6 Best Toy Store and Childhood Nostalgia Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 5, 2026

Toy stores and childhood imagination are rich ground for family comedy. Toy Story has a cowboy doll threatened by a flashy new toy, Jingle All the Way has a frantic dad hunting a sold-out Christmas toy, and Elf has a human raised by Santa’s elves heading to New York. The Santa Clause, Toys and Big round out the six.

Elf (2003)

IMDb ★ 7.1 RT 85% Metacritic 66

A man raised as one of Santa's elves travels to New York to find his real father.

Directed by Jon Favreau · 1h 37m · Rated PG

2 wins & 9 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Jingle All the Way (1996)

IMDb ★ 5.8 RT 20% Metacritic 34

A father's last-minute hunt for a sold-out toy turns into an all-day citywide brawl.

Directed by Brian Levant · 1h 29m · Rated PG

2 wins & 4 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Toy Story (1995)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 100% Metacritic 96

A cowboy doll's world is turned upside down when a flashy new spaceman toy arrives.

Directed by John Lasseter · 1h 21m · Rated G

Nominated for 3 Oscars29 wins & 24 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus, Hulu · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Santa Clause (1994)

IMDb ★ 6.6 RT 73% Metacritic 57

An ordinary dad accidentally becomes the new Santa Claus and starts physically transforming into him.

Directed by John Pasquin · 1h 37m · Rated PG

2 wins & 9 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Toys (1992)

TMDB ★ 5.6

A whimsical toy factory heir battles his militaristic uncle for control of the beloved family business.

Directed by Barry Levinson · 2h 02m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Big (1988)

IMDb ★ 7.3 RT 98% Metacritic 73

A young boy magically turned into an adult must handle work and love with a child's heart.

Directed by Penny Marshall · 1h 44m · Rated PG

Nominated for 2 Oscars12 wins & 15 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Toy Store and Childhood Nostalgia Movies

Elf (2003)

Jingle All the Way (1996)

Toy Story (1995)

The Santa Clause (1994)

Toys (1992)

Big (1988)

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