Toy Story
dir. John Lasseter (1995)
Pixar’s first feature-length film and the first ever to be fully computer-animated. Pioneering kudos aside, Toy Story remains (thirty years on!) a charming, perfectly paced and pitched family film whose script earns the viewer’s engagement and whose toy characters are joyously compelling.
Toy Story 3
dir. Lee Unkrich (Pixar, 2010)
A fitting conclusion to the original trilogy. Darker than its predecessors yet still effortlessly funny in its animation, Toy Story 3 plays to both the power of friendship and the wistful sadness of growing up. Cleverly scripted with plenty of comic business.
Inside Out
dir. Pete Docter (Disney/Pixar, 2015)
Cleverly conceived, coherently executed, emotionally and intellectually mature, Inside Out is (arguably) the first animation in recent memory to be pitched more at parents than their children. Actor Richard Kind and the creators deserve an award for their portrayal of Bing Bong.