Lightyear is the 2022 animated movie that has created a lot of buzz across the globe for including MCU star Chris Evans and introducing LGBTQ+ representation. The movie served as a spin-off series of the hit Toy Story. Toy Story was first released in 1995 and over years its fanbase has shown positive growth. Lightyear focused on the fan-favorite character of Buzz. The movie was produced by big industry players like Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios. Despite being connected with major producers and the hit franchise, the movie failed to perform well at the box office, unlike its main series.
Also Read: Lightyear: Peter Sohn On His Love For Sox, The Perfect Pixar Movie Night, & More (EXCLUSIVE)
Lightyear’s Underwhelming Box Office Performance
Lightyear was produced with a budget of $ 200 million but the movie only grossed $ 226 million at the box office. The character of Buzz was voiced by the superstar Chris Evans, which grabbed the audience’s attention. But the makers seem to have forgotten the fact that Buzz was previously voiced by Tim Allen. The spin-off series was promoted with his connection to Toy Story to tap the fans of Buzz but changing the voice actor and presenting a science fiction with no connection to the original series caught the viewers by surprise.
The Chief Creative Officer of Pixar, Pete Docter opened up about the failure of Lightyear. Docter is a well-known maker of animated movies and he has bagged three Oscars under the category of Best Animated Feature. The three-time Academy Award winner too accepted the fact that the Lightyear would have performed well without its connection with the Toy Story series.
“We’ve done a lot of soul-searching about that because we all love the movie. We love the characters and the premise. I think probably what we’ve ended on in terms of what went wrong is that we asked too much of the audience. When they hear Buzz, they’re like, great, where’s Mr. Potato Head and Woody and Rex? And then we drop them into this science fiction film that they’re like, What?”
Pete Docter admitted that the original series and the recent spin-off were way different from each as he added that the makers failed to deliver the fan-desirable product.
“Even if they’ve read the material in the press, it was just a little too distant, both in concept, and I think in the way that characters were drawn, that they were portrayed. It was much more of a science fiction. And Angus, to his credit, took it very seriously and genuinely and wanted to represent those characters as real characters. But the characters in ‘Toy Story’ are much broader, and so I think there was a disconnect between what people wanted/expected and what we were giving to them.”
Also Read: Lightyear Gets Early Streaming Release on Disney+ After Average Theatrical Run
Pete Docter Teased Toy Story 5
Now that the makers have disrupted the legacy of Toy Story by adding a science fiction movie titled, Lightyear in between. All eyes are set on the upcoming Toy Story 5 to regain the lost trust of Toy Story fans. Docter highlighted the fact that the production of initial Toy Story movies was independent of any thought of its sequels but over time they were able to successfully deliver the 4 hit installments. Now that he admitted and learned about their past mistakes while creating the Lightyear, Docter teased the upcoming Toy Story 5 as he promises some good stuff to fans.
“When we made the first ‘Toy Story,’ we had no idea there would be a ‘Toy Story 2.’ We’re just trying to make this movie. But that in making the movie, it takes you places, unexpected places, which is what I love about the creative process. If I knew exactly what I was doing when I started making a movie, there’d kind of be no point in making it. I discover so much along the way. I think it’ll be surprising. It’s got some really cool stuff that you haven’t seen before.”
Also Read: Lightyear Launch Failure: The Future of Pixar
It looked like the makers are ready to once again prove the worth of the iconic Toy Story to the world. The makers are already undoing their past mistakes and confirmed that Tom Aleen will be back to voice Buzz in the upcoming movie. The fate of Toy Story will soon be clear after the release of Toy Story 5. Till then fans can stream the Lightyear on Disney+.
Source: The Wrap
Also Watch:
