‘Lightyear’ Director Blames Internet Trolls For Poor Film Reviews

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Even before it came to theaters on June 17, Disney and Pixar’s newest film Lightyear generated a ton of controversy. For one thing, fans were not thrilled that Disney decided to cast Marvel star Chris Evans as the voice of Buzz Lightyear, instead of using Tim Allen, who voiced the original character throughout the Toy Story franchise. Second, a lot of viewers took issue with the fact that there was not only a lesbian couple, but that they share a brief kiss. That scene alone caused the film to be banned in a number of countries, including Saudi Arabia.

Not long after Lightyear was released, it was bombed with a number of negative reviews. However, director Angus MacLane is defending the new Pixar film and clarifying what he thinks caused the massive amount of negative reviews — internet trolls. Twitter user @sherelleigh said that they loved Lightyear and could not understand why it had such low ratings, and MacLane responded:

A lot of times people may look at reviews before deciding to see a movie, but MacLane provided a great reason as to why everyone should see Lightyear and not look at reviews. According to MacLane, a majority of the negative reviews came from people who didn’t actually see the movie. MacLane tweeted:

Before the film’s release, Disney clarified that the film was based on the real-life Space Ranger who inspired the toy Buzz Lightyear, which is why the Chris Evans casting choice was made. Disney also decided to put the same-sex kiss back into the film after originally leaving it on the cutting room floor. That decision was made not long after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the controversial Parental Rights In Education bill into law.

Check here for our review of the film:

Lightyear – A Brief but Honest Review

Tim Allen breaks his silence about PIXAR’s newest film, “Lightyear”

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Tim Allen is finally talking about PIXAR’s latest film, Lightyear, sharing in an interview that he wished the new film had a better connection to the Buzz Lightyear toy from Toy Story.

In the newest installment from the Toy Story film franchise, which PIXAR hails as the “definitive origin story” of the space ranger, Buzz Lightyear, fans are introduced to the man who inspired an entire line of action figures–the real Buzz Lightyear.

From the time voice casting was made public, fans were confused about PIXAR’s decision to cast Captain America’s Chris Evans as the voice of the space ranger from Star Command, instead of the original voice of the Buzz Lightyear toy, veteran actor Tim Allen.

Why is Tim Allen not voicing Buzz Lightyear?

But it makes sense; Lightyear is the story of the man behind the action figure, and Toy Story features the action figure version of Buzz Lightyear. So having a different voice for each helps to differentiate between the two.

And while some fans and fellow celebrities who didn’t know this voiced their frustration with PIXAR for not casting Tim Allen as the voice of the space ranger, Allen has stayed completely quiet on the subject, until now.

In a recent interview with Extra, Tim Allen shared some of his thoughts about the new film. He also shared the reasoning behind his staying quiet about the voice casting so far, despite others’ complaints about PIXAR’s decision.

“The short answer is I’ve stayed out of this ’cause it has nothing to do [with my character],” Allen said. “This is a whole new team that really had nothing to do with the first movies.”

Tim Allen and Buzz Lightyear | Disney News

Allen continued by saying that originally, he thought Lightyear was going to be a live-action film with “real humans.”

He says he thinks there’s a wonderful story in the new Lightyear film, but there are a couple of issues he pointed out.

“There’s really no Toy Story Buzz without Woody,” Allen said. “[Lightyear] just doesn’t seem to have any connection to the toy. I wish there was a better connection.”

You can see Tim Allen’s interview on Extra here:

During a behind-the-scenes look at PIXAR’s Lightyear shared by PEOPLE Magazine shortly before the film debuted at the box office, Chris Evans said he felt like a “kid in a candy store” as he worked on the film. He also shared some really positive points about Toy Story.

woody and buzz toy story

“The movie Toy Story was such an impactful film,” Evans said. “It’s so iconic, and the characters had such variety. They just offer something that’s so relatable.

When he was asked about the new Lightyear film, Evans explained the premise and said it’s very different from other PIXAR projects so far.

“[Lightyear] is the origin story of Buzz Lightyear,” he said. “I’m a massive PIXAR fan; [the new film] is unlike any PIXAR movie to date.”

Lightyear – A Brief but Honest Review

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

As a huge Pixar fan and specifically a fan of the Toy Story movies, I was excited for this new addition to the franchise. I thought the concept of this movie was different but would be a refreshing take on what we already knew of Buzz Lightyear, the toy. As I watched this movie, I was underwhelmed by the entirety of the movie. Now, before you gather the bucket of tar and bag of feathers, let me, hopefully, explain why.

I went into this movie understanding that this was not going to be the same as any of the Toy Story movies. This was not going to be filled with the bits of humor that permeate the franchise. This movie wasn’t going to have the nostalgia of the toys, themselves, that so many of us grew up playing with and the feelings that we got seeing them come to an animated life. I knew this was going to be a different kind of movie separate from the franchise but still involving one of its most loved characters. To compare this movie to the rest of the franchise is unfair to this movie. It’s not the same type of movie. Because of this, I was excited for the possibility that this movie could be, separate from the others.

Visually, it is stunning. The sci-fi look and feel of the movie is great. This movie is a direct testament to how far animation has come in the last 25-30 years since Toy Story made its way to our hearts. Pixar has always been top-notch when it comes to the animation itself and this movie delivers.

Let me address a couple of the controversies that have troubled the movie before it even had a chance to get to theaters. First, Chris Evans replacing Tim Allen as the voice of Buzz. I thought this was kind of a faux issue of sorts. I didn’t expect the “real” version of Buzz Lightyear to sound exactly the same as the “Toy” Buzz, so I wasn’t in that camp where this was a huge issue for me to start with. I thought Evans was fantastic and there were times where I thought he sounded like Allen in some of the ways in which things were said or expressed.

The second controversy more plaguing this film is the same-sex scene that has gotten this movie banned in many countries. This scene was done in a way that didn’t take away from the rest of the movie. People have strong opinions on both sides of this topic and Disney and Pixar have to continue to make a decision whether they want to risk money at the box office in place of putting forth their social agenda. This controversy will ultimately be settled by the box office numbers and whether the company’s willingness to continue to create content that some people deem to be controversial will outweigh its pocketbooks. Disney’s decision making right now is under intense scrutiny as their stock continues to trend downward over the last year, going from nearly $200 a share to now being under $100 a share.

The storyline is where this movie loses me. The jumps in time, while seeming like a great concept was just poorly used. I was left wondering what happened in between those years. Instead, it just jumps and things happen and it goes to the next jump in time, until finally, a spaceship is seen above inhabited world. I thought the first half of the movie provided so much potential and then the last half just kinda seemed flat and long. There were good moments but those good moments were surrounded by moments that just seemed dull. This movie could have cut about 15-20 minutes out and still provided the same effect. I remember sitting there 2/3 of the way through the movie and wondered if I really was enjoying what I was watching. The storyline at times seemed like an episode of a TV series that is meant to set up the next episode. Assuming there will be a sequel, maybe the combination of movies will make the storyline work better. I am skeptical.

Besides Buzz, Alisha Hawthorne, and her granddaughter Izzy Hawthorne, the other characters were very poorly developed. I can’t even tell you what the other characters names were. I thought this was a complete miss. Even Zurg and his band of robots were also a miss for me in the way in which they were introduced and used. Sox, Buzz’s robot cat, was a great addition and made the movie bearable at times.

Overall, after letting this movie marinade for half a day, this was a disappointment for me. “Lightyear” is a decent to average sci-fi film with great visuals. However, it was not up to Pixar standards in terms of storytelling and if the movie didn’t contain a beloved Pixar character, it would be one that I would say, don’t see. But, being in the Toy Story franchise, give it a try and see what you think.

If I had to rate this, it would maybe get a 5 out of 10 only because of my love for the character and Pixar films in general!

Theatrical Release Date Of “Lightyear” Finally Confirmed

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+, Uncategorized

PIXAR fans finally have confirmation of a theatrical release for the studio’s upcoming film directed by Angus MacLane and produced by Galyn Susman. Lightyear, starring Chris Evans as the legendary space ranger who inspired the Buzz Lightyear toy franchise seen in Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, and Toy Story 4, will debut at the box office, and fans have PIXAR’s word on that.

PIXAR Animation Studios‘ upcoming action-adventure film, Lightyear, has long been scheduled for a box office release on June 17th, 2022, but because of recent news concerning PIXAR’s new films which continue to be released directly on the Disney+ platform and rumors about dissension among the ranks at PIXAR and Disney related to new film releases, fans have wondered whether the box office and Space Ranger Lightyear would ever meet.

But on Sunday evening during the 94th Academy Awards, PIXAR dropped a new TV ad that got fans really excited about the studio’s newest piece of genius animation.

The TV spot lasted 90 seconds, and though it wasn’t a new trailer, it did give fans some insight into the brand-new animated film, which claims to be the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear. The ad promised fans of the Lightyear movie not only a theatrical release, but also an IMAX release.

Beginning with the release of Soul in December 2020, every film from PIXAR Animation Studios has completely bypassed the theater, being released directly to the Disney+ platform instead. Luca followed suit in the summer of 2021, and most recently, PIXAR’s controversial Turning Red, which had been promised a first stop at the box office, was instead released onto Disney’s streaming platform on March 11.

turning red

According to Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter, PIXAR’s Lightyear movie is a project that had its beginnings before the first Toy Story film was released. The idea of a definitive origin story for Buzz Lightyear was on the creative minds at PIXAR, but in the beginning, there was no specific timeline for that film‘s debut.

Lightyear is a space adventure set in the 1950s and 1960s. Fans will get to learn about the man behind the toy–the space ranger behind the action figure.

Buzz Lightyear Battles Zurg In Pixar's Lightyear Trailer | Movies | Empire

According to Disney, “Lightyear is a sci-fi action-adventure and the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the hero who inspired the toy, Lightyear follows the legendary Space Ranger on an intergalactic adventure alongside a group of ambitious recruits and his robot companion Sox.”

The film stars the vocal talents of Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Dale Soules, Taika Waititi, Peter Sohn, James Brolin, Efren Ramirez, Isiah Whitlock Jr., and Uzo Aduba.

Lightyear from PIXAR Animation Studios hits theaters on June 17th, 2022.