The Toy Story franchise never really explained why Buzz Lightyear was such a popular toy, but this June, Lightyear will tell the character's true story. However, the Buzz who became best friends with Woody isn't based on a real-life historical figure or anything like that; instead, Lightyear is going to be the movie young Andy saw as a kid that made him go from loving cowboys to outer space.
It's a fun approach, and during a recent press event attended by The Illuminerdi, director Angus McLane said that, in the Toy Story world, Lightyear is basically Andy's Star Wars!
"Now you remember in Toy Story, Andy had a birthday party. His favorite gift was a character that he loved, Buzz Lightyear the Space Ranger. And it was a toy that would redefine playtime for Andy," the filmmaker said. "And I’ve always wondered what movie was Buzz from, you know? Why couldn’t we just make that movie? o that’s what we did. Presenting Lightyear, the movie that Andy saw that changed his life. Andy’s Star Wars. A sci-fi epic designed to inspire a new generation."
Needless to say, if we don't get a post-credits scene showing Andy and his mom walking out of the theater with Woody rolling his eyes when the kid says he wants a Buzz Lightyear toy for his birthday, that will be a real missed opportunity! Keeping the focus on this iteration of Buzz wouldn't be a bad thing, though, and Lightyear does look like an awesome animated sci-fi movie in its own right.
Tim Allen won't be lending his voice to Buzz in this movie, with that honour instead going to Chris Evans. A recent trailer shed some light on what fans can expect, and you can check that out here.
Lightyear is set to blast into theaters on June 17!
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