Pixar Animation Studios’ next computer-animated science fiction action-adventure film Lightyear will be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It’s a Toy Tale spin-off that serves as the origin story for the fictional test pilot/astronaut character that inspired the Buzz Lightyear toy/action figure featured in the main films, and it’s presented as a blockbuster film inside a film that the Toy Story characters would see. The 2000 direct-to-video film Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, which served as the pilot for a spin-off television series, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000–2001), addressed this premise. Angus MacLane co-wrote and directed the picture, which stars Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, James Brolin, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, Uzo Aduba, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. as the eponymous character’s voice.
Lightyear depicts the story of young astronaut Buzz Lightyear, who, after being marooned on a hazardous planet with his commander and crew, strives to navigate through space and time to return home while also dealing with a threat to the universe’s safety. Following the completion of Finding Dory (2016), MacLane, a science fiction lover, approached Pixar with the notion of developing a Buzz Lightyear feature. The animators intended to give the film a “cinematic” and “chunky” aesthetic, evoking the sci-fi flicks that the filmmaker grew up watching. The score was written by Michael Giacchino.
The Don’t Say Gay Backlash At Disney Has Caused A Change To Chris Evans’ Lightyear Movie
The Walt Disney Company has come under fire, particularly this week, as the Florida Senate enacted a bill prohibiting the mention of sexual orientation or gender identity in primary school classrooms. Several Pixar employees and “allies” took advantage of the chance last week to write a statement claiming that the firm has previously “shaved down” attempts to depict the LGBTQ+ community in animated films “to crumbs.” Now, it appears that Disney will make a tweak to the next Lightyear feature.
Following Turning Red, Lightyear is Pixar’s next film
After Turning Red, Pixar will release Lightyear, a Toy Story space ranger origin story starring Chris Evans. According to Variety’s source “near” to the production, following the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill issue, Pixar has apparently reintroduced a same-sex kiss that was previously cut from the film.
The LGBTQ+ moment will be between Uzo Aduba’s “important” role and another female character in Lightyear, with whom she will have a meaningful relationship in the tale. According to the Pixar statement from last week, Lightyear was another film in which Disney eliminated elements related to the Queer community, but the firm changed its mind after the “Don’t Say Gay” criticism.
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Pixar has long sought to include more diverse characters in its films.
Pixar has long made an effort to include more diverse characters in its films. Out, a 2020 short film, gave the studio the opportunity to introduce its first LGBTQ+ main character. In addition, Lena Waithe’s Spector in 2020’s Onward is a female cyclops and cop who mentions her girlfriend in passing during the film. Having an undeniably LGBT lead character in Lightyear would be a significant step forward for not only the company but the entire industry.
Pixar has been working hard to introduce more diversity to their beloved films, such as with Turning Red when the animation studio used technology to ensure that the characters in the backdrop of the sequences mirrored Toronto, Canada’s melting pot. Pixar recently broke new ground with Turning Red, which included feminine goods and a topic of female puberty.
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Employees from Pixar have also complained to Disney.
Three Blue Sky Studios employees recounted the firm removing a same-sex kiss in their picture Nimona, which was rejected entirely by the studio while it was still in development, along with the complaints from Pixar employees to Disney. Following Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s sluggish response to the Florida bill that will push the LGBTQ+ community backward, Disney employees are planning to hold walkouts.
Taika Waititi, Keke Palmer, and James Brolin are among the cast members of Lightyear, which will be released on June 17th. The film is likely to be released in theatres, but given that prior Pixar films have launched exclusively on Disney+, it’s uncertain how things will play out.
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What’s going on here?
Lightyear tells the narrative of the character who would go on to inspire the Buzz Lightyear action figure, who leads the Toy Story franchise alongside unexpected buddies like Woody the Cowboy, Mr. Potato Head, and Rex the T-Rex.
“The sci-fi action-adventure reveals the definitive origin tale of Buzz Lightyear — the hero who inspired the toy — introducing the iconic Space Ranger who would win generations of admirers,” Disney said of the film.