"In 1995, a boy named Andy got a Buzz Lightyear toy for his birthday. It was from his favorite movie. This is that movie." These two lines of text open the film and set your heart and expectations for the next hour and forty-five minutes.

When Lightyear was first announced, many people, myself included, were surprised and excited.  Surprise because we thought Toy Story 4 was the last outing of our beloved playtime companions, and excited because it seemed Pixar was headed in a new direction, something they never really tackled before, a prequel.

Lightyear serves as an origin story of sorts, not so much of the origin of Buzz himself, though we do get to see him in some of his most formative moments, but of Andy’s love for Buzz.  It doesn’t rely on nostalgia as much as it might have, but there are some callbacks and references that will make longtime fans smile.

This is the second Pixar film this year after Turning Red premiered a few months ago. Comparatively, Lightyear might seem generic, and it has certainly been called derivative,  but in a way that can be seen as a good thing because between the two, it at least makes Lightyear more approachable to a wider audience.

Hearing Chris Evans speak as Buzz for the first time in the trailer of the movie was like seeing Zachary Quinto don the ears as Spock for the first J.J. Abrams Star Trek.  It just fit so well that it seemed right.  And Evans doesn’t disappoint, making his Buzz unique and at the same time familiar, thanks to  his take on the verbal pacing and intonations from Tim Allen’s original performance.

Sharing voice acting duties are experienced voice actress Uzo Aduba as Buzz’s best friend and fellow Space Ranger Alisha Hawthorne.  She’s best known for Orange Is the New Black, but you’ve probably also heard her lend her voice to characters in such animated shows as Steven Universe and 3Below.

Also along for the adventure are a motley group of almost-space rangers, composed of their leader Izzy (Keke Palmer), ex-con Darby (Dale Soules) and the accident waiting to happen, Mo, played by Taika Waititi of Thor: Ragnarok and Free Guy fame.  Also playing Zurg (Yes, Zurg shows up!) is James Brolin, veteran actor and dad of the MCU’s Josh Brolin who voiced Thanos.

All in all, the voice cast gave solid performances, but the stand-out has to be Peter Sohn’s lovable robotic cat, Sox.  Think of an adorable, feline R2D2 that actually speaks English and you’ve got Sox, and Sohn’s monotone, deadpan delivery somehow ups the cute factor even more.

Part of the fun is the idea that watching Lightyear is not like watching something from the Toy Story Universe, but that you’re watching it because you’re IN the Toy Story Universe yourself.  This is what Andy was watching when he was a little kid. (Though I honestly don’t think a same-sex relationship would have gotten into a kid’s movie back in 1995 like it can now.) You’re watching what he was watching. There’s something very meta about that, and that is undoubtedly part of the attraction.

Visually, Lightyear is up there with the best of Pixar. The spaceships and heavy machinery are all lovingly detailed with a realistic, used feel, and the space scenes are beautifully rendered.  It is probably the grittiest Pixar film in terms of its look, and it works for a space adventure.

There are some real heartfelt moments here, and some good characters and humor which makes Lightyear more than just about a space man blowing things up and looking cool doing it. None of them however really transcend the film or tug at your heartstrings as much as past Pixar movies do.  Which is not a big deal.  The wizards at Pixar set out to make a space opera, and they succeeded in spades, with a brisk pace and plenty of laser shields, explosions and hyperspace jumps to go around.

It is easy to say that Lightyear only exists to sell more toys. If you want to think about it in-universe,  then yes, lots of media back in the 80s and 90s were intended to sell toys. The entire television series of the Transformers were half-hour-long commercials for toys.   

It certainly worked on Andy, and it certainly worked on us. I’d say they succeeded and would make their marketing forbearers proud.  Before the movie ended, my wife turned to me, pointed at Sox, and said. “I want one!”  I can’t argue with that because when I saw Buzz’s prototype ship the XL-01, I thought, “I want one of those too!”

But even outside that train of thought, back in the real world, Lightyear is still a fun movie, regardless.

It makes one wonder now, did Andy watch any sequels?