‘Lightyear:’ Chris Evans, Cinematic Visuals, and Lots and Lots of Robots

Disney/Pixar’s Lightyear answers the question, “What was Andy’s Star Wars?” Where did Buzz Lightyear originate? What film spurred that intense devotion seen in the young Andy all the way back in 1995’s Toy Story? What film produced the character that turns Woody’s playroom kingdom upside down?

Lightyear is that film.

“A sci-fi epic designed to inspire a new generation. Now, in our film, Buzz is not a toy. He’s a human. He’s the real Buzz Lightyear, the character, starring in his first science fiction action adventure,” explained director/screenwriter Angus MacLane (Finding Dory).

The wizards at Pixar could easily throw something together that would show off their technical prowess in some intergalactic setting. That story writes itself, but it would never satisfy the creative instincts at Pixar. MacLane and team wanted to find some human element in which they could ground their space epic. For Lightyear, that element became time itself.

MacLane shared his experiences working in the Pixar offices for over 20 years. As time progressed, the building changed. People came and went. He found the halls were “filled with ghosts” as well as memories of successes and setbacks. He even poignantly pointed to the 5-and-a-half year gestation cycle for the film and how the world had changed once he and his team came up for air after completing the film.

Those emotional reactions to the passing of time fueled the key plot of Lightyear.

“We have a story where Buzz would be traveling rapidly through time because of his job. Because of that, it would separate him from society and his loved ones, just like film production. All joking aside, this felt like a natural fit for Buzz,” MacLane shared. “The idea felt like a fertile ground for both our own personal experiences and the core-defining character trait of Buzz Lightyear. So, Lightyear is a fish out of water story. It’s like Rip Van Winkle trapped in a future he doesn’t recognize, desperately trying to get back to the past to correct the mistake of his youth. A hero out of his own time.”

That hero is voiced not by Tim Allen, who provides the voice for the animated version of Buzz Lightyear, but by Captain America himself, Chris Evans. When casting this human Buzz, the team felt it was important to separate the toy Buzz from this human version of Buzz. To do that, they needed a brand new actor whose voice could bounce between comedic and dramatic tones easily. They needed someone who could be heroic without being arrogant.

What they didn’t know was that Chris Evans would fit the role so perfectly.

“[Chris] is a huge animation fan and would bring that love and passion into the project, as well as his myriad acting talents,” remarked producer Galyn Susman. “He even attended an animation dailies and gave the team a pep talk. It’s really been a wonderful collaboration, and we couldn’t be happier.”

The finished product that audiences will see in theaters only next June adopts a massively cinematic look and feel that is a departure from previous Disney/Pixar films.

But what does that truly mean?

MacLane explained that he wanted the world of Lightyear to be inspired by the look of a 1970s sci-fi film. To do that, the production team leveraged lenses and lighting techniques to cast shadows over the pristine and detailed animation we’re accustomed to with Disney/Pixar films. The technology featured within the film would also boast an early 1970s and 1980s vision of the future. That design language influenced the entire film’s visual palate from the ground vehicles to spaceships to all the other surprises along the way, including robots.

Many, many robots.

“There’s gonna be a lot of robots. There’ll be robots trying to kill you. There’ll be cyclops robots. We’ve even got the robot cat,” MacLane laughed. “We’re gonna have so many robots, you’re gonna get sick of robots. And just when you get sick of robots, we’re gonna give you one more. We’re gonna give you Zurg.”

Lightyear premieres in theaters only on June 17, 2022.