Lightyear: Review of Pixar’s New Film

When you have to explain to someone what Lightyear is just use the opening lines of the film that appear on the screen. As soon as the movie starts it immediately explains that this is the movie that Andy watched in 1995 before he got the Buzz toy in the first film. This is what inspired him and what was a big part of his childhood. Now, we also get to see the same film that he watched back then.

It’s very important to note that the reason why Chris Evans is voicing Buzz in this movie and not the legendary voice of Tim Allen, is because this isn’t the same character. This is the original character upon which the toys were based hence why different voice actors were needed. 

With the incredibly high standard that Pixar has set for itself, does Lightyear live up to the Toy Story-esque hype or not? 

A Story Within a Story 

It’s a bit tricky to think about how the story of Lightyear is a film within a film. Though you do need to sort of look past that in order to integrate yourself with what’s going on in the story. The expectations going into the movie have been scattered all over the place weirdly. Most people weren’t expecting much from this kind of story while others were holding Lightyear to the high Toy Story and Pixar standards. All the four previous films have been reviewed very highly, with people calling each of them ground-breaking and impressive on a story-based level. So, before Lightyear opened in theatres everywhere no one knew what was coming exactly. 

There’s a reason Pixar is one of the best movie-making studios in the world. The animation and the level of professionalism displayed in each movie are to be complimented. Nothing short of geniuses would be able to make hit after hit and develop a kind of look that leaves everyone who watches their movie breathless. The look of the film has been reviewed very positively and the voice-acting is great, as expected. 

On the other hand, the things that the audience adores most about Pixar movies are the stories and the writing. This is where some people are divided. It certainly is more than adequate in many aspects but there’s clearly something missing here. That kind of tear-inducing magic that Toy Story has been able to display while cultivating such a loyal fanbase is simply not present in Lightyear. The movie kind of just comes and goes on the emotional level. Overall, it absolutely hits on what it needs to hit in as far as being a decent movie that kids will especially enjoy. At the very least, there’s no mistaking that. 

Reviews of Lightyear 

Lightyear currently stands at 77% on Rotten Tomatoes which is much lower than usual for Pixar. Nevertheless, the general reviews have been positive indeed. The audience that did actually watch the movie seems to enjoy it regardless of the outside controversies going on. The movie is truly fun by nature and that seems to have gotten the attention of a lot of families who love to go to the cinema. 

It’s easy to forget that just a little while back we were all itching to get back to a ‘normal world’ and be able to go back to the cinema and now here’s the chance for family fun. Pixar has released its last three movies on streaming services and that was very disappointing to experience. 

All in all, this chance to watch Lightyear which is supposed to be a movie that characters from another movie also watched is a welcomed opportunity to buy a ticket or two and form your own opinion. 

Photo courtesy of the brand

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