Lightyear [2022] – Chris Evans, Keke Palmer

With an intriguing sense of Deja Vu, Lightyear is the least exciting movie of all the Toy Story franchise by Disney & Pixar. And yes, I’m counting Toy Story 4.

However, even if it doesn’t quite measure up to Toy Story, I wasn’t bored. Lightyear offers an entertaining origin story for the beloved title character. I just wish they didn’t over complicate it with time bending theories and jumping times. All of that aside, this gorgeously animated adventure ably accomplishes its mission of straightforward fun. Which is something we hold Pixar accountable to at this point. And they almost always deliver.

On the other hand, as much as I enjoy Pixar’s shenanigans, I had different expectations from this movie. I grew up with “to infinity and beyond”, and then I saw this. Lightyear is supposed to be the origin story of an iconic toy in the Toy Story universe.

Sadly, what we got was the most basic and un-original story for the iconic catchphrase. No twists & turns, no special effects, and a basic personal connection. I expected better.

The result? An over engineered adventure comedy…without grace or emotion.

Should you watch it?

Lightyear has some striking designs and a few hat-tips to 2001: A Space Odyssey. But it all feels a bit perfunctory, like a successful launch that has no destination among the stars or anywhere else.

Where can I watch it?

You can stream Disney Pixar’s Lightyear exclusively Disney Plus everywhere.