After meeting the plastic toy Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story franchise, Buzz has his origin story. Disney and Pixar’s new animated film, Lightyear has so much to love.  From well-thought-out loveable characters, references to the original Toy Story films, a wide range of diversity, and inclusivity to tons of action, there is much to love about this new film.

Lightyear is a new animated film from Disney Pixar. It is a sci-fi action-adventure and the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the hero who inspired the toy. Lightyear follows the legendary Space Ranger after he’s marooned on a hostile planet 4.2 million light-years from Earth alongside his commander and their crew. Disney and Pixar’s “Lightyear” opens only in theaters on June 17, 2022.

Lovable and Diverse Characters

The film features the voices of Chris Evans as Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear, Uzo Aduba as his commander and best friend Alisha Hawthorne, and Peter Sohn as Sox. Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi, and Dale Soules lend their voices to the Junior Zap Patrol’s Izzy Hawthorne, Mo Morrison, and Darby Steel.

Through their missions and adventures, we get to know Izzy, Mo, Sox, and Darby as they work alongside Buzz. One of the most notable qualities of the film is the onscreen representations of LGBTQ characters and characters of different ethnicities. As well as characters of a variety of different ages. Each character adds a different perspective for the audience to understand Buzz’s story. You grow to love each of these characters and their unique personalities. For example, Darby (Dale Soules), the more elderly member of Buzz’s squad, is portrayed as still very strong and can depend on herself while also helping those around her. Izzy (Keke Palmer) being the youngest is also just as strong, cares about everyone, and inspires those who listen to her.

It’s also refreshing that we don’t see the trope of women in high-stakes situations having to prove themselves against male counterparts. There is just an unspoken acceptance of women, women of color, and women of different ages as equal to their male counterparts. You see this, especially with Buzz’s relationship with his best friend Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba). This film makes sure that little girls everywhere will have more to look up to than just Buzz.

Zurg  the Villain Returns

As Buzz tries to find a way back home through space and time, matters become complicated with the arrival of Zurg, an imposing presence with an army of ruthless robots and a mysterious agenda. If you are familiar with Zurg from the original Toy Story franchise, you may find this version of Zurg very different compared to his Toy Story counterpart. James Brolin can be heard as the voice of Zurg and in Lightyear, Brolin gives Zurg a stronger presentation than that of the soft Zurg in Toy Story 2. Zurg’s presence in Lightyear gives off imposing strength and brings a darker and heavier atmosphere when he is onscreen. Whereas in Toy Story he was cute and something small but still portrayed as the villain.

Tons of Action Scenes and Great Visuals

The film’s animation is amazing. Some of the action scenes make you feel like you are there with them, through everything that goes down. The scenes are beautifully shown through vibrant colors in a hyperrealistic way and give the illusion of being on a rollercoaster. In the beginning scene, you feel as if you can almost reach into their world.

Most of the scenes would make for great theme park rides. Just watching it makes you feel like you’re on a ride. I would love to experience those scenes translated into a 4D experience. Some of these scenes even reminded me of the Transformers Ride in Universal Studios and it would be great to see those scenes as a ride at Disneyland.

Disney has plenty to work with if they wanted to create a replica of Buzz’s world as an adventure area or ride.

The References to Toy Story

Lightyear makes a lot of references to the Toy Story collection. If you pay attention you will see that Lightyear‘s Buzz faces similar situations as Toy Story‘s Buzz.  Even some of the new characters we meet in Lightyear resemble the personalities of characters like Jessie, Mr. Potato Head, Combat Carl, etc. There are also some well-hidden character cameos. It is nice to see resemblances from the world of the Buzz that many of us grew up with. I couldn’t find the A113 that is famously used in most Pixar movies but try looking for it, I’m sure it’s there.

Chris Evans as the New Buzz Lightyear

The film features the voice of Chris Evans as Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear. At times Evans sounds just like Tim Allen’s version of Buzz in the Toy Story films. Evans does a wonderful job at capturing the spirit that Allen brought to the role while still managing to bring his own style to the role. This new version of Buzz almost has a little bit of that Chris Evans as Captain America feel to it. Evans projects some of himself and some Captain America onto Buzz. You can see it in Buzz’s drive to better himself and in his leadership. In a way, Captain America and Buzz have many similarities, especially when it comes to trying to do everything possible to complete their mission. Its the reason why Andy loved Buzz and why you will too.

Overall the film was a delight. From its characters to how each character can connect to you and your loved ones. Expect lots of kids to be wearing Lightyear Space Ranger Suits as Halloween costumes this fall. Don’t forget to dress your cat up as Sox!