Pixar Animation Studios is giving eager fans a glimpse into how Lightyear pays tribute to the legacy of the hero toy that we already know from the Toy Story films, though also reminds us that this is NOT a Toy Story film.
What’s Happening:
- A new featurette has debuted from Pixar Animation Studios that showcases the long lasting impact of the hero we all know in toy form, Buzz Lightyear.
- In the video, the cast of the new film, including Chris Evans as the titular hero alongside Keke Palmer, Uza Aduba, and Taika Waititi all share their excitement adding to the rich legacy not only of the character, but of Pixar Animation Studios as a whole.
- Evans, a longtime fan of Disney and Pixar animation, shares that he “was like a kid in a candy store” while working on the highly-anticipated new film.
- 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. As Buzz tries to find a way back home through space and time, he’s joined by a group of ambitious recruits and his charming robot companion cat, Sox. Complicating matters and threatening the mission is the arrival of Zurg, an imposing presence with an army of ruthless robots and a mysterious agenda.
- The film features the voices of Chris Evans as accomplished 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, respectively, and James Brolin can be heard as the enigmatic Zurg.
- The voice cast also includes Mary McDonald-Lewis as onboard computer I.V.A.N., Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Commander Burnside, Efren Ramirez as Airman Diaz, and Keira Hairston as Young Izzy. Directed by Angus MacLane (co-director Finding Dory), produced by Galyn Susman (Toy Story That Time Forgot) and featuring a score by award-winning composer Michael Giacchino (The Batman, Up), Pixar’s Lightyear opens only in theaters on June 17, 2022.