Films like Toy Story
13 picks with a similar feel
What defines Toy Story, going by its Boxlist taste profile: A larger-than-life animated family film that is breakneck, wide-ranging and simple. Best if you like the extraordinary over the everyday. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of self-destruction, unlikely connections and deep rivalry, plus tags such as elementary school, neighborhood and walkie talkie.
Here are 13 films with a similar feel, ranked by how closely they match that profile. Treat them as picks to try, not a definitive list.
Based on Toy Story (1995).
- 1
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Film7.8Warmer in tone
Why it's like Toy Story: Also heightened and fast-paced, with themes of unlikely connections and deep rivalry. Common ground: rivalry, friends.
- 2
Big Hero 6 (2014)
Film7.8
Why it's like Toy Story: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of unlikely connections and underdogs. Common ground: martial arts, friendship.
- 3
Cars (2006)
Film6.8Warmer in tone
Why it's like Toy Story: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of unlikely connections and an all-consuming quest. Common ground: friendship.
- 4
Scoob! (2020)
Film7.3Warmer in tone
Why it's like Toy Story: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of unlikely connections and underdogs. Common ground: friends, friendship.
- 5
Ratatouille (2007)
Film7.8Slower burn
Why it's like Toy Story: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of unlikely connections and underdogs.
- 6
Trolls World Tour (2020)
Film7.5
Why it's like Toy Story: Also heightened and fast-paced, with themes of unlikely connections and an all-consuming quest.
- 7
The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019)
Film7.2Warmer in tone
Why it's like Toy Story: Also heightened and fast-paced, with themes of deep rivalry. Common ground: rivalry.
- 8
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)
Film7.0Warmer in tone
Why it's like Toy Story: Also heightened and fast-paced, with themes of unlikely connections. Common ground: friendship.
- 9
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Film6.9Lighter option
Why it's like Toy Story: Also fast-paced and heightened, with themes of unlikely connections and an all-consuming quest. Common ground: mission, friends, martial arts.
- 10
Film6.8Warmer in tone
Why it's like Toy Story: Also heightened and fast-paced.
- 11
Madagascar (2005)
Film6.9Warmer in tone
Why it's like Toy Story: Also heightened and fast-paced, with themes of unlikely connections and underdogs. Common ground: friendship.
- 12
Meet the Robinsons (2007)
Film6.9
Why it's like Toy Story: Also heightened and fast-paced, with themes of unlikely connections and underdogs. Common ground: friendship.
- 13
The Polar Express (2004)
Film6.7Warmer in tone
Why it's like Toy Story: Also heightened and fast-paced, with themes of underdogs and resilience and survival.
Boxlist compares Toy Story with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point. Ratings are TMDB audience scores out of 10.
Which of these suit you?
Take the taste test and every pick shows how well it matches you.
Take the taste testQuestions
- What should I watch if I like Toy Story?
- Picks with a similar feel include Monsters, Inc., Big Hero 6, Cars and Scoob!. Each shares part of Toy Story's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 13 films.
- How are these films like Toy Story chosen?
- Boxlist compares Toy Story with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point.
- Is there a lighter film like Toy Story?
- Kung Fu Panda 2 has a similar feel but scores lighter on Boxlist's weightiness scale.