There were moments in the movie where I thought, 'Buzz is a good actor!'
| Published date | 17 June 2022 |
| Publication title | Huddersfield Daily Examiner |
"Lightyear is the movie that Andy, his friends and probably most of the rest of the world saw," he muses. "I wanted to make something that felt true to those fun, bigbudget popcorn films."
The sci-fi action-adventure - delivered by Angus and Ratatouille producer Galyn Susman - follows the iconic space ranger on an intergalactic adventure after he's marooned on a hostile planet 4.2 million light years from Earth with his commander and crew.
As Buzz (voiced by Chris Evans) tries to find a way back home, he's joined by a ambitious recruits (voiced by Keke Palmer, Dale Soules and Taika Waititi), plus his robot companion Sox (Peter Sohn). Only to find matters complicated by Zurg, an imposing presence with a mysterious agenda.
For Evans, 41, the chance to lead the studio animation was "a dream come true".
"That phrase gets thrown around a lot, but I've never meant it more in my life," says the Captain America star. "I love space. And anyone who knows me knows my love for animated films runs deep. I can't believe I get to be a part of the Pixar family and work with these truly brilliant artists.
"Watching them work is nothing short of magic. One of the elements of Pixar that kind of breeds an allegiance in confidence is knowing they're gonna take what you do, this small piece of the pie with your voice, and apply it to a character that has so much more depth and nuance than you could probably ever have.
"There were moments in this movie where I thought, 'Buzz is a good actor!"' adds the Bostonian. "His posture, his eye movement, everything about him just has an authenticity that the voice alone can never convey."
"Ever since we met the character, Buzz has had this tendency to view the world in a unique way," agrees Galyn, stating that Buzz offered a rich opportunity for exploration.
"His version of reality is never quite the same as everybody else's, and there's something super entertaining about that. He's an aspirational character - and the world needs more aspirational characters right now."
Still it was a "difficult balancing act" to retain the Buzz fans love from the Toy Story franchise and that of the lead we meet in 2022, says Angus, who co-directed Finding Dory. "We need to recognise him from the previous films, but this isn't the toy; this is the character. And...
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