1. Toy Story 3 (2010)
A full fifteen years after the original Toy Story broke new ground and paved the way for the computer-animated features that now saturate the marketplace (and eleven years after Toy Story 2 provided one of the all-time great sequels), Woody, Buzz and the gang returned in Toy Story 3. Not just a critical and commercial smash hit, or the biggest animated movie in history, but an expertly-crafted and massively satisfying conclusion to one of the greatest trilogies of all-time. The best animated movie ever? Possibly. The best threequel ever? Probably. The best billion-dollar movie? In my opinion, definitely. The plot centers on a grown-up Andy leaving for college, and the fate that befalls his treasured childhood possessions now that he no longer has any use for them. Shipped off to a daycare center where things aren't quite what they seem, under the masquerade of a prison-break movie Toy Story 3 infuses the story with the darker underlying themes of loss and rejection. Michael Arndt's Academy Award-nominated script deserves immense credit, as it introduces several memorable new characters to complement the returning favorites while also crafting an emotionally engaging story that sees the characters question their very existence, before things ultimately come full circle by the final reel. Heavy stuff for a 'kids' movie, huh? Deftly blending the heavier emotional aspects of the film with the series' signature wit, humor and adventure, the movie appeals to audiences of all ages on both an artistic and thematic level with the third act in particular bringing many a grown adult to tears. It became only the third animated movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and ended up walking away with the Best Animated Feature trophy. Despite being absent from the big-screen for over a decade, the Toy Story franchise had lost none of its appeal at the box-office. Toy Story 3 set a June record with its $110.3m domestic opening and with the added bonus of 3D ticket prices the movie became the first (and so far only) animated movie to gross over a billion dollars, finishing its theatrical run with a total of $1.063bn which is considerably more than the first two movies combined.