Many of Toy Story The franchise's best moments are defined by music. Acclaimed composer Randy Newman worked on all four Toy Story films and has written original music that is an integral part of the beloved and enduring legacy of Pixar's long-running franchise. Newman received numerous Oscar and Grammy nominations for his work on Toy Story films. Toy Story 3 won him the Oscar for Best Original Song and the Grammy for Best Film Soundtrack Album.
Newman's songs are widely recognized and celebrated largely because of how they improve the Toy Story best scenes in the franchise. Toy Story and its sequels stand the test of time because of the authentic emotion and timeless lessons embedded in the fun, family-friendly stories. The franchise is expected to expand further with Toy Story 5upcoming release, but there are already plenty of memorable musical moments, the best being when the story, character development, and themes are memorably elevated by the music.
10
“What about Daisy?”
Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 presents the origin story of Lotso (Ned Beatty), the toy bear who took over Sunnyside daycare. The touching montage is narrated by Chuckles the Clown (Bud Luckey), who explains that he, Lotso and Big Baby once belonged to a girl named Daisy. Newman's music is cheerful and light while the montage shows Daisy playing with the three toys, especially Lotso, who was her favorite and without whom she would never go anywhere. The song takes a harsher turn when, after being forgotten at a rest stop, Lotso returns home to see that he has been replaced.
Lotso's anger is palpable and only increases further when Chuckles tries to point out that Daisy only replaced him and not all of them. Villain Lotso's turn is completed by the dramatic music that plays as he, Chuckles and Big Baby are thrown from a Pizza Planet truck near Sunnyside Daycare, which will be tormented by Lotso and his unresolved resentment towards Daisy. While “What about Daisy?” is effective in delivering Lotso's backstorypales in comparison to a similar and even more moving music scene in Toy Story 2.
9
“Planet of Zurg”
Toy Story 2
Toy Story 2 begins with a memorable scene in which Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) flies through space to the planet of his archenemy, Emperor Zurg (Andrew Stanton). The music has an otherworldly sound that makes the scene feel like something out of a real science fiction movie. When Buzz runs down a hallway as a series of spikes approach him, the music gets louder and swells, making everything even more suspenseful as Buzz narrowly escapes one of Zurg's many traps.
After falling into a seemingly endless abyss, Buzz is able to fly upwards, creating a sense of relief and victory as triumphant music plays. The many musical changes throughout the scene help heighten Buzz's shifting emotions. as he narrowly avoids the various threats thrown his way, until he is defeated by Zurg. However, the reveal of the entire sequence being from a video game that Rex (Wallace Shawn) is playing makes this moment less impactful than others in the franchise.
8
“Woody's Round”
Toy Story 2
In Toy Story 2Woody (Tom Hanks) discovers that he was inspired by the main character of an old children's television show called Woody Summary. The song “Woody's Roundup,” which plays at the beginning of each episode, genuinely sounds like it could belong to an old television series. The song sounds like it belongs in a Saturday morning cartoon that is remembered with nostalgia. It also helps Woody feel like he's been transported to a world he never knew existed.
Music is one of the few places where the phrase “the most rooted, the most rooted” is always used, but it just makes the show more charming to watch.
In the style of an old show, “Woody's Roundup” individually highlights each of the main characters in its lyrics. This includes not just Woody, but Jessie (Joan Cusack), Bullseye, and Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer). Music is one of the few places where the phrase “the most rooted, the most rooted” is always used, but it just makes the show more charming to watch. This song loses some of its charm, given how the show connects to Toy Story 2the villains.
7
“I can't let you play”
Toy Story 4
Because Forky (Tony Hale) believes he is trash and not a toy, he keeps trying to throw himself away. Toy Story 4. This leads to the aptly titled song “I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away” as Woody continually runs after Forky before he can dispose of himself in a trash can.. Forky is Bonnie's (Madeleine McGraw) new favorite toy, and regardless of what Forky wants, Woody knows what it means for a child to have a favorite toy and doesn't want Bonnie to lose hers.
Woody repeatedly fighting with Forky and his obsession with the trash can makes for a humorous sequence. The repetition of the letter “I can't leave you” and “I can't let you throw yourself away” help emphasize Woody's determination, even as Forky's attempts to actually become trash grow bolder. This is the second best musical moment of Toy Story 4 and the best song in the film with lyrics. However, it is surpassed by a more exciting musical moment.
6
“Farewell gifts and new horizons”
Toy Story 4
Toy Story 4Woody's emotional ending sees Woody choosing to stay behind with Bo Peep (Annie Potts) rather than return with Buzz to Bonnie. Woody and Buzz's friendship is one of the best in film history, and even though they're breaking up for good reasons, it's still a bittersweet moment. “Parting Gifts and New Horizons” takes the viewer through a rollercoaster of emotions as it starts with a sadder song before moving into more hopeful notes, as Buzz tells Woody, “She'll be fine.”
It initially appears that Buzz is referring to Bo Peep, but he clarifies that he is actually talking about Bonnie. He understands that what Woody needs is to start a new adventure with Bo Peep and is letting Woody know that he supports him. Woody and Buzz Toy Story 5 the payoff threatens to undermine the emotional impact of that ending, but for now it remains well done, largely for “Parting Gifts and New Horizons.” It's the best musical moment of Toy Story 4but it's not as memorable musically as some moments in the previous films.
5
“The Claw”
Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 has the most intense scene in the entire franchise while Woody and the other toys descend into an incinerator and believe, for a moment, that they are going to die. The dramatic music that plays as the toys hold hands and accept their fate makes the moment believable that the animated sequel might be bold enough to pull this off. Fortunately, such a dark ending is avoided thanks to the Pizza Planet aliens, who use the incinerator's claw to collect the toys before it's too late.
The hopeful wave of music that can be heard as the claw carries the toys away from fiery oblivion provokes a genuine sense of relief. Although the scene almost goes to an incredibly dark place, the claw works as a perfect use of deus ex machina, making it a fitting title for the song. “The Claw” is easily the most emotional and memorable moment whose music is purely instrumental in the franchise. It is only surpassed by songs that include lyrics, which helps give them more of a legacy.
4
“Stranger Things”
Toy Story
“Strange Things” captures how Woody feels about being supplanted by Buzz, who becomes Andy's (John Morris) favorite toy in Toy Story. The lyrics do a lot to support Woody's expressions of shock, hurt, and frustration throughout the scene. “I was on top of the world” and “You're in this alone” are among the song's many effective lines that help communicate how lost Woody feels about being replaced. Andy not only plays with Buzz more, but Andy's room decor changes, even the sheets and posters on the wall now feature Buzz.
While the Toy Story The movies are literally about toys, they work well because the toys' struggles and emotions feel real. “Strange Things” is a perfect example of this, with its ability to encapsulate the feeling of pain and overwhelming betrayal that comes with being replaced and cast aside. Since Woody and Buzz end up becoming close friends, this earlier scene isn't as memorable as some of their other scenes, but it's because of earlier moments like this that make it rewarding when their friendship forms later on.
3
“I'm not going to sail anymore”
Toy Story
When he sees a commercial advertising Buzz Lightyear toys, Buzz finally realizes that Woody was right about him being a toy instead of a real space ranger.. This destruction of Buzz's reality is accentuated by Newman's melancholic original song, “I Will Go Sailing No More.” The music plays as Buzz sees the word “Made in Taiwan” over him and as he walks to the railing, which he jumps off of in an attempt to fly. Of course, the attempt ends badly, with Buzz falling to the ground and one of his arms breaking.
Toy Story It's often considered a feel-good story, but the films also aren't afraid to veer into sadness when appropriate. Buzz having his entire reality altered is a moment where sadness is the appropriate emotion, and Newman's voice conveys this with his music and lyrics. Even the title, “I Will Go Sailing No More” is devastating, and that feeling only grows even more when Buzz discovers the hard way that he’s been living a lie. The song works perfectly in the scene, but there are two other songs that are even more memorable.
2
“When She Loved Me”
Toy Story 2
Nothing is sadder in Toy Story franchise than the scene in which Jessie's story is revealed. No narration or even dialogue is necessary, asThe touching story is told purely through the animation and the song “When She Loved Me”, which was written by Newman and performed by Sarah McLachlan. The song shares everything that needs to be known about how much Jessie's owner, Emily, loved her favorite toy very much, until she outgrew him.
Jessie's belief that Woody shouldn't go back to Andy seems more justifiable when her story is told.
Jessie spends years under Emily's bed, hoping they will play with her again, only to have that hope shattered when she is placed in a box and abandoned forever by the girl who once loved her fiercely. Jessie's belief that Woody shouldn't go back to Andy seems more justifiable when her story is told. “When She Loved Me” is powerful, but Toy Story is ultimately a hopeful franchise, which is why the films' best musical moment is more uplifting.
1
“You have a friend in me”
Toy Story 2
“You've Got a Friend in Me” is the best-known song on Toy Story films which embodies Woody and Buzz's friendship and the franchise's many positive themes. Music is used in all Toy Story film, but its best use is at the end of the Toy Story 2. When Wheezy's (Joe Ranft and Robert Goulet) noise is corrected, he says he feels a song coming on and begins singing “You've Got a Friend in Me” in a Frank Sinatra-inspired manner.
It's a cheerful way to end Toy Story 2 and it becomes more meaningful when Woody shares that he feels comforted knowing that even when his time with Andy is over, he will still have his best friend, Buzz, by his side. The song ends the film on a high note while also emphasizing Woody's character growth. All songs from Toy Story the franchise is wonderful, but few are as universally recognized and immediately associated with the films as “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”