Lightyear Review 9/10

To Infinity & Beyond

Fans of Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story franchise will love to see their favorite Space Ranger in Lightyear. For new viewers, the film is a fresh take on the character while still being authentic to the original. The story isn’t driven by knowledge of the previous movies but instead gives viewers a completely new story based on the character. However, the movie does tie into the franchise.

Nostalgia plays a huge part in this film’s viewing. As the movie plays out it showcases homages to many of the moments from the Toy Story movies. Between dialogue and visuals, it’s easy to spot as a Buzz Lightyear fan. Some may even spot the Easter eggs from the Buzz Lightyear of Star Command tv show.

Chris Evans does a great job in recreating the voice of Buzz. His vocal performance displays his range in the way he delivers iconic catchphrases. Both Uzo Aduba who plays Alisha Hawthorne and Keke Palmer who plays Izzy Hawthorne, Alisha’s granddaughter, have performances that resonate with the audience as well. The supporting cast also does a nice job of keeping the audience entertained and interested in scenes where the main cast isn’t on screen.

The film showcases a strong representation of both diversity as well as mental health. The casting is showcased through a diverse group of characters. Sox played by Peter Sohn highlights a lot of overall health-related topics, but primarily focuses on the mental wellbeing of Buzz and the rest of the supporting cast. Each character represents something different.

The main antagonist is of course Zurg played by James Brolin. For those familiar with the character, there are changes to the overall design while still respecting the original. While in Toy Story 2 it is revealed who Zurg is as a homage to Star Wars and Zurg’s design based on Darth Vader, this movie takes a nice twist and turn at the reveal of the character. James Brolin’s performance leaves people wanting more.

The animation for the movie is one of Pixar’s best. The score fits the movie well, while it isn’t too memorable it’s still a great addition to the movie. Some plot details could have been cleaned up better plus time travel can always be confusing, but the overall story itself is so enjoyable that the minor details that weren’t explained aren’t missed. This movie takes viewers to infinity & beyond!

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