On paper, Pixar was right to think “Lightyear” was going to be a hit. Per usual, the film featured an incredible, star-studded cast. Add to that, it is a spinoff of arguably Pixar’s most famous franchise. However, when it was released, “Lightyear” didn’t do well, at all, at the box office, only earning $226 million worldwide. So, what went wrong?
In an interview with The Wrap, Pete Docter, filmmaker/Chief Creative Officer at Pixar, broke down why he thinks “Lightyear” didn’t connect with audiences. First, you can’t blame the reviews, as the animated film earned a respectable 74% Rotten Tomatoes score. Sure, that’s not what Pixar films typically earn, but it’s still better than most films. So, why did a decent film with a great cast and recognizable IP earn a terrible box office result? Docter blames the high concept of the film, as it wasn’t really a “Toy Story” spinoff as much as it was a film based on the toy in a fictional universe.
“We’ve done a lot of soul-searching about that because we all love the movie,” Docter said. “We love the characters and the premise. I think probably what we’ve ended on in terms of what went wrong is that we asked too much of the audience. When they hear Buzz, they’re like, great, where’s Mr. Potato Head and Woody and Rex? And then we drop them into this science fiction film that they’re like, What? Even if they’ve read the material in press, it was just a little too distant, both in concept, and I think in the way that characters were drawn, that they were portrayed.”
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He continued, “It was much more of a science fiction. And Angus [MacLane], to his credit, took it very seriously and genuinely and wanted to represent those characters as real characters. But the characters in ‘Toy Story’ are much broader, and so I think there was a disconnect between what people wanted/expected and what we were giving to them.”
He’s probably not wrong, either. Sure, the film wasn’t top-shelf Pixar in the quality sense, but we’ve seen worse films earn a whole lot more at the box office. It’s clear that audiences see the title “Lightyear” and expect a fun-loving “Toy Story” film with the voice of Tim Allen coming from Buzz. Instead, they got a sci-fi film about the “real” Buzz Lightyear that was maybe a bit too serious and scary for an audience who just likes stories about toys.
Regardless of the reasons, it’s clear “Lightyear” didn’t resonate with audiences and has scared Disney a bit. Because just recently, the studio announced sequels for animated franchises such as “Frozen,” “Zootopia,” and yes, “Toy Story.” A new “Toy Story” film reeks of desperation from Disney, as the studio is now trying to rebound from extreme streaming spending. Disney needs a hit and Pixar is now in the “Toy Story” business once again. Don’t expect a sequel that takes too many chances, as the studio doesn’t want to repeat the “Lightyear” mistake.