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Lightyear (film)
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Wikipedia article
'Lightyear' is a 2022 American computer-animated science fiction action-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film is a spin-off of the 'Toy Story' film series, and the fifth overall installment in the franchise. It centers on the character Buzz Lightyear, although instead of following the cast of toy characters from the main franchise, the film presents itself as part of a franchise within the 'Toy Story' films in which Lightyear is a character. It was co-written and directed by Angus MacLane in his feature directorial debut, produced by Galyn Susman, and stars Chris Evans as the voice of the titular character, with Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, James Brolin, and Uzo Aduba in supporting roles.
The film follows Lightyear operating as a space ranger who, after being marooned on a hostile planet with his commander and crew, tries to find a way back home while confronting a threat to the universe's safety. The concept of a human Buzz Lightyear, who exists in a fictional universe within a fictional universe, was first introduced in the 2000 direct-to-video film 'Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins', which was then used as the pilot to the TV series 'Buzz Lightyear of Star Command' (20002001). After finishing work on 'Finding Dory' (2016), MacLane, an avid science fiction fan, pitched the idea of making a film about Buzz Lightyear at Pixar, evoking the science fiction films he grew up watching, with the animators giving the film a "cinematic" and "chunky" look. Michael Giacchino composed the film's score.
'Lightyear' premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on June 8, and was theatrically released in the United States on June 17, 2022, in RealD 3D, 4DX, Dolby Cinema, and IMAX formats. It became the first Pixar film to be released in theaters worldwide since 'Onward' in March 2020, and the first to be filmed in IMAX. The film was a box-office bomb, grossing $226 million worldwide against a $200 million production budget. It received mostly positive reviews from critics, praising its animation, voice acting, visuals and score but criticizing its plot.
Plot
A Star Command exploration vessel nicknamed "the Turnip" changes course to investigate signs of life on the unknown world T'Kani Prime. Woken from hibernation, Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear and his commanding officer and best friend Alisha Hawthorne scout the landing site, accompanied by rookie Featheringhamstan. Attacked by hostile lifeforms, they attempt to take off, but the Turnip's escape trajectory is compromised by Buzz, who inadvertently causes the station to crash despite his best efforts. Blaming himself for failing their escape and stranding the crew, Buzz volunteers as the test pilot for the hyperspace fuel crystal they will need to develop to return home. One year later, the crew constructed a new colony to conduct repairs.
Buzz's disastrous first test flight is compounded by the effects of time dilation: for the four minutes he spent in flight, four years have passed on T'Kani Prime. Alisha shares that she is now engaged to a scientist named Kiko, whom she met three years previously. She gifts Buzz Sox, an AI robot therapist, with the shape and programming behaviors of a cat. Alisha instructs Buzz to wait on testing new crystal mixtures until they find another way to return the crew home, but Buzz decides to take the initiative and conduct further tests, with Alisha's reluctant approval. After a dozen failed tests, Buzz returns from his last flight to discover that Alisha has died of old age. She leaves a recording for him where she shares her happiness and introduces him to her small granddaughter, Izzy Hawthorne. Her successor, Commander Cal Burnside, informs Buzz that the colony has given up attempting to regain lightspeed capability and has decided to live on the planet, relying on a laser shield to protect the colony from outside indigenous hostiles. Sox reveals he has spent the last six decades calculating a stable formula for the hyper crystal. When Star Command sends personnel to decommission Sox, Buzz escapes with him and defies Burnside's orders to conduct one final test.
With Sox's help, Buzz is able to test the new mixture and achieves Hyperspeed. However, he skips another 22 years into the future, where he meets a grown-up Izzy. She explains that recently, an army of robots invaded T'Kani Prime and are attempting to enter the colony, which is currently being protected by Burnside's laser shield. She and a group of cadets, Mo and Darby, intend to destroy a large cruiser that the robots descend from. After an encounter with one of the robots, Buzz witnesses firsthand the group's incompetence in combat and vows to finish the mission himself. Despite his attempts to work alone, the group accidentally joins him on the mission. During an escape from a nest of hostile bugs that they inadvertently disturb, the group departs in a ship which is then subsequently shot down by the leader of the robots named Zurg. After investigating a nearby mining facility to find a small energy coil that will help them restore power to the ship, Buzz begins to understand the value of relying on other people for help, and he allows Izzy, Mo, and Darby to join him and Sox in finishing the mission.
However, Zurg intervenes, and despite the group being able to escape from him and his robots, the hyper crystal is lost. Zurg then captures Buzz and takes him aboard the cruiser, where he reveals himself to be an older version of Buzz from an alternate future timeline, which split upon Lightyear's return to the planet after the successful hyperspace test. Without the robot army to detain them, soldiers from the colony attempted to arrest Buzz under Burnside's orders, forcing Buzz to flee into space. Alternate Buzz and Sox escaped at full speed and, via time dilation, flew hundreds of years into the far future, where he encountered extremely advanced technology. He spent 50 years developing a way to travel back in time to prevent the Turnip from ever landing on T'Kani Prime and avoid stranding the ship upon the planet. Having worn out his own crystal through time travel and excessive usage, Old Buzz, called (B')Zurg by the robots, needs a fresh crystal to power his ship and complete his mission, so he requests it from his younger self. Realizing this would erase Alisha and Kiko's life together, along with Izzy, present-day (younger) Buzz refuses.
In his attempts to forcibly use the crystal himself, Zurg is incapacitated by an alternate timeline Sox who leads Buzz to the ship's control room to initiate a self-destruct sequence before being crushed by an enraged Zurg. After a chaotic assault on the cruiser, Buzz and his team manage to escape the ship before it detonates. On their return back to the planet via a crash landing, Buzz's ship is attacked by Zurg once again, who then takes the hyper crystal for himself. Buzz is forced to destroy the hyper crystal, causing an explosion that seemingly kills Zurg, and he is able to subsequently save his team from crashing onto the planet's surface with their help.
With the fuel gone, Buzz finally accepts T'Kani Prime as his home. Burnside arrests Buzz, Izzy, Mo, and Darby with the intention of detaining them, but relents in light of Buzz's bravery against the robot armada. Allowed to revive the Space Ranger Corps, Buzz unexpectedly selects Izzy, Mo, Darby, and Sox as his trainees. With a new hyper crystal created using the computer left behind during the mutiny, Buzz and his team embark on a new adventure.
In a post-credits scene, Zurg is revealed to have survived.
Voice cast
* Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear, a young test pilot and Space Ranger.
* Keke Palmer as Izzy Hawthorne, Alisha's granddaughter, whom Buzz meets.
** Keira Hairston as a young version of Izzy.
* Peter Sohn as Sox, a robotic cat that is Buzz's companion.
** Sohn also voices an older, worn-out version of Sox used by Zurg.
* Taika Waititi as Mo Morrison, a fresh, nave recruit in the colonial defense forces
* Dale Soules as Darby Steel, an elderly paroled convict who has been conscripted into the colonial defense forces.
* James Brolin as Buzz Lightyear / Zurg, an elderly, nihilistic version of Buzz from an alternate timeline.
* Uzo Aduba as Alisha Hawthorne, Buzz's best friend and commanding officer, who is one of Izzy's grandmothers.
* Mary McDonald-Lewis as I.V.A.N., a voice-activated virtual assistant.
* Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Commander Cal Burnside, the officer who succeeds Alisha Hawthorne.
* Angus MacLane as ERIC, DERIC, and the Zyclops.
* Bill Hader as Featheringhamstan / The Rookie, a new recruit partnered with Buzz and Alisha. Hader previously voiced Axel the Carnie in 'Toy Story 4' (2019).
* Efren Ramirez as Airman Diaz, an acquaintance of Buzz.
Additionally, Tim Peake appears in an uncredited cameo as a worker at the mission control center.
Production
Development
Development on 'Lightyear' started after finishing work on 'Finding Dory' (2016). After co-directing 'Finding Dory' with Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane was allowed to pitch the idea of making a Buzz Lightyear film, having always wondered what movie Andy Davis saw in the original 'Toy Story' (1995) to get interested in a Buzz Lightyear action figure. MacLane, a science fiction fan, had felt attracted to the character of Buzz since he started working at Pixar, feeling that the film's story was very "personal" for him, whose favorite movie since childhood had been 'Star Wars' (1977). An aspect present in the 'Toy Story' films that 'Lightyear' explores is Buzz's disagreement over the nature of reality, which, coupled with his heroic ideals, made an amalgam of sci-fi clichs that MacLane intended to make more than just a punchline.
In February 2019, Tim Allen, who voiced Buzz in the films, expressed interest in doing another film as he "did not see any reason why they would not do it", while in that May, on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show', Tom Hanks, who voiced Sheriff Woody, said that 'Toy Story 4' (2019) would be the final installment in the franchise, but producer Mark Nielsen disclosed a possibility of a fifth film, as Pixar was not ruling out that possibility. In December 2020 at a Disney Investor Day meeting, 'Lightyear' was announced as a spin-off film depicting the in-universe origin of the human Buzz Lightyear character, with Chris Evans providing the character's voice.
When asked about the relationship between 'Lightyear' and 'Buzz Lightyear of Star Command', a 'Toy Story' spin-off series that also serves as an in-universe production starring the Buzz character, MacLane, who directed the CG opening sequence for 'Star Command', said that he did not have it in mind while working on the film, but always pictured the series being developed in-universe after a trilogy of 'Lightyear' films. He later explained that 'Lightyear' serves as a "live-action" film within the 'Toy Story' universe, whereas 'Star Command' serves as a hand-drawn animated series based on the film, from which the toy versions of Buzz and Zurg derive.
Casting
voices Buzz LightyearProducer Galyn Susman said that the creative team did not discuss bringing back the original voice actor for Buzz Lightyear, Tim Allen, in any capacity for this film because they believed that his voice would have tied the film too closely to 'Toy Story' when the film aims to be its own stand-alone story while also saying:
Chris Evans was announced as the voice of the human Buzz Lightyear along with the project's announcement in December 2020. Evans was the first and only choice MacLane had for Buzz; MacLane defended the recasting as follows:
Evans visited Pixar's offices one day and they pitched him the project during a visit; he accepted the offer immediately, given his love for animation. Evans credited Tim Allen as his guideline and also wanted to "create his own understanding of the character, and try to make some fresh tracks in the snow while paying homage to his work in the film". He eventually felt comfortable with his own interpretation and had to lower his voice for the role.
Taika Waititi was reported to have been cast in an undisclosed role in November 2021. Keke Palmer, Dale Soules, Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez and Isiah Whitlock Jr. were reported to have been cast in supporting roles in February 2022, following the release of the official trailer. On May 6, 2022, European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake was revealed to have a cameo as "Tim from Mission Control". On May 25, it was revealed that Formula One drivers Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc would cameo in the film; both playing the same undisclosed character for the Spanish and Italian dubs of the film, respectively.
Animation and design
The animators wanted the film to look "cinematic" and "chunky" in order to evoke the feeling of the sci-fi films MacLane grew up with. In order to achieve this, they asked a former Industrial Light & Magic employee to build a spaceship model for them, from which the animators drew inspiration; this technique was inspired by designers for early sci-fi films using models as inspiration for their sets and props. MacLane said the animation took several "visual lessons" from early sci-fi and space opera films such as those of the 'Star Wars' franchise, though without intentionally imitating such films.To design the vehicles of the film, Angus used Lego pieces to build various ships such as the Armadillo and pitch them to the designers and artists to match the chunky feel within the film. Originally, like Lego films, the world sets within the film via design and concept art. However, for the film, this is the first Pixar film to use Lego as part of their pipeline than what Lego does. Angus already made a Lego design for WALL-E for the Lego Ideas set.
Korean animators Chun Sung-uk and Lee Chae-yeon worked on the animation process in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. They said that it is "overwhelming to see the full scale of what computer animation can do on the big screen". The animation team went to NASA to research about spaceships, space suits and overall set pieces as they wanted "everything to look like a live-action film rather than an animation". According to Lee, a 3D animator, who also worked in 'Toy Story 2' and '3', said "The director wanted to make a film that felt true so he asked for a much more toned-down version of Buzz's personality. Being part of the team required an enormous amount of responsibility, but it was really exciting for me professionally".
For the IMAX release, 'Lightyear' is the first ever animated feature film to have its aspect ratio opened up from 2.39:1 to 1.43:1 for select sequences of the film. Jane Yen, who served as the film's visual effects supervisor, spoke to '/Film' stating that the team had developed virtual IMAX cameras to shoot the sequences in 1.43:1 and then would be cropped to standard-definition. The team had brought two sets of lenses, two cameras, and a larger sensor equivalent to 65 millimeters, which was earlier initiated by Pixar in 'WALL-E' (2008).
Music
Recurrent Pixar composer Michael Giacchino was announced to compose the score for the film, marking his eighth collaboration with Pixar and the second time he would score an installment to a film franchise from Pixar that is traditionally scored by Randy Newman, after 'Cars 2'. He earlier scored for the 'Toy Story' television specials: 'Toy Story of Terror!' (2013) and 'Toy Story That Time Forgot' (2014), the former was written and directed by MacLane. The score was recorded over 15 days, requiring a 39-member choir and an 89-piece orchestra. A track titled "Mission Perpetual" was released as a single on June 3, 2022. Giacchino said the track was his favorite to work on the film, describing it as a challenge due to the music needing to convey Buzz' frustration, sadness, and determination through the sequence. The soundtrack was released on June 17, 2022, through Walt Disney Records.
Marketing
Following the announcement of the film, a first look was shown at the Disney Investor Day on December 10, 2020. The marketing campaign for 'Lightyear' began on October 27, 2021, with the release of a teaser trailer, set to David Bowie's "Starman", that received 83 million views in its first 24 hours. Compared to other Pixar films, the teaser's viewership ranks second behind a teaser for 'Incredibles 2' (114 million). It was positively reviewed by commentators, with CNN-based editor Leah Asmelash writing, "the trailer filled many millennials with sentimentality". The first trailer was released online on February 8, 2022, and was then aired at Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022. 'Comicbook.com'
On April 27, 2022, the first 30 minutes of the film was premiered at CinemaCon along with the second trailer, which released online six days earlier. It was positively received by critics, who referred to the film as "Pixar's 'Star Wars'" and a "beautifully animated, fun, and emotional journey", and appreciated the cinematic qualities, including animation and visuals. Critics further went on to praise the robotic cat Sox (voiced by Peter Sohn), and called it "the standout performer." CNBC's Sarah Whitten compared Sox, with K-2SO of 'Rogue One' and Baymax from 'Big Hero 6', attributing the character with a "dry sense of humor and blunt vocal delivery and also an innocence and caring nature". On May 5, 2022, a poster, stills from the film, and a "special look" trailer was released online.
Fandango Media's managing editor Erik Davis, and John Rocha, film critic for 'Outlaw Nation', predicted a demand for Sox toys, even before the film's release. Mattel, which had the master toy license for 'Toy Story' franchise, had announced a new Lightyear toy line consisting of action figures, playsets and vehicles. After Sox's character in the film received praise from insiders, Mattel created "an animatronic interactive version" which costs $80, apart from the plush and action figures. Mattel's executive lead, PJ Lewis had said "We knew he was much more than a sidekick and offered multiple ways to drive product innovation for the 'Lightyear' line. Plus, we have a few cat people on the team who were smitten."
Lego released three sets based on scenes from the film, which were released April 24, 2022. On May 29, 2022, Ferrari announced that 'Lightyear' would be a sponsor on their cars starting at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix. In addition, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. would also be cast for roles in the film, respectively voicing for the Italian and Spanish versions. American food manufacturing company Lightlife, collaborated with Disney and Pixar for launching several food packages inspired from the film. It also planned for a sweepstake promotion, which enable customers to win several prizes, including private film screening and Disney merchandises. Singapore-based WE Cinemas announced the debut of "Lightyear Premium Pack" with refreshments marketed with stills and images from the film. A half-hour-long documentary featurette entitled 'Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear' was released on the Disney+ streaming service on June 10 in anticipation of the film's release, chronicling the conception and production of 'Lightyear'.
Release
Theatrical
'Lightyear' had its world premiere at the El Capitan Theatre on June 8, 2022, and was theatrically released in the United States on June 17, 2022, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures in RealD 3D, 4DX, Dolby Cinema, and IMAX formats. It is Pixar's first film since 'Onward' (2020) to receive a theatrical release after 'Soul' (2020), 'Luca' (2021), and 'Turning Red' (2022) were assigned direct-to-streaming releases on Disney+ in response to the closure of cinema theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 'Lightyear' also becomes Pixar's first film to have virtual IMAX cameras in its progress.In addition to be released internationally in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia in RealD 3D, IMAX, 4DX and D-BOX formats, the film was banned in the Arab world (including Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates), as well as in Malaysia and Kazakhstan, due to a scene featuring a same-sex kiss between Uzo Aduba's female character Alisha Hawthorne and her partner Kiko. The People's Republic of China (PRC) also requested that the scene in question be removed; however Disney declined to make the cuts. Indonesia stated that they did not ban the film, "but suggested the owner of the movie think about their audience in Indonesia where an LGBT kissing scene is still considered sensitive." In Singapore, the scene resulted in the film being allowed only for people above 16 years of age.
The specific scene was initially cut from the film in mid-March 2022, but following Disney CEO Bob Chapek's opposition to Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill and the internal polarizing uproar it caused within Disney, the scene was reinstated. Speaking to 'Variety'
Home media
The film was made available on Disney+ on August 3, 2022, with the option to view the theatrical version of the film or the IMAX Enhanced version. The film was also released on Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia and Malaysia as the film did not release theatrically in these territories following the demand of removing the same-sex kiss. The movie was released under the ratings of 18+ for Malaysia and 21+ (Indonesian equivalent of NC-17) for Indonesia, with mature content warning included prior to the start of the film. IGN Southeast Asia also confirmed that the same-sex relationship remained untouched, even for the previously mentioned same-sex kiss. Disney+ in the Middle East did not include the film as they decided to align with local censorship rules, meaning that content aimed at children that include LGBTQIA+ references, including this film, will not be released in these territories.It was streamed by 1.7 million U.S. households during its first five days on Disney+ according to Samba TV. According to Nielsen, it was viewed for 1.3 billion minutes and ranked third overall in streaming titles for the week. Its viewership fell sharply in the second week to 700 million minutes, with the film being positioned tenth overall and third among all streaming films.
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released 'Lightyear' on Ultra HD Blu-ray, DVD and Blu-ray on September 13, 2022.
Reception
Box office
, 'Lightyear' has grossed $118.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $108.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $226.4 million.
In the United States and Canada, 'Lightyear' was originally projected to gross $7085 million from 4,255 theaters in its opening weekend, with some estimates reaching as high as $105 million. However, after making just $20.7 million on its first day (including $5.2 million from Thursday night previews), estimates were lowered to $5155 million. It went on to debut to $50.6 million, finishing second behind holdover 'Jurassic World Dominion'. Additionally, the film earned $34.6 million from 43 international markets, bringing its worldwide three-day debut to $85.2 million. In its second weekend, 'Lightyear' declined 64.1% to $18.2 million, the second-worst sophomore drop for a Pixar film after 'Onward' (73%), which opened at the onset of the pandemic.
Both 'Deadline Hollywood' and 'Variety' attributed the performance to competition from 'Jurassic World Dominion' and 'Top Gun: Maverick', though ultimately noted it as a disappointment given the brand strength of both Pixar and the 'Toy Story' franchise. 'Los Angeles Times' writer Ryan Faughnder believed that the film was at a disadvantage, since, as a spin-off film, it did not have well-known 'Toy Story' characters such as Woody. He also noted that spin-offs tend to not gross as much as the main franchise installments, and compared the film to the spin-off films 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' and 'Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw'. Pamela McClintock of 'The Hollywood Reporter' wrote that, in addition to competition from 'Jurassic World Dominion' and 'Top Gun: Maverick', the lackluster opening was attributed to brand confusion in the film's marketing. McClintock, Martha Ross of 'The Mercury News', and 'The Washington Post's Sonny Bunch also questioned if the response from people over the inclusion of a lesbian couple kissing and the decision not to cast Tim Allen in the part of Buzz Lightyear was to blame for the film's underwhelming opening. Other box office analysts believed family audiences might have not shown up to theaters after becoming accustomed to the availability of Pixar films at home after their three previous films, 'Soul', 'Luca', and 'Turning Red,' were released directly to Disney+ during the pandemic. Some box-office analysts theorized that family audiences were reluctant to attend theaters in general due to COVID-19 concerns, although this was disproven after 'Minions: The Rise of Gru' opened to $107 million in the U.S. and Canada two weeks later.
Critical response
It is the lowest rated film of the 'Toy Story' franchise on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an overall positive score of 85% (including an average 4 out of 5 stars), with 62% saying they would definitely recommend it.
Peter Bradshaw's four-star review for 'The Guardian' stated "This cracking origin story for Toy Story's spaceman hero is fun and clever and reminds us why we loved Pixar in the first place." David Rooney of 'The Hollywood Reporter' called it "a funny spinoff with suspense and heart, a captivatingly spirited toon take on splashy live-action retro popcorn entertainment." Emma Stefansky of 'Thrillist' said "There's plenty in 'Lightyear' to enjoy, and it's one of Pixar's better efforts over the last 10 years, but it ultimately feels half-done. It feels like it ought to be the beginning of something, like its narrative is a prologue stretched into a feature awaiting the much more interesting second and third and fifth installments down the road." Valerie Complex of 'Deadline Hollywood' stated "'Lightyear' does not rely too much on 'Toy Story' lore to build its world, but it would have benefited from showing some connection to that part of the franchise instead of using title cards." She further praised the technical aspects and wrote "The animation is gorgeous and hyper-realistic. The art department put their all into designing this universe and its characters and robotic villains," but criticized the screenplay saying "sometimes the story becomes convoluted and drags on, almost like there was a need to pad the runtime, causing 'Lightyear' to get into even more trouble and creating a never-ending slew of trampling obstacles."
'Variety'
Accolades
The film is nominated for the 47th Saturn Awards for Best Animated Film.See also
* 'Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins'
* 'Buzz Lightyear of Star Command'
References
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