Why Lightyear Failed For Pixar

Disney Pixar's Lightyear did not reach the same heights as the rest of the Toy Story franchise, leaving fans and the studio to wonder what went wrong. Lightyear is the origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the famous Space Ranger who appears in action figure form in the Toy Story films and animated series. In Lightyear, Buzz is revealed to be a fictional character within the Pixar universe who stars in Andy's favorite movie, the popularity of which leads to a toy line. Buzz's solo movie is a time travel sci-fi adventure that sees the title hero try to find a way home after becoming stranded on an inhospitable planet with his Star Command crew.

Lightyear marked Pixar's first theatrical release since Onward, which saw its run in cinemas cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Despite being a globally recognized character, Buzz Lightyear's origin story failed to generate much profit and is considered to be a box office failure. Against its sizable $200 million production budget Lightyear barely broke even with global earnings of $225 million, over $100 million less than Pixar's first big flop, The Good Dinosaur.

Despite its poor financial performance, Lightyear received generally positive reviews from both critics and general moviegoers. In particular, Buzz Lightyear's movie has been praised for its entertaining space story and colorful animation. On Rotten Tomatoes, Lightyear is certified fresh with a critical rating of 75% and an audience score of 84%, which although lower than any other Toy Story movie is still more than respectable. Despite the movie earning good reviews, here's where Pixar went wrong with Lightyear.

Disney+ Hurt Lightyear's Box Office Performance

While Lightyear made $225 million at the global box office, Toy Story 4 made over $1 billion. The huge difference can be explained by Disney's streaming platform not existing at the time of Toy Story 4's release. To see a new Pixar movie, audiences had to go to the theater or wait months before it was available at home. Now almost all Disney movies, including MCU blockbusters like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, are put on Disney+ just six weeks after their theatrical release. The accessibility and reduced cost compared to a theater ticket meant that many families were happy to wait a month and a half to watch Lightyear at home, rather than go to the cinema. Recently released viewing figures prove this point as 1.7 million households watched Lightyear in its first five days on Disney+.

Disney+ has also damaged the Pixar brand. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney released some of its most anticipated movies, like Mulan and Black Widow, on Disney+ behind a paywall. But to attract subscribers, new Pixar Animation movies were free to watch upon their Disney+ release. The three prior Pixar titles, Soul, Luca, and Turning Red, were all treated like basic movies as they were released the same way as standard, low-budget Disney+ fare. As a result, Pixar's reputation has been tarnished, impacting the anticipation for Lightyear.

Tim Allen Didn't Voice Buzz Lightyear

Although it didn't decide the fate of Lightyear, having someone that wasn't Tim Allen voice Buzz was disappointing. Chris Evans is a fantastic actor, but his casting as Buzz Lightyear didn't generate any additional hype for the movie and instead left some Toy Story fans feeling deflated. The decision to hire Evans instead of Allen was made stranger when the opening credits of Lightyear revealed that it is a fictional movie within the Pixar universe. If Buzz Lightyear was only ever a fictional character in the Pixar world, it's odd that the toy Buzz had a different voice to his on-screen counterpart.

Toy Story 2 Already Revealed Buzz Lightyear's Origin

One of the bigger problems of Lightyear is that nobody really asked for it. Buzz is one of the most loved animated characters of all time because of the events of the Toy Story series, not because of what happened to him as a Space Ranger. Lightyear failed to generate much excitement because many potential viewers just didn't care about the premise.

There was also little need for an origin story because the first Toy Story sequel already did it. In homage to Star Wars, the evil Emperor Zurg is revealed to be Buzz Lightyear's father in Toy Story 2. Yet Buzz's origin movie retcons this reveal with Lightyear's much less satisfying twist. While the rest of Buzz's backstory in Lightyear is bittersweet, though still entertaining, ultimately it did little to improve the connection that Toy Story fans already had with the toy version of Buzz that they have known for over two decades.

Buzz Lightyear Needs Woody

Pixar's biggest mistake with Lightyear was thinking that Toy Story fans wanted to see Buzz without Woody and the rest of the gang. A huge part of what makes Buzz Lightyear so great in the Toy Story franchise is that he is the only person who truly believes he is a Space Ranger, leading to comedic and dramatic moments. In Toy Story, Tom Hank’s Woody takes an immediate dislike for Buzz, and their iconic confrontation at the Dinoco Gas Station causes the toy sheriff to famously yell "you are a toy," something that Lightyear immediately dismisses. It's not until Toy Story 2 that Buzz fully accepts that he is a toy when he encounters Ultra Buzz, an even more deluded version of the adventurer.

Lightyear glosses over all of that because Buzz is a member of Star Command who is recognized by everyone around him as a Space Ranger. Rather than being the only one in on the joke, every character in Lightyear sees Buzz the same way that only Buzz saw himself in Toy Story. Until the ending of Lightyear, Buzz is delusional by thinking that he can complete his impossible mission, but his delusion is sad and not played for laughs or entertainment like it is in Toy Story.

The space-themed setup of Lightyear meant that other Toy Story characters, with whom the toy version of Buzz Lightyear shares deep relationships, were also missing. Buzz's relationship with Jesse is a highlight of Toy Story 3, particularly when his settings are turned to Spanish mode, and low-key moments throughout the franchise with Rex and Slinky Dog show how much Buzz enjoys the group's friendship. But that is all ignored in Lightyear. Most importantly, Lightyear proved that Buzz Lightyear needs Woody, his best friend who keeps the Space Ranger grounded.