Lightyear

There are two types of modern Pixar movies. One is a Pixar movie. It tackles deeper themes, using metaphor and more complicated concepts, and taps into genuine human emotion. The other is a Disney movie. This is a vehicle for merchandising. An exercise in commerce. It may have a moral or a message, but it is superficial. Lightyear is EMPHATICALLY the latter, and depressingly so. There is nothing here of the intelligent, heady explorations of mortality and purpose (Soul) or the definition of family (Onward) or adolescence, mother-daughter relationships and the weight of tradition (Turning Red). There’s a space adventure and that’s it. It’s as deep as a PS1-era video game. It’s a pretty movie, don’t get me wrong. But it’s just an adventure, nothing more. And that would be a little more excusable as a premise if it weren’t for the fact that the movie states this is the movie that Toy Story’s Andy saw and was inspired to get a Buzz toy. This is his favorite movie. A movie about a selfish, obnoxious dickhead. A movie about an ass that acts like a superior know it all and refuses to be wrong. It’s perplexing why any kid Andy’s age would be obsessed with this movie. I wouldn’t have been. It really hurts the entire premise of the movie. So, yeah, it’s fine. It’s hardly the worst Pixar movie. But it didn’t need to happen, except to make someone money. Kids will enjoy it but probably won’t love it. Adults won’t mind it, but it won’t have any resonance the way Toy Story 1-3 did. It’s fine.