Toy Story 5 First Reactions Praise Pixar Sequel as One of the Year's Best

Three decades after the original, early press reactions to Toy Story 5 have arrived online and are largely glowing. The reception feels weightier than usual for a fifth film in a series that has twice delivered what many saw as a perfect ending. Andrew Stanton, who has written on every Toy Story to date, takes the director's chair for the first time in the franchise.

Critic Scott Menzel wrote the sequel "ranks right alongside the first three films" and suggested it could be one of the best films of 2026. Variety's Jazz Tangcay called it "emotional, funny, genuinely warm, and perfect in every way," while Collider's Meredith Loftus said the film left her "in a puddle of tears," placing it alongside the beloved second and third entries.

The story picks up after the events of Toy Story 4, with Woody drawn back to Buzz, Jessie and the rest of the gang. The threat this time is a tablet called Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee), and the franchise's old anxiety about being outgrown has been retooled for the touchscreen age.

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