Toy Story 5 is out now, and if you are catching up (or introducing it to a child), the first question is simple: what order should you watch the series in? The answer is the easy one. Watch them in the order they were released. Here is the full list, with the practical details.

1. Toy Story (1995)

1995 · 8.0 TMDBToy StoryLed 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.

The first fully computer-animated feature film. Andy's toys live happily until a birthday brings Buzz Lightyear into the room, and Woody fears losing his place. John Lasseter directed, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen lead the cast, and it runs 1h 21m, the shortest of the series. It is on Disney+ and Hulu in the US.

2. Toy Story 2 (1999)

1999 · 7.6 TMDBToy Story 2Andy heads off to Cowboy Camp, leaving his toys to their own devices. Things shift into high gear when an obsessive toy collector named Al McWhiggen, owner of Al's Toy Barn kidnaps Woody. Andy's toys mount a daring rescue mission, Buzz Lightyear meets his match and Woody has to decide where he and his heart truly belong.

Woody is kidnapped by a toy collector, and the gang mounts a rescue. Another John Lasseter film, 1h 32m, with Joan Cusack and Kelsey Grammer joining the voice cast. Widely loved as one of the rare sequels that deepens the original.

3. Toy Story 3 (2010)

2010 · 7.8 TMDBToy Story 3Woody, Buzz, and the rest of Andy's toys haven't been played with in years. With Andy about to go to college, the gang find themselves accidentally left at a nefarious day care center. The toys must band together to escape and return home to Andy.

Andy is about to leave for college, and the toys end up at a day care that is not what it seems. Lee Unkrich directed it, and it runs 1h 43m. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and a lot of viewers describe it as the one that made them cry. Bring tissues.

4. Toy Story 4 (2019)

2019 · 7.5 TMDBToy Story 4Woody has always been confident about his place in the world, devoted to taking care of his kid—whether that's Andy or Bonnie. But after Bonnie creates a reluctant new toy called "Forky", a road trip adventure alongside old and new friends challenges everything Woody believes about loyalty, purpose, and what it truly means to be a toy.

Bonnie makes a reluctant new toy called Forky, and a road trip brings Woody face to face with old friends and new. Josh Cooley directed it, and it runs 1h 40m. It also won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

5. Toy Story 5 (2026)

2026 · 8.3 TMDBToy Story 5When Bonnie receives a Lilypad tablet as a gift and becomes obsessed, Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the rest of the gang's jobs become exponentially harder when they have to go head to head with the all-new threat to playtime.

The newest chapter. Bonnie receives a Lilypad tablet and becomes obsessed, so Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the gang have to compete with a very different kind of threat to playtime. Andrew Stanton directs, with Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack back, and it runs 1h 42m. TMDB viewers rate it 8.3, high for a fifth film in a series.

What about Lightyear?

2022 · 6.9 TMDBLightyearLegendary Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear embarks on an intergalactic adventure alongside a group of ambitious recruits and his robot companion Sox.

Lightyear (2022) is a spin-off, not a chapter. It tells the story of the space ranger that the toy was based on, and it runs 1h 45m. You can skip it without losing anything in the main story, but it is a good watch for fans of sci-fi animation.

Short on time?

If you only have a weekend, watch the first, third and fifth. If you have a child under six, begin with the first two, which are the gentlest, and move on at their pace.

Want more family films after the toy box is closed? Watch with your kids collects the best animated films for family night, and the best animated films of 2026 so far shows what else is worth seeing this year. Not sure what to put on tonight? Pick a film.