Disney“¢Pixar this week released a big first official trailer for Lightyear, a space adventure that serves as the origin story of Buzz Lighter – the hero who inspired the toy in Toy Story.
Much of this film has been kept under wraps until recently, including certain plot details that are made clearer in this exciting trailer. Chris Evans voices the titular space ranger, who we find marooned on an alien-infested planet along with other survivors. After surviving there for a year, they’ve managed to put together their first test flight – and Lightyear is the man for the job. He blasts off on an adventure that takes him to strange lands, a friendly companion robo-cat named Sox (voiced by Peter Sohn), and a giant killer robot that appears to be the inspiration for toy Buzz’s villain, the Evil Emperor Zurg.
“Buzz’s world was always something I was excited about,” said director Angus MacLane, who served as co-director on Finding Dory and has experience in the Toy Story universe, having directed shorts Toy Story Toons: Small Fry and Toy Story of Terror. “In Toy Story, there seemed to be this incredible backstory to him being a Space Ranger that’s only touched upon, and I always wanted to explore that world further. So my Lightyear pitch was, ‘What was the movie that Andy saw that made him want a Buzz Lightyear toy?’ I wanted to see that movie. And now I’m lucky enough to get to make it.”
Lighyear‘s screenplay comes from three-time Oscar-winning Pixar genius Pete Docter, whose credits include Monsters, Inc., Up, Inside Out, and Soul.
The voice cast includes Taika Waititi, Keke Palmer, and Dale Soules as a group of ambitious recruits, as well as Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez and Isiah Whitlock Jr.
“The cast for Lightyear is truly a dream team,” said MacLane. “Each of the performers immediately inhabited their character, which gave us the opportunity to play a bit during recording sessions. This resulted in a level of specificity that elevated the material and brought additional depth to the characters’ relationships. It has been a privilege to work with such a talented and generous cast.”
Also recently announced: the film’s composer. Behind the score is Oscar-winner Michael Giacchino, the prolific composer whose many Disney/Pixar credits include The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Up, Inside Out, Zootropolis, Doctor Strange, Rogue One, and the three Tom Holland Spider-Man films. He’s also behind the scores for upcoming films The Batman, Jurassic World: Dominion, and Thor: Love and Thunder.
Mark the date: Lightyear will be in Australian cinemas on June 16th and U.S. cinemas on June 17th.
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