Lightyear (2022)

Lightyear is Buzz Lightyear’s origin story and the same movie that ignited Andy’s interest in Buzz from Toy Story. After many years attempting to return home, marooned Space Ranger Buzz encounters Zurg and his relentless army of robots. Let’s consider the pros and cons of Lightyear…

Pros: Firstly, there’s no getting around how fantastic the animation is. Several visuals blew me away, especially the detailed setting and character designs. Secondly, Chris Evans is a strong lead, but my favorite character has to be the robot cat sidekick voiced by Peter Sohn. I liked that the plot had Buzz leap forward in time several generations in order to save his colony. It’s a deep theme for a kids movie and slightly reminiscent of Interstellar, but it kept me intrigued all the same. Lastly, the quick pacing and short runtime make it an easy watch that might surprise you.

Cons: Although I enjoyed Chris Evans and the robot cat SOX, the rest of the voice acting is somewhat forgettable. A drawback that is likely due to the excruciatingly lazy writing. You can only yada yada so long before my disbelief in this animated film is no longer suspended. I’m specifically thinking of the surprise reveal of the main villain’s identity hinging on the fact he could only program his robot army to say one word. This is all happening in the future, by the way. Maybe I’m being harsh, but I’ll let you decide.

I give Lightyear a B. It might be an unnecessary addition to the Toy Story universe, but it’s fun adventure packed with entertainment and awesome animation! It’s a solid Pixar film that the whole family can appreciate. Happy watching!

“To infinity…”