In 2020, Disney execs announced that they teamed up with Pixar to deliver a spinoff for the Toy Story universe, Lightyear. The movie would be an origin tale of Buzz Lightyear, the doll that encapsulated so many kids like Andy. While many Pixar characters deserve their own movies, Buzz Lightyear’s time was long-awaited.
Disney has been pretty tight-lipped about the upcoming animated feature but a trailer was released in the fall of 2021, showing a small look at what was to come. What’s shown is a futuristic world in space where Buzz is on a mission to succeed. With big names behind the movie, Lightyear is bound to be a success but there’s more that fans want to know until it hits screens this year.
The Official Release Date
June 17th, 2022 is the big day — the release of the upcoming Disney movie. Average Socialite noted the premiere of Lightyear will take place in Los Angeles where the movie is said to only be seen in theaters. Recent Disney movies like Turning Red and Encanto were released on Disney+, giving multiple viewing options for fans around the globe.
However, The Mary Sue explained “Lightyear isn’t expected to release simultaneously on Disney+ and in theaters, like other recent films. So don’t expect to be able to watch it at home on June 17.” With that being said, the movie will be in IMAX and RealD 3D theaters as well.
Why Chris Evans Is Voicing Instead Of Tim Allen
Toy Story fans were skeptical when it was announced that Chris Evans was set to voice Buzz Lightyear. For years Toy Story followers have associated Buzz Lightyear with the original voice actor, Tim Allen. Without Allen, Toy Story supporters wondered if Evans was the right choice.
However, once viewers found out that Lightyear was based on the fictional human Buzz Lightyear—the man that the dolls are based on—fans let out a sigh of relief. In short, Chris and Tim play different characters and this is Chris’s time to shine.
Who Else Stars In The Movie And How Will They Connect With Buzz?
Fans are hoping to learn more facts about Buzz Lightyear through this new movie. In Buzz’s origin story, questions are bound to be answered that revolve around Buzz’s personality quirks. However, Buzz won’t be alone. In Lightyear’s trailer, it looks like he has a team of supporters.
On the film’s IMDb profile, it looks like Keke Palmer is voicing a character named Izzy Hawthorne. Izzy wears a spacesuit just like Buzz’s so it’s assumed she’s a space ranger as well. Another character that joins Buzz and Izzy in space is Mo Morrison, voiced by Taika Waititi. Joining them are Peter Sohn (Sox), Uzo Aduba (Alicia), and James Brolin (whose character’s name hasn’t been released).
The Movie Focuses On The Man The Toy Is Based On
In the first Toy Story movie, Woody and his companions are stunned when their owner Andy was gifted a new toy — a space ranger named Buzz Lightyear. Buzz came from the Intergalactic Alliance and was the captain of the Alliance’s team. Because of his background, Buzz (the toy) thought he was a real astronaut fighting for their safety.
Lightyear will elaborate on why Buzz acted the way he did when he first arrived at Andy’s room. Because Buzz Lightyear is a real human in the Toy Story universe, Andy’s obsession with him and his space adventures was why he loved his doll so much. This part of the fandom will be broken down, according to Insider.
No One From The Toy Story Universe Is In The Movie
One of the biggest questions fans have about the upcoming Disney movie is if any of the familiar characters or voices from Toy Story would be making an appearance. However, Movie Web noted, “Currently, no cast members from the Toy Story franchise are confirmed to appear in the upcoming film.”
It would be amazing to see Andy involved in Lightyear somehow. Whether it’s him and his mom watching Buzz on TV coming home from space or seeing Buzz’s heroic effect on children, it would tie everything together to have familiar faces or voices from the Toy Story movies.
Toy Story Fans Will Recognize The Antagonist Of The Film
Emperor Zurg was Buzz’s antagonist in the Toy Story films. Zurg is mentioned by Andy a few times while playing with Buzz, but he’s shown in the various video games the toys play as well. Zurg’s background and history with Buzz is a question that fans hope Lightyear could answer.
When talking about Zurg, director, Angus MacLane couldn’t say much but he told Entertainment Weekly “If the core elements of what Buzz is were to be paid off correctly, you would want to make sure that he had a laser, you’d probably want to make sure that he had rocket legs, and you’d probably want to make sure that at some point he had a recognizable antagonist.” In the trailer, Zurg does show up and is at odds with Buzz.
Buzz Has A Feline Accomplice
It would be odd to have a Toy Story spinoff and not have any toys involved. Instead of toys, however, it looks like a robotic cat will be Buzz’s sidekick and pet.
In the trailer, Buzz opens a briefcase with the robotic cat inside. The cat soon came to life and said, “Hello, Buzz. I am Sox your personal companion robot.” Sox then acted as a normal cat would and rubbed on Buzz’s leg. Sox is seen quickly on missions with Buzz and had a funny moment acting as Buzz’s sound machine at night. While Buzz Lightyear had funny quotes in the Toy Story franchise, it looks like Sox could take the crown in this spinoff.
The Director Is Familiar With Pixar
Angus MacLane is the director of Lightyear, which seems like the perfect choice since he’s familiar with both Disney and Pixar. He directed two Toy Story shorts, Toy Story Toons: Small Fry and Toy Story of Terror, and was also the lead director behind Finding Nemo’s sequel Finding Dory.
With Lightyear in post-production, MacLane is only continuing to make a name for himself. And with a connection to Disney and Pixar, fans are hoping for some major Toy Story Easter eggs to notice on their viewings.
A Huge Win For The LGBTQ+ Community
Disney and Pixar have made strong strides regarding inclusivity in their upcoming films, and Lightyear is a prime example. Along with more characters of color, it’s rumored that Lightyear will also show Disney and Pixar’s first LGBTQ+ kiss.
According to Variety, “Anonymous Disney and Pixar employees told Variety that the kiss is between two female characters, one of whom is a major character voiced by Uzo Aduba.” With the movie being released during Pride Month, this is a huge moment for the LGBTQ+ community and Pixar and Disney fans.
A Sci-Fi Experience
While Toy Story is more of a family-friendly comedy, Lightyear adds a sci-fi aspect to the franchise. With the movie based in space, Lightyear will be an adventure and science fiction experience for viewers. Buzz Lightyear is one of Toy Story’s best characters and an adventure through space with him will be thrilling.
MacLane told Collider, “I wanted to see about doing a film that was influenced by the ‘77 to ‘91 era of sci-fi films, as far as the cinematic quality and the tangibility of the world and more of the straightforward earnestness of that era.” Luckily, his vision came to life, and Lightyear was greenlit.
