top of page
Writer's pictureSteve

Lightyear (2022)

In 1995, Andy would not have been old enough to watch this film. Given that this is the inspiration for Andy's love of Buzz Lightyear, this raises only the first of the questions I have about the existence of this film. Pedantic? Maybe...


Director Angus MacLane is quoted, when questioned on the absence of Tim Allen as the voice of Buzz that he "didn't want to cast an Allen impressionist or even a "superheroic type" for Buzz but instead someone who had “a commanding presence that also is able to be funny without being goofy.” So why choose Captain America then? Because he isn't a superhero? Also -"This is a whole new team that really had nothing to do with the first movies," (Angus MacLane, was an animator on Toy Story 2 and 3, so perhaps not quite as new as they would have you believe).


So, with my immediate personal foibles about the project highlighted, we can move on, albeit begrudgingly, with suitably unimpressed harumphs and brow-furrowing.


Let me say unequivocally, this is not any kind of Buzz I recognise and making an animated 'space ranger' movie carrying said name as ballast for everything else it is lacking seems like something of a con.


If you're old enough to remember the inspiration for this, then you really don't need me to tell you what's missing. Like Pixar's last curiosity 'Turning Red' that went straight to streaming without a cinematic release for some reason, this is missing its heart and soul. Pixar's originals could bring you to tears. This? Well, you'll be lucky if you can garner up enough energy to pull an accusatory face at it.


If you're not here looking for nostalgia, you might have an average time with this, even if you don't ask yourself why, if not for history, you would even be watching. It looks pretty enough, you would expect nothing less from the luminary artists involved, but the engagement is non-existent. Mr Potato-head had more about him than anyone featured here, and he was just an also-ran in the superlative franchise to which this foolishly and pointlessly aspires.



5 views

Recent Posts

See All
bottom of page