1. Toy Story (1995-2010)
Walt Disney PicturesIn an industry where animated sequels are regularly made in an effort to capitalise on a successful brand and often result in mediocrity, Pixar's dedication to emotion and storytelling separates the Toy Story franchise from its pixelated peers. Individually they are three of the greatest animated features ever made, but collectively the adventures of Woody and Buzz stand tall as one of the greatest trilogies in the history of cinema across any genre. The first Toy Story was nothing short of a massive gamble, the first ever feature-length computer animated movie from an untested studio that had spent years in development, going through numerous rewrites and even a production shutdown. The end result was both a critical and commercial hit, that deftly blended the technical innovations with buckets of action, humour and heart to create a timeless classic. The sequel was originally intended as a straight-to-video movie, suffering yet another troubled production process but still delivered a more-than-worthy follow-up that is at the very least the equal of its predecessor. Eleven years later, Toy Story 3 brought the story full-circle with a riotously entertaining yet emotionally powerful prison-break movie that had many a grown adult wiping away the tears by the final reel. Becoming the first animated movie to gross over a billion dollars and scoring an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, the franchise closed on a fitting note. Visually, thematically, commercially and artistically, the Toy Story series is franchise filmmaking at its finest.