Early word of mouth suggests that Disney and Pixar might have another hit on their hands with Toy Story 5. Set to open in theaters on June 19, 2026, Toy Story 5 will see Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) reunite as the now eight-year-old Bonnie has become more interested in her new electronic device, a frog-like tablet named Lilypad (Greta Lee), instead of playing with toys. The film will be directed by Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton, who was one of the writers on Toy Story and Toy Story 2 and directed beloved Pixar classics like Finding Nemo and WALL-E.
On the latest episode of The Town podcast, host Matt Belloni revealed what might be hints of the first reaction to Toy Story 5. Belloni said, via The Direct, “‘I’ve talked to people who have seen Toy Story 5 and they say it’s excellent.” Belloni did not get into specifics, or who the people in question were who had seen the movie, be it a test screening or insiders at Disney and Pixar. However, this is the first word of mouth regarding the Pixar sequel, and it being positive is certainly good news for Disney and Pixar.
Will ‘Toy Story 5’ Be the Biggest Movie of Summer 2026?
This is certainly good news for the Toy Story franchise. The series is one of the most beloved animated film franchises, with critical acclaim and box office glory. The lowest-rated film in the franchise on Rotten Tomatoes is Toy Story 4, which still has a 96% rating, compared to the 100% ratings of Toy Story and Toy Story 2, or the 98% rating of Toy Story 3. Toy Story 4 did become the highest-grossing film in the franchise, with $434 million domestic and $1.07 billion worldwide. Toy Story 4 and Toy Story 3 are the fourth and fifth-highest-grossing Pixar films, a rank that Toy Story 5 potentially could join.
The biggest dent in the Toy Story franchise’s armor is, of course, Lightyear, the 2022 spin-off that imagined the in-universe film that inspired the Buzz Lightyear toy. Despite being the first Pixar movie released in theaters after the COVID-19 pandemic, the meta-concept failed to connect with critics or audiences. It scored a 74% on Rotten Tomatoes and bombed at the box office, grossing $226.4 million worldwide against a $200 million budget. Combine that with a general feeling from audiences that the franchise should have stopped after Toy Story 3, and there certainly was a lot of skepticism going into Toy Story 5.
However, like Pixar sequels such as Inside Out 2 and The Incredibles 2, the time between new Toy Story films might work to Toy Story 5’s advantage. It certainly is poised to be one of the biggest movies of both the summer movie season and the whole year. With 2026 having Toy Story 5, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, and The Mandalorian & Grogu, it feels like a sequel to 2019’s slate of Toy Story 4, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Avengers: Endgame, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. While there might be skepticism about some of these titles, Toy Story has shown time and time again it deserves the benefit of the doubt.