Story by Lisa Baxter
Photos Courtesy Disney/Pixar
Fans were divided when Disney/Pixar announced a Buzz Lightyear backstory movie last fall. Some asked why, and others felt since Woody had an origin story, albeit short, in Toy Story 2, it was the Space Ranger’s turn for notoriety.
Disney/Pixar released Lightyear in mid-June, the desired spot held by Pixar for decades. I took a few hours out of the day to see what the “buzz” was about and came away with questions. So many questions. Was this the movie Toy Story’s Andy sees to prompt his mom to buy him the coveted toy? If so, why was it so serious? And why is Chris Evans now voicing Buzz instead of Tim Allen?
I wasn’t the only one perplexed. A lot of audiences and critics panned the movie, with a handful of fans cheering it on. As of this week, the film is slated to become Pixar’s lowest-grossing movie…ever. The box office will only go to infinity, but not beyond.
Although the plot was a bit convoluted, the computer animation was fantastic. Pixar gets better with every movie. Our Space Ranger, complete in human form, leads his team on galactic missions.
Unfortunately, the latest assignment went awry, and we found our hero and his crew stranded on a remote planet. Aided by his best friend, Commander Alisha Hawthorne, Buzz is determined to right his wrong.
However, every attempt he makes to hyper-speed off the planet costs the home base four years. While they have come to terms with their abandonment and have embraced their new home, Hawthorne and the rest age before Buzz’s eyes every time he returns from his failed mission. He, however, has not. As you can guess by now, (Spoiler alert!) Hawthorne and the rest of the original team eventually die. A harsh lesson learned for our Space Ranger.
Buzz eventually corrects his mistake when his robotic pet, a scene-stealing Sox the cat, can create a fuel composition that will get him off the planet. The mission is a success, but when Buzz lands again on the remote planet to “rescue” the crew, he finds himself decades in the future.
Here, he meets a ragtag team of Rangers, one of who is Hawthorne’s granddaughter Izzy. Buzz’s new team tries to extract more of the fuel for him to go back in time to prevent the original crash from landing on the planet.
The story’s big twist comes when Buzz confronts the evil Zurg and his robot minions. As Buzz meets Zurg face-to-face, Zurg rips off his helmet to reveal he is an older Buzz from another dimension. Not quite the “Buzz, I am your father” audiences found amusing in Toy Story 2.
Now to answer my questions. I’m all for a character’s good origin. Woody’s made sense as he was a toy from a vintage cowboy television series from the 1960s. Add in Jessie and Bullseye, and you have a complete story arc.
Lightyear seemed forced. Lightyear’s opening line states, “In 1995, Andy got a toy from his favorite movie. This is that movie.” So, I expected a lighthearted tale with Buzz’s sweet naivete leading oddball sidekicks to extract themselves from whatever mess they encountered. Not quite.
Instead of the somewhat silly Space Ranger, Lightyear’s Buzz was severe, almost stoic, with not much humor. Yes, Buzz is one for accomplishing his missions, but Toy Story’s Buzz eventually found his identity and humor. Not so for Lightyear. Too serious.
The other question brought up by many critics and celebrities, including Tom Hanks, is why not Tim Allen as Buzz’s voice? He is synonymous with the Space Ranger’s vocals. Chris Evans did a great job matching Allen’s cadence and voice articulations as Buzz, but the voice wasn’t Allen. The reason given by Pixar is the movie Buzz, and the toy Buzz are two different characters. Even Allen agreed.
And let’s not forget Patrick Warburton, who voiced Buzz on the animated series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. (Warburton is known for his portrayal as Kronk in The Emperor’s New Groove and as Chief Flight Attendant Patrick on DCA’s Soarin’ attractions.) Yet, another version of the Space Ranger.
Even though the movie didn’t deliver on the storyline, in my opinion, it was filled with delightful Easter Eggs (hidden nods) to Disneyland, multiple sci-fi movie classics, and Pixar, to satisfy any fan. There was even a reference to Captain America when Buzz stepped out of a hyperbolic chamber, much like Cap does after he takes the super soldier serum. Of course, a Captain America reference was given with Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear.
Look closely for the references to many sci-fi classics; Star Wars is a Pixar favorite.
And even Sox is a play from two different sci-fi classics, Ellen Ripley’s cat in Alien, and a fun throwback to the 1970s cult favorite, Battlestar Galactica and its robot dog, Muffit (Daggit).
The Pixar nods include a Monsters, Inc. scream cannon used as a weapon, a Castle Cake treat from Onward (seen in a vending machine), a quick glimpse at Pixar’s Luxo lamp as a star constellation, and the ever-present Pizza Planet truck that is hidden in every Pixar movie. And there are plenty of nods to the Toy Story movies, including a reference pertaining to the fuel composition created by Sox.
But there are so many more, only to be found with multiple viewings. And, lucky for viewers, Lightyear will start streaming on Disney+ on August 3rd. So, even as a clunky backstory to the Toy Story character, I’d recommend watching the film; the visuals are worth the hour and 40 minutes of running time alone.
And, be sure to look for a reference to Pixar’s newest movie, Elemental, slated to open up mid-June 2023. (Hint: Wade Water (element) is also in the vending machine scene.)
August 11th, 2022