To celebrate the anticipated release of Lightyear, which comes to cinemas this week, we sat down with the filmmakers behind the film to find out about the origin story.
The definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the hero who inspired the toy, “Lightyear” follows the legendary Space Ranger after he’s marooned on a hostile planet 4.2 million light-years from Earth alongside his commander and their crew. As Buzz tries to find a way back home through space and time, he’s joined by a group of ambitious recruits and his charming robot companion cat, Sox. Complicating matters and threatening the mission is the arrival of Zurg, an imposing presence with an army of ruthless robots and a mysterious agenda.
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Chatting to director Angus Maclane and producer Galyn Susman, we talk about the film’s genesis and the influences on it, how it pays homage to Toy Story but is its own story and why Chris Evans was not only the one and only choice for the lead role but why his voice was so important. We also chatted to astronaut Tim Peake about his cameo in the film, why Pixar has reinvented animation forever, and why their treatment of the story and the environments surprised him the most.
You can watch the full interviews below:
Lightyear opens in cinemas on June 17th.
