PIXAR's latest film hasn't done well in theaters, and there's been some negative chatter around it. Some of this doesn't have anything to do with the actual film. "Lightyear" is a "Toy Story" spinoff, and the premise is that we're going to watch an adventure movie about the intrepid hero that the familiar Buzz Lightyear toy was based on. The trouble is that "Lightyear" doesn't resemble the kind of adventure movie you'd normally see toys made for. It's also clearly not designed to look like a piece of 80s or 90s media. This doesn't affect the movie itself, but the too-clever marketing does set unfortunate expectations, and I suspect the movie got off on the wrong foot with a lot of viewers.
If you treat "Lightyear" like a space adventure movie that doesn't have anything to do with the "Toy Story" universe, it goes down a lot easier. Buzz Lightyear (Chris Evans) is a Space Ranger of Star Command, exploring an alien planet with his partner Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba), and the team becomes stranded. Getting their vessels spaceworthy again proves to be difficult, and Buzz insists on being the primary test pilot, committed to finishing his mission. Eventually things go sideways, the evil Zurg (Josh Brolin) gets involved, and Buzz finds himself leading a team of Space Ranger wannabes, Izzy (Keke Palmer), Mo (Taika Waititi), and Darby (Dale Soules). Buzz also acquires a droll robot cat, Sox (Peter Sohn), who they're obviously going to make toys of, but he's one of the better parts of the movie.
The tone and the scope of "Lightyear" is closer to something like "WALL-E" than any of the "Toy Story" films, or the old "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command" cartoon that Disney is trying to pretend never existed. There are themes and ideas here that are almost jarringly adult, especially the use of time-dilation, that causes Buzz to experience time differently from Alisha and the rest of their crew. The design of the film also leans toward realism and takes its cues from space films like "Apollo 13" and "The Right Stuff" rather than most kid-oriented science fiction. It all looks great onscreen, but it's a much more serious and somber vibe than"Toy Story." And you really have to take this version of Buzz Lightyear as an entirely new character - a less silly, more grown-up Buzz carrying a lot of guilt.
This doesn't mean the movie is glum - once the rookies show up in the second half, "Lightyear" slides into the groove of a more typical family adventure film, with plenty of one-liners, action scenes, Taika Waititi schtick, and heartfelt life lessons. However, it takes a while to get there and the tonal shifts feel like the filmmakers had some trouble deciding whether they wanted to make a more serious film or a more typical, kid-friendly one. I like the more thoughtful science fiction that "Lightyear" presents in its first half, and was a little frustrated that so much of it gets undercut when the movie feels obliged to keep the younger kids engaged with more slapstick and screaming. I also really dislike what they did with Zurg, even though it makes total sense for this version of Buzz's origins. Still, there's plenty of heart and charm throughout, and not an ounce of cynicism.
I feel like we take PIXAR for granted a bit, because they've made so many films now. "Lightyear" isn't one of their better ones, but there's still an unmistakable level of care and consideration apparent in every frame. Most of the missteps here aren't major ones, and I expect that "Lightyear" will eventually attract its own group of staunch defenders, as all ambitious animation inevitably does. I feel like older "Toy Story" fans will probably appreciate the film more than smaller kids, though viewers who are new to the series will have the advantage in not having so many preconceptions of Buzz and Zurg.
As for the "Toy Story" franchise, I hope PIXAR finally puts the toys away on the shelf for a while. At least the middling reception of "Lightyear" means there's much less of a chance of me having to review a "Sheriff Woody" western a few years from now.
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