Lightyear

by Mike McGranaghan

Lightyear has a pretty original concept for a movie based on a pre-existing character. Onscreen text informs us that in 1995, Andy, the little boy from Toy Story, got a toy based on his favorite movie. That toy, of course, was a Buzz Lightyear action figure, and this is the movie Andy went to see. Despite the novelty value of that premise, it's both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that it puts Buzz in a whole new world, rather than just going back to the Toy Story well one more time. A curse in that Lightyear is very tonally different, so the Space Ranger doesn't feel at all like the character we've come to know and love.

Buzz (now voiced by Chris Evans) has gotten his whole crew marooned on a foreign planet. Feeling terrible, he vows to colleague Alisha Hawthorn (Uzo Aduba) that he'll rectify the situation. Doing that entails building a power source that can get their downed ship up to a particularly high speed. He tests the source they develop in his smaller ship, only to come back from each trip to discover that several years have passed for everyone else, and only a few hours have passed for him. Buzz tries multiple times, getting far enough into the future that Alisha has gotten old and passed away.

Giving up seems like an option, until he meets Izzy (Kiki Palmer), Alisha's granddaughter. She's one of three people left on the planet, the others being fellow Space Ranger rookies Mo Morrison (Taika Waititi) and Darby Steel (Dale Soules). Together with robotic feline Sox (Peter Sohn), Buzz comes to believe that he might be able to wind back all the trouble he caused. First, though, he and his new pals will have to defeat the evil Zurg (James Brolin).

In the Toy Story pictures, Buzz Lightyear was a comically narcissistic figure who still had a kind heart deep inside. That wouldn't fly for Lightyear, obviously. This new movie portrays him as a serious, heroic type, saddled with guilt over how he robbed his colleagues of years of their lives. That alone makes this a picture more appropriate for slightly older kids. Younger ones might be confused about why Buzz isn't Buzz. As for the plot, it has its share of light, humorous moments, but by and large it's an action-packed space adventure. I can't help wondering if it would have been smarter to just make it a non-Buzz Lightyear project. Having a beloved character not sounding or behaving like himself is slightly disconcerting. I found myself intermittently experiencing mild distraction during the first half-hour or so.

Once you get past that incongruity, Lightyear is quite fun. Action scenes are inventively conceived, especially one in which the characters have to traverse a field full of menacing bugs before their invisibility devises run out. Another scene, where the characters get stuck in “security cones” and have to work together to escape, is similarly clever. Sox provides moments of humor, coughing up tranquilizer darts in lieu of hairballs and offering comic quips after some of the narrow escapes Buzz and crew make. This being a Pixar movie, the animation is typically beautiful, too.

The best thing in Lightyear is the surprisingly mature story. Buzz has to confront the fact that his error left a lot of people stranded far away from home. He worries about what they missed out on. Over time, he must learn to accept that they still had lives, even finding happiness in a situation they initially didn't want. If anything, the movie could have gone deeper into that idea. Potential existed for the ending to pack the sort of emotional punch all four of the Toy Storys had. Although it doesn't quite get there, that theme is still sufficient to add depth to the adventure.

All in all, Lightyear is another solid Pixar release – not one of their top-tier films, but certainly an enjoyable way to spend 105 minutes. In a time when studios are content to churn out more of the same in their franchises, having one that takes risks, whether they all pay off or not, is refreshing.

Blu-ray Bonus Features:

Lightyear arrives in a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital code package on September 13 with very good supplementary material on the disc, including a filmmaker audio commentary. Here's a breakdown of what else is included:

The Zap Patrol - This 9-minute segment features the actors who voice Buzz Lightyear's cohorts in the film. They talk about their characters and some of the qualities they attempted to infuse them with. Of course, you get the requisite footage of them recording dialogue, which is always fun to see. Kiki Palmer, in particular, really gets into it, not just reading her dialogue into a microphone but delivering a full physical performance.

Toyetic - Running 10 minutes, this feature looks at the creation of the Lightyear toys. I expected it to be just an extended commercial, but it's far more interesting than that. There's real detail about the thought process that went into toy design and keeping the playthings true to the film. It's also fascinating to learn (and see) that director Angus MacLane designed the movie's ships and robots using LEGO and then had his animation team bring them to life onscreen.

Building the World of Lightyear - This is a detailed 15-minute exploration of the visual style of the story's fictional world – the planet's appearance, the ships and their interior technology, etc. You'll also learn how Industrial Light & Magic and the Johnson Space Center factored into the process. It offers nice insight into how much care went into making Lightyear the eye-popping experience it is.

Deleted Scenes - Here you'll find a whopping 26 minutes of unused scenes, all in storyboard format. The director appears occasionally to provide context. There are some surprises that would be best for viewers to discover on their own, but you will see a new character or two, get a look at an original opening scene, and witness Buzz pulling up a few important childhood memories.

All in all, the Lightyear Blu-ray is appealingly put together, and a solid purchase for Pixar fans. Click here to buy a copy at Amazon.

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