Lightyear (2022)

[Greg.K]

Title: Lightyear (2022)

Tagline: Infinity awaits.

Genre: Animation, Family, Science Fiction

Director: Angus MacLane

Cast: Chris Evans

Release: 2022-06-16

Plot: The definitive origin story of the original Buzz Lightyear that reveals how the young test pilot became the space ranger he is today, the film will be the same crowd-pleasing action film that started the Buzz Lightyear toy line in the Toy Story universe.

 

[Lord Dalek]

ICYDK this movie is supposed to be an inuniverse byproduct of Toy Story's world. As in a live action adaptation of the Buzz Lightyear of Star Command cartoon from the 90s that we all hated but went over great there.

 

[Greg.K]

It's kind of meta, I like the idea. Though maybe you can pass on doing Woody's Roundup in a few years, Pixar.

 

[Jake Lipson]

From Disney social media, here's the poster:

 

[Jake Lipson]

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command was produced by Disney Television Animation and not by Pixar. This movie is Pixar throwing that out as if it never happened and doing their own version of an in universe Buzz Lightyear origin story.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command was produced by Disney Television Animation and not by Pixar. This movie is Pixar throwing that out as if it never happened and doing their own version of an in universe Buzz Lightyear origin story.

The point I was making was that both the tv series and this movie exist within Toy Story's world. This is the "live action" adaptation of the cartoon.

 

[Sam Favate]

Looks like fun. I’m in.

 

[DaveF]

Title: Lightyear

Tagline: Infinity awaits.

Genre: Animation, Family, Science Fiction

Director: Angus MacLane

Cast: Chris Evans

Release: 2022-06-16

Plot: The definitive origin story of the original Buzz Lightyear that reveals how the young test pilot became the space ranger he is today, the film will be the same crowd-pleasing action film that started the Buzz Lightyear toy line in the Toy Story universe.

 

[JimmyO]

The point I was making was that both the tv series and this movie exist within Toy Story's world. This is the "live action" adaptation of the cartoon.

Sorry...dumb question. But, what makes this "live action"? Isn't this just a different form of animation?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Sorry...dumb question. But, what makes this "live action"? Isn't this just a different form of animation?

No, they're using "live action" to mean that the movie will depict the material on which the Buzz doll was based.

"Toy Story" and "Lightyear" are animated flicks. There's nothing "live action" about "Lightyear" AFAIK.

I think the comments reflect the meta nature of the project. As Peter Docter said:

“Back when we created the very first Toy Story, we designed Buzz Lightyear with the idea that he was a toy based on some really cool character from an epic blockbuster film. Well, all these years later, we decided it’s time to make that film".

 

[Lord Dalek]

*sigh*

Its a movie made in a universe where everything looks like CGI animation. However it employs artifacts like lens flares and squeeze marks that you would only find in live action anamorphic photography and that's intentional. Pixar did the same thing on Wall-E.

Capiche?

 

[JimmyO]

No, I don't capiche.

Definition of LIVE-ACTION

of, relating to, or featuring cinematography that is not produced by animation; done or performed live and usually in person… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

Are you saying this movie isn't generated via CGI? That it's meant to make us think that it is, but it isn't?'

Because what you said just sounded to me like Pixars rendering engine gained the ability to produce things like lens flares which would make the end result look like traditional live action film sets. So I am a little confused.

Sorry if I make you *SIGH* again.

 

[Chip_HT]

He's making two points:
-It's "live action" from the perspective of the characters in the Toy Story movies.
-Where the characters and settings in Toy Story are rendered with a more simplistic look to give an animated feel, the rendering here has more detail.

 

[JimmyO]

He's making two points:
-It's "live action" from the perspective of the characters in the Toy Story movies.
-Where the characters and settings in Toy Story are rendered with a more simplistic look to give an animated feel, the rendering here has more detail.

Ah, thanks. So then basically they aren't really toys anymore, and we're meant to regard them as actual live action characters as opposed to toys. In other words, this is the actual Buzz that the toy is modelled after.

Still though, it seems to me like an unnecessary duplicate term which was meant to draw the distinction between an animated feature and a feature using live humans and animals, photographed and not rendered through animation.

But I think I get it.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I don't think it matters whether the characters in the world of Toy Story perceive this as animated or live action. The point is that, in universe, this is the movie that Andy likes which spawned the Buzz Lightyear toy. I don't really need to go deeper into it than that. The movie is clearly animated.

Practically, in our world, I think this represents an opportunity for Pixar to continue using the Toy Story brand without making Toy Story 5. By doing this instead, they can let the ending from Toy Story 4 stand without giving up the chance to make more associated films. This version of Buzz Lightyear is not Andy/Bonnie's toy, so that story is put to the side. But it's still Buzz Lightyear and people will get that connection to a series of films they already love.

I think the trailer for Lightyear looks fine. I'm sure I'll end up seeing the movie. But I was surprised when I watched it that the trailer didn't really get me excited about it. I certainly hope the movie is great. But right now I'm not enthusiastic about it.

Also, I've got to say that it feels weird to have anyone playing Buzz who isn't Tim Allen. This is no disrespect whatsoever to Evans. I think Chris Evans is great and I believe he will do as good a job as anyone can other than Tim Allen. But I would feel weird no matter who they were getting instead of Tim Allen. I think the idea is that because this movie is about the "real" Buzz Lightyear and not the toy owned by Andy and Bonnie, they can change the voice actor. But right now this feels weird. I hope this works out.

I should also say here that, like most people, I wasn't sure about Toy Story 4 when that movie was first announced. Before I saw it, my feeling was that Toy Story 3 had been the perfect ending and I didn't need anything else. Then I actually saw Toy Story 4 and it took the series in a direction I never would have expected but which I think was absolutely perfect. That movie was one of the most emotional experiences I have had in a movie theater in the last several years. I think it is great. So it is entirely possible that Pixar has something great on its hands with Lightyear too and I need to see the movie to understand why it is the right move. I sincerely hope that is the case.

I guess we'll see in June 2022.

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

Totally agree with Jake on TS4, before I saw it, I was disappointed as I didn't think TS3 was their best, rather their worst, basically a WW2 escape movie with toys, but TS4 changed all that, and made a great ending.
And I kinda like the idea of origin stories for toys.
And the trailer features David Bowie, the true Starman.

But it's weird to call it live action, just like it's weird to call the remade Lion King that.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

He's making two points:
-It's "live action" from the perspective of the characters in the Toy Story movies.
-Where the characters and settings in Toy Story are rendered with a more simplistic look to give an animated feel, the rendering here has more detail.

-Everything in the 1st 4 "TS" movies was "live action" from the perspective of the characters. Andy was supposed to be a real kid who watched the Buzz TV show.

-The characters/settings of "Toy Story" were rendered with a more simplistic look because it was the early-mid 1990s and that was all they could do. The subsequent movies have come with more detail due to advances in technology, and that's the case with "Lightyear".

I suspect a "Toy Story" made now would look the same.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Totally agree with Jake on TS4, before I saw it, I was disappointed as I didn't think TS3 was their best, rather their worst, basically a WW2 escape movie with toys, but TS4 changed all that, and made a great ending.
And I kinda like the idea of origin stories for toys.
And the trailer features David Bowie, the true Starman.

But it's weird to call it live action, just like it's weird to call the remade Lion King that.

I agree that it's strange people referred to the 2019 "Lion King" as "live action" since it was almost entirely made in a computer, but it made more sense there.

"TLK" tried very very very hard to look like real animals.

"Lightyear" doesn't not do the same. Based on the trailer, it looks like they want realistic settings but the characters nonetheless look like cartoons.

They're not attempting photorealistic people in "Lightyear", so it's not an attempt to recreate "live action".

Which makes sense, for if they wanted a live action Buzz movie... why not just make it actual actors?

Unlike "Lion King" - which would be impossible to make with real animals - there's no reason they couldn't shoot a Buzz movie with real actors.

 

[Greg.K]

A Buzz Lightyear movie with real actors would probably look pretty silly. I mean, a realistic version of Buzz's space suit with pop-out wings?

This works in the context of this being a movie that exists in the Toy Story universe, not set in the Toy Story universe. I wouldn't be surprised if they framed it with scenes of Andy & family going to the theater to watch it. It's "live action" from their point of view.

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

I agree that it's strange people referred to the 2019 "Lion King" as "live action" since it was almost entirely made in a computer, but it made more sense there.

"TLK" tried very very very hard to look like real animals.

"Lightyear" doesn't not do the same. Based on the trailer, it looks like they want realistic settings but the characters nonetheless look like cartoons.

They're not attempting photorealistic people in "Lightyear", so it's not an attempt to recreate "live action".

Which makes sense, for if they wanted a live action Buzz movie... why not just make it actual actors?

Unlike "Lion King" - which would be impossible to make with real animals - there's no reason they couldn't shoot a Buzz movie with real actors.

Well, a live action Little Mermaid was announced, and I am still curious as to where they found a live mermaid