‘Lightyear’ Review: Buzz’s ‘Toy Story’ Arc is Revisited in a Lighthearted Sci-fi Romp
Lightyear, starring Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Uzo Aduba, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, and Josh Brolin, premieres on June 17th.
Lightyear opens with a brief reminder that the events that we are about to watch were the in-world inspiration for the creation of one of Andy’s toys—Buzz Lightyear—in 1995. After getting over the speed at which time has passed since 1995, the dulcet tones of Chris Evans ease us into an animated sci-fi romp that does the absolute most to remind us about the expeditious passage of time.
Set aside whatever you remember from watching Buzz Lightyear of Star Command on the Disney Channel, because this Buzz’s origin story is far more gritty and real-world. Which makes sense, considering this is apparently the movie that sparked the lighthearted children’s show that captured the hearts of children like Andy. While Lightyear may be a departure from the toys and stories we grew up with, Evans’ Space Ranger is still fundamentally the same man. He’s overly confident in his abilities, prone to sticking to a singular mission, and bad at being a team player.
Despite the latter trait, Buzz does put a lot of trust in his friend and partner Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba), but even their friendship isn’t enough to keep his hero complex at bay. Early on, rather than working with Alisha and a rookie recruit, he opts for doing things his own way, which leads to a devastating mistake that has far-reaching ramifications. He attempts a hasty—and dangerous maneuver that may feel familiar to Top Gun: Maverick fans—which causes the entire Space Command team to have to make a home on T’Kani Prime.
A year after their crash landing, bound and determined to correct his mistake, at whatever cost, Buzz sets off on a mission to run a 4-minute test flight to test the hyper-speed capabilities of a new crystal energy fuel. After a failed test flight, Buzz returns to T’Kani Prime and discovers that he was gone for four years, not four minutes. The passage of time is a key component in the first half of the movie, as Buzz witnesses mere vignettes of the life Alisha lived in his absence. Years pass, babies are born, people die. Buzz is so preoccupied with getting back to his old life, that he lets one hundred years of living pass him by. Ultimately it's this realization that propels him to action, when he comes face-to-face with the fallout of isolation and sticking to an untenable mission.
With renewed determination, Buzz does eventually manage to succeed at making the jump to hyper-speed, thanks to his robotic feline companion Sox (Peter Sohn), but that success comes with startling revelations. When he arrives on T’Kani Prime, expecting a hero’s welcome, he discovers that even more time has passed and now the settlement is under siege by the terrifying Zurg (Josh Brolin) and his robot army. The situation forces him to team up with a misfit group of not-quite rookies, which includes Alisha’s granddaughter Izzy (Keke Palmer), a bombastic older convict named Darby (Dale Soules), and the hapless Mo (Taika Waititi) who is just happy to be included. Just like the misfit toys that Buzz has to come to love, and work alongside in Toy Story, this Buzz has to learn to adapt to their strengths and embrace what makes them work as a team.
After taking a bite out of the score of Jurassic World Dominion, Michael Giacchino brings his A-game yet again to deliver a spectacular soundscape behind the action and adventure of Lightyear. Soundtracks are such an integral aspect of animated films, and something that can make or break it, and Giacchino skillfully delivers the perfect music for each moment.
Lightyear is a quintessential Pixar film through and through. It underscores the importance of teamwork, teaches lessons about overcoming fears, gracefully approaches death and loss, and plays upon bigger things like letting go of the past and accepting your own limits. There’s more than enough in Lightyear to make parents, who saw Toy Story in theaters, just as happy as the kids sitting beside them. At times, it can be a little repetitive—which is ultimately expected in a kid’s film—but it delivers the lion’s share of action and heart.
There are some unexpected twists delivered in the third act of the film, but Pixar largely plays it safe with the narrative they deliver—with screenwriters Jason Headley and Angus MacLane sticking to a neat formula which, admittedly, works well for them. While Pixar has gone inside of our own minds to examine emotions, taken us to the afterlife (multiple times!), and given us a fleet of talking cars, this is the first time that time travel and space exploration has been the backdrop of deeper themes. Lightyear isn’t quite on the same level as Inside Out, Turning Red, and Coco—falling short of the emotionally devastating depths explored in those exceptional films—but it still provides a fun trip to the movies.
If you’re still feeling the need for speed, Lightyear explores similar themes as the summer’s blockbuster champion Top Gun: Maverick. A cocksure pilot who thinks he’s the best of the best, gets a wake-up call that he has to finally live his own life, while learning the importance of team building and working together.
Final Verdict: B
