Lightyear Trailer Has Buzz Head Off on an Intergalactic Adventure

The latest trailer for Disney and Pixar’s upcoming Toy Story spin-off, Lightyear, offers another look at the beloved Space Ranger’s first big-screen standalone adventure. Released via the official Twitter account for Lightyear, the movie will tell the story of the character who went on to inspire one of the world’s most popular toys.

Lightyear revolves around the origin story of the fictional Buzz Lightyear, the character who inspired the action figure in the Toy Story franchise. Acting as a sort of in-universe movie, Lightyear follows Buzz as he prepares to embark on his first test flight to explore new galaxies for Star Command to come in peace. However, when the evil Emperor Zurg threatens the universe’s safety, Buzz might be its only hope to save it.

Directed by Angus MacLane, Lightyear stars Captain America himself, Chris Evans, as the voice of the title character. The Pixar outing will also boast a stellar supporting cast alongside the Marvel actor and includes Keke Palmer as Izzy Hawthorne, Dale Soules as Steel, Taika Waititi as Morrison, Peter Sohn as Sox, Uzo Aduba as Alicia Hawthorne, Mary McDonald-Lewis as Qurinside, Efren Ramirez as Diaz, Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Commander Burnside, and James Brolin as Emperor Zurg.

How Exactly Does Lightyear Connect to Toy Story?

Lightyear’s relationship with Toy Story is a potentially somewhat confusing one. The relationship is one that director Angus MacLane has since attempted to shed some much-needed light on. “‘Set in the world of Toy Story’ is kind of weird,” the filmmaker said. “Another way to get at it, it’s a straightforward sci-fi action film about the Buzz Lightyear character. In the Toy Story universe, it would be like a movie that maybe Andy would have seen, that would have made him want a Buzz Lightyear figure.”

So, it sounds like Lightyear puts the audience in the position of Andy to tell us how and why Buzz Lightyear became so popular in the Toy Story universe. But don’t expect to see Andy show up at the end. “The movie doesn’t end and then you see Andy eating popcorn,” MacLane continued. “This is its own thing… This is standalone. It’s the Buzz Lightyear movie. It’s that character but as the space ranger, not as the toy.”

Putting aside the somewhat meta-approach to Lightyear, telling a story centered on Buzz has been something MacLane has wanted to do for some time, with the director excited to tell a straight-up sci-fi story set in the world of Pixar. “Buzz’s world was always something I was excited about,” MacLane said about the movie. “In Toy Story, there seemed to be this incredible backstory to him being a Space Ranger that’s only touched upon, and I always wanted to explore that world further. So my Lightyear pitch was, ‘What was the movie that Andy saw that made him want a Buzz Lightyear toy?’ I wanted to see that movie. And now I’m lucky enough to get to make it.”

Lightyear is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on June 17, 2022.

About The Author