Lightyear cinematographer Jeremy Lask has recently revealed some key inspirations behind Disney and Pixar's highly anticipated animated feature. Lightyear is the latest addition to the famous Toy Story franchise and is being written and directed by Angus MacLane.
Pixar's Lightyear seems that it will be carrying on the legacy of the Toy Story franchise. However, MacLane was determined to ensure that the film would be able to tell its own individual story that introduced a brand-new world and a more unfamiliar Buzz than audiences have been acquainted with throughout the Toy Story series. The director recently shared some of his main inspirations that made the story of Buzz and his adventures be able to come to fruition in his head, to bring it to life.
Perhaps not too surprisingly, due to both world’s residing in space, MacLane cited that the Star Wars franchise had a huge influence on the making of Lightyear. He went on to explain the impact that watching the Star Wars films had on him as a young kid, making him feel as though anything was truly possible. He admitted that he wanted to try and recreate whatever Andy’s version of that feeling would be in relation to Buzz. While attending the Lightyear press junket, Lasky further elaborated on some of the many other inspirations of the film during a conversation with Screen Rant. Lasky specifically shouted out and praised the work of Japanese filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa, whose films he supposedly re-watched as references on a loop. He was enthralled by the way Kurosawa was able to capture movement within a single frame, and it was something he wanted to emulate for the many action sequences in Lightyear.
Lasky also mentions the iconic Steven Spielberg as another source of great inspiration, due to his ability to stretch out cuts. "We looked at a lot of Kurosawa, how he's so controlling with movement in frame and making sure that the thing moving in the frame is the thing you should be paying attention to. How do you choreograph all of that, together? His films are very complex, so certainly, we're influenced by that," Lasky said. "I'm influenced by Spielberg's use of staging and how he will often stretch out cuts. He will delay cuts because he can re-block with the camera or with the characters, and that is really interesting to me.”
Lightyear serves as an origin story, as it explores the adventures of everyone's favorite fictional astronaut, Buzz Lightyear. Showcased as an in-universe blockbuster film, Lightyear follows a young Buzz, who, while on his first ever test flight, accidentally travels through time while attempting to return home from a strange planet he now finds himself trapped on. Actor Chris Evans has been cast as the titular character (young Buzz) and is accompanied by co-stars Keke Palmer, Dale Soules, Taika Waititi, Peter Sohn, Uzo Aduba, and James Brolin
Lightyear is set to make its theatrical debut on June 17th, 2022.
Source: Screen Rant