Lightyear
Lightyear
Legendary space ranger Buzz Lightyear embarks on an intergalactic adventure alongside ambitious recruits Izzy, Mo, Darby, and his robot companion, Sox. As this motley crew tackles their toughest mission yet, they must learn to work together as a team to escape the evil Zurg and his dutiful robot army that are never far behind.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 7, 2025
Pixar continuously delivers some of the most original content of any Hollywood Studio (and I’m not just talking animation). I can count on a trip to the cinema with gorgeous visuals where my entire family laughs (and/or cries), everyone enjoys themselves and no one is bored. That still holds true. However, I have always felt that Pixar’s weakest efforts have been their sequels (Cars 2,3, Monsters University, Finding Nemo). The only exceptions to this “rule” to this point has been Incredibles 2 and the Toy Story franchise. While Lightyear isn’t technically a Toy Story film, it is almost wholly derivative of the things we know about Buzz from Toy Story with scarce little that feels original in any way. Yes, there are fun homages to sci-fi classics as well, but that only adds to the feeling that this is just a hollow shell of a film. By comparison, Lightyear feels as though it’s lacking that very trademark originality and emotional fortitude that makes Pixar my most trusted studio in the business. I say “by comparison” because Lightyear is by no measure a bad film. It’s a decent sci-fi adventure that looks beautiful on the big screen, Everyone laughed, some cried, all enjoyed and no one was bored, But this definitely feels like a major step down to describe a Pixar release as decent.