K.T Simpson
So we’ve all seen “Toy Story”, and the be-loveable characters, but I guess until now, we’ve never pondered the backstory of where these cuties originated from. Enter “Lightyear”. The film stands separate from the “Toy Story” franchise in that it focuses on what the toy was based on – a movie about a Galactic Space Ranger named Buzz.
“Lightyear” follows the titular character Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Chris Evans), a Space Ranger who along with his friend and colleague Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba), embark upon a space mission to explore what’s out there. After something goes wrong with the ship, Buzz tests out their repairs but finds that travelling at lightspeed sees time progress by 4 years for Buzz’s 4 minutes.
In many ways, “Lightyear” is for the adults that grew up with “Toy Story” rather than the children that still enjoy it today. Largely this is for nostalgic reasons, but the storyline is also a bit complex for the young’uns – they may just understand it as Buzz travelling on a space mission and making some interesting friends along the way. Not to mention the adorable Sox, who really is the star of this show. His robotic yet strangely emotional responses to things is just so cute – just watch the Sox merch fly off the shelves.
What “Lightyear” does best is in synch with what Disney/Pixar are so well known for, and that’s graphics and animation bordering on perfect. It’s incredible what’s possible in the studio these days, and it’s always impressive.
Perhaps the letdown is the rabbit warren that is the storyline. It’s certainly a fun and interesting film, with a great script and some very memorable characters, but there’s a lot going on in the storyline department, to the point that it’s not entirely linear. It’s easy enough to gauge what’s going on, but confusing enough that the littlies might just be wondering when Sox is coming back on screen.
Overall, “Lightyear” is definitely worth a watch as another great entry into the Disney/Pixar catalogue. Enjoy the animation on the big screen, and enjoy a 90 min film that really needs no great analysis.
