Toy Story movies has been how the studio’s brain trust has made each film something completely different. Toy Story is a mismatched buddy comedy, Toy Story 2 is a tale of fame and loss, while Toy Story 3 – arguably the best of three – is a heist movie. Although the third film in the saga shares with its predecessors a melancholy disposition regarding dying innocence, Toy Story 3 explores this idea with more feels than ever before.
Lee Unkrich’s film is often hilarious and stars a stellar grouping of voices (in particular new additions Michael Keaton and Timothy Dalton), but also comes packing a hefty emotional wallop. The finale, wherein our fuzzy and/or plastic friends hold hands as they prepare to be incinerated, is among Pixar’s hardest hitting moments.