It's been 27 years since Pixar burst into the public consciousness with Toy Story. Since then, the venerated animation studio has woven tales of fish, robots, and even emotions. Even with so many projects in the last nearly three decades, Pixar can't help but return to the toybox. If Lightyear proves anything though, it's that Pixar can still weave a familiar character into an exciting new narrative.
Directed and co-written by Angus MacLane (making his solo directorial debut after co-directing Finding Dory), Lightyear is a fast-paced sci-fi adventure that rarely lets up after it blasts its way out of its first act. The movie delivers plenty of exciting moments, but sometimes blows too quickly past significant story beats.
All credit to Pixar for clearing up some of the initial confusion about the movie that bubbled up when it was first announced. Some introductory text makes it clear that this is the movie on which the original Buzz Lightyear toy was based. Although it must be said that if a movie like this had been released in 1995, it would have been quite the feat. The real Buzz (played with easy action star charisma by Chris Evans), along with his Space Ranger partner Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Adaba) and a massive crew of scientists are marooned on an unidentified planet after Buzz tries to fly their massive spaceship on his own.
This predicament leads to the movie's first plot beat: the ship's crystalline fuel is completely damaged and needs to be replicated, which is much more difficult than it sounds. Buzz takes it upon himself to find the solution, but in doing so, hurls himself forward in time with each successive space flight. In the future, he meets Alisha's granddaughter Izzy (Keke Palmer), who informs him of a robot invasion of the planet. Along with Izzy and her inexperienced companions Mo (Taika Waititi) and Darby (Dale Soules), as well as his robot cat companion SOX (Peter Sohn), Buzz must find a way to defeat the robots and make his way home.
Lightyear's plot is pretty boilerplate sci-fi fare, but it's lent a lot of charm by its cast of characters. It's also a premise that shouldn't work as well it does, considering the source of its inception. However, despite being a movie aimed at younger audiences, Lightyear doesn't shy away from some fairly hard sci-fi concepts, including time dilation and planetary colonization. There are also some pretty big surprises in the story that may be somewhat predictable for older viewers, but will be plenty mind-blowing for the younger kids in the audience.
For all of its narrative momentum, though, Lightyear doesn't always make the biggest impact with its character beats or themes. While Buzz and Izzy are developed over the course of the story, Mo and Darby are mostly left in the quirky sidekick roles. That's not necessarily a glaring weakness, but it still would have been rewarding to see a bit more growth from these two. Buzz himself carries much of the movie, and it helps that his character is three-dimensional enough to handle it. This version of the legendary space ranger is arrogant, but not obnoxious. He thinks he can handle everything himself, but it's because he thinks he has to shoulder all of that responsibility. Evans's performance mirrors the straightlaced nature of his Captain America, imbuing this somewhat square do-gooder with real pathos.
Unlike some of Pixar's masterpieces like Finding Nemo or Inside Out, Lightyear doesn't always seem to stick to one central theme. It's difficult to parse what the movie's subtext is trying to convey. Is this a story about learning to depend on others and work as a team? Or is it about not being hampered by mistakes and learning to move forward instead of trying to fix the past? Lightyear seems to want to be about both things, but never really decides which is more important. Still, it manages to hit some strong emotional beats during an early montage, culminating in one of Pixar's signature tearjerking scenes.
Luckily, this is still a Pixar movie, and as such the animation is spectacular. The company has come a long way from the very plastic-looking textures of the characters in Toy Story (and that includes the humans). All of the details in each scene are rendered with such detail that it's easy to get lost in them. From something as big as the smoke plumes from Buzz's ship launching into space to small details like the texture of SOX's artificial fur or Buzz's t-shirt, the movie is still a testament to the impressive and no doubt intensive work put into every moment of this animated world.
This being a sci-fi story, there are also plenty of references, both overt and more subtle, to other works from the genre, including a pretty clear homage to one of the most visually memorable moments of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Nothing is done obviously or with a big wink to the audience, but sci-fi fans will find plenty to point out throughout Lightyear's runtime. For everyone else, there are plenty of great comedic moments, and for the most part, they all land well. SOX, in particular, is a great source of hilarious beats in Lightyear. Despite some of the marketing making the robotic cat seem like an annoying sidekick, SOX proves to be invaluable and may end up being a fan favorite.
Lightyear may not find itself in the upper echelons of Pixar's best work, but it's a more than deserving entry into the studio's canon. Despite some of the shortcomings in its story, the movie still works as a competent and action-packed sci-fi story with solid comedic beats and awe-inspiring animation. Chris Evans, doing more than just a Tim Allen impression, makes this familiar hero feel fresh and exciting, almost like a completely new character. Lightyear could be seen as just repurposing an old Pixar property, but it manages to go further than its premise may suggest. That may not be to infinity and beyond, but it's close enough.
Lightyear premieres in theaters on June 17th.
Lightyear
Disney Pixar branches the Toy Story franchise off with Lightyear, a story that centers around a human version of the Buzz Lightyear toy and his missions with Star command. Set during an exploration mission, Lightyear and his crew are attacked during a scouting mission by alien lifeforms and find themselves stranded on an unknown planet. To help get everyone home, Lightyear volunteers on a dangerous mission to test pilot their means home. However, each test light passes time and the characters age in his absence.