When Lightyear was announced, I remember thinking – what? Who is this movie for, exactly? I understand that the Toy Story franchise is still popular, but I had a bad feeling about this. Hey, that sounds good, somebody should use it in a film or something… 😉 Anyway, when the first trailers came out, I thought: “Ok, maybe there is something there, but I won’t be seeing this in the cinema.” And that is nothing that bad against this film. My reasoning was I am an adult who doesn’t have the connection others adults (and kids) have with Toy Story. I grew up while the first two came out, yes. But for one reason or another, I have not watched the first two movies until I was around 15/16 years old, so I liked them, but those films were never “part of my childhood”. And now, since Lightyear is available on Disney+, I thought to myself, why not? Even after hearing most of the reviews that were either very middling or downright saying this movie isn’t great, I wanted to see it for myself. And boy, was I surprised.
I honestly believe most of the criticism of this film stems from one “simple” fact that almost has nothing to do with this film – it’s not as good as any Toy Story film. Not only that, but the animation style is different; everything feels “off”. But it only feels off if you compare it with those films, and I don’t think you should. Because this is the movie that Andy (from the original Toy Story (1995)) saw when he was little and therefore fell in love with Buzz. So yeah, even though it’s technically part of this universe in that sense, we can’t compare those films with Lightyear, at least not in good faith.
And this is coming from someone who didn’t believe this film had to be made in the first place! Don’t get me wrong; Lightyear isn’t a perfect film by any means. It’s more “kids friendly” than your usual Pixar, so some emotional beats (like Uzo Aduba‘s character dying) don’t hit you as hard compared to other Pixar films. But here’s the thing, that is fine, it’s more kids friendly. Sure, adults won’t get much from this film as they are used to from Pixar, but I don’t mind them doing something like Lightyear. Because this is a film where we still have some deeper themes to explore (what does it mean to live your fullest/best life is the obvious one), but for most of the film, it’s just a well-animated fun ride.
The more I think back and more I think about this film, I believe my lack of any emotional connection to the Toy Story (in a sense that many people grew up with those films, not that those films didn’t hit me emotionally) franchise helped me to enjoy this film much more. Because I didn’t go into this film thinking anything, I was ready to have fun and hoped to be proven wrong about a movie I wasn’t sure needed to exist. Now, I am still not 100% convinced this had to have been made, but for what it’s worth, I thought Lightyear was a pretty fun ride.
Except for the lack of deeper themes, my only major criticism was the missed opportunity, specifically regarding the casting department. I don’t consider it a spoiler because it’s been discussed quite heavily, but just a heads up, I am about to write about an actor people really wanted to be here, and he wasn’t. Yes, I am talking about Tim Allen not reprising his role as the original Buzz. It even seemed to be set up for him (kind of)! Without going into actual spoilers, towards the end, when everything gets revealed, it seemed like the last 30 minutes or so were written with Allen in mind. I am trying really hard to stay vague, but if you have seen the film, you know what I am talking about. And unlike other “let’s pander to the fans a bit” decisions, this would have been cool to see (or to hear) him back.
One thing I appreciated, was the lesbian couple raising a girl who turns out to be Keke Palmer‘s character. And the reason I appreciated that element was that the film didn’t stop in its tracks. We get to learn that, and we move along. The movie could have “pat itself” on the back for way longer about making that decision, but no. Lightyear simply stated: “LGBTQ+ people exist, deal with it, let’s go.” and went ahead with the story. Well done.
Overall, Lightyear is an enjoyably fun film that knows what it is. It’s not trying to be “the next Toy Story“, and because of it, I won’t judge it harshly for not being what those films are. If you “forget” about those films while watching this movie and accept it on its own, you might actually enjoy it. There are decent jokes, and the animation is more “animated” and less “life-like”, but again, this is skewed towards the kids, so I also liked that choice. For a movie I didn’t think we needed, I would say that was a pretty well-done job, and yes, I am basic; therefore, I also want my own SOX too.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke