Lightyear, a Disney and Pixar animated film, is directed by Angus MacLane. The story is by Angus, Matthew Aldrich and Jason Headley, with a screenplay penned by Jason and Angus. The 105 minutes film features actors (voice) Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear, Keke Palmer as Izzy Hawthorne, Peter Sohn as Sox, Taika Waititi as Mo Morrison, James Brolin as Emperor Zurg, Uzo Aduba as Alisha Hawthorne, Dales Soules as Darby Stell, and several others.
The synopsis reads, “Lightyear is the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear—the hero who inspired the toy—follows the legendary Space Ranger on an intergalactic adventure.”
Pixar’s Lightyear Review Contains No Spoiler
Buzz Lightyear is a space ranger who is 4.2 million light-years from Earth with his commander Alisha and others from the crew. A big mistake by Buzz damages the spacecraft, and they’re all stuck on the unknown and eerie planet. A regretful Buzz wants to redeem himself and works day and night to find ways to return home. However, it’s a challenging task that takes too much of his time.
As time passes by, the problems rise. Buzz and his crew now have to deal with the deadly Zorg robot army. Buzz’s challenging and dreadful journey and the fight are made better because of his robotic cat companion Sox and a group of misfits. Will he succeed in taking people home? Will he win against the Zorg armies? We get our answers in those 105 minutes.
Lightyear is based on Buzz Lightyear, a toy that Andy got for himself in 1995 in Toy Story. He got one of his favourite toys after watching this movie. Now, we find out Buzz’s story and why Andy loved it so much.
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It’s quite interesting to see Angus MacLane make a film on a toy out of a Pixar film. In Lightyear, when we see Buzz on a mission and doing whatever it takes to finish it. You can’t help but get fascinated. You often keep thinking, ‘Oh, so this is why Andy must have loved this toy’.
The space genre is very vast like space itself. So the story of the team of Space rangers getting marooned on an unknown planet is an idea that instantly grabs attention. The setting would’ve been terrifying if it weren’t a Pixar story. However, Angus hasn’t shied away from showing the scary part too.
The film gave me a lot of Star Wars and Marvel vibes. Chris Evans’ space ranger had the same passion and dedication towards his mission as Captain America. The space genre is enough for one to think of Star Wars. The Zorg army constantly reminded me of Stormtroopers, who are always there to ruin everything good.
The Toy Story spin-off has some heartwarming and visually bewitching moments. I saw the film in 2D. But I know it would’ve looked magnificent in 3D. The film packs the elements one expects out of a Pixar movie – brilliant animation, a good story, an engaging plot and some laughter. However, what was lacking from the story was emotions.
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Except for a few scenes, the story fails to touch the hearts. Similarly, if one takes out Sox from the story, very few scenes would make one chuckle. Buzz is quite a serious and unhappy character.
Chris Evans had big shoes to fill by voicing Buzz Lightyear after Tim Allen did it for years. The actor does a good job throughout. But when he goes on and on about completing his mission, he sounds like Steve Rogers. Peter Sohn as Sox is my most favourite. If Sox weren’t a part of the story, it would’ve been a distressing watch. Peter did an incredible job with his robotic voice acting and the funny sounds he made as Sox. The rest of the cast does their job well.
Lightyear Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, Chris Evans does whatever it takes to complete his mission and ensure people are safe. However, you still want more. You feel like the film ended quickly, mainly because you are searching for emotions. It’s a good one-time watch for anyone who’s grown up loving Toy Story.
There are 3 mid-credit/end-credit scenes. So do not leave the theatre till the very end.
The film releases on June 17. Book your tickets here.
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