Pixar's Lightyear is telling the action blockbuster variation of Buzz's story, but the context of this movie regarding the rest of the franchise currently remains unclear. It's possible that the Disney release remains completely separate from the Toy Story series and is simply inspired by one of its leads.
But of course, it would be a lot more fun to see the Toy Story gang in action somehow to confirm that it really is all connected. It would be an audience-pleasing moment and it feels appropriate to see Buzz's reaction to being immortalized in an adventure as high stakes as this! But what other ways could Pixar include the group?
Background Easter Eggs
Pixar is well known for including easter eggs throughout its films. Usually, these little nods are to tease some of the projects that are next up in development, while others have been to pay homage to what they have previously created. Lightyear is a perfect place to do the latter.
The fact is that fans will be looking out for any sign of Woody, Jessie, or maybe even Forky. There are a few simple ways to include them in the background of a scene, whether it's a cowboy sticker as Pixar has done in the past or perhaps even the use of a spork.
Toys
The reactions to Lightyear's trailers have been strongly in favor of the robotic cat that appears to accompany the astronaut on his adventures. While Sox is an original character, it's pretty clear to see how this AI could actually be mistaken for a toy.
There's absolutely room for some other toys to make an appearance within Buzz's life. Perhaps in his cabin, there are little trinkets from his past, including the cowboy, dinosaur, and slinky toys that he may have grown up playing with. That way the Toy Story gang can still appear in their original forms.
Buzz's Peers
It might be a controversial suggestion, but the characters from Toy Story could be reinvented a bit to fit into this chaotic sci-fi universe. Perhaps Pixar wants to have fun with the idea that Buzz is still working around and hanging out with the exact same peers.
Why not have a fellow space adventurer called Woody who happens to wear a cowboy hat? What's wrong with a dinosaur-obsessed tech engineer that goes by the nickname Rex? There are countless ways to add fun tie-ins that make mention to those original movies.
Watching In The Cinema
One of the simplest ways to get the Toy Story crew involved in the narrative while also grounding it within their own reality is by having them all appear towards the finale of the film, or even as a post-credit sequence. The concept that this is the blockbuster version of Buzz's life could really be sold here.
It would be pretty humorous to see the toys all lined up in the cinema, watching their friend make it big on the silver screen. Buzz himself could react to his own movie with one of his trademark hilarious quotes and perhaps feel a little emotional about being immortalized in such a way. Of course, a few jibes from Hamm wouldn't go amiss.
An Andy Adventure
There are still a lot of questions surrounding this Pixar project that fans are eagerly awaiting the answers to. Notably, will the iconic character Andy be involved in any capacity, perhaps in a cameo or in a more substantial role? As one of the key human characters, it makes sense.
What would really be intriguing is for the film to end with Andy in his room, as a young child, playing with his toys. Maybe this whole experience has been a wild adventure in the mind of a child, his imagination crafting a world worthy of its own blockbuster. It would bring the franchise full circle.
Stuck In The Store
When looking at telling tall tales, Buzz has been known to make up a few adventures of his own in the past. The current Buzz Lightyear that fans know and love might not be quite as boastful as he was previously. However, there are other versions of the character.
Fans will remember the scene that sees the Toy Story gang move through a toy store and get confronted by hundreds of boxes of Buzz figures. Maybe it's one of those products telling these grand adventures to some familiar faces, with Lightyear himself skeptical of the circumstances.
Rex's Video Game
There is already a precedent set for portraying one of Buzz's many missions, only for the reality to break down in a surprising revelation. Toy Story played this trick with Rex as he tried to complete a video game based upon the titular character of Lightyear.
It would be cool to see that connection made once more, with Rex logging out of a more advanced console while sitting alongside Buzz, who's mesmerized by what he just witnessed. It would explain the improved graphics and over-the-top narrative that might be found on next-gen consoles in this universe.
Return To Earth
Where did Buzz Lightyear come from in Andy's reality? Is it possible that the toy is based on a real-life figure who returned from space with some tall tales that may have been fictionalized further? That could be the case by the end of the production.
Perhaps Buzz Lightyear was indeed a genuine person who returned to Earth with some strange stories that he then franchised. By setting the film in the traditional continuity in this way, it could end with the Toy Story crew reacting to the hyperbolic lies that launched Buzz as an action figure.
Recounting A Story
Some fans are a little skeptical of the upcoming animation as they fear it may not boast the charm of the original movies. But including even some of the Toy Story characters could bring back some of that whimsicality. Maybe this is, therefore, all a story from the perspective of one of those characters.
Woody has left the team with Bo Peep and is making a lot of new friends. He's surely going to want to talk about his right-hand man, and it would be fitting for the cowboy to tell some ridiculous tales of his own about Buzz, to honor the nonsense that he first greeted the group with. He can spread the legend of the Space Ranger wherever he goes.
TV Show That Started It All
It's obvious that just like Woody's Roundup, there has to be some kind of kids' serial TV show out there that features Buzz and the rest of Space Command. It would explain where Andy even saw the toy advertised in the first place and help to flesh out Buzz's world.
Animated shows are constantly getting rebooted with new looks, so why can't that be the case for a Lightyear series as well? Maybe an older Andy watches the show alongside Bonnie and the rest of the group, in a scene reminiscent of how he first discovered the action figure.