It also happens to be Pixar’s first film to make its world cinema debut since 2020, which was released in cinemas before the COVID pandemic. With its connection to the Toy Story franchise, a favorite star of Chris Evans, and the fact that it is a Pixar movie, expectations for Lightyear are high. And yet, the film manages not only to meet these expectations but also to leave them in the dust. It is easy to understand why Andy fell in love with the idea of Buzz Lightyear and was determined to play the adventures of the space man again and again in his bedroom. In the film, Buzz begins as an arrogant and hardworking ranger who, thanks to a critical mistake, sinks his ship’s crew on an undiscovered planet, unable to escape due to critical damage to their boat. From there, he embarks on a long journey to find a way back into space where they can continue to be Space Rangers, teaming up with a team of younger potential Space Rangers in an attempt to defeat Emperor Zurg’s newest enemy (James Brolin) and learning that there is more to life than being a Space Ranger and if you are not careful, life will pass you by. This is the beauty of Pixar movies, which take simple concepts like “there is more to life than work” and turn them into beautifully crafted stories with memorable characters that you care about almost instantly. For Lightyear, that meant renovating one of Pixar’s most iconic characters, Buzz Lightyear himself. While it is obviously based on the Buzz we find in Toy Story, the differences between the “real” Buzz and the “game” Buzz are clear. It’s Chris Evans, not Tim Allen, who voices the Space Ranger in the film. This alone is a completely new approach to character. Lightyear also wisely removes Buzz humor from Toy Story movies. He’s still an incredibly silly character, but he’s not as strong and brazen as his game-counterpart – which, of course, makes sense. Of course, a version of a game based on phrases and space battles is a more exaggerated character. Where Evans really sets his Buzz apart, though, is the heart that gives him. Toy Story’s Buzz loved his teammates as a family, but Lightyear’s heartbeat is the portrayal of a man who feels frustrated not only by his position as Space Ranger, but also by the only people who matter to him. It’s a story about accepting yourself, your mistakes and everything, and realizing that maybe what you thought was a tragedy was not so bad after all. The movie surrounds Buzz with a set of characters we have never met before and, honestly, they are all a lot of fun. Uzo Aduba plays Buzz’s best friend and commander, Alicia Hawthorne. It’s the silly equivalent of Buzz’s belief that he can really do anything just because he’s Buzz Lightyear. She is also the grandmother of Izzy Hawthorne (Keke Palmer), who could easily be considered the second protagonist of the film. Izzy leads a group of lovable losers who want to help Buzz in his quest to destroy Zurg’s ship. She desperately wants to be like her grandmother and refuses to give up that hope, even if she is terrified of everything about being a Space Ranger. At her side are the delightfully dumb Mo Morrison (Taika Waititi) and the elderly convict Darby Steel (Dale Soules), who can turn any three objects into a bomb. This trio is where most of the comedy in the movie comes from, and watching them play Buzz when he’s trying to be serious is incredibly fun. Most importantly, though, these four characters combine to form an effective team once they truly understand their dynamics. Which is a good thing, because someone has to stop Zurg and there is no one else for the project. One character to be discussed is Sox (Peter Sohn), Buzz’s robotic cat and a close confidant. There is no way we can admit that Sox is the protagonist of the movie and you can certainly expect to see the cute little oven in every toy aisle of every store for next year. However, it is a point that has won well, as it is a character that is ostensibly designed to be funny to literally everyone, as it shifts between being more of a robot than a cat and vice versa. It should come as no surprise that Lightyear is beautifully animated. However, this is not the colorful Pixar world one would expect. As it is a story about Space Rangers wandering on a distant planet, much of their settlement has been designed with an industrial touch. There is a lot of steel, dirt and darker colors that go well with the desert area in which they live on the planet. However, the animators have taken great care to make this settlement seem inhabited as time goes by and it does not become the place where they are stuck, but the house in which they are happy. And finally, this is the theme of Lightyear. From the beginning, Buzz is out of his element, refusing to accept that anything matters other than “mission.” Meanwhile, those around him adapt to their new status quo, reluctant to let life pass them by. As mentioned earlier, it’s a simple idea – like all Pixar’s best stories – but a powerful one that we all need to be reminded of from time to time, and it’s beautifully done here. That does not mean Lightyear is perfect, though. There are some issues that we can not delve into much because of the spoilers that would be released. Suffice it to say that the final seconds of the film paradoxically undermine the message of the film as a whole in a way that I felt unnecessary. And, if you’re really interested in the Pixar rule, this movie is causing some weird hiccups in Toy Story that will be hard to explain. That said, Lightyear is a huge win for Pixar as it has not seen its films in theaters for more than two years. It’s funny, heartfelt, beautifully crafted and a great example of how to expand into an existing franchise without diluting it.
