Critics got their first peek at “Lightyear” on Wednesday night, the first Pixar movie to get a theatrical run since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Previous titles, like “Turning Red,” “Luca,” and “Soul” went straight to Disney+.) The previous four “Toy Story” films have all been players at the Oscars (with “Toy Story 3” actually nominated for Best Picture) so eyes are always on this company for Awards Season.
But “Lightyear,” famously, is not a “Toy Story” movie. It’s an origin story for the toy voiced by Tim Allen, but this time about the “character” of Buzz (e.g. the movie that inspired the toy tie-in) and he’s voiced by Chris Evans. Everybody got that?
Other voice talent includes Keke Palmer, James Brolin, Isiah Whitlock, Jr., Uzo Aduba, and the ubiquitous Taika Waititi. The director is Angus MacLane, who has been working with Pixar since 1998, and was co-director on “Finding Dory.”
Reaction from Fandango’s on-the-scene reporter was bullish on the picture.
Pixar’s #Lightyear is a BLAST & a half! Big, exciting, emotional & goofy sci-fi that’s got STAR WARS vibes and even BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE vibes. Truly, it is fantastical storytelling at its absolute best. Loved every second – top tier Pixar for me. BIG recommend! pic.twitter.com/DObE9dledy
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) June 9, 2022
Others beamed with enthusiasm after the first screening, as well.
#Lightyear is an epic, breathtaking love letter to sci-fi & its imaginative, compelling capabilities. Perfectly crafts a transportive, immersive, aesthetically appealing world & a poignant hero’s journey. @ChrisEvans does a terrific job coloring Buzz with a heapton of heart. pic.twitter.com/blywcN7qra
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) June 9, 2022
#Lightyear is so frickin beautiful! Not gonna lie tears were shed here. It's packed with action, comedy & so many positive & powerful messages like the importance of friendships & perseverance. @ChrisEvans is an AMAZING #BuzzLightyear. The entire cast was amazing. 🥲🚀 pic.twitter.com/Bz4kTDaPsN
— Genesis @ #Tribeca2022 (@genesisoneill) June 9, 2022
"Why am I attracted to a cartoon???" -me one glass of wine in after watching #Lightyear
— it was rachatha all along (@RachelLeishman) June 9, 2022
Some showed a degree of concern that audiences might be expecting an experience similar to “Toy Story.” The emotional workout from those developmental pictures appears to have been swapped out for pure action-adventure.
If you have a kid who likes animated action, #Lightyear is for them. This movie has almost nothing to do with Toy Story, it is one of the most interesting and puzzling ideas for franchise expansion I’ve ever seen.
— Da7e Gonzales demands Trial by Content (@Da7e) June 9, 2022
#Lightyear is a lot of fun, and there’s also no need for it to be connected to Toy Story. It could have just been a brand new sci-fi adventure, but Disney is terrified of releasing anything that isn’t based on existing IP.
— Matt Goldberg (@MattGoldberg) June 9, 2022
There is a robo-cat character in “Lightyear” named Sox that will probably sell a lot of toys of its own. Who knows, maybe in a few years we’ll be watching a movie about Sox’s origin.
I want to tweet something thoughtful about #Lightyear but all I can think about is SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX SOX pic.twitter.com/ga3mvDCLyl
— Ash Crossan (@AshCrossan) June 9, 2022
#Lightyear is a blast. Pixar’s most cinematic piece of cinema yet, and super funny. And it has the greatest cat robot in the history of film.
— Kevin Polowy (@djkevlar) June 9, 2022
#Lightyear: Sox is EVERYTHING. I love Sox SO MUCH. Sox is one of the best characters Pixar has ever created. That’s it. That’s my Lightyear reaction. I am obsessed. pic.twitter.com/QfHkx4Hqh7
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) June 9, 2022
Others felt the movie about ancillary movie products was just too much cigar-chomping commercialism to bear.
Lightyear has absolutely HUGE "this was announced during a shareholders presentation" energy
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) June 9, 2022
#Lightyear is about as good as the RATCHET & CLANK movie. Blandly entertaining. A few brief flashes of wit. Too little done with the baked-in metanarrative. It's the least ambitious Pixar has ever been.
— Witney Seibold 💗💜💙 (@WitneySeibold) June 9, 2022
Here’s a quick look at Sox. Get used to Sox, they’re gonna be around for a while, it seems.
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
