We know his name, now Disney and Pixar invite us to discover his story in the latest trailer for the Toy Story spinoff, Lightyear. Starring Captain America and Marvel star Chris Evans as the voice of beloved Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear, the new footage comes courtesy of Pixar, and offers a further glimpse into what we can expect as we travel to infinity and beyond.
Disney and Pixar’s latest trailer for Lightyear, reveals new details about the upcoming sci-fi action-adventure. 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.
Most interestingly, the footage reveals that Buzz will journey across time as well as space. Upon landing, Buzz's feline assistant Sox informs the intrepid adventurer that he has somehow ended up decades in the future. Buzz soon mistakes a familiar face for his friend Alisha, but is told that it is in fact Izzy, the granddaughter of Alisha, meaning that Buzz will have more to contend with than first thought.
Lightyear has amassed a stellar cast, and 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.
Lightyear is Due for Release Later This Year
Lightyear will put audiences in place of Toy Story’s Andy, as the movie presents us with the interstellar action-adventure that he and others would have watched in the Toy Story world. "At first glance you might think, 'Well, this is a Toy Story film. Well, not so fast," Pete Doctor, Pixar's Chief Creative Officer clarified during Disney's annual investor day presentation in December 2020. "See, back when we created the very first Toy Story, we designed Buzz Lightyear with the idea that he was a toy based on some really cool character from an epic, blockbuster film. Well, all these years later we decided it's time to make that film."
There has been some confusion here and there over how exactly Lightyear fits into both the worlds of Toy Story and Pixar, but it sounds like if while watching the movie you imagine yourself as Andy, you will soon be inspired to rush out and buy a Buzz Lightyear toy from the nearest Al's Toy Barn before grabbing a slice at Pizza Planet.
Lightyear has been written and directed by Angus MacLane, a Pixar veteran and the co-director behind Finding Dory, produced by Galyn Susman (Toy Story That Time Forgot) and features a score by award-winning composer Michael Giacchino (The Batman, Up). Lightyear is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on June 17, 2022.