Of course, a toy version that's based around catchphrases and space battles is a more over-the-top character. He's still an incredibly silly character, but it's not as loud and brash as his toy counterpart-which, tonally, makes sense. Lightyear also wisely pulls back on the slapstick humor of Buzz in the Toy Story movies. That, alone, is an entirely new approach to the character. It's Chris Evans, rather than Tim Allen, voicing the Space Ranger in the movie. While obviously based on the Buzz we meet in Toy Story, it's clear the differences between "actual" Buzz and "toy" Buzz. For Lightyear, that meant renovating one of Pixar's most iconic characters, Buzz Lightyear himself. That's the beauty of Pixar movies, taking simple concepts like "there's more to life than work" and spinning them into beautifully created stories with memorable characters you grow to care about almost instantly. From there, the long journey to find a way back to space where they can continue being Space Rangers begins, he teams with a group of younger potential Space Rangers in an attempt to defeat his newest nemesis Emperor Zurg (James Brolin) and learns that there's more to life than being a Space Ranger and if he's not careful, life will pass him by. In the film, Buzz begins as a cocky and work-obsessed space ranger who, thanks to a critical mistake, maroons the crew of his ship on a previously undiscovered planet, unable to leave thanks to critical damage to their ship. It's easy to see why Andy fell in love with the Buzz Lightyear concept and was determined to play out the spaceman's adventures again and again in his bedroom.
And yet, the movie manages to not only meet those expectations but leave them in the dust. With its connection to the Toy Story franchise, a beloved star in Chris Evans, and the fact that it's a Pixar movie, the expectations for Lightyear are high. It also happens to be the first Pixar movie to debut theatrically worldwide since 2020's Onward, which hit theaters prior to the COVID pandemic. This is that movie." Lightyear is, essentially, the origin story of Buzz Lightyear. "In 1995, Andy got a toy from his favorite movie. "Wait, how does this work? I'm confused." In fact, it's confusing enough that Lightyear explains what's going on in the opening seconds of the film.
Since Lightyear was announced, there's been one question on everyone's minds.