To diversity and beyond: Buzz Lightyear's origin story takes off

The stars and creators of Lightyear give the lowdown on a film that's sure to be a summer smash, complete with Pixar’s first same-sex couple

Tue, 14 Jun, 2022 - 21:30

Gemma Dunn

Ever wondered how Buzz Lightyear came to be? Disney and Pixar’s latest feature film, aptly named Lightyear, aims to find out as it embarks on a quest to uncover the origin story behind the big-screen hero fans came to love in 1995 cult hit Toy Story.

Just what movie inspired Andy to beg for a fancy toy with lasers, karate-chop action and aerodynamic space wings, wondered director and veteran Pixar animator, Angus MacLane.

“Lightyear is the movie that Andy, his friends and probably most of the rest of the world saw,” he muses. “I wanted to make something that felt true to those fun, big-budget popcorn films.”

The sci-fi action-adventure – delivered by MacLane and Ratatouille producer Galyn Susman – follows the iconic Space Ranger on an intergalactic adventure after he’s marooned on a hostile planet 4.2m lightyears from Earth alongside his commander and their crew.

As Buzz (voiced by Chris Evans, rather than Tim Allen of Toy Story) tries to find a way back home, he’s joined by a group of ambitious recruits (voiced by Keke Palmer, Dale Soules and Taika Waititi), plus his robot companion Sox (Peter Sohn). Only to find matters complicated by the arrival of Zurg, an imposing presence with a mysterious agenda.

For Evans, 41, the chance to lead the studio animation was “a dream come true”. “That phrase gets thrown around a lot, but I’ve never meant it more in my life,” says the Captain America star. “I love space. Just as a concept, I’m pretty obsessed.”

Chris Evans voices Buzz Lightyear in the new film, rather than Tim Allen who voiced the character in the Toy Story movies.

He adds: “I mean, one of the elements of Pixar that kind of breeds an allegiance in confidence is knowing that they’re gonna take what you do, this small little piece of the pie with your voice, and apply it to a character that has so much more depth and nuance than you could probably ever have.

“There were absolutely moments in this movie where I thought, ‘Buzz is a good actor!’” adds the Bostonian. “His posture, his eye movement, everything about him just has an authenticity that the voice alone can never convey.”

“His version of reality is never quite the same as everybody else’s, says Susman, “and there’s something super entertaining about that. He’s an aspirational character – and the world needs more aspirational characters right now.”

Yet it was a “difficult balancing act” to retain the Buzz fans know from the Toy Story franchise and that of the lead we come to meet in 2022, remarks MacLane.

“We need to recognise him from the from the previous films, but also establish a different character, in a different context and tone. For this isn’t the toy; this is the character. And (previously) he’s a side character, so by making him a main character, there’s certain things you have to add.

“One of the things that was very important to me, in addition to keeping the humour and making sure the humour didn’t undercut the drama, was to make a little bit of a comment on the kind of lone hero character, and how that ultimately doesn’t end up serving him very well. “

“It’s set up like, ‘Oh yeah, this is gonna be this kind of story’. And it doesn’t end up being that.” Rather it shines a light on what it means to be a ‘hero’, and the idea that the best heroes – the ones who live on long after their films hit the big screen- are, at heart, human. They have flaws and fears; they’re utterly relatable, even as they soar to greatness.

And the key to Buzz and co reaching infinity… and beyond? Simply teamwork, say its filmmakers.

“The lone hero isn’t going to solve it all; you need to be able to ask for help and to turn to the people that are around you,” offers Susman. “Yes, it’s important to acknowledge your mistakes, and yes, it’s important to have goals, but not at the expense of engaging with your life in the here and now and really appreciating and loving what you have right in front of you.”

“One of the things that we found in doing research, when we spoke to the NASA astronauts, specifically Tom Marshburn, is that he was a really gracious team player,” recallsMacLane.

“And it didn’t really line up with the maverick key character; it really didn’t mesh with that. And so I thought there was something really interesting about taking a character that was very much an individualist and turning them into somebody that recognises that it takes a whole team, because there’s so much of that in our experiences – filmmaking is a collaborative process.”

It’s a timely theme and so pertinent in Lightyear, he explains: “It takes the collaboration of many individuals to achieve big things. It really is a team effort. As much as we focus on the individual in our culture, there is tremendous value in a group. Lightyear is one character’s recognition of that.”

Evans agrees, adding: “I suppose one of Buzz’s main arcs is also about recognising that mistakes don’t have to define who you are. And we, as people, tend to dwell on the past a lot, and that can certainly rob you of the present.”

As for representation, it’s pioneering in that the film offers up Pixar’s first same-sex couple in space ranger Alisha Hawthorne (voiced by Uzo Aduba) and her partner. Are the creators grateful they have such a powerful platform to reach younger audiences?

“Absolutely. I mean, it’s a mixed bag, as far as the pride of it,” MacLane says candidly. “I mean, it’s odd that it’s groundbreaking, I wish that it wasn’t in that way. That it was more commonplace.

“But I’m pleased and proud that it is for our film, in a meaningful way, and that it’s narratively connected, and it’s prominent enough to be part of the story and not a window dressing.”