Focal Point Reviews turn the spotlight onto various films, to show the reader the foundational aspects of the motion picture, and how those various building blocks form its identity.
Logline
Buzz Lightyear is one of the most easily recognizable animated characters. There is nearly thirty years of content featuring this titular character including: four Toy Story films, an animated series, and video games. He travels the universe in a flashy space ranger suit while saying quippy catchphrases, what’s not to love? Pixar’s Lightyear, contains everything fans have come to know about this beloved character, with a twist. Buzz is no longer voiced by Tim Allen and instead is replaced with Avengers star, Chris Evans. The reason behind this decision was because this film isn’t about the action figure from Toy Story, but rather it’s about the movie that the toy was based on — essentially a movie within a movie. Sadly, this concept was not as well executed as it could have been. The writing lacked an emotional punch unlike Pixar’s wonderful film from earlier this year, Turning Red. What saves Lightyear from mediocrity is the confident art direction and genuine laughs along the way.
Writing
Mild Spoilers Ahead: The film opens with Buzz and his crew being marooned on an unexplored planet. Fortunately for them, the planet has breathable air and their ship has everything they need to survive. While their damaged ship remains out-of-commission, the mission of finding a way back home remains. Buzz dedicates his life into finding a way off the planet, no matter the cost. The crew begins testing an experimental fuel and quickly discovers that it takes four years to complete the flight test. Lightyear keeps hopping back into the cockpit until enough time has passed for his best friend to die from old age. This would have been a great opportunity for some truly emotional stakes, however there’s never enough character development to feel anything for either character. Since Buzz lost everything, he gives one last shot at testing the fuel. His robot companion finally discovers the issue within the fuel’s formula and their final effort works. However, it caused an even greater jump in time and now there are robots invading the planet. Along with his new inexperienced pals, they must take down Zurg’s ship to have the chance to go back home. Riddled throughout the film are clever moments of humor which add some uniqueness to the simple plot. There is also an unexpected twist near the end of the film that was much appreciated. It’s disappointing how formulaic Lightyear feels at times, especially when considering Pixar’s great track record.
Art Direction
Perhaps Lightyear’s greatest quality is its exceptional art direction. This is Pixar’s animation team at their unequivocal best. Each character design is unique, from their armor, to the structure of their faces. It all feels contained within the setting too, a rare occurrence for animated films. Most notably, Zurg’s design received a glow up that feels both familiar and fresh. His new look is more badass than needed, which is absolutely a compliment. There are plenty of frames throughout the film that are jaw dropping from the sheer beauty and artistry in the visuals. Although, there was one lazy design in the film that’s very noticeable. Buzz’s robot companion, Sox, looks like a regular cat without any defining features. Regardless, Pixar deserves a nod for their bold art direction in Lightyear.
Wrapping Up
Lightyear is a far cry from reaching the heights it should have, but its still an enjoyable watch for the whole family. There’s enough qualities with its beautiful art direction and funny jokes throughout to make it worthwhile for Pixar fans. Make sure to stay for the credits since there are multiple post credit scenes nodding towards what the future holds for Buzz Lightyear. Check out my previous review here.