Lightyear

Experience the fun-filled, intergalactic origin story of Pixar's iconic space ranger – Buzz Lightyear. After getting his entire crew stranded in space, Lightyear follows the ambitious space pilot as he tries to redeem himself and return home. That can only mean one thing for Buzz Lightyear: a heroic mission to infinity and beyond.

What to know

Lightyear is a sci-fi animation from Pixar Animation Studios. While Buzz Lightyear is already a beloved Pixar character from the Toy Story franchise, this film uncovers the hero behind the action figure. It features a human version of Buzz for the first time.

The animated feature stars Chris Evans as the voice of Buzz Lightyear, the titular hero who gets stranded on an alien planet. He is joined by Taika Waititi as Morrison, Uzo Aduba as Alicia Hawthorne and Peter Sohn as Sox – Lightyear’s personal companion robot. Once Evans was cast in the titular role, the Captain America star used Twitter to share the movie's concept with fans: "To be clear, this isn't Buzz Lightyear the toy. This is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on." Lightyear was released in theaters worldwide on June 17, 2022.

Production: Timeline, news & updates

• December 10, 2020: A new animated movie centering on Buzz Lightyear is announced. Chris Evans is cast as Buzz Lightyear. The actor also clarified that “this isn’t Buzz Lightyear the toy. This is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on.” (Source: Deadline)
• November 11, 2021: Taika Waititi is cast as an undisclosed character. The actor/director is best known for helming Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok. (Source: The DisInsider)
• November 11, 2021: More voice cast members are announced, including Keke Palmer, Dale Soules, Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez and Isiah Whitlock Jr.. (Source: Collider)
• October 27, 2021: In an interview with Collider, director Angus MacLane explains how Lightyear will be inspired by the sci-fi movies he grew up with. (Source: Collider)
• January 25, 2022: Michael Giacchino will create the movie’s score. He has previously created soundtracks for Pixar movies such as The Incredibles, Ratatouille and UP. (Source: Film Music Reporter)
• February 8, 2022: Pixar released the first trailer for Lightyear. It features a version of David Bowie’s “Starman” as Buzz Lightyear takes off in a rocket ship. He explains that he has been ‘marooned’ on a planet for a year, and now have an opportunity to perform a test flight – the first step to getting everybody home. (Source: YouTube)
• May 5, 2022: A new trailer for Lightyear reveals that the titular space ranger is responsible for a failed mission. Although the crew are left stranded, Buzz Lightyear is determined to redeem himself. (Source: Pixar)
• May 5, 2022: A new promotional poster for the movie is released that showcases Buzz Lightyear holding his A.I. companion, Sox. The poster also gives us a look at Emperor Zurg, the maniacal villain Buzz and the rest of Star Command are faction off against. (Source: Collider)
• June 17, 2022: Lightyear is released in theaters around the world. (Source: The Hollywood Reporter)