It’s hard to believe that “Toy Story” debuted almost three decades ago, as so many of us have grown up watching the lexicon of Pixar films that it helped spawn. Some of us who were fortunate to be of an age to remember the first time we saw a fully computer-generated film have now had the opportunity to pass the Pixar magic off to our children or the next generation. Yet there is something poetic about the animation powerhouse coming full circle and giving beloved character Buzz Lightyear his own solo adventure in this summer’s highly anticipated “Lightyear.“
Director Angus McClane and Producer Galyn Susman, both veterans of Pixar, knew with absolute certainty that this new “Lightyear” could stand on its own, giving audiences a modern twist on the character while still taking them on the emotional ride the studio and its films are known for. Susman sums up why this character has remained perennial for 27 years; “[Buzz] is aspirational, and funny, and goofy. I think all of us like to think that we can be funny and goofy and try our best and be loved for just that, even if we completely get it wrong. That’s the connection, and people love that.”
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Disney and Pixar allowed several journalists a sneak peek at approximately 20 minutes of footage from the film, and if you think “Lightyear” is your father’s “Toy Story,” think again. Predominantly showing the intro to the film, the footage from “Lightyear” seemed to indirectly create homages to a few cinematic classics, including influences from video games such as “Halo,” as well as Science-Fiction epics like “Interstellar.” McClane explained “this movie was very intentionally structurally different from most other Pixar movies. We were patterning it after action thrillers and there’s a different rhythm to it than some of the other films that Pixar has made.” McClane certainly understood how one might think those aforementioned properties are influences, but he believes that’s simply because the talented artists and storytellers at Pixar are massive film fans themselves. “My favorite movie is ‘Aliens‘” said McClane, “I think that was a really influential movie that’s more atmospheric throughout the [‘Lightyear’] world. But ‘Halo’ was heavily influenced by ‘Aliens,’ which is probably why we’re getting that. I think that the way that I understand cinema is through specific examples of things that have inspired me. And so when we’re working on something for the story we think, ‘well, this is how this was solved in a different movie,’ as a way to communicate with the team to figure out what the best path is forward. There are so many film fans in the groups that we have, it’s just a way to kind of communicate. So in a way, that process has kind of steeped the whole movie in cinema history.”
“Yet, this is not about the history of cinema,” said Susman, “nor the history of even the character of Buzz himself; this is about the future.” Susman touched on what audiences can expect from “Lightyear” that they haven’t seen in the four other “Toy Story” entries. “We were taking a character that was a sidekick and making him the central protagonist of the film. So we had to develop what makes this character, a character that we want to spend 90 minutes of our lives with. So that was really sort of the fundamental change that we were looking to make.”
One of the major changes is the notable absence of Tim Allen who voiced Buzz for decades, and the introduction of Disney’s golden boy, Chris Evans, as the Buzz of a new generation. “We were looking for Chris to bring a level of gravitas and that balance of funny, heroic, but also self-reflective and contemplative. The things that you want in a protagonist.” Susman continued to talk about how much energy Evans brought to this project, which reinvigorated the creative team (who had worked on this character for decades) with his infectious energy. “Chris brought enthusiasm. He brought a belief into the project that I’ve never quite seen from talent before. It felt like a collaborative development of the character in a way that was just very satisfying.”
During the conversation with the two, we also discuss the legendary story of how Susman saved “Toy Story” from being wiped off the map decades ago, how much Pixar has evolved over the decades, the Pixar “formula,” and so much more.
“Lightyear” will be released in theaters on June 17, 2022. You can hear the full interview below.
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