The new Pixar movie Lightyear may star Buzz Lightyear, but don’t presume just because you’ve seen Toy Story that you know who this character is. This new version of Buzz doesn’t just have a new voice actor – he’s now voiced by Chris Hemsworth instead of Tim Allen – he’s got a whole new attitude.
No longer the comic relief, Lightyear’s interpretation of Buzz is smarter, more serious, and as tenacious as a (slinky) dog with a bone. The world he inhabits is very different as well. It’s not a child’s bedroom. It’s a hostile and dangerous alien world millions of lightyears from Earth. You have to credit director Angus MacClane for not resting on his laurels and just filling the film with Toy Story characters and references.
Still, there’s one reference that could have easily been slipped in easily enough and was already established as part of the Lightyear canon in a previous animated series. The Little Green Men who Buzz previously met when he infiltrated a Pizza Planet claw machine. However, McClane told us he deliberately didn’t include them in his film because he doesn’t think they’re from Buzz’s fictional universe.
“They’re from Pizza Planet, and they were included with the Buzz Lightyear TV show, but that always felt wrong,” MacClane told us. “If they were aware of Buzz canonically, then when Buzz showed up in Toy Story in the claw game, they would know him.”
“They would recognise him, or he would recognise them,” he continued. “Since there was no recognition there, well, the reason why [Buzz] didn’t recognise them is that they’re from Pizza Planet. So I felt, as a fan, that was incorrect.”
Still, MacClane couldn’t help himself and slipped in at least one reference to the three-eyed squeaky toys. He told us there’s a hidden image somewhere in the movie. Good luck spotting it, easter egg hunters.
If you want to read our full interview with Angus MacClane, you can read it here or can check out our Lightyear review.
Lightyear hits cinemas on June 17.