4. Toy Story 3

The higher we get on this list, the more I realize that the best movies in Pixar’s line-up have some major tearjerker moments. There probably isn’t one quite as well-known as Toy Story 3’s finale, but even if we didn’t all collectively lose it watching Woody, Buzz, and the rest of their toy pals nearly accept their death as they went down an incinerator, Toy Story 3 is still an incredible film that tugs at the heartstrings of all the kids who grew up alongside Andy and his toys. Pushing aside Toy Story 4’s existence with all our might, Toy Story 3 was a perfect closer to the story Pixar began in the ‘90s. Andy has grown up, and all his childhood toys are locked up in storage. Everyone who has ever formed an overly sentimental attachment to a toy knows what it’s like to finally get rid of them or store them somewhere out of sight. Yeah, you feel like you’re too grown up for them, but those are your childhood memories given tangible form. To store them means that the carefree era in your life is over, and maybe another kid could love those toys the way you did. Letting go of that childlike bliss is never easy, and when Toy Story 3 premiered in 2010, a lot of long-time fans who’d grown up with the films were now old enough to be dealing with this same inner struggle. For those of us in that group, it was gut-wrenching to watch, and for that same reason, it was a perfect ending. If only it actually had been the conclusion. — KS