'Lightyear' an exciting sci-fi adventure

For many years, quite a few of us have sat back and enjoyed watching the Buzz Lightyear character in the four main ‘Toy Story’ movies, not counting the numerous animated shorts based on the movies that are currently available on Disney Plus.

Now, eager fans can finally see the origin story of this beloved Pixar character in the eagerly awaited big screen arrival of ‘Buzz Lightyear.’

Legendary space ranger Buzz Lightyear embarks on an intergalactic adventure alongside ambitious recruits Izzy, Mo, Darby, and his robot companion SOX.

As this motley crew tackles their toughest mission yet, they must learn to work together as a team to escape the evil Zurg and his dutiful robot army that are never far behind. Pixar’s long-awaited return to the big screen definitely exceeds expectations. ‘Lightyear’ delivers a lot of extremely fun moments and some great sci-fi action.

This Buzz Lightyear origin story is an absolute blast to watch. Just like the previous movies in the ‘Toy Story’ series, ‘Lightyear’ has several likable characters and many scene-stealing moments. Of course, the character that absolutely steals the show is SOX. This lovable character is really well-liked and the audiences love him.

Chris Evans does a great job voicing the titular character. Sure, a lot of us will still remember Tim Allen voicing the ever-popular character in the previous movies and shorts. Yet, Evans does his own take on the character and he nails it. The animation is simply amazing (like any other Pixar production) and audiences will simply enjoy this movie.

There are also some Buzz Lightyear callbacks that are from the original ‘Toy Story’ movies. Let’s see if any fans of the series can spot them all. Also, there is a slight twist later in the animated movie that works really well and is actually very interesting. Overall, Pixar does it again and has another win to add to their ever-growing filmography. Filled with lots of great fun, lots of laughs, some good sci-fi adventure and many memorable moments featuring the one and only SOX, ‘Lightyear’ is one movie this summer that you don’t want to miss.

There are also a couple scenes during the credits that could eventually lead up to a ‘Lightyear’ sequel down the road.

The cast: Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear; Keke Palmer as Izzy Hawthorne; Taika Waititi as Mo Morrison; Dale Soules as Darby Steel; Uzo Aduba as Alisha Hawthorne; Isaiah Whitlock Jr. as Commander Burnside; Bill Hader as Featheringhamstan; Ehren Ramirez as Airman Diaz; Mary McDonald-Lewis as I.V.A.N.; and Peter Sohn as SOX. ‘Lightyear’ is written by Jason Headley (Onward) and directed by Angus MacLane (co-director of ‘Finding Dory’).

The idea of making a Buzz Lightyear movie has been around for a few years. Development started after director Angus MacLane finished up co-directing ‘Finding Dory’ for Disney and Pixar in 2016.

‘Lightyear’ is rated PG for action/peril and has a running time of 100 minutes.

If you liked the latest offering from Pixar, let me know on my Press Examiner Reviews Facebook page — Wyoming County Press Examiner Reviews by Matt Palmer. And keep checking the page to see what I will be reviewing next for the paper.