Pixar masterpiece with deep themes of loyalty, jealousy overcome, friendship, and sacrificial love — one of the most virtue-rich secular films made.
Toy Story (Pixar/Disney, 1995) is one of the most important animated films ever made — both as a technical achievement (the first fully computer-animated feature film) and as a storytelling achievement. The film follows Woody, a cowboy toy, and Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger toy, as they navigate rivalry, friendship, and the fear of being replaced or forgotten. Its sequels (Toy Story 2, 3, 4) deepened these themes across decades of storytelling.
The themes that have made Toy Story genuinely great align with Christian values: loyalty to friends, the willingness to sacrifice for others, the journey from pride to humility (Woody's arc in the first film), the meaning of belonging and love, and the poignant meditation on childhood, time, and letting go (particularly in Toy Story 3). These are not incidentally Christian themes — they are universal human themes that Christian faith illuminates particularly well.
Toy Story is appropriate for all ages from preschool through adult. The scariest content — Sid's mutant toys, certain sequences in Toy Story 3's incinerator scene — may briefly frighten very young children but is not inappropriate. No sexual content, no language, no anti-Christian messaging. Toy Story is available on Disney+. The same healthy approach to Disney+ applies — ensure children use the Kids profile. See our Christian Family Movies hub.
Children's media shapes formation in ways adult media does not — children are not yet equipped with the critical distance to evaluate what they're consuming. The question is not just "is this harmful?" but "what is this teaching?" GodlyScore evaluates children's content with heightened sensitivity to family depiction, LGBT normalization, spiritual content, and whether the overall tone encourages virtue or passivity. Score: 80/100 Spiritually Safe.
See our Christian TV Reviews hub for similar content evaluated with the same framework. Common Sense Media provides detailed age-by-age content guidance.