Toy Story 5 Earns Franchise-Low Rotten Tomatoes Score

Pixar’s highly anticipated Toy Story 5 is heading into its opening weekend with strong critical reception, but the film has also set an unexpected record within the beloved franchise. Despite earning an impressive 93% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes from more than 100 reviews, the latest installment now holds the lowest critic rating of any Toy Story movie since the series debuted in 1995.

While a 93% score remains exceptionally high by industry standards, it falls below the ratings achieved by the franchise’s previous entries. The original Toy Story and Toy Story 2 both maintain perfect 100% critic scores, while Toy Story 3 stands at 98% and Toy Story 4 at 97%. Audience ratings for Toy Story 5 have not yet been released. Among existing audience scores in the series, Toy Story 4 leads with 94%, while Toy Story 2 holds an 87% audience rating despite its perfect critic score.

The film’s rating also places it behind several acclaimed Pixar releases from the past decade. Recent titles such as Hoppers and Coco each earned 97% critic scores, while Turning Red and Soul both received 95%. Finding Dory sits at 94%, and Incredibles 2 matches Toy Story 5 with a 93% rating.

Toy Story 5 explores themes related to aging and the growing influence of technology on childhood play. Promotional material has highlighted Woody being teased about his bald spot and expanding waistline, while the story also addresses the struggle between traditional toys and screen-based entertainment. A tablet device serves as a central antagonist-like presence, reflecting concerns many parents may recognize in 2026.

Among the film’s less favorable reviews, The Film Maven awarded it a D+ and described the movie as “a reheated lunch” compared with Disney’s original animated feature Hoppers. Independent UK gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, arguing that its storyline involving Lily and Bonnie failed to reach a meaningful resolution despite attempting a more nuanced approach.

Many critics, however, responded positively to the film. The San Jose Mercury News awarded Toy Story 5 a perfect 5 out of 5 score, praising its message about balancing excessive screen time with genuine real-world friendships and connections.

Although most reviews have been positive, relatively few critics have awarded perfect marks, with many ratings falling in the 3/5, 3/4, or 4/5 range. Nevertheless, industry attention is now turning to the box office, where Toy Story 5 is widely expected to generate significant ticket sales despite its franchise-low Rotten Tomatoes critic score.