Lightyear effectively brings to life the story behind the titular toy, successfully reimagining the iconic character and paying homage to the Toy Story films that came before it.
Overall Score: 9/10
Image: Pixar / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
“Buzz Lightyear to Star Command. Come in, Star Command. Why don't they answer?” So said — at the time — a hot new toy in the very first Toy Story film. Now, thanks to the release of Lightyear 27 years later, we finally know why he uttered that very memorable line.
In fact, we now know the whole story behind the origins of Buzz Lightyear the toy. And, to put it quite frankly, it’s awesome!
Lightyear follows Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger who’s been stranded and has been trying to find a way to get home. Along the way, he runs into a team of rookies and a robot cat who help him in his attempt to stop Zurg and his robot army.
Now, keep in mind that this is not your typical Pixar movie. I mean, sure, it’s still got great themes at its core and it’s beautifully animated. But in my opinion, Lightyear stands out by being an animated movie that transcends its form of presentation. In other words, unlike Monsters, Inc., Cars, and heck, even The Incredibles, Lightyear feels solely defined by the genres it so clearly belongs to (i.e. science fiction, action, and adventure) and not by the fact that it’s animated. And to add to that, the film’s producer, Galyn Susman, has even said this: "Animation is a medium, like any other medium, not a genre."
Moving on, I feel like I should touch on Buzz himself. He’s by far one of the most iconic Disney/Pixar characters ever, and he’s one who’s loved by all around the world. With Lightyear, we’ve been given a new version of Buzz — one, I dare say, that some may find difficult to fully like at first. This Buzz has a very specific character arc. He starts out as someone who’s stubborn and a little bit of a jerk (a man on a mission, if you will). But by the end of the film, his growth as a person does come full circle, and I think that it ultimately makes you appreciate him more.
Of course, Lightyear’s Buzz couldn’t have been brought to life without the incredible voice talent of Chris Evans. Evans is excellent as the titular character, impressively capturing the essence of Tim Allen’s original version while balancing it with something entirely new. And with this new role under his belt, he continues to cement the fact that he’s one of those actors who just disappears into each and every one of his roles.
As for the film itself, Lightyear is actually pretty great. And although, yes, some may dislike certain creative choices made by the writing team (e.g. the depiction of Zurg), the overall end product is no less amazing. In my opinion, the only thing working against this movie is the expectations set by audiences. Look, if you go into Lightyear expecting a wild and perhaps mind-blowing adventure, you probably won’t enjoy it as much as you should. Lightyear mostly sticks to the standard origin story formula, and while that can make it somewhat predictable at times, that shouldn’t be enough to prevent you from having a good time.
Lastly, let me just say this: Lightyear is another prime example of why Pixar is the best in the business. It’s beautifully animated, has important and relevant themes and messages, and its score — boy has Michael Giacchino had a busy year — is out of this world. Sure, it’s no Up or WALL-E, and it’s definitely not what you’d expect from a Pixar film, but it does tell its story well and it effectively pushes the boundaries of animation in more ways than one. If I were a little boy as old as Andy was in the first Toy Story, I would probably proclaim Lightyear to be my favorite movie too. And as Buzz himself says, "To Infinity... and Beyond!"
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