Lightyear is far from yet another incredibly memorable Pixar film, but it's still an adventure filled with tons of entertainment, inspiring messages

As someone who still hasn't had the opportunity to watch Toy Story 4, I asked cinephile peers how Lightyear connected to the other films within the saga. The truth is that there's no explicit connection to any previous work, so every viewer can go to the theatre without worrying about potentially feeling lost with the narrative. Despite some confusion with the interpretation of the premise due to the always chaotic social media, nothing is misleading about it: within the Toy Story universe, there's a movie about the origin story of Buzz Lightyear, a fictional astronaut who inspired the creation of the toy of the same name, that Andy was bought after watching precisely that film. Lightyear is that movie, and it really deserves to be seen with the family.

Obviously, I'm one of the millions of fans of this animated saga, but I clearly don't have as strong a bond with it as many other viewers. That said, it's very easy to enjoy this spin-off by Angus MacLane. A filmmaker with creative participation in practically every Pixar flick since 1998 but who's only now taking on the most important job in what is his directorial debut in feature films. With the help of screenwriter Jason Headley (Onward), both create a story with enough entertainment to win over the vast majority of audiences, in addition to having action sequences loaded with energy and tension.

Humour and lots of fun

The short yet efficient runtime allows for a fast-paced adventure filled with humour and lots of fun. Lightyear follows the Pixar formula regarding inspirational messages, addressing several essential themes with fundamental developments for healthy, positive growth of younger viewers, but without forgetting the more adult family members. Learning to trust the friends surrounding us, knowing that asking for help doesn't bring dishonour or shame, accepting that making mistakes is part of life, and recognising that the present always deserves to be lived to its fullest are some of the most beautiful conclusions to the different character arcs.

It's possible to criticise any cinematographic work, but no one can ever accuse Pixar of not conveying positive messages to its audience, regardless of the opinion about the movie itself. Lightyear also boasts genuinely stunning animation. Everyone recognizes the studio's enchanting visuals, but this time, the gorgeous cinematography tremendously elevates the beauty of 3D animation due to many memorable shots lit up by planets or moons. Michael Giacchino's score also offers a few moments that could induce tears in more sensitive viewers while increasing the adrenaline and excitement levels during the captivating action set pieces.

Chris Evans: even better than expected

The voice cast is fantastic from start to finish, but Chris Evans is even better than expected with his superb portrayal of Buzz Lightyear. The actor manages to communicate the required emotions solely through his captain's voice – a role he was apparently born to represent brilliantly – but the character follows an arc somewhat similar to that of the main films in the saga. Despite all the characters being very relatable, Lightyear truly feels like a spin-off, not a work with an unique, enduring purpose like other movies from the studio. Unfortunately, it isn't able to be more than a small side adventure that doesn't add much to the character or the universe it's based on.

Montage

One of the most popular “tricks” in Pixar's repertoire is the use of life montages that demonstrate the evolution over time of a place, character, family, among others. Usually, this is when the tissues are picked up, but even though the execution of said sequence in Lightyear doesn't have any problems, it occurs too soon. The connection with the characters is far from a powerful point of emotional intimacy, so it doesn't generate any dramatic reaction, besides no longer being a surprising technique. It rings a bit hollow.

The only major issue of Lightyear is related to the third act twist. In addition to being totally unnecessary, it's merely a formulaic revelation copied from hundreds of other sci-fi works and, honestly, a tad too complex for younger audiences. Light speed, space travel, extraterrestrials, spaceships, laser shields, robots, and many other classic genre components already fill the screen, but the twist brings a whole different level of complexity that might leave many children confused. Even for adults, it's a moment that requires booting up the brain, and some questions are left with ambiguous answers. The problem isn't so much in its intricacy but more in its lack of necessity.

Lightyear may not be the best film the studio has ever created, but it introduces a new character that will undoubtedly be the most praised element of the entire work. The robotic cat Sox doesn't have a single scene that isn't ridiculously hilarious. Doesn't matter if it's due to what it says or what it does, Sox is going to blow up toy sales this year. Peter Sohn provides his exceptional voice and forms robotic sounds himself that will have any viewer crying with laughter. It's one of those characters that will convince many moviegoers to pay for a second ticket just to have a good laugh once again.

LGBTQ+ family

Finally, I must leave this paragraph about the “controversy” that should be anything but that. A few years ago, Hollywood didn't know how to normalise everything that should be normalised. Characters were required to explicitly express their sexual preferences, and others always reacted surprised or dumbfounded. That phase is over, but some mindsets will never change. The presence of a LGBTQ+ family in Lightyear is used in precisely the same way as any other family. Its narrative importance and screentime are as insignificant as a heterosexual family – just replace one family member with the opposite sex and nothing changes – but the positive cultural impact gained from this normalisation is vital for a future of greater respect and understanding.

Lightyear is far from yet another incredibly memorable Pixar film, but it's still an adventure filled with tons of entertainment, inspiring messages, and breathtaking animation. Angus MacLane doesn't deviate from the studio's well-known formulas, delivering a narrative without notable deviations from the most predictable, safest path. Except for an unnecessary, overly complex twist for the target audience in the third act, Buzz Lightyear and his team take viewers through space on a remarkably immersive audiovisual journey. The voice cast is extraordinary, most notably Chris Evans – born to play captains – and Peter Sohn – non-stop hilarious as the robotic cat Sox, Disney's most popular new toy-to-be. I highly recommend to see it in theaters.

Lightyear is out in cinemas now

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