Lightyear

Tonight, I saw “Lightyear,” which was released in theaters back in June, but came out on Disney+ three days ago. This was one of the movies that I wanted to see, and now that it was released on Disney+, I will let everyone know my thoughts on it.

This is a space adventure with inspiration for everyone’s favorite toy astronaut on a fascinating mission to defeat a robot invader and get his crew home.

One thing that helps animated film is making sure they bring audiences of all ages because kids aren’t going by themselves and adults would like to not be bored. No question, Pixar understands this and has been releasing widely popular movies for decades. However, they – and the fans that love them – have frequently returned to where it all began: “Toy Story.” Now that Andy is an adult, and Woody and the gang are bringing joy to other kids, it became a question of where do we go from here? The answer goes all the way back to before they were toys. Thus, “Lightyear” is the movie that looks like an inspiration for the arrogant astronaut action figure.

Buzz Lightyear (Chirs Evans) and Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba) are Space Rangers, traveling the galaxy with so many humans in pods as they make their way home. Unfortunately, some mistake maroons them on a hostile planet. Refusing to give up and wanting to get the mission back on track, Lightyear sacrifices his chance at a life to get everyone home. With Hawthorne’s support and the help of an A.I. cat named Sox, played by Peter Sohn), Lightyear just might do it. However, then an occupying robot alien race led by Zurg, voiced by Josh Brolin’s father, Fames Brolin, decides to mess up their plans, threatening to destroy everything the Space Ranger worked so hard to save.

From face value, the narrative is a typical sci-fi story about a mission gone wrong and the need to adapt to a new environment. It starts with an action scene where the protagonists are introduced to the planet’s unfriendly occupants, followed by a high-speed escape. Sarah Gopaul said in her review, “When it’s discovered they cannot leave the planet, the second act shows a resilient group of people who make the best of a bad situation, while Lightyear does his best to rectify the error and get everyone back to where they belong.” Seeing how this is a family-friendly science fiction, Lightyear learns a lesson as the film goes on about learning from his past mistakes, accepting people’s flaws by focusing on their strengths, and accepting help once in a while.

Gopaul said, “Lightyear is slightly less arrogant than the toy version of him, though he’s still very courageous and unwavering in his commitment, which Evans can portray in spades. Hawthorne has strong Monica Rambeau vibes as she lives for the adventure and is quick on her feet.” She’s Lightyear’s best friend, while her granddaughter, Izzy, voiced by Keke Palmer, becomes his greatest ally. The younger Hawthrone, along with a small group of rookies, turn out to be involved in helping Lightyear…and the source of a lot of trouble as they mess up most of their tasks. Taika Waititi just can’t avoid playing loveable characters as Mo is a little clumsy, but is very resourceful. Also, Sox is a complete enjoyment and he has so many “Star Wars” references.

As a story that comes before “Toy Story,” fans shouldn’t expect too many connections beyond Lightyear’s catchphrases. However, fans of the toy astronaut will not be disappointed by this film.

Couple of complaints that I have is one being the design of Lightyear. They didn’t make him look like he did in the “Toy Story” franchise, but maybe that’s because, as they stated before the film began, this is based on a movie that Andy saw, which made Lightyear the boy’s favorite toy. Maybe I shouldn’t be too hard on that, but the one that I think people could agree on is that Chris Evans is no Tim Allen. I don’t get why they wouldn’t cast Tim Allen in this movie since he has been voicing the character since the first “Toy Story” movie. If Allen could voice the character in the animated series from way back, why not for this movie? Are they trying to make it that action figures don’t always sound like they do in films? Because I always thought they did.

All of that aside, this is a good Pixar film. If you haven’t seen this yet because you don’t really go to the theaters since the pandemic, watch it on Disney+. For those who are fans of the “Toy Story” franchise should not miss the opportunity to see this. Check it out and have an enjoyable time. I wouldn’t be surprised if they make a sequel to this, because I wouldn’t mind seeing this turn into a franchise.

Thank you for joining in on my review tonight. Look out next Friday for the continuation of “Brad Pitt Month.”