How Lightyear Turned A Toy Into A Fully-Realized Character
Pixar By Debopriyaa Dutta/June 17, 2022 2:51 pm EST
If you’ve been keeping up with the buzz surrounding Pixar’s “Lightyear,” you must’ve already heard a thousand times how the animated film’s titular character is not based on the toy from the “Toy Story” franchise. Buzz Lightyear is a fully-fleshed, multidimensional character in his own right (shocker!), and “Lightyear” delves into how he is more than a space ranger meant to save the world.
For those out of the loop, “Lightyear” traces the origin story of the young test pilot (voiced by Chris Evans), who eventually steps up to the mantle and emerges as the space hero we know, leading to the creation of the Buzz Lightyear action figure. For “Lightyear,” director Angus MacLane had to come up with a compelling backstory for the man behind the toy, as it would not be nearly enough to rely on the heroic tropes that the character is already known for.
Expanding upon a ‘misalignment’ with reality
Disney/Pixar
MacLane spoke to Collider about how he went about creating a distinct personality for Buzz while drawing on the toy version’s core character. The director explains the toy version’s take on things in the “Toy Story” films as a “disagreement over the nature of reality” as Buzz (voiced by Tim Allen) is convinced that he is a space ranger and not a mere toy.
This gap between who he believes he is versus who he really is has been expanded upon in “Lightyear,” allowing us a glimpse into how the character came to reach that point:
“There’s always a misalignment about what the character thinks is going on versus what’s actually going on. That being out of step with the surroundings was something that was fundamental to the character and to the film, and by sticking to that really core thing, you can do surface things all you want, but it has to be from that…Everything else needs to flow from that core concept. You can do surface things, but that’s the deeper truth.”
It is interesting to note that toy Buzz is obviously not the only iteration of the space ranger, as “Buzz Lightyear of Star Command” delved into the actual space adventures of the character. It is odd that Disney and Pixar have failed to mention this important entry while discussing “Lightyear,” — fret not, here’s a meticulously-detailed deep dive into the matter absolutely worth checking out.
How Lightyear Turned A Toy Into A Fully-Realized Character
Pixar
By Debopriyaa Dutta/June 17, 2022 2:51 pm EST
If you’ve been keeping up with the buzz surrounding Pixar’s “Lightyear,” you must’ve already heard a thousand times how the animated film’s titular character is not based on the toy from the “Toy Story” franchise. Buzz Lightyear is a fully-fleshed, multidimensional character in his own right (shocker!), and “Lightyear” delves into how he is more than a space ranger meant to save the world.
For those out of the loop, “Lightyear” traces the origin story of the young test pilot (voiced by Chris Evans), who eventually steps up to the mantle and emerges as the space hero we know, leading to the creation of the Buzz Lightyear action figure. For “Lightyear,” director Angus MacLane had to come up with a compelling backstory for the man behind the toy, as it would not be nearly enough to rely on the heroic tropes that the character is already known for.
For those out of the loop, “Lightyear” traces the origin story of the young test pilot (voiced by Chris Evans), who eventually steps up to the mantle and emerges as the space hero we know, leading to the creation of the Buzz Lightyear action figure. For “Lightyear,” director Angus MacLane had to come up with a compelling backstory for the man behind the toy, as it would not be nearly enough to rely on the heroic tropes that the character is already known for.
Expanding upon a ‘misalignment’ with reality
Disney/Pixar
MacLane spoke to Collider about how he went about creating a distinct personality for Buzz while drawing on the toy version’s core character. The director explains the toy version’s take on things in the “Toy Story” films as a “disagreement over the nature of reality” as Buzz (voiced by Tim Allen) is convinced that he is a space ranger and not a mere toy.
This gap between who he believes he is versus who he really is has been expanded upon in “Lightyear,” allowing us a glimpse into how the character came to reach that point:
“There’s always a misalignment about what the character thinks is going on versus what’s actually going on. That being out of step with the surroundings was something that was fundamental to the character and to the film, and by sticking to that really core thing, you can do surface things all you want, but it has to be from that…Everything else needs to flow from that core concept. You can do surface things, but that’s the deeper truth.”
It is interesting to note that toy Buzz is obviously not the only iteration of the space ranger, as “Buzz Lightyear of Star Command” delved into the actual space adventures of the character. It is odd that Disney and Pixar have failed to mention this important entry while discussing “Lightyear,” — fret not, here’s a meticulously-detailed deep dive into the matter absolutely worth checking out.
This gap between who he believes he is versus who he really is has been expanded upon in “Lightyear,” allowing us a glimpse into how the character came to reach that point:
It is interesting to note that toy Buzz is obviously not the only iteration of the space ranger, as “Buzz Lightyear of Star Command” delved into the actual space adventures of the character. It is odd that Disney and Pixar have failed to mention this important entry while discussing “Lightyear,” — fret not, here’s a meticulously-detailed deep dive into the matter absolutely worth checking out.
“There’s always a misalignment about what the character thinks is going on versus what’s actually going on. That being out of step with the surroundings was something that was fundamental to the character and to the film, and by sticking to that really core thing, you can do surface things all you want, but it has to be from that…Everything else needs to flow from that core concept. You can do surface things, but that’s the deeper truth.”
Fleshing out a worthwhile origin story
While it seems that “Lightyear” intends to infuse a beloved character’s arc with greater emotional depth and higher stakes, it remains to be seen whether the Pixar film strikes a chord with audiences the same way the “Toy Story” films did. If anything, the robot cat in the film, Sox (voiced by Peter Sohn) looks freaking adorable, and the whole joyride into space might just be worth it for that reason alone. To infinity and beyond, I guess.
“I felt like we wanted to go to the root of what the character was because the character of Buzz, when he’s in what became known in the second as the diluted mode, there’s such a one-note aspect when he thinks he’s a space ranger.
“Lightyear” is currently playing in theaters.
