Find out the origin story of the real Buzz in Lightyear, the latest from director Angus MacLane.
Remember how in Toy Story Buzz Lightyear was the cool new toy in town? Well, Pixar has decided to give us the origin story for these toys, and it turns out they were based on a real astronaut.
In this version, Buzz Lightyear is stranded with his team on a remote galaxy, tinkering with what they have to make a ship that will get them back into space. Alien creatures and robots show up to complicate things, of course, and the dashing hero will prove why all the boys want to pretend to be him through action figures.
The spinoff is in the hands of MacLane, who co-directed another Pixar spinoff Finding Dory. That movie found a novel way to explore themes Finding Nemo had skirted around. Lightyear seems less thematically connected to its predecessor, so it will be curious to see what connective tissue he finds between the properties.
The real boy gets a whole new voice actor in live-action superhero actor Chris Evans, with Taika Waititi, Keke Palmer, James Brolin, and Uzo Aduba also lending their voices.
This is an unusual film from Pixar, both in its stretch to use existing IP and in its slightly more mature feel. But everyone loves Toy Story and that universe hasn’t let us down yet, so maybe Lightyear will shoot to infinity and beyond.
Lightyear is directed by Angus MacLane and features the voices of Chris Evans, Taika Waititi, and Keke Palmer. It will be released in the US and the UK on June 17th, 2022. For international release dates, click here.
Do you think this one will reach for the sky or find a snake in its boot? Let us know in the comments!
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